Wednesday, 17th June 2026

Hon. Members, we have a quorum to transact business. Let us start. Lead Clerk-at-the-Table, please, call out the orders.

Members on their feet take the nearest seats.

Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 41 (4) , I wish to report to the House that I have received two Messages from the Senate regarding its consideration of the following Bills—

Let us have the Deputy Chief Whip of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following papers on the Table:

Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Hon. Atandi, are you ready?

Let us have the Chairperson of the Select Committee on National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) , Hon. Musa Sirma.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table:

Report of the Select Committee on National Government Constituencies Development Fund on the approval hearing of nominees for appointment as Members of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Board

Hon Atandi, I believe you are not ready with the notice of Motion either. Let us have Hon. Sirma, Chairperson of the Select Committee on National Government Constituencies Development Fund.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:

THAT, taking into consideration the findings of the Select Committee on National Government Constituencies Development Fund in its report on the

approval hearing of nominees for appointment as members of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Board, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 17th June 2026, and pursuant to the provisions of Section 15 of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Act, Cap. 414A, and Sections 3 and 8 of the Public Appointments (Parliamentary Approval) Act (Cap. 7F) this House approves the appointment of the following persons as members of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund Board—

Thank you. Hon. Atandi, are you now ready? Lead Clerk-at-the-Table, call out Order No. 5

Hon. Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table:

Report of the Budget and Appropriations Committee on its consideration of the Second Supplementary Estimates for the Financial Year 2025/2026.

Thank you. Go back to Order No.6.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Budget and Appropriations Committee…

Please say, “I beg to give notice of the following Motion.” Then, you proceed to read the terms of the Motion.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to give notice of the following Motion:

THAT, this House adopts the report of the Budget and Appropriations

Thank you. Before I call the next Order, Hon. Members, I acknowledge the presence of Karuri High School from Kiambaa Constituency, Kiambu County and Wamagana Comprehensive School from Tetu Constituency, Nyeri County, in the Public Gallery. On my behalf and on behalf of the House, we welcome the students, their teachers, and those accompanying them to the House of Parliament. Thank you.

On a point of order, Hon. Speaker.

Yes, Commissioner. What is it?

Hon. Speaker, I stand before you seeking your guidance. This morning, through your leadership, you convened a full Commission meeting as per Article 127 of the Constitution, which deliberates on the welfare of these members and

staff. There was an ongoing matter of national interest. Yesterday, you directed that the debate on the Finance Bill will continue. This morning, some of us were disadvantaged because of the same. In the Commonwealth, matters of the Finance Bill are given a lot of debate time. I am standing to request whether, within your wisdom, as per Standing Order No. 1, you can recommit this House to resume the debate on the Finance Bill so that most of us who did not have a chance to debate can be heard.

Under what Standing Order are you seeking that? Hon. Patrick Makau, Commissioner, I know you were in a meeting with me. The House was in session because, even when the substantive Speaker is not here, the House is properly constituted, and it concluded debate on the Bill. The Bill would have taken three days if it were necessary. It was here yesterday and today. As I walked into my chamber, I saw a vote put and a decision made. I find no merit in reopening the matter. In any case, the Bill is coming to the Committee of the whole House, where you can prosecute any issues that you have as comprehensively as you can. You will have a say on the matter. Next Order.

We will go to Statements. Hon. Shinali has requested to be the first because he has an urgent matter to attend to. His request for a Statement is number five, but I will allow him to go first. Hon. Shinali, you may proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Energy regarding the delayed electricity connection at the Constituency Industrial Development Centre at Malinya in Ikolomani Constituency. Hon. Speaker, the Constituency Industrial Development Centre at Malinya was established to advance industrialisation, support micro, small and medium enterprises, create employment opportunities and stimulate economic growth within Ikolomani Constituency. However, despite the installation of the requisite infrastructure and payments amounting to over Ksh1.7 million meant to the Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) by the Micro and Small Enterprise Authority (MSEA) for electricity connection, the centre remains unconnected to the national grid. The prolonged delay has rendered the facility idle, denying the local entrepreneurs and residents the intended economic benefits while exposing machinery and other public assets to deterioration, vandalism and theft. This situation raises concerns regarding the continued delay and the timelines by not fully operationalising the centre for the benefit of the people of Ikolomani Constituency. Hon. Speaker, it is against this background that I request a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Energy on the following:

Chair of the Departmental Committee on Energy. Leader of the Majority Party, inform him that he should respond in two weeks. Hon. Charles Kamuren.

Vice-Chair is actually here.

Is the Vice-Chair here? Yes, Hon. Aramat. Is it Hon. Aramat? Bring a response in two weeks.

Most obliged, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Charles Kamuren.

Charles Kamuren

: Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to the provision of Standing Order 44

(2)

(c)

, I rise to request for a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding compensation of banditry victims in Baringo South Constituency, Baringo County. The Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration, security agencies, local leaders, community leaders and administrators have made tremendous efforts that have significantly restored peace and stability in Baringo South and the larger Kerio Valley region. The improved security situation has enabled residents to return to their homes, resume economic activities and rebuild their livelihoods. However, while peace has largely been restored, many families continue to bear the painful consequences of years of banditry and insecurity. Some households lost their loved ones, livestock, homes, businesses and other sources of livelihoods, leaving many victims displaced, thus unable to recover from the devastating effects of the attacks. The situation calls for urgent intervention in the restoration, rehabilitation, and economic recovery of affected communities, now that peace has been restored. Hon. Speaker, it is against this background that I request for a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on the following:

Thank you. Hon. Tongoyo, that is to you. When will you respond?

Hon. Speaker, I beg for your indulgence on this because, having listened carefully to the Statement, the Member of Parliament is largely talking about compensation of livestock. His Statement should probably be committed to the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock. I know there was some money for compensation and restocking. I need your indulgence on that.

Hon. Kamuren, do you hear that? Have you misdirected your request for a Statement?

Hon. Speaker, I am very clear on my Statement. I do not know why he is trying to avoid it. He should handle it and report. Out of this…

Okay. Hon. Tongoyo, you will bring a response in two weeks.

Hon. Speaker, probably Hon. Weytan could have obstructed your attention. I heard the Member of Parliament talk about the compensation for victims in terms of livestock losses. The other Question was whether there is a budgetary allocation for the same. My conclusion is that he may be referring to a budget line allocated to the Ministry of Agriculture for restocking. If that is the case, I still strongly believe the question should be directed to the Ministry of Agriculture regarding compensation for livestock losses.

Hon. Kamuren, why are you on your feet? Yes,

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for the opportunity you have given me. I represent the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock in today’s session. I want to dissociate the Committee from the position taken by the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding us. The budget line we have is for the restoration of livestock affected by drought nationwide. It is not specific to Baringo, and it has nothing to do with cattle rustling and its resultant effects on communities in the North region. So, we will do our work, but the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security should also do his work by responding accordingly to the questions raised by Hon. Kamuren.

Yes, Hon. Raso.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. For those of us who come from banditry areas, this is a very important Statement sought by ...

There are no bandit areas; they are areas affected by bandits.

Hon. Speaker, listening to Hon. Kamuren, I think this Statement should either go to the Leader of the Majority Party or the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) because it has far-reaching issues on compensation for those who have been killed, those who have been displaced, those whose properties have been destroyed and those who their livestock has been stolen. As a Committee, we will try to put our heads...

The Leader of the Majority Party, everybody is running away from this request for a Statement.

Hon. Speaker, that resourceful request for a Statement by Hon. Kamuren is good. However, the compensation of banditry victims is a matter that everybody is running away from. You know, victims of banditry are Kenyans whose human rights have been violated. The State has an obligation to protect the life and property of every one of us.

Therefore, I will pick up the matter with the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary to liaise with the Office of the Deputy President, which will liaise with the Independent Constitutional Commissions to see if the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC) can include these victims of banditry amongst the people who are being compensated from the Compensation Fund for victims of demonstrations and other violations of human rights.

Just like every other citizen, they are Kenyans who have a right to life and livelihood. Therefore, they must be protected when their rights are violated, because the State has failed to provide them with security. I want to believe, as Hon. Kamuren does, that they should and must be compensated. I will therefore relay this request for a Statement to the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, which will liaise with all relevant Government agencies.

Thank you. Hon. Kamuren, finally, your request for a Statement has found a place to patch. Inform them to bring a response in two weeks.

Hon. Wakili Muriu.

Hon. Wakili Muriu.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding the status of investigations into the death of Mr Eugene Maliva Mutuku, arising from the conduct of operators of a public service vehicle belonging to Nicco Movers Sacco.

On 5th June 2026, Mr Eugene Maliva Mutuku, a 19-year-old student at the Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) , Thika Campus, died at Kenyatta National Hospital, owing to injuries sustained along Thika Road after being ejected by a conductor of a bus registration number KDV 713J, operated by Nicco Movers Sacco. It is reported that while travelling from Roasters to Safari Park, a dispute arose over a Ksh20 fare balance, following which the bus conductor forcibly ejected Mr Mutuku as the bus accelerated.

The post-mortem examination revealed that Mr Mutuku died from severe multiple body injuries and internal bleeding consistent with a fall from a moving vehicle. However, no action has been taken against the operators of the Sacco at present. This incident has sparked widespread public concern over the conduct of public service vehicle operators and the continued occurrence of passenger mistreatment, often resulting in fatalities. It also raises serious questions regarding accountability within the public transport sector and the adequacy of enforcement mechanisms to safeguard commuters.

It is against this background that I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on the following:

Thank you, Wakili. Hon. Tongoyo.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I request that we respond in two weeks, or on the first Thursday after we resume from recess.

Okay. So, which one? Looking at the calendar, if we are likely to go on recess on the 3rd, two weeks will have lapsed.

So, can you bring a response on 2nd July 2026?

Yes.

Thank you. The 2nd Hon. Muriu. Hon. Umulkher Harun? Go ahead.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security regarding the status of refugee integration and economic empowerment in the country.

Kenya continues to host a significant number of refugees and asylum seekers from neighbouring countries fleeing conflict, persecution, and other forms of crises. Notably, the Dadaab Refugee Complex and the Kakuma Refugee Camp have historically provided protection and humanitarian assistance to refugee populations. However, refugees continue to experience limited economic independence and social integration. Consequently, many face socio-economic vulnerability due to restricted access to formal education, employment, healthcare, and financial services. Prolonged encampment deepens dependency on humanitarian aid, limits self-reliance, and undermines long-term development.

The Refugees Act (Cap. 173) provides a framework for transitioning refugee management from an encampment model to integrated settlement approaches. While the Government of Kenya, in collaboration with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees and other stakeholders, has made efforts to promote refugee inclusion, full implementation of the aspirations of the Act is yet to be realised. Of great concern is that infrastructure in host communities continues to lag, resource-sharing tensions between refugees and host communities persist, and the social cohesion necessary for sustainable integration remains elusive.

It is against this background that I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security on the following:

Thank you, Hon. Umul. Hon. Tongoyo, that goes to you again.

Hon. Speaker, I doubt. The Statement should be redirected to the Departmental Committee on Regional Development. As per our Standing Orders, matters relating to refugee affairs fall under the Committee chaired by Hon. Peter Lochakapong.

Thank you. Is Hon. Lochakapong here? The statement request will be routed to your Committee. You will respond by the 2nd of next month.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. We will endeavour to respond by 2nd July.

Okay. Hon. Dorice Donya. PLACEMENT OF STUDENTS IN MEDICINE AND SURGERY PROGRAMMES

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education regarding the placement of students in Medicine and Surgery programmes in Kenyan universities.

Reports on the outcome of the initial placement of students to degree programmes in universities in May 2026 by KUCCPS indicate that a significant number of qualified students missed out on their preferred choices to study Medicine and Surgery. According to the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service (KUCCPS) , both public and private universities accredited to offer the two courses cumulatively have fewer than 1,000 slots against more than 5,000 applicants who qualified for Medicine and Surgery programmes.

The limited number of slots has caused anxiety and frustration among students who attained outstanding grades in the 2025 Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education examinations with the intention of pursuing Medicine or Surgery, only to miss out on placement in their desired courses.

The significant number of qualified students who missed placement in medical-related degree programmes indicates that demand for training in the two fields has outpaced the capacity of accredited universities. While KUCCPS is mandated to place students in colleges and universities, it is limited by the number of slots declared by the relevant regulatory bodies. This situation raises concerns about the adequacy of training capacity for Medicine and Surgery programmes, the transparency of placement criteria, and the country's preparedness to meet future healthcare training needs.

Hon. Speaker, it is against this background that I request a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education on the following:

Thank you, Dorice. Chairperson, the Departmental Committee on Education.

Order, Hon. Members. The consultations are too loud. Those of you who want to talk loudly may recess outside and do so, or use my office behind here. Chairperson, the Departmental Committee on Education? Who is a member of the Departmental Committee on Education here? Hon. Gisairo? Who is the Vice-Chairperson? Hon. Christine, are you the Vice-Chair?

No, I am not. She is away, but I can respond to that.

Hon. Gisairo here is also a Member.

We can bring a response in the next two weeks.

Next two weeks?

Yes.

Thank you. Hon. Robert Mbui.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining regarding the issuance of permits and licences for mineral reconnaissance, prospecting, and exploitation rights within the coastal counties.

Section 32 of the Mining Act, Cap. 306 categorises mining rights into large-scale and small-scale operations. Large-scale operations include reconnaissance, prospecting, retention, and mining licences, while small-scale operations include prospecting permits and mining permits.

There have been reports of planned prospecting and exploration of minerals in the coastal region. Notably, most of the land earmarked for mineral prospecting and exploration by both local and foreign-owned mining companies comprises privately owned land. This has led to concerns regarding instances where permits and licences have allegedly been issued to applicants without adequate public participation, prior consultation, or agreements with the registered landowners on the modalities of the activities. Such actions have generated anxiety among affected landowners regarding the likelihood of trespass onto their land and alienation from mineral deposits and the associated benefits.

Hon. Speaker, it is against this background that I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining, Hon. Vincent Musyoka, AKA Kawaya, on the following:

Thank you. Chair, Departmental Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining. Hon. Kamuren.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. We will report within two weeks.

Thank you. Next is a response to a Statement.

Hon. Tongoyo, are you ready to respond to the request by Hon. Weytan?

Yes, Hon. Speaker, I have it ready.

Go ahead.

Hon. Speaker, on the 23rd of April at around 7.20, Mr Harun Abdi, an employee of the victim, reported at Pangani Police Station that unidentified armed men had allegedly abducted Mr Mohamed Abdinoor Ismail. A team from the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (DCI) at Pangani commenced an investigation immediately under inquiry File No. 04 of 26. They visited the same scene where they interviewed witnesses and collected relevant evidence. They also circulated the missing person report to all police stations in the country.

During the visit to the scene at the old Racecourse Estate in Kariokor, investigators established that there was no CCTV coverage in the immediate vicinity or in the surrounding buildings that would have assisted the investigation. The witnesses interviewed confirmed that the victim was accosted by six unidentified armed men who forcibly bundled him into a white double-cabin pickup while the second double-cabin vehicle provided support. The registration number plates of both vehicles were concealed.

Further, mobile number analysis of the victim's number established that the last active signal was detected along Desai Road, approximately 1.2 kilometres from the scene, after which the handset was switched off and has remained inactive since then. So far, the investigation team has been unable to get any positive leads that may assist in locating or rescuing the victim and identifying and apprehending the abductors. I therefore implore anyone who has information on Mohamed's whereabouts to report it to the nearest authority; it will be treated in confidence. Meanwhile, an investigation into the same matter is still ongoing.

Hon. Speaker, regarding updates on the family, the investigation is ongoing, and the investigating officers are actively engaging with the family and providing regular updates on the progress of the investigation. I think that is more relevant to the Statement.

I submit.

Hon. Weytan.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Going through this Statement, we see that there are people out there who play around with the lives of Kenyans. This is extremely shallow. I was not expecting such a Statement from the relevant departments. One month before he was abducted, Mohamed Ismail came to my office complaining.

Hon. Speaker, may I have your ear, please? This is very important. One month earlier, Mohamed Ismail had come to my office complaining that some people were following him. I have a TikTok video where a TikToker said that Mohamed Ismail would be abducted soon. In fact, while our investigative officers said there was no CCTV footage, I personally have the CCTV footage in my phone, which I sent to the DCI. I also sent the TikTok clip where the

person says that Mohamed Ismail would be abducted. Mohamed Ismail was picked from his shop at Kariokor. That gives proper direction. When people in the vicinity came to save the man, the six people said they were police officers who were arresting him and would take him to the nearest police station.

This Statement paints a completely different scenario. We need this issue investigated further, and we want the family, who are in agony, to be satisfied. I personally visited the mother who is crying day and night. This is not enough at all. We have been waiting for this statement for one month since I requested it, and the response we have received has been unsatisfactory.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Hon. Umulkher.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I also want to comment on this matter.

Hon. Tongoyo, are you listening to the intervention?

Hon. Speaker, several statements similar to those brought by Mheshimiwa, including mine, were raised on this Floor. As we speak, in Garissa, four young men who were arrested are still missing from the Dadaab-Liboi area.

Police came with unmarked vehicles and abducted them, but when we follow up, raise statements or go to the police station, we are told they would either be released or they do not have them. After a while, these people are released or abandoned in nearby bushes by the same police officers who claim to be unaware of this situation.

Hon. Speaker, Article 49 (1) (f) of the Constitution states that a person must be released within 24 hours of arrest or arraignment in court. This is not happening. The police officers are not following their code of conduct. As representatives of the people, we are worried. Sometimes, bad people use similar methods that the police officers use to arrest people with whom they have individual issues. We do not know who is conducting these kinds of arrests. The fight against crime must not come at the expense of constitutionalism.

I demand that the Committee assist us and provide tangible answers so that we can protect both criminals and the good in the community. This will enable us to know what is happening amongst us.

Thank you.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. Abductions, disappearances and goonism have no place in modern-day Kenya. The reason we have a very good Constitution is to ensure that individuals accused of a crime are subject to the rule of law.

Hon. Speaker, I am sure you must have heard the recent trend where people go missing or are abducted. The police are asked to conduct investigations, but that is where it ends. I have gone through the response here, and I do not know how to describe it. Looking at his face, I am sure that my friend Tongoyo is not satisfied with the answer. It is high time to subject this to further investigation through a public hearing so that the family and Kenyans know Mohamed's whereabouts. The Hon. Member has just said he has the CCTV footage, but the police say they have not seen it. The Hon. Member can be called to the Committee to avail the CCTV footage and all other messages. Thereafter, the Committee can come up with a report instead of relying on a one-sided report from probably the very individuals who are alleged to have abducted him.

However, this House, through this Committee, must make a deliberate pronouncement. Criminal responsibility is individual. Abductions must end; they are unconstitutional and totally unacceptable in modern-day Kenya. I request you to urge the Chairperson to ensure that this report is subjected to further investigation so that we obtain a satisfactory report for all parties involved. Thank you.

Hon. Robert Mbui.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I sympathise with Mr Mohamed Ismail's family and relatives, as this is indeed a major issue. I listened to the Chairperson’s response. One thing he mentioned is that the general public is being asked to provide information. The issue of abductions and disappearances is a major problem in this country. In fact, soon after individuals disappear or are abducted, we have begun to see bodies appearing in various parts of the country. Recently, some bodies were found in Kitui, and just a few days ago, unidentified bodies were discovered in my own constituency. This situation alarms the residents of these areas.

As a country, we must establish a mechanism to disseminate information when someone goes missing widely. This could be a case of someone getting lost, or, in more serious cases, if they have been abducted, they could potentially be spotted in a certain location, allowing for a swift response. This can be nipped in the bud. I propose a centralised system where anyone reported missing at any police station in this country has that information relayed and publicised across all media platforms. So that every Kenyan is aware that a certain person from a specific area is missing, this way, we can get rid of this problem. I support this question.

Yes, Hon. Hassan, then Hon. Tongoyo can respond to those myriad issues.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I wish to add my voice to the concerns regarding the statement presented by Hon. Weytan about Mr Mohammed Ismail. Mr Mohammed Ismail is my former constituency manager and is from my constituency. I know him very well, and I have visited the family.

On the day he was taken, he was approached by individuals from the security services, and he resisted arrest. Neighbours witnessed this event. Only when those individuals identified themselves as police officers did he agree to go with them without further resistance. Nevertheless, even if this argument holds any water, it remains the Government's responsibility to protect its citizens. It is incumbent upon the Ministry of Interior and National Coordination to investigate who detained him and where he is, if he is not in custody. This is what Kenyans expect from their Government.

Therefore, to claim that we do not know where he is or who is holding him is irrational, unacceptable, and untrue. However, even if it were true, the onus is on the Government to locate him, apprehend the criminals responsible for his abduction, and bring them to book.

The second point is that abductions are occurring frequently in our neighbourhoods; people are taken every other day. This is a serious issue. The dark days of detaining individuals using ununiformed personnel are widespread. If we do not address this matter, it will become a significant human rights concern. We call for the immediate release of Mohammed Ismail.

Hon. Speaker, before I comment further, I urge you to help us in this House. Hon. Members should be careful in their choice of words. Missing persons cases are not abductions. It should be on record that our police officers are professional; they do not abduct, they merely arrest. They follow established procedures regarding what occurs afterwards. Therefore, I call upon my fellow Members to be cautious in their choice of words. Abduction has no place in our Constitution and in present-day Kenya.

Having said this, even an allegation that a missing person was taken into police custody remains just that. Nevertheless, I empathise with the family. However, upon examining my statement, the last paragraph of the investigation report states that the investigation team has been unable to uncover any positive leads regarding this matter. They call upon anyone with information to report it to the investigating officers so that they can assist the DCI in getting to the root of the issue.

We trust our officers and believe in their capabilities.

There is a point of order from Hon. Weytan. What is out of order?

Hon. Speaker, is the Chairperson in order to insist that we should not use the word ‘abduction’ while it is clearly an abduction? When a person is arrested, they are taken to the nearest police station or any other police station. Yet, in this case, we do not know Mr Mohammed Ismail's whereabouts. That is the reality. In fact, as my colleague Yusuf clearly stated, he agreed to enter the vehicle only after they identified themselves as police officers. Before that, he could have defended himself, and the neighbours could have assisted him. However, once they introduced themselves, he consented to go with them, but to this day, we are unaware of Mr Mohammed Ismail's whereabouts. That is not an arrest.

Thank you. Hon. Tongoyo.

Hon. Speaker, let me suggest this approach. The Member who requested this question is a Member of my committee. We may have the Cabinet Secretary, who would be in a proper position to respond to this, appearing before the Committee on a different agenda in a week. I will seek your indulgence if we are unable to process this during the committee session.

That is better. Hon. Weytan, you may then place those videos you claim to have before the committee for assistance. Hon. Members, in the Speaker's Gallery, we have Cheborge Boys’ Secondary School from Bureti, Kericho County, and Kirenga Girls’ High School from Lari, Kiambu County. In the Public Gallery, we welcome Dominion Hope Academy from Kiambaa, Kiambu County, and St. Ronan Munyu High School from Kieni, Nyeri County. On my behalf and on behalf of the House, we welcome the students, their teachers, and those accompanying them to Parliament.

Let us have the Member for Lari, Hon. Kahangara.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me the opportunity. Allow me, on behalf of the Members, to welcome the students who have visited Parliament, particularly those from Kirenga Girls’ High School in my constituency. It is one of the most disciplined schools. These students decided to remain in school while others were on strike. I urge them to work very hard in their education and to maintain their discipline. We are here to support you. As you come to this House of Parliament, may many of you aspire to join us here so that you can become good leaders in the future. On behalf of the House, I welcome all the schools, particularly Kirenga.

Thank you.

Thank you. Is the Member for Bureti in the House? The Member for Bureti is not in the House. The then Permanent Secretary Zakayo Cheruiyot and I started Cheborge Boys’ School way back in the 1980s. We welcome them.

Next Order.

I had given opportunity to Hon. Tongoyo to make a short personal statement. Hon. Tongoyo, go ahead.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I am going to be short. This is a statement of appreciation.

I rise today to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Members of this House for their support following the passing on and subsequent funeral of my father-in-law, one Mr Councillor Peter Ole Nkoitoi, a prominent warring community leader who dedicated himself to the service of others as a leader and a champion of development.

Speaker, allow me to convey my special appreciation to you, as the Speaker of the National Assembly, for the leadership, compassion and support extended to me and my family. Your presence at the funeral and solidarity was deeply appreciated and will remain a lasting source of encouragement to us. I also sincerely want to thank the Members of this House who stood with my family during the period of bereavement. Your messages of condolences, prayers, personal visits, attendance at the funeral and various acts of kindness provided immense comfort and strength during our moment of grief.

I also extend my sincere gratitude to the Clerk of the National Assembly and the entire Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) for the immense support they accorded to us throughout the grieving period. The overwhelming support demonstrated by my colleagues reaffirmed the values of friendship, compassion and solidarity that bind us together as leaders and as a national family.

On my own behalf, on behalf of the family and that of the larger Ole Nkoitoi family, I thank each and every one of you for standing with us as we celebrate the life of our departed loved one. We remain deeply grateful for your kindness, and we pray that the Almighty God bless you abundantly.

I thank you, Hon. Speaker.

Thank you, Hon. Tongoyo.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion:

THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 120, this House resolves to reduce the publication period of the Supplementary Appropriation (No. 2) Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 38 of 2026) from seven days to two days. We have approximately two weeks remaining before the end of the current Financial Year. The Supplementary Estimates, which were tabled yesterday, need to be fast-tracked by this House in a short period of time to allow the government to implement the programs contained in this Bill. Therefore, we urge Members to help us reduce the publication period from seven days to two days. This will enable the House to discuss this Bill and allow the processing of the same.

With those few remarks, I beg to move and request the Whip of the Majority Party to second.

Thank you very much, Hon. Speaker. This is a self-explanatory Procedural Motion.

I beg to second.

Hon. Mule and Hon. K’Oyoo, take the nearest seat.

Put the question.

Do I put the question?

Yes.

Next Order.

Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion:

THAT, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Orders 30

(3)

(b)

, this House resolves to—

Hon. Keynan.

Hon. Speaker, I second.

Thank you.

Put the question.

Do I put the question?

Yes.

Let us proceed to the next Order. Hon. Chepkonga.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion:

THAT, pursuant to the provisions of section 15 (3) of the Statutory Instruments Act, Cap. 2A, this House resolves to—

Who to second?

Hon. Onchoke.

Proceed, Member for Bomachoge. I am sorry, he is the Member for Bonchari.

Hon. Speaker, I second.

Members on your feet, take the nearest seats.

Hon. Speaker, Hon. Onchoke is the Member for Bonchari, and not Bomachoge.

Yes, he is the Member for Bonchari. I stand corrected. Thank you.

Mbunge wa Bomachoge Borabu ni wewe; wa Bomachoge si wewe.

Put the question.

Should I put the question?

Yes.

Hon. Oundo, what is it? Do you want to debate the Motion?

Hon. Speaker, I do not want to debate. When the Chairman was moving, we were distracted because there were quite a number of colleagues in front of me. Is it possible that the Chair repeats the reasons for seeking extension of the consideration period ding? That is for record purposes so that we also understand.

He said so.

Yes, Hon. Speaker, I am seeking your indulgence because there were so many colleagues who were standing around here.

Thank you.

Hon. Oundo, that is why we have The Hansard, which records our proceedings verbatim. Every word said here goes on record in real time. If you go to The Hansard now, you will find what Hon. Chepkonga said.

Hon. Julius Sunkuli, are you on a point of order?

Hon. Speaker, I am a Member of the Committee and I thought the debate is open for me to say something so that Hon. Oundo can benefit. I will say it in a few words. Do I have your permission?

Go ahead.

Hon. Speaker, recently, the Committee on Delegated Legislation sat in Mombasa to deliberate on 32 pieces of delegated legislation. These are very important instruments that touch on civil aviation. The drafting and everything else are still under consideration, including some of the substance. Unfortunately, we did not finish the consideration within the required time. If we do not extend the time…

Hon. Oundo is not even listening.

You are not addressing Hon. Oundo. You are addressing the Chair and the House.

Hon. Speaker, I am addressing the Chair but Hon. Oundo needs to pay attention so that he does not ask you a question again. If we do not extend the consideration period, the regulations will come into force without due consideration by the Committee. We are, therefore, asking this House to give the Committee enough time to deliberate on these regulations so that they come into force only when the House says so.

Thank you, Hon. Sunkuli. The matter is not contested. Hon. Oundo was just being mischievous, as usual.

Had Hon. Osoro finished moving?

Yes.

Who is seconding?

Hon. Speaker, Hon. Kimani Kuria was to second. He has asked me to do so on his behalf. He is held up in a meeting.

Proceed.

Hon. Speaker, I rise to second the Kenya Revenue Authority (Amendment) Bill.

This is a small Bill with only four clauses. It basically seeks to aligns the KRA Act with other statutes. Clauses 2 and 3 propose to delete the term ‘ex-officio’ from sections 7 and 8 of

the Act. The deletions are necessary because the term ‘ex-officio’ no longer fits the current composition and structure of the KRA Board. Section 6 of the KRA Act establishes a very crisp Board, which includes the Chairperson, the Commissioner-General, the Principal Secretary for the National Treasury, the Attorney-General and six independent members. Clause 4 updates the First Schedule, replacing the outdated Standards Levy Order of 1990 with the current 2025 Order.

The Bill also seeks to delete references to the repealed Sugar Act of 2021 and substituting therefor the Sugar Act of 2024. Another proposed amendment seeks to insert the Retirement Benefits Authority Act to the list of laws relating to revenue. This amendment formally incorporates the Retirement Benefits Act (Cap. 197) to properly position KRA as the official collector of the Retirement Benefits Levy.

This is a very short Bill with only four clauses seeking to delete terms that have been referenced in the KRA Act yet those terms have since been repealed and replaced by new Acts of Parliament. We are realigning the Act to make sure that it refers to the current laws. The realignment is also intended to ensure that the Retirement Benefits Levy is collected by KRA.

Hon. Speaker, there is nothing much to say about this Bill. It is a straightforward Bill. Public participation and submissions by stakeholders, including the Commissioner-General and other KRA commissioners, brought out issues touching on the frequency of meetings of the Board. By law, the Board is required to sit every month, which may not always be necessary. It looks like the Board is micromanaging the Commissioners. When the Board sits every month, they sort of become part and parcel of the day-to-day running of the Authority. We want KRA to be run by the professionals. The Board performs the function of overall oversight and policy direction, and not day-to-day management of the Authority. Convening Board meetings every now and then becomes cumbersome and costly to the Authority.

Hon. Speaker, we just appropriated an additional Ksh1.8 billion to KRA to support its effort in revenue mobilization, and not for repetitive Board meetings. The Board has subcommittees which sit on a regular basis. Therefore, it becomes burdensome to require Board members, by law, to sit every month.

With those remarks, I beg to second and urge Members to support this very straightforward Bill.

Members on your feet, take your seats. Hon. Chepkonga, take your seat.

Put the question.

Do I put the question?

Yes.

Let us go to the next Order, which is to be moved by the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:

THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Budget and Appropriations

Hon. Atandi, just go back kidogo so that the record is clear. After "2026", amend it to read "and pursuant to Section 39..." The words "pursuant to" are missing.

Thank you. Hon. Speaker, let me take it again.

You can start afresh.

Hon. Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:

THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Budget and Appropriations

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(Hon. Peter Kaluma) in the Chair] Hon. Temporary Speaker, there is an allocation Ksh150 million meant for acquisition of broadcasting rights for the 2026 FIFA World Cup through the Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC). There is another allocation of about Ksh4.1 billion to the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund for completion of the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) training grounds. We have many AFCON training grounds under construction, but we did not have sufficient budgetary allocation to complete them in readiness for AFCON. We now have Ksh4.1 billion, which we will use to ensure that the construction of those facilities is completed.

The National Treasury has also undertaken some re-allocations. Some resources had been budgeted for personnel emoluments but it has since been realized that the funds will not be spent in the current financial year. Therefore, a sum of Ksh700 million has been cut from the Budget Estimates. There are other re-allocations within the National Treasury amounting to about Ksh1.8 billion. These funds will also help us to reduce the National Treasury's budget.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, since this is a very straightforward Motion and the amendments to the Estimates are very few, I do not wish to spend more time explaining them. I beg to move and request my able Vice-Chairperson to second the Motion.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to second the Motion on consideration of the Supplementary Estimates II for the Financial Year 2025/2026. As my Chairperson has stated, this is a very small supplementary budget affecting only a few State Departments. It re-allocates funds to areas we were not able to factor into the main Budget.

Some funds have been re-allocated to security agencies and to the NYOTA Programme to support our youth, who are expecting to get the second disbursement. We hope that when the youths get this money, they will be able to engage in business. We are also asking the Ministry concerned to do monitoring and evaluation to make sure that the money is used to achieve the intended purpose. This is because some of the youths have not used the money to start small businesses as intended.

There is also Ksh2.3 billion allocated to Mwache Dam in Kwale County. This is a very important dam for the Coast Region, especially for the people of Kwale County in terms of irrigation and provision of water for domestic use. They have also factored in money to cater for previous national examination invigilation. Every year, teachers undertake the marking of national examinations. During the debate of the main Budget Estimates of the current financial year, it was noted that there was no provision for payment of teachers who undertook invigilation duties during previous national examinations. This money has not been paid even as we approach the next national examination cycle. We have included the funds in these Supplementary Estimates to ensure that teachers who previously undertook invigilation and examination marking duties are paid by the closure of the financial year.

With those few remarks, I second.

Leader of the Majority Party, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the Motion for adoption of the Budget and Appropriations Committee on the Supplementary Estimates II of the Financial Year 2025/2026.

As the Chair and the Vice-Chair have articulated, this is the very last supplementary budget. It is a very short Bill, and the approvals being will not result in additional Exchequer expenditures since it just involves re-allocation of monies already contained in the main Budget. As we approach the end of the current financial year, it is apparent that some State Departments will not be able to absorb the monies that have been allocated to them. Therefore,

through these Supplementary Estimates, we seek to re-allocate those resources to other deserving areas that will absorb that money.

Another reason as to why we undertake this very last supplementary budget in the financial year is to appropriate any additional Appropriations-In-Aid (A-In-A) monies that may not have been factored in the Supplementary Budget I. This applies to public organizations with the capacity to generate A-In-A over and above their projections. Leveraging on technology, a number of state agencies and government-owned enterprises now generate their own revenues. The actual actual monies collected in form of A-In-A sometimes exceed the projections factored in the Budget at the beginning of the financial year. We, therefore, need to realign our budgets to make sure that they absorb any additional A-In-A within the financial year. This will ensure that we do not cross over to the new year with misaligned budget lines. Where some State Departments have pending bills while other State Departments have surpluses within the same Ministry, re-allocation is undertaken to balance out expenditures.

With those remarks, I support the Motion and urge Members to also support it.

The Leader of the Minority Party takes precedence.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I stand to support the Report of the Budget and Appropriation Committee on the Supplementary Budget II. I commend the prudent management of finances by the National Treasury. Having been in this House for a while, I have seen many financial years where we had up to four Supplementary Budgets. In this financial year, we have had only two Supplementary Budgets. The second Supplementary Budget seeks to make very minimal re-allocations. The Leader of the Majority Party will agree with me that during previous regimes, we used to have Supplementary Budgets I, II and III. There was even a time when we had Supplementary Budget IV. That tells us that the people running the National Treasury today know what they are doing. They know their work. That is the way to go.

Even in the next financial year, we want to have a maximum of one Supplementary Budget. Otherwise, we should just be implementing the main Budget Estimates as passed by the House. Supplementary Budgets disrupt the implementation programmes provided through the main Budget Estimates. I know that many needs crop up all the time in the middle of the year, but prudent financial management requires that you, as much as possible, minimize disruption of implementation of the main Budget. Supplementary Budgets disrupt implementation of well-planned programmes.

With those remarks, I support. Hon. Temporary Speaker, before I sit done, allow me to make a rejoinder on what transpired in this House yesterday while I was away attending to personal issues. I was out of town yesterday. I had some personal issues to attend to. I am told that while I was away, my deputy sat here, masquerading to be the Leader of the Minority Party.

I am happy that the House has passed the Finance Bill because there was really nothing in it. It was just simplifying the tax processes. If you are still living in the days of the Finance Bill of 2024, you will be stuck there forever. The country has moved on. Even the war in the Middle East is ending. Iran and the United States of America (USA) are making peace. The prices of petroleum products will soon come down. Life will be fine and inflation will come down. I do not know what people will say next.

With those few remarks, I reprimand the Deputy Leader of the Minority Party by telling him not to attempt that kind of coup next time. Otherwise, there will be consequences.

I hope The Hansard will be checked. If there is any such representation on change of leadership of the Minority Party side, it should be expunged straightaway. This is because the House is clear, under the Constitution, on who the Leader of the Minority Party is.

Hon. Irene Mayaka.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I would like to support the Supplementary Estimates II for 2025/2026 Financial Year.

Among the proposed reallocation and additional allocation of funds, there are three very important aspects that I would like to highlight. The first aspect is that there are many cries from Kenyans that they are unable to watch the ongoing World Cup because Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) does not have airing rights. What the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the State Department have done is very important. Kenyans across the country will watch and follow all the World Cup games. You know how important soccer is to us.

Secondly, there is the additional expenditure towards preparations for our sports, especially for the upcoming African Cup of Nations (AFCON) . We have seen what has been done by the United States of America (USA) , Canada and Mexico. As East African Community, we want to have a fantastic tournament when the AFCON begins. So, the budgetary reallocation that has been made to this Fund is very important as it will enable us to prepare the stadiums and ensure that we are ready for AFCON next year.

The other reallocation that I applaud is the additional appropriation for the NYOTA programme. Sometime back, the president issued funds to our youths through the NYOTA programme, and we have seen how helpful those funds were to our young people. Therefore, the additional allocation given to the programme is very important. The young people who got the initial allocation were advised that once their projects become viable, they would get more money to expand what they are doing. This allocation encourages and ensures that this project is implemented.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I applaud the Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and his team. I also support these additional allocations and reallocation of funds.

With those few remarks, I support.

Hon. Emmanuel Wangwe is recognised to contribute.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. At the outset, allow me to appreciate the Budget and Appropriations Committee and thank Hon. Atandi for the good work he has done towards the Supplementary Estimates II for 2025/2026 Financial Year.

I would like to speak on two issues, namely; payment of teachers and facilitators of the the previous national examinations. I brought in this House the Kenya National Examination Council (Amendment) Bill of 2015 that empowered Kenyan children not to pay KNEC

examination fees. It calls on the facilitators to make sure that examinations are administered on time, and that they are not leaked. For you to do that, you should entice them by paying them on time. Whereas we applaud the government for allocating their payment in the Supplementary Estimates II, I request that next time, we consider this payment in Supplementary Estimates I. The teachers will administer the examinations on time, but we will not know the entire cost of the facilitation. Therefore, I thank the government, but also ask that next time we consider these payments in Supplementary Estimates I.

I also appreciate Supplementary Estimates II because of NYOTA. The country is outright with the youth. We have to call a spade a spade. The youth population must be considered. We must look at the youth with very open eyes, support their interests and making sure that whatever we budget considers them. Factoring in the remaining portion of the NYOTA programme is good. We encourage the government to continue with the spirit of supporting the youth through the NYOTA programme.

The final positive thing I have seen in this Supplementary Budget Estimates II is the facilitation of water programme. I note that a sume of Ksh2.3 billion has been allocated for a dam in Kwale County, which is a good thing. Let us call a spade a spade. Many people say that Kwale is near the ocean. So, it has water from the ocean, but that is not true. They deserve this dam. As Kenyans, let them have this dam. Through the main Budget, let us provide for the Kakamega-Bungoma Bulk Water Supply and Sanitation Project so that we can have access to clean water.

With those few remarks, I beg to support the Motion.

Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal is recognised to contribute.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute. I rise to support the Supplementary Budget Estimates II. As we have noted, the time was short. However, our Committee looked through it and agreed that the sector was not affected in any way. We noted with concern that there is need to factor in Ebola preparedness funding. Even the Ministry had noted it. We raised this with the Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee. He said that would be taken care of in contingencies, emergencies and even in two to three provisions. So, we are satisfied.

We support and hope that issue remains active because it is something whose preparation needs to be done in time and properly.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon (Dr) Wilberforce Oundo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Let me also sat a word on this Supplementary Budget Estimates II for 2025/2026 Financial Year. Ironically, as much as we want to be very polite, supplementary budgets basically indicate some kind of shortfall or failure to plan properly in terms of what is supposed to happen. Nevertheless, our Standing Order and laws allow it. We will let the Executive probably abuse that privilege and move on.

However, let me mention a few issues. On the issue of the NYOTA programme, I sit in the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Cooperatives where the State Department is domiciled for oversight. We raised the issue with them. After the first disbursement, the second disbursement took too long. The youths, being who they are, became resentful. It almost became a political nightmare for everybody. It must be clear that we appreciate that support.

There are two curious increases that probably the Chair of the Budget and Appropriations Committee will be kind enough to explain to Members and the country. There is Vote 1017—State House—where the figure has increased by Ksh1 billion. At the end of this financial year, State House alone will have gobbled Ksh18 billion. In the fullness of time, when

he replies to the debate, he should explain what has necessitated such a huge consumption by State House to get to that level. It is unprecedented in the history of this country. It will be in the best interest of the country for them to explain exactly why that kind of expenditure has become necessary. We have not seen any serious development. I am sure that the mabati that have been changed at State House cannot take up a whole Ksh18 billion. Unless those long and endless, I mean....

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Emmanuel Wangwe is on a point of order. Hon. Oundo, take your seat.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. With all due respect to our Professor of Economics, the great Member for Funyula, is he in order to say a parapet wall is equal to mabati?

Let us have Hon. (Dr) Oundo.

I do not know what is out of order, because it is my contribution, it is my debate. So, I do not know what is really out of order. Secondly, the country is going to host the AFCON. We must move with speed to make sure that everything is in order. Many of us are grappling to understand what is actually happening. Is the sports fund becoming another cash cow so that at any given time, we are doing things that are not necessary? Look at the calculations. They are getting close to Ksh4 billion additional funds. The question arises whether between now and the end of this financial year, we really have the capacity to absorb Ksh4 billion. Between today and 30th June, do we really have the capacity to absorb Ksh4 billion in various actual development activities? This is not recurrent. I would request the Chairperson of Budget Appropriation Committee to just inform the people. You see, we are living in a transparent and accountable society. We need answers. We do not want to be seen as a Parliament that has become a mere rubber stamp to release funds that cannot be absorbed and which cannot be accounted for properly. There are already integrity issues concerning the real cost of Talanta Stadium. Those issues still remain unresolved. As the National Assembly, we are mandated by the Constitution to approve budgets after scrutinizing them to ensure that the country gets value for money for whatever is spent. It pains many of us to see the kind of, likely, wastage that is going to accrue. Nevertheless, an increase of a whopping Ksh18 billion through this Supplementary Budget alone sends shock waves, given the short period of time left to the end of the financial year. I would have expected much more to be allocated to more priority areas. As it is, let me conclude by quoting the Swahili saying, Wengi wape, wachache wasikize. I thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity.

Hon. Mutuse.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to briefly support the Report of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, to which I am a Member, on Supplementary Estimates II. As has been explained by the Chairperson and the Leader of the Majority Party, the main purpose of Supplementary Estimates II is to align the expenditures with actual revenue collections, so that as we cross the year, our books are balanced. We are also providing funds, especially where we have development partner funded projects and the government has its own matching fund obligation, so that the matching fund obligations are provided for. We have ensured that that is done. In terms of the monies that are being appropriated to the Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund, which Hon. (Dr) Oundo spoke about, a sum of about Ksh4 billion, we are in an era of transparency, like he has said. This is money which has been raised from A-in-A, in terms of monies and fees charged through betting. These monies are being appropriated

under the Sports, Arts and Development Fund to make payments in respect of completion certificates that are due for some of our stadiums.

Hon. Oundo, you know that you raised some fundamental issues around sports, which are being responded to. Can you attention to what the Hon. Member is saying?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, if I may repeat, the Ksh4 billion that has been appropriated through the Supplementary Estimates II to the Sports, Arts and Development Fund under the explanatory notes—I know that Hon. (Dr) Oundo is capable of reading and understanding—are monies that have been collected between the period of the passage of the first Supplementary Estimates and now, from betting, as A-in-

Proceed, Hon. Jematiah.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support this Report. I also want to declare that I am a Member of this Committee, like Hon. Mutuse. This is a

Report on the Supplementary Estimates II to align expenditures to the main Budget.

Hon. John Gitonga

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity. I rise to support the Supplementary Estimates II. This House approves budgets comprising of taxpayers’ money and loans that Kenyans borrows at very, very painful interest rates. As we approve the Supplementary Estimates II, we need to identify areas where is over budgeting. Some Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) get more resources than they need. For the last few weeks, hotels at the coast have been fully booked as some MDAs try to utilize funds that have been allocated to them before the 30th June deadline of the current financial year. Life has been tough for Kenyans, businesses and mama mboga. It is not time for resources that come from taxes to be misused extravagantly.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, it saddens me when I see places where Kenyans are getting low value for money being given additional resources in the Budget. I know I am speaking on behalf of very many Kenyans. We see increments in the Budget for choppers for State House

and the Office of the Deputy President yet many Kenyans cannot even get good health care. They do not have resources to even put food on their tables.

Today, because we have passed the Finance Bill, I expected this House to take a reflection journey regarding the changes that we have made in the financial systems that have pressed Kenyans in a very tough way. When this House got into power in 2022, we first introduced a housing levy. On top of that, we increased the banding for PAYE, where people who were doing 30 per cent, if you earn around Ksh500,000, are now paying 35 per cent. We have also increased the National Social Security Fund (NSSF). People used to pay Ksh1,000 but now it is Ksh6,000 for someone earning Ksh100,000.

Therefore, we cannot sit here, as a House, and fail to discuss how these resources that we are now passing in the Supplementary Budget II are being used. As recently as yesterday, we read and even saw news that World Bank has denied Kenya an emergency loan to cushion our economy. It tells you that at some point, we have to live within our means. We have to use what we are collecting. Even as we are considering passing the status quo, I think we should have ensured that the Finance Bill of this year puts more money in Kenyan’s pockets.

If you look at our revenue collection, you will find that while the normal Kenyan has had it rough with no resources and extra monies to utilise, there is a margin of only Ksh500 billion in collection between 2021 to the current financial year. It tells you that as you increase taxes, Kenyans adjust and deny you even more taxes. So, we need to reduce the Government’s recurrent expenditure and be prudent with our resources. We need to live within our means and use what we have.

We know that the House as it is today… We saw it in the morning and I wish my Leader of the Minority Party was here. It is not that there is a problem with the people who are against the Finance Bill; rather, it is only that this House, as it is constituted today, the minority and the majority sides are speaking the same language. When the majority says something, the minority supports. That is not how this House was constituted to work. It was…

Order, Hon. Mukunji. Hon. Mukunji, we are debating the matter under Order No. 14. It is a Motion for Consideration of the Supplementary Estimates II for the Financial Year 2025/2026. Could we just go back there?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I have not left my trail of contribution.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Mukunji, the Leader of the Majority Party is on a point of order. Just take your seat.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, first let me thank you for guiding the Member for Manyatta, Hon. Mukunji. Now that he mentioned me and the Leader of the Minority Party that if he says something, I must support, or if I say something, he must support, I just want to inform the Member that this is a House of debate. You debate based on your understanding of issues. Therefore, if I understand there is something good in a Bill to support, and my colleague… Let me not even mention my colleague, the Leader of the Minority Party. If Hon. Mukunji sees there is something good to support or if he says something good that I feel I should support, I will do so.

However, the problem is that some of us have taken this Chamber to be an avenue for propagating rumours that they collect out there. I said it yesterday that somebody was heard saying that the Finance Bill 2024 had provisions touching on land. Another one said it had provisions touching on mitumba. You could hear a number of these Members, who had congregated somewhere, raise the same issues as they sought to speak to the Gallery and the people out there.

This morning, it took the person who was in the Chair to correct the Member for Kabuchai, Hon. Kalasinga. He had purported that the Finance Bill had a Clause 169 while the Bill only has 57 Clauses. I heard another one here, yesterday, telling us: “Do not tell us to point to a clause. We know; we are not fools.” I ask myself, if you are not a fool, then you should be able to read a Bill and tell us that a particular provision is contained in Clause 1, 2 or 3.

Therefore, Hon. Temporary Speaker, thank you for guiding the Member for Manyatta to restrict himself to the Supplementary Estimates II of 2025/2026 and not to take us to that circus of just wanting to point fingers. I know some of them, like him and the Member for Kajiado North, Hon. Ngogoyo, if they do not mention the Leader of the Majority Party or Leader of the Minority Party, their leaders out there will whip them.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Mukunji, you can be sure you are protected from any whipping outside there.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I will not respond to the Leader of the Majority Party simply because there was no point of order and he is just lucky that he caught your eye and got a chance to contribute.

My contribution was rightly put that as we pass this Supplementary Budget II, the Finance Bill is where the resources will be coming from. I was guiding this House, simply and clearly, that while we are passing these taxes and while the minority and the majority side of this House have combined efforts to ensure the Executive has its way, they must not forget that they represent the people of Kenya. We are the only representatives that have been given mandate to speak on behalf of the people of Kenya. So, I will repeat that this House has a responsibility.

Hon. Jared Okello is on a point of order.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you for the opportunity. I would want to correct the notion that only those who oppose the Government speak for the people. Hon. Temporary Speaker, when a government is formed, be it those who voted for that Government or those who opposed it at the ballot, it then becomes one universal Government of the day.

To delude people into believing that there is a section that can only represent the wishes of the people－this is done to the detriment of those who are also in this House, but are supporting the cause of Government－is misplaced. We have constantly, right from the outset, seen a kind of desperation where people try to whip up emotions of the Kenyan citizenry, so that whatever they have planned, be it on 25th or 26th, I do not know when, must be achieved by giving the wrong information to the populace out there.

We have a document that all of us have read. We do know that the Government must run its programmes and it is not only restricted to the Republic of Kenya. Every government must mop up funds to run programmes, be it recurrent or development expenditure. When we have a document such as this that is before us, it has to be read with a fine-tooth comb and critiqued where necessary, but only based on facts and not conjecture.

Therefore, it behoves all of us in this House, who represent the wishes and the plight of the people out there, to be factual. That also helps our people make a deliberate decision, be it those who are in this House and those outside. Thus, I implore upon each and every individual here to restrict themselves to the confines of this document without necessarily being extra without understanding the depth and width of the document before us.

I thank you for the opportunity.

Hon. Mukunji, you have one minute to wind up.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, all these interruptions are meant to dissuade the alternative voice in this House. Nonetheless, I still insist, we are representatives of the people and I have to remind this House. In 2024, this House passed the Finance Bill, 2024. Almost 90 per cent of this nation was against that Finance Bill,

Hon. Geoffrey Wandeto, the Member of Parliament for Tetu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I would also like to contribute to this Motion on the Supplementary Estimates, which seek to increase the overall Budget from Ksh2.913 trillion to about Ksh2.931 trillion, an increase of Ksh18 billion.

The concern of every Kenyan is that people are struggling to put food on the table. People are struggling to fuel their vehicles given the current increase in the price of fuel and the attendant cost of living. Kenyans have generally been crying that they wish to see a government that is more responsible when it comes to expenditure. They want a country that lives within its means.

We have continuously seen an expansionist Budget over the last few years, moving from a low of Ksh1.8 trillion, where Kibaki left us, to now Ksh4.8 trillion. A lot of this is coming with two costs: the first being the widening Budget deficit, which this year is estimated to move to about Ksh1.1 trillion; and, second, an increased debt burden to the country. We could be doing a lot of things at the expense of future generations of this country.

As responsible leaders, it is important that even as we think through the Budget Estimates and the expenditure for this country, that we spare a thought for the ordinary Kenyan as well as apply our money to the areas that directly benefit our people. It is difficult to speak to some measurable, direct benefits to the common mwananchi when considering the Ksh18 billion. We could make the President more comfortable in a better Statehouse; and, we could even build bigger stadiums, which are coming at a very huge cost to this country. But, to what extent is that really benefiting Wanjiku, as we always talk about the common mwananchi?

The other issue is our absorption capacity. Again, at the end of every financial year, you will find money that was appropriated not spent. Therefore, we long for the day the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee will come with a supplementary Budget that is reducing. Every time it is an increase from the last Budge Estimates. When will we tell Kenyans that we are now ready to cut our cloth according to our size? When will we tell them that we are ready to live within our means, and that we are ready to start making sacrifices on some of these non-essential items? The Office of the Deputy President has been added Ksh100 million. This is the same office that had overshot its transport budget because of the frequency of hiring choppers.

We have also been told by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) that approximately Ksh2billion to Ksh3 billion is stolen every day. Now, considering the Ksh18 billion, is this theft for one week? So, we need to think about some of these issues.

Last week, I brought to this House…

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Emmanuel Nwangwe is on a point of order. Just take your seat briefly, Hon. Wandeto.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Will I be in order to ask my very good colleague, Hon. (CPA) Wandeto, to also mention that that statistic is as per the former president, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta?

Thank you. I can answer my Chairman. The latest EACC statistics shows that the country is losing Ksh783 billion to corruption. Thus, you can divide that by 365. I know my Chairman has a calculator on his phone. That will come to roughly about Ksh2billion to Ksh3 billion.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Goeffrey Wandeto, just take your seat. The Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Justice and Legal Affairs is on a point of order.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. On Standing Order No.83, Hon. Wandeto is required to substantiate what he is stating as a matter of fact. He knows that he does not have the facts. Any allusion to Ksh2 billion being lost in a day was actually made by the former president, Hon. Uhuru Kenyatta. We have not heard any other report whatsoever from anywhere else that we are losing money on a daily basis and at what rate. Therefore, if he is drawing an analogy from that statement, he has to say so. If he states it as a matter of fact, we require substantiation because we do not have any facts of any allegation that we are losing Ksh2 billion, less or more, per day as he alleges.

Hon. Wandeto, let me read for you the provisions of Standing Order 91 (1) . It says:

A Member shall be responsible for the accuracy of any facts which the Member alleges to be true and may be required to substantiate any such facts instantly. You have just mentioned that the country is losing Ksh2 to Ksh3 billion. Would you substantiate so that we get over the matter?

Yes, I would invite Hon. Murugara after this to come so that I can show him the latest report by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) , which is also available online.

Hon. Wandeto, whatever you say before the Floor is not for...

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I offer to bring the data.

Do not interrupt the Speaker. Did you hear the word “instantly”? That is what you are being required to do. If you cannot substantiate instantly, you withdraw that statement. You make it when you are able to substantiate.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Like I promised, I will bring the data. So, for now, let me withdraw the allegation but I will come back to this House with the report because I know this is a set up.

That is very much in order. That statement is withdrawn and let it be expunged from the record. Hon. Wandeto retains his right as a Member to make that claim as and when, in the future, he will be able to substantiate.

We will be able to substantiate. However, it would also not be honest for this House to say there is no corruption and wastage of public resources in this country. Anyway, we will deal with that later.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, more importantly, last week when we were debating the Estimates for the 2026/2027 Financial Year, I brought to this House proposals. I had a proposed reduction of the Budget by Ksh91 billion. Those proposals seem to have been lost somewhere. Hon. Atandi and I are still looking for them and, maybe, at the right time we will be able to expend them.

Generally, what I am saying is that, as a country, this is the time to start thinking about the future generation. It is about reducing our expenditure, and cutting waste and unnecessary fat. As a country, we cannot grow if we continue these expansions of the recurrent budget, even at the expense of our development budget.

The other thing is that we are hardly meeting our revenue estimates. I heard Hon. Mutunga saying we are adjusting this because we have realised we are going to meet the revenue. The year still has two weeks pending. How did he know that we are going to meet the revenue? I think we need to do a better job with these Supplementary Estimates.

Thank you.

Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I will be very brief. Being a Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, I join my colleagues in supporting the Supplementary Budget, but I have to make the following observations. The originator of the Supplementary Budget is the National Treasury and with all due respect to this House, two weeks to an end of a financial year sends the wrong signals in terms of planning and budgeting. In the future, we should be firm as a House that the last Supplementary Budget to this House should be coming at least a month or two to the end of the financial year. We cannot stop it because it is a constitutional provision under Article 223, but I think two weeks to the end of our financial year is not good for the House.

The second item, as I conclude, and this is important, is that Members seem to have forgotten that the budget we are discussing, which is this year's financial Budget, had a huge deficit and many times in the past, I have talked about a moving deficit target. How I wish that some of these savings we are talking about, through A-in-A and other amounts not being utilised, would be pushed to reduce the Budget deficit so that we reduce our public debt. Public debt is a huge problem in this country at the moment. We always keep on talking about it being sustainable, but I think we need to make a very deliberate move to start reducing it.

Another statement of fact that Members have stated here is that the architecture of this House is such that we have a majority side and a minority side. The expectation is always that the majority side carries the voice of the Executive while the minority side provides an alternative voice to that of the Executive. In a situation where you find that, in many cases…

I want to challenge anybody in this House to tell me the last time we had the Leader of Minority Party of this House giving a different opinion from the Leader of Majority Party so that he can come here and try to harass his deputy by saying that he is taking over his position. It is not taking over his position. It is stating things as they are…

Hon. Makali, do not go back there.

No, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I think it is stating things as they are, but with those many remarks, I submit.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for the opportunity to contribute to this Supplementary Budget. Of course, I have made a few observations. For that reason, I want to oppose this Supplementary Budget.

If you look at the additional requests in Table 1, Vote 1012, the Office of the Deputy President, its allocation is being increased by Ksh200 million at this late hour. Under Vote 1017, the allocation for State House is being increased by Ksh1 billion. Vote 1026, the State Department for Internal Security and National Administration, is again receiving an additional Ksh1.55 billion in recurrent expenditure. Vote 1281, the National Intelligence Service (NIS), is being allocated an additional Ksh3.55 billion. The total amount of money that is being increased two weeks before the end of the financial year is Ksh6.3 billion and this is recurrent expenditure for the high and mighty of this Republic.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, considering that we are facing many challenges in this country as a people, it is unfair that this House should sit today to pass a Supplementary Budget that is increasing the comfort of the Executive to a tune of Ksh6.3 billion. This would be the most unfair thing that we can do in this country. Remember, we have very many people who are suffering and are not able to pay their hospital bills. We have very many schools that cannot run because they have not received their capitation, yet we want to pass this kind of Budget that is going to benefit only the Executive—the President and his deputy—and the NIS.

[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Peter Kaluma) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Farah Maalim) in the Chair] Hon. Temporary Speaker, I also want to draw your attention to the way we have reversed the revenue downwards by Ksh153 billion, and as we are doing this, we are increasing the Budget by a whopping Ksh17 billion. Clearly, you can see the Budget being increased giving Ksh6.3 billion to the Executive. By doing this, we are now expanding our deficit.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Order. Hon. Member for Migori, what is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Hon. Member has just said that the increment is for the President and his deputy. I would like to remind him that that office does not belong to His Excellency the President; it belongs to Kenyans. It is not a personal benefit to the President and his deputy. He needs to be very clear on that.

Just on a light note, I have been in the Opposition, and I urge that we oppose with sincerity, not just to make a name for ourselves. The way we are opposing things here is like we are playing a game. It is as if the aim is for the television cameras to capture you. I have opposed matters in this House, but I oppose matters that really concern wananchi, and I speak the truth. I do not just bring stories like this one about benefits to Hon. Ruto. How is he going to benefit. He earns a salary which he spends with his family. A person does not benefit directly, but the office benefits. Even the future President, whom you anticipate will occupy that office, will benefit in the same manner. Even the renovations at the State House are not for an individual office holder.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there is disrespect from the Hon. Member. I am on the Floor, yet he is standing right behind me. He cannot behave in that manner.

Order, Hon. Fatuma. You have made your point.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Member for Migori County is not on a point of order.

Order, Hon. Kaguchia. Proceed. Give him the microphone. Please, prosecute the matter before you.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there is no cure for ignorance. When a Member of the National Assembly stands to say that the money appropriated for the State House should be allocated students in high school who are waiting for capitation….

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

That is when you realise that the Member is extremely ignorant and does not understand how public finance operates in this country.

Order, Hon. Kaguchia. When Hon. Temporary Speaker calls you to order, you freeze. There is a Member on a point of order. When a Member rises on a point of order, he must be given an opportunity to prosecute it.

Hon. KJ, what is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you. We must remind first-term Members that this House is guided by the Standing Orders. They talk about the language that should be used when addressing fellow Members. The lady who was on the Floor is an elected representative of her people. There is no way the people of Migori can elect an ignorant person to Parliament. That kind of language should not be used among Members of this House. The remark must be withdrawn. Discipline must be restored in this House, so that we bring back the respect and ensure it is not a shouting banter in a market.

The matter is specified well in our Standing Orders. If Hon. Kaguchia does not know which Standing Order it is, I can cite it. He ought to withdraw the remark and apologise to the Hon. Member and the people of Migori. We do not have ignorant people in this House.

I thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Order, Hon. Members. The Member has raised a point of order, and Hon. Temporary Speaker will rule. Hon. Kaguchia used the word "ignorant" to describe the Member for Migori County.

Order. Hon. Temporary Speaker is managing the House. He does not need any support from anybody. Hon. Kaguchia referred to the Hon. Member for Migori as ignorant.

Order.

Who has said that?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I said that ignorance has no cure. Anyone who has cure for ignorance might inform me. I said that ignorance has no cure.

Order, Hon. Members. If that is what the Hon. Member said….

Order, Hon. Fatuma.

Yes.

You had sufficient opportunity to prosecute your point of order. Allow other Members of Parliament to prosecute the matter. If he said that ignorance has no cure, then he did not specifically refer to the Member for Migori County as ignorant. Proceed!

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for that protection. The Budget deficit has increased by Ksh170 billion, bringing it to Ksh1.3 trillion. From this Supplementary Budget II, I also realise that domestic borrowing has increased by Ksh162 billion, bringing it to Ksh1.13 trillion. The country is speaking from both sides of the mouth. On one hand, we say that we will not borrow and then we increase borrowing. I propose that the money allocated in this Supplementary Budget II to the State House, the Office of the Deputy President, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) , and the Ministry of Interior and National Administration to the tune Ksh6.3 billion be redirected. These four offices will spend this money within the next two weeks.

I respectfully propose that this money be allocated to road construction, capitation for schools, provision of medicines in hospitals and agricultural subsidies, particularly for seeds, as we approach the planting season. This will enable our people to benefit from the reallocations done in our Supplementary Budgets, rather than benefit a few individuals who seem to be enriching themselves, living large and comfortable lives at the expense of Kenyans who are suffering.

Order, Hon. Kaguchia. I direct the Clerks-at-the-Table that whenever Hon. Temporary Speaker calls a Member to order and they continue speaking, the microphone should be switched off. That is the rule.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Kimani Ichung'wah, Leader of the Majority Party?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise on a point of relevance. I was listening to the Member for Mukurweini, Hon. Kaguchia. I wish to remind him that we are debating Supplementary Estimates II.

If, indeed, ignorance has no cure, then I do not know how we may cure what we hear in this House. How can one suggest re-allocating money, in a Supplementary Estimates II, when there are only 12 days remaining before the end of the financial year? Ignorance has no cure in that case. If ignorance has no cure....

Ignorance has cure. If someone is ignorant, he gets informed or educated.

If ignorance has no cure, you may not educate the ignorant. That is why some Members say certain clauses in a Bill have some provisions, but they do not have them. When you challenge them, they tell you that you should not refer them to the clauses in the Bill. I urge the Member for Mukurweini to remain relevant to the debate before the House and to be cognisant that this is Supplementary Estimates II and not Supplementary Estimates I which has been presented 12 days to the end of the Financial Year.

As the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee explained, most of these are re-allocations and re-alignments undertaken at the close of the financial year to ensure that resources are properly aligned across State Departments. There is no additional expenditure being introduced.

Proceed, Hon. Kaguchia.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, arrogance is worse than ignorance. This Government has been misleading Kenyans by using Article 223 of the Constitution to spend money without approval of this House, and then bring it for approval at the last minute. That does not make the practice right. Why can we not spend this money in the right areas of our economy?

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Order, Hon. Kaguchia. What is your point of order, Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, as much as we say ignorance has no cure, Article 223 is part of the Constitution of Kenya. The drafters of the Constitution had reasons to give the Executive those powers to utilise it. If that Article was not useful to the country, it would not have been included in the Constitution. Any expenditure incurred under Article 223 of the Constitution is overseen by this House to check whether the funds are used properly. I wish the Member would speak to those issues rather than tell us that Article 223 of the Constitution is not used well.

You have made your point, Leader of the Majority Party. Allow Hon. Kaguchia to continue his contribution.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, Article 223 would have been okay if we were using it to provide medication and drugs in hospitals, or if we were using it to build and construct roads, but not for hiring choppers, jets with massage seats, and for moving from…

Hon. Atandi, is on a point of order. The Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I know I will have my chance to respond when I reply, but I just wanted to inform the House that for this particular…

You cannot inform the House. Do you wish to inform the…

I wish to inform Hon. Kaguchia.

Hon. Kaguchia, do you wish to be informed?

I wish to be informed by Hon. (Dr) Oundo, please.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, let me reframe my concern. Let me re-frame my concern.

If it is a point of order and you want to clarify…

Yes, it is a point of order.

Do you want to clarify?

Yes, I would like to clarify. Even though the Hon. Majority Leader has explained the purpose of Article 223, which is in law and which we have used before, for the sake of the matter before the House, we are not regularising any expenditure under Article 223.

Therefore, Hon. Kaguchia is out of order to continuously talk about Article 223 as if it is something that is before the House. The Supplementary Estimates II before us has nothing on Article 223. So, let him be informed.

Hon. Members, for purposes…

What is your point of order? Who is out of order?

No, you cannot inform him because his time is up.

Order! Order! Hon. Kaguchia, I give you half-a-minute more, but, please, be relevant and use your time properly.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I want to clearly put it that the Chairman of Budget and Appropriations Committee has talked about Article 223…

Order! Do you wish to be informed by Hon. (Dr) Oundo?

Yes, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Proceed.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Leader of the Majority Party misled the House. This particular Supplementary Budget has an increase of Ksh18 billion above what was approved by this House. I just wanted that to go on record. I can inform him because he was given wrong information. This Supplementary Budget has an increase of Ksh18 billion and it is stated in Order No. 14 of today's Order Paper.

Thank you, Hon. (Dr) Oundo, for the information. You can see the hypocrisy in the…

Order! Prosecute your point.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the point is that the Hon. Leader of the Majority Party is the one who alluded to Article 223, which the Chairman of Budget is talking about. The point is that we have Ksh6.3 billion being proposed in this Supplementary Budget for the four highest offices in this country. That is what we are opposing. We are saying that this money must be removed and given to the children of this country. Use it to buy drugs or to construct roads.

It is not right that we use a whopping Ksh200 million in the Office of the Deputy President; a whopping sSh1 billion in State House; Ksh1.55 billion in Ministry of Interior and

National Administration; and, in the National Intelligence Service, Ksh3.55 billion. This is wrong and Kenyans must know how their money is spent.

Time is up. Hon. Murugara.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. we must always get these notions, which are wrong, out of the way. First, we are doing exactly what we are empowered to do, which is to approve Supplementary Estimates brought before this House. The only requirement we need from the Executive is exactly what the purpose of those Supplementary Estimates is.

Where it turns on Article 223, this House would be informed accordingly and may ratify the expenditure or decline to ratify it. As far as these Estimates are concerned, we have been informed that these are re-alignments and re-allocations. It is money that was budgeted for but has to be moved so that it is in tandem with what the country needs.

It is wrong for us to say that one State Department is not important and another State Department is more important, while in actual fact we do have budget allocations for each of these State Departments. It cannot be said that the Office of the President or State House is not important to this country. In fact, it is the seat, the unifying seat of the country and is located at State House, in the Office of the President.

You can imagine what would happen if we treated that office with the contempt as some Members are trying to show purely because they feel it is not in line with their political inclination. You can also imagine what would happen if any of the State Departments were underfunded and, therefore, had to be funded through a re-alignment. As far as this is concerned, we have pointed out that internal security is an important facet of this country. This is where we find our security agencies and this money is going towards our police service, the GSU and all those who provide us with internal security.

As for the National Intelligence Service, there is no way this country can survive without it. We would be foolish if we did that because we would be caught unawares, not knowing what is happening in our own country.

We have also talked about other very important matters that have not been mentioned, such as the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Programme, which is a turning point for our youth in Kenya. Nobody in this House would dispute the fact that the NYOTA Programme is one of the most important programmes in our country.

Ask any young person who has benefited from it. There are others continuing to benefit too. The money is being released in tranches. So, we cannot reject this Supplementary Estimates simply because some money has to be allocated to the youth. Therefore, we are doing what we are mandated to do under our Constitution today. Ours is either to agree or disagree, but not to make proposals and say that there is no money budgeted for health when we know there is a budget for it at the national level and at the county level.

You cannot say roads are not budgeted for. In fact, it is inappropriate for this debate because there is a budget for roads, both at the national and county levels. So, sincerely speaking, what we are doing today is confining ourselves to what has been introduced by the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Thank you very much, Hon. Atandi, because you went through this very quickly and aligned it with what the House requires. This is why we are saying that, in the remaining two weeks, if there is any money that is misappropriated or misapplied, that is our work. That is why it is called oversight. Identify it, bring it here, and we shall deal with it in accordance with the law of the country. Therefore, I support this Report and urge that we pass the Supplementary Appropriations Bill.

Member of Parliament for Gem.

Thank you, I rise in support of the Motion. I know my colleagues who hold contrary opinions have targeted the Presidency, the Office of the Deputy President and the National Intelligence Service. The President is important to this

country. That is why the President of the Republic of Kenya today is in a meeting with the G7 (while other African Presidents are here in Africa), speaking on behalf of the continent.

More importantly, if you talk about the National Intelligence Service, gentlemen, all of us are here, safe and secure, because of the support of that agency. That money is not for an individual; it is for the institution. Therefore, we should be careful about what we say because the public is watching us as leaders.

Having said that, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise on a point of order under Standing Order 95.

Order, Member for Gem! Hon. Members, why do you want to usurp the powers of the Temporary Speaker? Order, Hon. CNN!

Hon. CNN, does not need any assistance from you. You are a first-timer. I came to Parliament in 1992 and I have served as a Deputy Speaker. What assistance do I need from you? For the information of all Members who are either first-timers or who do not understand, you can only rise under Standing Order 95 if you have not contributed to the debate and if you are not doing so as part of your contribution.

Are you rising on a point of order?

Yes.

Proceed with your point of order.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. First, I confirm that I have not contributed to this debate.

Fair enough. It is understood. If you had contributed, the Clerks-at-the-Table would have informed me.

Hon. Justice Kemei (Sigowet/Soin, UDA) : Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise under Standing Order 95 (1) . I have listened carefully to my colleagues and it seems as though we have exhausted the substance of this debate. I request that the Mover be called upon to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Let us have the Mover.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. First, I thank Members for the robust debate on the Second Supplementary Estimates. I did not expect a lot of interest in this Motion. I am grateful that Members have demonstrated that this is a Budget-making House.

I want to allay the fears of some Members who were questioning some of the allocations. We are approving very important allocations in this Bill. First, the allocations to the State Department for Sports are necessary because we will soon be hosting the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) and we need to be well prepared. We need to prepare the training grounds where the various teams will train. We also need to complete the stadiums where matches will be played.

The Sports, Arts and Social Development Fund (SASDF) is funded through betting proceeds. Due to the recent interest in sports, this Fund has continued to grow. The collections have surpassed revenue projections. We have been able to raise more revenue, which we will use to complete the stadiums, so that we are ready to host the matches.

We have allocated funds to the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Project. These are donor funds, which will be disbursed as soon as we approve the Estimates. We have also allocated about Ksh2 billion to security operations. We should never compromise on the security of our country. Should an ugly incident arise, we will be told that we did not appropriate resources for the same. Therefore, I do not support Members who claim that the allocations towards security are unnecessary, yet we all need security. We want to be safe once we leave Parliament. This House should always support funds allocated to security.

There was an uproar when we passed the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2026/2027. Members claimed that arrears owed to examination invigilators had not been factored in the Budget. I confirm that we have allocated Ksh1.4 billion in the Second Supplementary Estimates to sort out those arrears.

The Second Supplementary Estimates are small compared to the annual Budget of over Ksh4.3 trillion. An amendment of about Ksh18 billion should not cause us to behave as if the country will lose a lot.

With those many remarks, I beg to reply.

Leader of the Majority Party, do you want to move the Bill?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move that the Plant Protection Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 28 of 2025) be now read a Second Time.

First, I want to thank the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, which considered this Bill and conducted very extensive public participation. This a very critical Bill for our country since we pride ourselves on being an agro-based economy. Members are aware that food productivity is critical in an agro-based economy, not just to sustain our food security, but to also ensure our country’s stability. Without food security, instability comes into play.

The Bill is quite lengthy, with 75 clauses. It is important that I continue to re-emphasise the number of clauses in the Bill. The Member for Kabuchai, Hon. Kalasinga, was purporting that the Finance Bill had 169 clauses, yet it only had 57 clauses. He was even referring to a non-existent Clause 169 of the Bill. This Bill only has 75 clauses. For those who are not very keen on reading Bills, you should go through all the clauses of a Bill, so that you are aware of their provisions as you legislate. That is what good legislators do. Good legislators do not listen to propaganda, watch TikTok clips, or other social media, then come to propagate the same on the Floor of the House. You make the House look un-serious. You are also exposing your own sense of ignorance and lack of wisdom. I do not want to say foolishness. It is lack of wisdom when you say things that do not exist while making the world believe so.

This Bill is repealing the Plant Protection Act (Cap. 324) which was enacted during the colonial government in the year 1937, principally to secure Kenya’s agricultural value-chain. As I have said, we pride ourselves as an agro-based economy. Being an agro-based economy, a lot of legislative interventions have happened over the years since 1937. It is important we re-look at the Plant Protection Act that was enacted in 1937. Specifically, the Bill seeks to modernise our structures to handle the rapid transformation that we have seen in our agricultural sector and the global dynamics of agricultural trade.

There has been massive transformation in our agricultural sector. Three years ago, we were unable to feed ourselves. We were even importing sugar. If Kenyans have forgotten, sugar was trading at over Ksh500 per kilogram in our supermarkets. A packet of maize flour was trading at Ksh260.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, protect me from Hon. Joshua Kimilu or Kimwilu, who is shouting.

Order, Hon. Joshua. I am not going to mispronounce your name again.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I respect the Leader of the Majority Party, but does he have powers to abuse me by calling me Kimwilu? I am Kimilu. Kimwilu is an abuse and I want him to withdraw and apologise.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

We have a point of order from Hon. KJ.

I do not seek to interrupt the Leader of the Majority Party but in this House, we represent different interests from our constituencies. The Temporary Speaker who is in the Chair himself is on record being unable to pronounce the name of the same Hon. Member. Therefore, we should not waste our time on such an issue on this Floor. The Leader of the Majority Party was making a great point on misinformation and heckling on the Floor of the House. Hon. Temporary Speaker, what he was calling you to do was to call him out on heckling while Members are contributing in the House.

I have said it from the beginning. I will not make the mistake I made last time. I know the Member is called Hon. Kimilu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It may be difficult for some of us to pronounce names, but that is not an important matter.

Order, Leader of the Majority Party! You are the one who corrected me last time.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, last time, when you mispronounced the same name, he shouted from his place. Names are not important in this case and especially because they are not adding value to our debate.

We are debating the rapid transformation in our agricultural sector. A packet of maize flour that was selling at Ksh260 is now below Ksh200. Some brands sell at Ksh110, Ksh130 or Ksh140. That transformation has not come by mistake. It has come out of deliberate policy decisions that have enabled our huge investment in the agricultural sector. That investment is in seed inputs or the fertiliser subsidy programme which we just allocated another Ksh19 billion to ensure that this rapid transformation continues. Those of us who are fond of inciting people around the price of Unga will now have to get another agenda to ride on. Sometimes back, there was an Unga revolution. Just as you have seen today, unfortunately, there are a handful of Members, about 14 of them, who are trying to incite emotions in the country around the issue of the Finance Bill. This is because they could not articulate clear issues that were of concern to the people in the Finance Bill. Clearly, some have not read the Finance Bill.

The global dynamics in agricultural trade that I am speaking about are issues that touch on climate change, and the use of organic and artificial fertilisers. Those global dynamics are changing the way we manage the agricultural sector. We must be cognisant of these things to enable us create a legislation that speaks to the issues that the people are addressing around the world. Today, there are places where people insist on organic foods or foods that are grown using organic matter.

Therefore, part of what this Bill is speaking to, are global dynamics in agricultural trade to ensure that we align our country’s agricultural sector with the changing world. This Bill repeals the old Act in order to align with the current Constitution and give clear roles to both levels of government in the sector. When we enacted the first Act of Parliament in 1937, there was one unitary national government. Now we have two levels of government: national Government and the county governments. You are aware that agriculture as a function of Government has since been devolved to county governments. Therefore, this Bill seeks to ensure that we have a harmonised way of relations between the two levels of governments. We have removed the historic regulatory duplication and friction that existed between the two levels.

The national Government is being given its mandate to retain border surveillance and international policy decisions. However, managing local plant clinics, building farmers’ capacity and execution of ground pest management has been set aside for county governments.

The key objectives of this Bill touch on the management of pests. Many of us come from farming communities. Even if you are from Kikuyu, like myself, where food is not mostly produced in a large scale, we have subsistence farmers who grow crops. We are aware that invasive pests destroy close to 40 per cent of food crops globally every year. Therefore, this makes this legislative proposal an urgent priority for the country to ensure that we have proper pest management control.

When I spoke about the global trade dynamics in agriculture, I also spoke to how we manage our pests. There are certain pesticides that we could use which make our food crops and plants unable to access other markets around the globe. Therefore, we must ensure that we train our farmers on the pesticides they are using. That is why I said that the two levels of governments will handle international standards, international policy and border surveillance to ensure people do not bring pests into our country through plants. That is why the Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) is established to ensure it controls the kind of plants that are coming into our country and how we do disease surveillance and pest control. It also ensures surveillance of pesticides that are coming into our country. That is why there is a clear dichotomy of roles.

The national Government will formulate and align the policies with international standards, policies and border surveillance, while we leave the county governments to be legally empowered to manage local plant clinics and build farmer capacity in terms of educating our farmers to know what pesticides to use. And if a farmer uses organic matter in growing crops, they would be guided on the type of food crops that are able to access markets globally. County governments will also be in charge of executing their on-ground pest management because they have extension officers on the ground. The key objective of the Bill, therefore, is to establish a very clear and comprehensive legal and regulatory framework, or an institutional framework that will handle modern agricultural challenges. Specifically, the Bill targets to do a number of things.

The first one is to prevent the introduction or the establishment and spread of destructive plant pests in Kenya. As I said, it is possible that if we do not manage this space, people can introduce destructive pests and plants. Remember the case of the Mathenge plant which made the people of Baringo and Northern Kenya suffer. There is also the water hyacinth in Lake Victoria and Lake Naivasha. Lake Turkana also suffered the effects of the hyacinth. Those are things that can come into our country and become a disadvantage to our food production cycle. Part of the key objective of the Bill is to ensure that we have proper mechanisms put in place on the introduction, management and establishment of destructive plant pests in the country.

Two, the Bill also aims to fully institutionalise and facilitate safe international and local trade in plants and plant products. In many jurisdictions, when you walk out of an aircraft to the terminals, you are asked to declare what you are carrying. Part of the things that you have to declare are plants or seeds. We want to ensure that even in our own country, because I have not seen that at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport (JKIA), we will now have a legal framework that will ensure that people declare what they are carrying even if it is a flower. If you go to Tokyo or any other capital city and find a beautiful looking flower and you want to carry its seeds or that plant into your country, you must have approval from Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS).

The Bill also seeks to formally align Kenya with global standards by giving full effect to the International Plant Protection Convention, which we are a signatory to. Therefore, we will use the Bill to give effect or formally align our country to the global standards that we are signatories to, like the International Plant Protection Convention.

Further, the Bill seeks to effectively manage trans-boundary and migratory pests that threaten national food security. In 2019 or 2020, there was an invasion of locusts. I remember the then Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, I think it was Hon. Peter Munya, telling people to photograph the locusts and send the photos to the Ministry. That happened because we lacked effective trans-boundary and migratory pest management systems. Therefore, we want to create a mechanism so that the current Cabinet Secretary for Agriculture, should there be an invasion from any of our neighbouring countries or from one county to the other, he will not tell us to take photos of locusts and send them to the Ministry to establish whether they are harmful or not. We will have a system which will enable us to manage trans-boundary migration of any harmful pests. We will be able to track them and know if there is an invasion of harmful pests that would diminish our food crops or plants and arrest it in time.

The Bill also establishes a very comprehensive institutional framework that coordinates plant protection across both levels of government. The Bill touches on matters of devolved levels of government. Therefore, even upon its passage in this House, we expect that it will be taken to the other House.

Clauses 7 and 8 of the Bill, designate Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) as a national plant protection organisation. By formalising KEPHIS through the Bill as our global inquiry and contact point, it ensures that the Kenyan Agricultural Exports

Command matches regulatory and trust across international markets. This is very important. This is because people out there are sensitive to the kind of plants or food crops they are eating; they want to be certain that if for example, they get tea from Murarandia Tea factory in Murang'a, it is grown in line with international standards in terms of the pest control mechanisms that have been applied on the plants; and in terms of whether people want organically grown tea; and if KEPHIS has certified it. KEPHIS now becomes a reference point for this and it becomes a global inquiry and contact point for our country. Any person out there will be confident that what has been certified by KEPHIS, is in line with the international standard that are set out.

This further strengthens our global agricultural markets; and we will be able to have our food and cash crops access international markets without having any non-tariff trade barriers because people are not certain whether we adhere to international conventions on pest control, and how plants are managed.

Clauses 11 to 14 create the specialised Kenya Technical Committee on Biological Articles and Control Agents to aggressively fast-track risk analysis and registration of eco-friendly bio-fertilisers and organic soil conditioners. If we lack a system and technical committee that handles biological articles and control agents, and we have no system of doing risk analysis and registration of eco-friendly bio-fertilisers and organic soil conditioners, we could find manufacturers of some of the bio-fertilisers and other organic soil conditioners producing products that may be harmful to our plants. The only way to safeguard that is to make sure that we have a technical committee of biotech specialists who will be able to analyse whatever is coming into our country to ensure that the bio-fertilisers and soil conditioners that we are using are not harmful to ourselves, to our soils and to our plants, and they will not, in any way, interfere with the ecological balance of our agricultural productive areas or our soils.

Biological warfare in today's world is real. You may find people who do not mean well for you sending you bio-agents or things that will come and spoil your soils or even spoil the variety of plants that we are using as food crops.

I spoke about border surveillance and enforcement powers, and I do not need to belabour that. The Bill has been designated to our national Government and the roles of the county government are also clearly stipulated.

Clauses 44(1) and 45(1) collectively establish a dedicated National and County Plant Health Emergency Response Committees to provide a highly synchronised and swift crisis management structure where bio-security breaches occur. Case in point is that issue of locusts. This had nothing to do with bio-security. It was just an invasive pest. We remember four or five years ago, there was absolutely no coordination between county governments of Isiolo, Marsabit and parts of Laikipia, where that invasive pest came from and the national Government. That is why we heard the Cabinet Secretary then telling members of the public to take photos of the locusts. The Bill seeks to have a coordinated way of working between county governments at the local level, and the national Government in Clauses 44(1) and 45(1).

If there is any bio-security threat anywhere in the country, county governments are able to detect it at the local level. They can then coordinate with national institutions to address it before it becomes catastrophic to our food security or food basket. As I have said, this Bill is very detailed. It is not one of those Bills that people can come here and contribute to without having read it.

The Finance Bill is often easy for people to contribute to because they can come here and say all manner of things without reading it, and without verifying whether what they have heard outside is actually contained in the Bill. That is why you heard a leader who ought to be a very serious leader in this country purport that the Finance Bill contained a clause that is converting all freehold land - and imagine even my small piece of freehold land - into leasehold land.

I pitied my good and learned friend because he is a Senior Counsel, a lawyer, a former Vice-President, and purports to be a presidential aspirant. When you aspire to be anything anywhere or lead anyone, you must have your facts at your fingertips. All it takes is simple reading, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

This Bill is very extensive. As I have said, it contains more than 70 clauses. The Finance Bill itself contains only 57 clauses. Yesterday, I was embarrassed when I sat here and listened to Members speak about matters that are not contained in the Finance Bill. I have seen the same people misinform members of the public during press conferences outside this House, telling Kenyans things that are not in the Bill.

I am waiting for the Committee of the whole House to see how those shameless people will treat Kenyans. Kenyans are now more intelligent. Some years ago, they were misled into believing that once a Bill passes the Second Reading, it was fait accompli, that the matter is concluded. They were made to believe that after the Second Reading, no amendments can be made. That is why we are being told to reject the entire Bill rather than amend it. We must continue educating Kenyans that when we debate a Bill at Second Reading, we are discussing the pros and cons of what is contained in the Bill. Thereafter, the Committee of the whole House considers amendments.

The Committee has also undertaken extensive stakeholder engagement. If you read the Committee’s Report, you will see that it engaged the State Department for Agriculture, Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS), industry players including manufacturers of agro-products, producers of bio-fertilisers and soil conditioners, research institutions like Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO), seed producers like Kenya Seed Company Limited, private-sector players and agro-chemical associations. All this is done so that our legislative decisions are informed by facts and proper data. The same applies to the Finance Bill. We engage the public and listen to their views. The Committee then tables a report that informs our debate. As serious legislators and leaders that are elected by the people, the least we can do is spend 10, 20 or 30 minutes to read the executive summary of a

committee report when it is tabled.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, is the Leader of the Majority Party in order to use this platform to de-campaign our colleague by apologising to the

people of Kabuchai? It is not important to do so. Can we concentrate on the Bill because we also want to contribute? Stop de-campaigning colleagues in this House.

Thank you.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, that is not a point of order. If I wanted to de-campaign the Member, Hon. Joshua Kimilu knows I could do so and he knows what I could say about him. If he wants me to say it, I can go ahead.

Biosafety.

It is on matters of biosafety. How I wish more Members of Parliament were present to contribute to this debate. I beg to move and urge those of you in the House, to support this Bill. It touches on the safety of the food we eat, our food security as a country, our health as a people, and our relations with other countries in global agricultural trade. Therefore, I urge you to support this Bill and encourage Kenyans to support it as well. Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to use this opportunity, because it is not part of this debate, to thank Kenyans in a very special way. People in the Opposition attempted to incite Kenyans against the Finance Bill, 2026. Kenyans took their time to cross-check the facts against what is in the Bill. Even when their leaders were misleading them, I thank them because they called them out. I thank Kenyans who called out those who came to incite them on the

Floor of the House, without even knowing the colour of the Bill, the number of clauses it has, what is provided in the 57 clauses or the import of the provisions contained in the Schedules. As I said, when Hon. Joshua Kimilu interrupted me on a point of order, the Member for Kabuchai alleged this morning that he could only see 30 per cent in the Third Schedule. He shouted it repeatedly. I watched that from my Office and said a quiet prayer for the people of Kabuchai. May God favour them and see them through, even with such leadership. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move and request the ever-serious agriculture expert, Legislator and Second-Term Member of Parliament, Hon. Justice Kemei, to second the Bill.

Proceed,

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to second the Bill. At the outset, I thank the Leader of the Majority Party for the remarks he has made in this House, and for the good compliments about me. As it is required by the Constitution, we subjected these legislative interventions to the experts and the people of this country. This is a very critical Bill. Therefore, Article 118 of the Constitution had to be fully complied with. The Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock began this process in August 2025. We received various presentations and memoranda on the Bill. We incorporated quite a number of the contributions by stakeholders. Public participation should not be an exercise in vain. It should enrich the legislative work of this august House.

Member of Parliament who helped us to have the Sugar Act in this country. A good amount of research went into it. I am glad that I participated keenly in the production of the Sugar Bill and its conversion into law. I want to appreciate the role it did. Stakeholders who gave us so much input when we were processing the Sugar Bill must also be appreciated. The appreciation does not end there. The Office of the Clerk and the Office of the Speaker in particular, gave us the opportunity to go out there and speak to the people of this country about this Bill. So, we appreciate all of you for giving us the required support such that when we came to the House, we gave a Report of substance from the great involvement of the people of this country.

As per the International Plant Protection Convention, the representative of this great international institution in the country will be KEPHIS. We are going through times of pests, pesticides and other harmful production techniques that KEPHIS must be fully alert of. We want to put Kenya on the international trade environment and we must be factual when it comes to what we are doing.

I do not want to belabour the objects and the reasons of the Bill. That has been heavily discussed by the Leader of Majority Party. However, I want to tell my colleagues in the National Assembly that this Bill is probably one of the most critical Bills that we will debate in the 13th Parliament. They should look at it very closely. I want to invite Hon. Joseph Wekesa Simiyu Majimbo Kalasinga to read the Bill carefully.

Hon. Kimilu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to contribute to this important Bill.

Before I make a few contributions, I want to say that Bills are very important to our country because this is a House of laws. When a Bill is brought before this House, it is important for us as Members to read it critically and understand, as we contribute, what it means for our country. This is not a bad Bill because Kenya is an agricultural country. Anything that improves food production in this country is something that we, as legislators, need to examine and support in one way or another.

When I went through the Bill, I noted some areas where I intend to propose amendments during the Committee of the whole House stage. Technology in farming is very important in this country. As we seek to improve the use of technology, we also need to keep pace with developments with the rest of the world so that we can increase our production. As a country, if we can achieve food security, some of the issues we are discussing and some of the problems we are facing can be addressed.

When we talk about low-income earners, particularly farmers in the villages, many are suffering because of challenges that are associated with pesticides. Improving pesticide control through technology can help farmers increase their yields. I have no problem with this Bill. It contains very good provisions, which I believe are important for this country because they will strengthen agriculture. The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) is key to agriculture in this country. We already have systems for pesticide control in the country, but some farmers are complaining because, while there are genuine pesticides that do a very good job, there are also unscrupulous individuals who introduce counterfeit products into the market. Those products do not help farmers, and we need stronger controls to protect them. If a farmer invests millions of shillings in a farm and uses ineffective or counterfeit pesticides, it can be of great harm.

Fertilisers are doing a good job in our farms. If a farmer gets the planting right, he is assured of a good yield at the end of the day. That can also improve our farmer’s earnings and give them their daily bread. Members of Parliament also need to think about how we can do this. Today, we were debating the Finance Bill and there were so many complaints including what we are talking about. Some of these issues cannot be resolved by pressing Kenyans to dig deeper into their pockets. If we came up with a formula where we first concentrate on improving agriculture in this country, financing our budget will not be a problem. If we come up with Bills that touch on the local farmers including the Government, we can be independent and avoid borrowing. Borrowing is becoming a headache to Kenyans because our children and we, are the ones who will pay that huge debt. It is a high time we start thinking of how this country can avoid borrowing.

When this Government came into power, it promised that there would be no borrowing. I am shocked that it is borrowing day and night. We need to sit down and go back to the drawing board to see how the Government can stop borrowing. One way of doing it, is improving agriculture. In Ukambani, there is Thwake Dam which can feed this country. We have good soil in our country. If we concentrated on this dam and did serious farming and agriculture in the country, I think we can stand on our own without borrowing.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I have no problem with the Bill but I will come up with some amendments during the Committee of the whole House. That is all for now.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Murugara, followed by Hon. Wangwe.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It is important for this House to debate such an important Bill because it touches on the safety of Kenyans in relation to the flora of this country.

As we constantly defend animals and the fauna, we must also know about our flora, which is a source of food and life because of the air we breathe. It is also the greatest saviour in the environment, which is very important for this country.

Just before I begin, it is good to give the examples that have been given by the Leader of the Majority Party when he ably moved this Bill. I am grateful to my neighbour here, Hon. Justice Kemei, who has seconded it so well.

There is a plant in Northern Kenya and North Eastern Kenya known as Mathenge. Mathenge is said to be named after Isaiah Mathenge, a former administrator in this country. I cannot remember whether he served in the Northern or North Eastern side of Kenya. It is said that when he went to Israel, he found that plant sprouting in that country. It had a very nice ever-green canopy and he thought this was the solution to our problems in the arid northern Kenya.

He brought the plant here without any studies or any form of authorisation. He simply brought it, planted it, and it started doing very well. Little did we know that, that plant, once it

starts generating, does not stop; it actually colonises. It has no shade because it has very sharp thorns. If it pricks you, you instantly develop gangrene, and you are likely to die if you are not amputated. When animals consume its seeds, they lose their teeth. It is such a dangerous plant that has now spread across our northern region, and we possibly do not know what to do with it. I am not so sure whether it is useful for firewood or has any other use apart from what Isaiah Mathenge imagined at that time. If it were today, and we had such an Act of Parliament, he would not have done what he did.

Hyacinth is another example. Nobody knows how it found its way to Lake Victoria. It is said that somebody brought it from Kagera Region, while others claim it flowed naturally. Nevertheless, we have a problem with it. Interestingly enough, someone from that area must have brought a shoot and thrown it into Nairobi Dam, the famous ‘Lake Nairobi’. Not long ago, it was completely covered with that plant. This illustrates the dangers of not having plant protection and control.

The other example we can give as we continue this debate, is the cactus from the Kalahari Desert, which is also found in the arid regions of this country. The cactus, especially that of the Kalahari, produces a very succulent fruit. The San and the Khoikhoi, who were referred to as 'Bushmen' at that time, had discovered the use of the cactus fruit, which cures hunger pangs. They have been consuming it for their subsistence. Without any form of plant control and protection, individuals from America studied this plant and discovered that what cures hunger pangs is, in fact, extremely rich concentrated starch. They took the plant to their country under the guise of studying it, but it is now confirmed that they have it over there for starch manufacturing. To avoid such piracy and to ensure that our country is not invaded by undesirable plants, it is vitally important that this House passes this Bill.

This Bill aims to address bio-safety and bio-security, which are extremely important. Additionally, towards the end of the Bill, it deals with pesticides and possibly insecticides. As we continue to grow various crops in this country, as properly indicated by the Leader of the Majority Party, we lose up to almost 50 per cent to pesticide purely because we do not have a proper way of controlling those pests. The provisions of this Bill will ensure that the Government puts into place mechanisms to address pests and that we achieve gains from our agricultural production. Most importantly, let us look at what we are importing. Leave alone the suppression of noxious and invasive weeds or plants.

We also have the issue of managing toxic substances, which are brought into this country in the form of insecticides and pesticides. It is said that we continue to use some of the pesticides that were banned in European countries and America a long time ago because they were discovered to be dangerous to human health. It is also said that some of the drugs we use on our livestock, and possibly some of those we use to spray our crops, are banned in those countries. As a result, we rear our animals, but cannot export their products because we have used those drugs. We grow very good crops, but we cannot export them because we are told they do not meet the required standards, having been treated with pesticides that are banned in those countries and, therefore, they do not qualify.

Firstly, it is time for us to wake up as a country and put in place mechanisms to ensure that all our plants are protected. Secondly, all our products must also be protected to ensure they are fit for the market and human consumption. When those countries tell us that we cannot export our crops and animal products because they are not fit for human consumption, what happens in our own country, where, without much care or concern, we consume those products without questioning? This is one of the reasons we have a high prevalence of diseases, including the killer disease, cancer, which is worse than many other diseases that are known to mankind.

Indeed, whether we like it or not, in many cases, cancer is attributable to what we consume. Therefore, this law, which replaces an old, archaic Act that was used by the

colonialists in those days, is one that we should enact so that we have plant protection measures to safeguard our biosafety and biosecurity.

I beg to support.

Hon. Wangwe, followed by Hon. KJ.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. At the outset, allow me to support the Plant Protection Bill, (National Assembly Bill No. 28 of 2025) . This Bill is long overdue. During the previous Parliament, while serving as a Member of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, we attempted to introduce a similar Bill. However, those efforts were overtaken by another Phytosanitary Bill, which went through the House. At the time, we believed that Bill would adequately address the issues that were bedevilling the importation and use of pesticides, but it did not.

The Kenya Plant Health Inspectorate Service (KEPHIS) is one agency which has been empowered through this Bill to address the issues of plant health. We really have to know why we are addressing the issues of plant health. In simple terms, KEPHIS, I want to call it “doctors of plants”, diagnose what bedevils plants when they grow.

We are aware that what one eats ends up building their muscles. If you eat something that is not good, your muscles will be in danger. Similarly, this happens in plants through infusion; what goes into the plant equally ends up being the same substance it matures with.

We eat and consume vegetables, and they are leaves. This means that they are made of the input. Therefore, if we use the wrong pesticides, definitely, the greens that we get out of those vegetables automatically become unhealthy for us. Therefore, it is important that we take this Bill as a solution to what is likely to happen when we enforce it.

Why do I support this Bill in that direction? A few years back, in this House, we had a heated debate on the importation of banned pesticides. Allow me to say – and God rest his soul in eternity – that the late Hon. Jakoyo Midiwo really fought hard to make sure that the importation of bad pesticides was not entertained. Sometime back, the European Union banned the entire cache of pesticides. But because of our conventions and not having the right laws of Kenya, we accessed and used those pesticides on the soil of this country. Meaning that what we consumed was not good for us. Therefore, most of us could be subjects of cancer and that is why those pesticides were not entertained overseas.

Today, I thank the Cabinet Secretary for Co-operatives and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises, Hon. Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya. He has given us a chance to start planting coffee in the western region. As part of the success on how to grow coffee, there is a market survey where you are given choices to choose. For example: Do you want to grow organic coffee? If you choose yes, this structure is so detailed that you have to mention what chemicals you have been using. You are not supposed to even touch any chemicals as you produce organic coffee. It is out of this research that bad pesticides are on our counters and that the West, which imports our coffee, is cautious about. They do not want to consume anything that has been sprayed with pesticides because you end up producing non-organic coffee. When you spray pesticides, even if you get Grade A coffee, it does not fetch good money as organic coffee. It is my considered view that we support this Bill so that we give teeth to KEPHIS to oversee, check and ensure that there is no availability of pesticides that are not tested and not in line with the health of our products in this country.

The West has embraced GMOs which, to us, might not make that much sense because of who we are. We have enough land and space for production of organic food. But there will come a time when we will not have enough land to produce organic food and we want to plant GMOs. But still, with GMOs, they would want to be cautious with the pesticides that are applicable so that they produce the right input for their food. We have KALRO, which is an equivalent of Cambridge because I consider it as a research organisation that undertakes any kind of development in the research of plants and animals. KEPHIS are the doctors of the

plants. The two organisations should work closely together so that we have a very robust environment which can support the plant health in this country.

Looking at the structure of the Bill as it has been made, I want to impress and suggest that all this will be achieved if we support the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock to fund KEPHIS properly so that we do not have an institution which is only good on paper, but not good at implementation. KEPHIS reports to me in the Public Investments

Committee on Social Services Administration and Agriculture. One of the issues that has come

Very well. Hon. KJ, Member for Dagoretti South.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. There are very amazing afternoons when you are in the Chair. As a ranking Member of this House and a man who has served this House for a good duration, we enjoy the sessions when you are chairing. I also note that we are in transition to another equally able Member of this House, who will take the Chair. As an accomplished lawyer, he is a good leader in this House. He performs the roles of the Speaker very well.

Even in transition, I rise to support the Plant Protection Bill that has been brought before us. As a House, we note that we are passing this new Bill to replace the Plant Protection Act of

That is very elaborate, Hon. Kiarie. Hon. Irene Mayaka is now recognised to make her contributions.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also stand to support this Bill especially because we are largely an agricultural country. This is very important. It is worrying that it has taken us several years to review this Bill because of the importance of agriculture and the place it has in our country and because we have had a lot of changes and revolutions that have happened in this country and in the rest of the world.

When my senior, Hon. KJ, was speaking, I was hoping that he would also touch on matters relating to technology, the Fourth Industrial Resolution and AI in relation to plant and pest monitoring. First, when you look at the specific weeds that really affect our country, we have talked about the Mathenge and hyacinth. But there is another weed called the Donda that has become very notorious, especially in the western region. It is affecting tea in our regions. I brought a statement to that effect because it is becoming quite a concern. Some of those interventions that have been mentioned in this Bill are very important because it is about time that we review how we are doing plant protection.

I just want to lay a bit of emphasis on Part V of the Bill, which speaks about border surveillance, control and monitoring. The reason why I want to emphasise on this - and I am also hoping that we will be able to bring amendments to this - is because it speaks about the use of machinery and equipment. However, if you look at our Kenya Civil Aviation Authority (KCAA) , it is a bit limiting because right now in a lot of jurisdictions we have the use of drones by farmers so that they are able to monitor, especially in large farms, for them to do proper monitoring and spraying at a lower cost.

When you look at our KCCA law, it is limiting because it states that you can only use an aircraft operated certificate and it must be done by a pilot. Whereas, for example, if you look at what the European Union (EU) and the United States of America (USA) have done in terms of their safety aviation authority, they have done something called the Visual Line of Sight (VLOS) . It allows smaller drones, 25 kgs to be used, that go up to 400 feet.

Those are some of the interventions and amendments that we need to do in this House so that it also allows our farmers to use similar interventions. In this day and age, our President is being invited to the G7 to make remarks about Africa. One of the things that he really emphasised, is that Africa is not a mistake.

Africa can also be a Continent that offers solutions. We need to lead from the front as the legislators of this country by supporting his prayers and interventions of saying that we, as Africans, can also have solutions that also make interventions and ensure that we are supporting our local people. That we are supporting the farmers and ensuring that even as we say that legislation has to work, it also has to be encompassed with interventions that are innovative, that allow us to even have more production, lower the cost of production and interventions that seek to ensure that our production is increasing and growing. Eventually, we will increase crop production and have more food for use in the country and for export.

With those few remarks, I support the Bill. I will prepare amendments to make it even better.

Let us have Hon. Jackson Kosgei.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to also weigh in on the Bill.

At the outset, I support the Plant Protection Bill. We are late in coming up with it because agriculture is one of the mainstays of our economy. In the 1930s, the movement of human beings was limited. It is not like it is today. More people are coming into our country, and the possibility of polluting our plants is very high. The management and prevention of plant pests and diseases is a timely and very important undertaking. If we do so, we will safeguard agricultural production. We will produce the right plants and agricultural products for human consumption and protection of our natural ecosystem.

We also have to safeguard our trade as my colleagues have mentioned. Our plants and agricultural products should not be banned in international markets. The Africa Growth and Opportunity Act (AGOA) , which gives certain African countries access to markets in the United States of America (USA) , was renewed. What kind of products do we export? We do not want to limit our trade opportunities in international markets.

We should not only consider plants and pests. We should also ensure that we have a deeper understanding of imported seeds. I will propose amendments during the Committee of the whole House to protect our indigenous seeds. We should protect our indigenous plants from proliferation of exotic plants. We should also consider the pesticides that we use, many of which have been banned in the Global North. Majority of them are known, but others are hiding behind scientific names and yet, they are quite dangerous. Many of those chemicals continue to be exported to our country and, therefore, it is very important that we have an agency as proposed in this Bill in order to provide a scientific protection over people through research, and ban any product that has been banned elsewhere. Otherwise, Africa and Kenya in particular should not become a dumping site.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I come from Baringo County, where the notorious plant known as Mathenge is affecting our pastoralists. In fact, we must safeguard not only food, but also opportunities for trade. Food is a security matter and if anyone succeeds in destroying your food and you have nothing to eat, they will control you. You will be subject to others and your negotiation in any platform or region will be from a very weaker point. Therefore, it is a priority and I appeal to our colleagues that when we will be interrogating and contributing to this particular Bill, we pass it as soon as possible to help our people.

With that, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I support the Bill. The Temporary Speaker

. Hon. Jematiah.

Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also take this opportunity to contribute and add my voice to this very important and timely Bill. I agree with Bishop that it has taken quite some time. It should have been one of the important Bills that transcended into law when we were promulgating our Constitution

There being no other Member wishing to contribute, I now call upon the Mover to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Let me begin by thanking all the Members who have contributed to this Bill. As I stated earlier, it is an important piece of legislation for a country whose economy is largely agriculture-based. I have listened to the contributions made by Members, as well as the views submitted by stakeholders during public participation. I wish to assure the House that those views will be taken into account during the Committee of the whole House stage.

With those remarks, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to reply.

Next Order.

Leader of the Majority Party to move the Bill.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to move that the Central Bank of Kenya (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 27 of 2026) be now read a Second Time.

This is a short Bill. Allow me to begin by thanking the Members of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning who considered the Bill and conducted public participation on it. As you are aware, while the rest of us were on the short recess, the Committee remained engaged over the last three to four weeks, conducting public participation on the Finance Bill, the Central Bank of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) Bill and the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill.

In considering this Bill, the Committee engaged a wide range of stakeholders, including the Central Bank of Kenya, the Kenya Bankers Association, commercial banks and many other stakeholders who submitted their views before the Committee. This is a short Bill comprising of about eight clauses.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, this Bill has a few key objectives. One of them is to restructure the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) emergency lending framework, broaden its foreign reserve operations to include precious metals like gold, silver and platinum, and consolidate parliamentary oversight of top executive appointments solely within the National Assembly.

As you are aware, under the Central Bank Act, the Deputy Governor of CBK is usually vetted by both this House and the Senate. To align that process with what happens in the case of the Governor of CBK, Section 13B of the Bill requires that nominees for the position of CBK Deputy Governor to be approved strictly by the National Assembly. This aligns the vetting process with that of the Governor and eliminates the joint parliamentary vetting framework that previously included the Senate. Therefore, upon the passage of this Bill, the Deputy Governor of the CBK will be vetted solely by the National Assembly and not by a joint committee, as it has happened in the past.

Secondly, the Bill establishes a very clear distinction between the routine monetary operations of the CBK and emergency financial distress support, so as to limit the moral

hazards that exist. The Bank will now lend on an emergency basis to commercial banks and microfinance institutions for up to 12 months. We will allow CBK to issue loans and advances to commercial banks and microfinance institutions for a period of up to 12 months, bearing in mind the risks that are associated with that and after evaluating the institutions it is lending to, in line with the Banking Act.

There is also the discretionary Emergency Liquidity Assistance (ELA). The CBK is empowered to provide such temporary emergency liquidity assistance to institutions that are solvent and viable. It will not be allowed to lend to banks or financial institutions that are insolvent, those that do not appear commercially viable or institutions that are undergoing liquidation because the money being lent is public money. Once the Bank establishes that the overall financial stability of an institution is sound and it requires emergency liquidity assistance, it may provide it. As I have said, this will only happen after analysing the risks and ensuring that there are strict collateral safeguards. All emergency credit must be fully backed by acceptable collateral and undergo very strict risk management evaluation.

The CBK will also be permitted to extend credit lines to the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) formerly known as the Deposit Protection Fund for fixed terms of up to three years. Again, such facilities must be collateralised by Government securities, just in case KDIC needs that money to rescue institutions under its management.

As I have said, another objective of this Bill is to expand the reserve operations of the CBK to include precious metals trading. The amendment significantly widens the scope of the CBK’s reserve management. Beyond the standard foreign exchange and gold, the Bank will now be authorised to buy, sell, import, export, transfer, hold and even refine gold coins, bullion, silver, platinum and other precious metals under terms that it determines.

The Bill further enables the CBK to formally offer training and capacity building programmes not only to its internal staff, but also to the general public. This includes staff of commercial banks and other financial institutions, insurance companies where necessary, and members of the public who may wish to be trained, for instance, on trading in Government securities or on how to buy and sell Government securities.

The Bank may also train domestic Government agencies and officials from other jurisdictions. Our economy is the strongest in this region and the biggest in the East and Central African region. Therefore, we also have some responsibility to train our neighbours. If people from other jurisdictions want their staff from their central banks or from their commercial banks to come and train in Kenya under the School of Monetary Studies under the Central Bank, we expand that training mandate to allow the Central Bank to do that.

Therefore, Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I said, this is a very short Bill - just eight clauses. I am now belabouring when I am moving Bills to insist on the number of clauses and what each clause is providing for largely to avoid the issues you saw in the Finance Bill. People claiming there is clause 169 and others claiming that land is being moved from freehold to leasehold. You can imagine, including people like the former Vice-President Kalonzo Musyoka was misled to believe. If the former Vice-President depended on some of those people you saw here to read the Finance Bill for him, you would understand why he was misled.

Unfortunately, the people misleading him want to know better that, that is why I am belabouring in every Bill that I am moving now to insist on the number of clauses so that they do not go and say the Central Bank (Amendment) Bill has clause 27 that is purporting to do this and that or shift this Bank from here to there. That is propaganda. It is the world we live in, the world of fake news, a world of leaders who tell outright lies all in pursuit of political expediency, cheap politics and cheap political scores and not educating the public.

This is why I am often belabouring the point that, as leaders in this country, we must use the Floor of this House. We are only 349 Kenyans who have been favoured or who are privileged to come and sit in this House while the rest of the millions of Kenyans listen and

watch us. They want to hear what we will give back to them. Therefore, as leaders, we use the opportunity that we are being given or granted by God and the people of Kenya to tell outright untruths. We should not misinform, disinform and propagate propaganda on the Floor of Parliament. Usually, I do not mind when people do it out there in rallies or in funerals like I saw them saying about rental income tax in a funeral somewhere. When I saw a former Member of Parliament from Mathira speak about rental income tax in a funeral, I forgave him because I said it is okay you can say whatever you want to say, probably you are speaking to the dead in the funeral and not the living because the living also can read and see.

When the former Vice-President, Hon. Kalonzo Musyoka talks about things that do not exist in the Bill in a political rally, I forgive him. He might have been misinformed by the leaders you saw here from his party who spoke about issues that do not exist in the Bill but, on the Floor of this House, we must remain honest and truthful. That is why our Standing Orders speak of the issue of statement of fact, under Standing Order 91 and also relevance. That is why maybe during the Finance Bill, we had to keep interjecting people to remain relevant, truthful and express themselves only on statements of fact. People wanted to use this Floor to propagate lies and propaganda for their audience out there so that when they go to their rallies and to funerals, they now feel like they are heroes because they propagated lies.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we are lucky that this Bill is only eight clauses. So, even those who could not read, can, at least, read this one. You can even read it when you are seated here. It is not 57 clauses like the Finance Bill or the 75 clauses of the Plant Protection Bill. With that, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move and I request the very serious legislator in the name of Hon. Irene Nyakerario Mayaka to second. Hon. Irene Nyakerario Mayaka takes time to read. Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to shower her with a few accolades as she is a first-time Member of Parliament and is now the Chairperson of a Committee. Her party, the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), recognised that she is a serious legislator, who deserves to chair a Committee. She is doing exemplary work as the Chairperson of her Committee. The business after the next one is sponsored by her Committee. Therefore, I invite her to second this Bill.

Let us have Hon. Irene Mayaka.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Thank you, Leader of the Majority Party, for giving me the opportunity to second this Bill and for showering me with accolades as well. We learn every day from Members like you.

As has been said by the Leader of the Majority Party, the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK) (Amendment) Bill, (National Assembly Bill No. 27 of 2026) , is a very short piece of legislation, but it is also extremely important. It gives clarity in distinguishing routine monetary policy operations from emergency liquidity assistance and providing for periods of financial distress.

The amendment Bill also has a clear provision for the approval process of the deputy governor of the CBK, which is now in line with the approval process of the governor of the CBK. It specifically allows the National Assembly to undertake that process and so, it is in line with the existing approval framework.

Clause 7 is also important as it touches on the defunct Deposit Protection Fund Board (DPFB) , whose previous obligations now rest with the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) . Clause 8 is also important as it focuses on prescribed capacity building and training through regulations for purposes of implementing the Act. Clause 3 speaks about providing training and capacity building for staff of the CBK, the general public, Government institutions and persons from other jurisdictions. Training of the general public is very important for Kenyans to understand the difference between the CBK and other commercial banks. Many people do not understand the roles of different financial institutions. For instance, the CBK no longer provides accounts for individuals to manage treasury bills and bonds. You can now open an account in a commercial bank. Therefore, the public should understand that you do not need

to open an account with the CBK; you can use commercial banks. I have highlighted specific reasons why this amendment Bill was necessary.

With those few remarks, I beg to second.

Let us have Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to say a few things about the Bill, which seeks to amend the CBK Act. As the Leader of the Majority Party has said, it only has eight clauses. These amendments are quite important for the country.

We all know very well that Kenya has become a financial hub in the region. If we are to rate countries on the basis of advances in financial issues, Kenya could be high there. That is why these amendments are aligned to make sure that we are also up to speed in terms of where we are. The work of CBK is normally supervisory and regulatory, and then it is always the last lender. I think it is on the basis that it is the last lender that the issue of lending to commercial banks on the basis of an emergency comes up. This is because it is the duty of the CBK to ensure that we have a stable and predictable financial system. In case of emergencies, banks have an opportunity to borrow from the CBK up to a period of 12 months. This is a very progressive amendment. We have seen banks going under but with this arrangement, it will be very difficult because now banks can fall back to the CBK, and it will bail them out in terms of lending. That will ensure we have no problem with our financial institutions.

On the issue of approval of the DG where we are saying we want to restrict it strictly to the National Assembly, I think it makes a lot of sense because there is nothing devolved with the CBK. The CBK is the bank for the country and there is no devolution in it and so, on that basis, I think the idea of pushing that to the Senate is far-fetched. The Constitution says the Senate was actually created for purposes of taking care of the interests of the counties. This is also aligned and I think it will make it easier for the DG to be approved in good time when that time comes and then they can serve the country.

There is the issue of the Kenya Deposit Insurance Corporation (KDIC) , where we also are saying the CBK will lend to. Actually, the insurance sector is part of our financial ecosystem and it is just like an extension of the commercial banks. Therefore, we are saying that because our insurance companies also take care of our interests and more so when it comes to securing our future in terms of right policies and all that, then the bank should also be there to bail them out when there is need. That is another progressive amendment which I think we should support.

As I conclude, Clause 8 discusses the issue of training. This is a very interesting clause. As I indicated earlier, in a situation where the country has become a financial hub, then it means it is important that people are educated and trained on financial issues. In the past, the CBK was a bit restricted to train only their staff and staff from the National Treasury and Economic Planning.

However, what we are doing now is opening this space so that CBK can now train the general public. The general public has been very active in terms of buying treasury bills and bonds. That means it is really important to educate them on what we are doing and the benefits that will accrue to them once they buy those things.

They have also not been training the commercial banks staff but now, we are saying that with this intensive participation of financial institutions and even Government agencies, then it is very important that the CBK is given that mandate to train everyone in terms of knowledge so that they can be on the same page. By doing so, we can minimise the issue of people making decisions from an un-informed position. We can now increase that space so that

anybody who is going to interact with the CBK as a result of that training will make informed decisions and nobody will complain that they did not know. I think this is a very good amendment.

All these amendments are very progressive. They are just making the work of the CBK to be more central and allow Kenyans also to interact with the bank more. Actually, if you ask Kenyans, very few of them have visited the bank. But now, I can see an opportunity where the bank is now coming out to interact with the public and financial institutions. That participation will make them also feel like this is our bank as a country.

With those many remarks, I support the Bill.

Is there interest by any Member to contribute any further or this one is straight forward? I am not able to see that Member. The Member for Igembe Central is recognised to make his contribution.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the Central Bank of Kenya (Amendment) Bill, (National Assembly Bill No. 17 of 2026) . In my lifetime, I have witnessed many banks collapse, particularly the small ones. Most of those collapses have resulted from lack of liquidity support. This Bill extends liquidity assistance to a period of up to 12 months and, where there is no evidence of mismanagement, the period may be extended further. This Bill means a great deal to local investors and to ordinary citizens who do not have substantial deposits in banks.

The Bill also addresses the office of the deputy governor. Previously, Parliament was involved in the approval of governors. Under these amendments, Parliament will be responsible for vetting the deputy governors as well. This will enhance harmony between the governor and the deputy governor, as both will have undergone a common parliamentary vetting process. The issue of the banking sector stability is important to all of us. For those reasons, this Bill is significant. We support it and will continue to support it.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Having no more interest, I will call upon the Mover to reply. Before I do so, allow me to recognise a delegation seated in the Speaker’s Gallery. I welcome them to observe the proceedings of the House. We have a large delegation of young leaders drawn from across the country. Among them are Patrice Lumumba Kaluma, George Peter Opondo, Adrian Kimutai, Mr Ian Madu, Michael James and Seth Platter Kopany. They are all welcome to the National Assembly to observe the proceedings of the House.

Mover.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to also welcome the delegation to the National Assembly, including George Peter Opondo and the other distinguished guests. They are great Kenyans, and we are pleased to have them with us. I have observed the discipline and studious silence they have maintained while following the proceedings from the Gallery. I am sure they may be wondering whether this is the same Chamber that, at one point, appeared like a war zone.

I also hope that, since many of them are young Kenyans who may aspire to serve in this House one day, they will become very diligent legislators who take time to read every clause of a Bill before, like this very short Bill which I am going to reply to. As I had indicated, it contains only eight clauses and is straight forward.

In replying, let me agree with the sentiments expressed by Members, particularly the points very well-articulated by Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu. The drafters of the Constitution largely envisaged the Senate as an institution that is concerned with matters affecting county governments.

The Central Bank of Kenya, however, is a national regulator. It regulates commercial banks and other deposit-taking financial institutions. While Senators may argue that these

institutions operate within counties, the regulatory function itself falls squarely within the mandate of the National Government. I, therefore, agree with Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu that, at the outset, it was a misnomer ab initio to place this function outside the purview of the National Assembly. Just as the vetting of Cabinet Secretaries is undertaken by the National Assembly and not the Senate, matters of this nature properly fall within the jurisdiction of this House.

It has always been my view that, if I were serving as a Cabinet Secretary, I would never appear before the Senate. They have no business calling Cabinet Secretaries to the Senate, unless it is the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury and Economic Planning on matters touching on the division of revenue yet, I see Cabinet Secretaries for Roads and Transport being summoned to the Senate. I ask myself why they do not call the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) in charge of roads in the counties they represent. That is what the Constitution envisaged. This is timely, and I agree with Members that it is time we corrected this situation. If we allow such practices to continue, that is how they gradually encroach on the mandate of the National Assembly. The other distinction that Hon. Irene spoke to and articulated very well is the need to distinguish the supervisory role of the Central Bank in the day-to-day operations of commercial banks from its role as the lender of last resort, particularly in instances of emergency lending. That distinction is very important. Equally important is allowing the additional period of up to 12 months, which is critical in such circumstances. I thank Members and, I beg to reply.

Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise to seek your indulgence regarding Order No.17. We are still awaiting the report of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning on the Sovereign Wealth Fund Bill. I, therefore, request that the Order be stepped down until the Committee tables its report, hopefully, either tomorrow or on the next day of business thereafter, which will be Tuesday.

I will direct that the Order be called first.

The request by the Leader of the Majority Party is acceded to. The matter concerning the Bill appearing under Order No.17 is deferred to a future date, as and when it shall be scheduled for House consideration by the House Business Committee. Next Order.

Mover.

Hon. Irene Nyakerario.

The Chairperson, Committee on Regional Integration.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Before I move this Motion, allow me to welcome the young Kenyans who have joined us to follow these proceedings. Patrice is a very good friend of mine, and I am happy to see him in the House together with his friends. These are the future leaders and parliamentarians of our country. It is wonderful to see them here. I welcome them as they follow the proceedings of this House. Secondly, before I begin, we are all in a World Cup mood at the moment. In the next 20 minutes, an important match is coming up between an African team, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, and Portugal.

In fact, it is not just an African team. The DRC is also part of the larger East African Community.

Exactly. As the Chair of Regional Integration, I take this opportunity to wish them the very best against Portugal because I believe, with what we have seen the African teams doing, they can actually win this particular game and proceed. Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion:

THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Committee on Regional Integration on its inspection visit to the East African Science and Technology Commission in Rwanda and the East African Health Research Commission in Burundi, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 5th November 2025. The Committee on Regional Integration undertook an inspection and familiarisation visit to those EAC institutions between 27th July and 3rd August 2025. The visit aimed to assess the status of implementation of projects and programs, evaluate progress and identify challenges…

Hon. Irene Mayaka, I know how you feel about the upcoming football match. However, I am being reminded that in keeping with the parliamentary tradition, you move the Motion first as printed in the Order Paper. Read it word for word, punctuation by punctuation as we normally do.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I think it is the excitement of the upcoming match.

The Leader of the Majority Party says: “Ni mbio ya kwenda kuangalia mpira ya TV.

The Leader of the Majority Party knows I am a soccer fan.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Committee on Regional Integration on its inspection visit to the East African Science and Technology

Commission in Rwanda and the East African Health Research Commission in Burundi, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 5th November 2025. The Committee on Regional Integration undertook an inspection and familiarisation visit to those East African Community (EAC) institutions between the 27th July and 3rd August

Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to start by thanking my Chairperson for moving this Report. She has done so very well, and that is why I agree with the Leader of the Majority Party that she fits the bill. We are very happy to have her as our Chairperson.

This visit was organised under the Committee on Regional Integration. We all know that this Committee oversees the integration of the East African Community. We also know the benefits that accrue from that integration. The reason we have these two institutions, one in Rwanda, the East African Science and Technology Commission, and the other one in Burundi, the East African Health Research Commission, is to promote the One Health approach and integrated research involving animal health, human health and the environment.

Those are what we call ‘centres of excellence’ in the region. Through the Community, partner States have agreed to establish centres of excellence in different countries so that, where a country has a comparative advantage, it can provide leadership in that particular area. Despite the good objectives of those two institutions, they are facing serious challenges.

One of the challenges is inadequate financing. You will realise that partner States are not contributing regularly. Some are actually in arrears, while others are not able to contribute at all. We all know that where there are no resources, it becomes difficult to realise effectiveness in such institutions.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the other challenge is shortage of staff. We have very good institutions with very clear mandates, but we do not have the human resource to move them towards their goals. There is also inconsistent data from member countries. In that case, it makes the research a bit difficult.

Lastly, infrastructure across partner States is not adequate. We need to really think about what to do. During that visitation, the Committee realised that there is need for sustained investment and policy support, if those institutions are to achieve their objectives. We came up with some recommendations. We are thinking about how we can improve the financing of

those institutions. It is time the EAC comes up with ways of raising money other than the normal annual prescription. We are thinking about tariffs, that is, levies on imports and exports. It is similar to the Fuel Levy which takes care of some of our roads. EAC can introduce levies on our imports and exports and the proceeds channelled to those centres of excellence. That way, we will help them in their financing.

The other issue we have reiterated is countries contributing on the basis of their ability to contribute. We all agree that in this region, some countries like Kenya are bigger brothers. When you compare Kenya and Burundi, Kenya is a bigger brother. If Kenya is in a position to pay for Burundi, bearing in mind the benefits it accrues as a bigger brother from the region, we can support such initiatives. Those centres of excellence can assist in research and providing data which can be used in policy matters.

South Sudan is in problems. If you talk to our colleagues from the EAC, they will tell you that our colleagues from South Sudan do not attend meetings because of the same challenges. We need to think outside the box on how we can improve financing. We are happy because a decision has been taken. Each member country will be paying their country’s Members of the East African Legislative Assembly (EALA). To some extent, that might be advantageous, but it can also be a problem. It means the bigger brother will pay their Members, but the small brothers will not pay them. At the end of the day, we will start questioning the effectiveness of the regional bloc.

As I conclude, I think all of us - and more so Members of the Committee - agree that EAC has huge potential which is untapped. If we have to tap it, we must be united, so that all the countries move in the same direction and have common policies and tariffs that will open this big market. As a Kenyan, I believe Kenya is one of the countries which is likely to benefit more than any other country from this integration. We need to provide leadership. That is why this Committee becomes very important. We passed this Report in August last year. Today is June. That is about 10 months with this Report ready for debate. As we move into the future, I wish that we create time, through the House Business Committee, so that within a short time, we discuss, adopt and pass these kinds of reports to other authorities which can implement them. That will help the country.

With those many remarks, Hon. Temporary Speaker, I second this Motion.

Thank you, Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu.

Hon. Oscar Nabulindo, do you wish to contribute to this? Please proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me a chance to contribute to this Motion. I thank the Mover, Mheshimiwa Irene Mayaka, for her eloquence and for the elaborate Report. I agree with the Leader of the Majority Party that she is a good legislator.

I will not say much, but I support the Report by the Committee on Regional Integration. One of the challenges I have noted from the Mover is the delayed funding of those precious research institutions. My colleague, Mheshimiwa Dr Mulu, has stated that, as a big brother, Kenya should support our struggling brothers by paying for them. Although that is a noble idea, I disagree because we must find another way of encouraging our brothers to pay instead of paying for their dues. If we pay for them, we are encouraging them to default even further in the coming years. Are we going to continue paying for them as Kenya? We might be a big brother, but we also have our financial commitments as a nation.

I also support the idea that we need to establish regional research centres. This is a noble initiative that should be encouraged. I hope the Committee will devise mechanisms to

implement these recommendations when the House adopts this Report. These regional centres for excellence will help our countries manage some of these challenges, such as the Ebola centre issue that everyone is discussing about. There is a lot of misinformation. If we had a regional centre in Kenya, perhaps, they would have explained to the public the importance of having isolation centres for diseases like Ebola. Right now, most Kenyans are saying no to that initiative because they do not have the right information, and no one has attempted to provide them with it due to our lack of such institutions.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, regarding the legal framework for this, I hope that, as soon as the House adopts this Report, the Committee will take a further step and develop the necessary legal frameworks that are needed to support those research centres in the East African region.

Lastly, it is important to note that, across the world, countries are increasingly coming together to promote economic research, education, agriculture and trade. We encourage our East African brothers and sisters, Kenya being the leader due to its economic power in the region, to come together and co-operate in doing business. Our biggest business should involve our neighbouring countries as opposed to Western countries. Regionally, our trade partners are not from Africa. We trade with China, Europe and various Asian countries. However, intra- regional trade leans towards one side, either exporting or importing.

In conclusion, this is a good Report, and I urge the House to adopt it. I further encourage the Committee to go a step further and come up with a law that will turn our recommendations into reality.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support.

Member for Igembe Central, is recognised to make his contribution.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support this Committee on Regional Integration Report. East Africa is a community of brothers. Having common research that involves countries will be beneficial for East Africa.

You may recall that some time back, there was an incident where Kenyan chicks were burnt at the border because the other country believed they carried diseases. If there had been research conducted and shared across the East African region on animal health, such an incident might not have occurred. If a community is united and acts as one, then we need to speak with one voice in most instances.

We have many products that are available in Kenya, but are illegal in other countries. For example, we have miraa in Kenya, which is a legal and healthy product but, in Tanzania, it is illegal. If there was common research conducted by East Africa that reported objectively on such a cash crop, it could be of great importance to the Kenyan economy because it would facilitate trade in other East African countries, just as it is traded freely in our own country. Therefore, we need this integration in matters of science, technology and research to improve the welfare and well-being of the East African Community members.

When you come to Kenya, you will find communities that also live in Tanzania. We also have communities in Kenya that are found in Uganda. This means that we are brothers and, to be our brother's keeper, we must know what is affecting those brothers so that we can assist them when necessary. Likewise, they should know what is affecting us, and this can only be achieved through research that is undertaken collectively through the East African integration. Therefore, I support the Committee for bringing this Report. I support the Report because it will build the East African Community and reduce unnecessary conflicts and misunderstandings. For a long time, East Africa has discussed the issue of a common currency, which is yet to be realised. Through those institutions, we will have a standard for most of the affairs and East Africa will be a strong entity like other entities in the world.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I support.

The Report appears very clear and certain on its recommendations. I cannot see any further interests. Accordingly, I will call upon the Mover to reply.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I take this opportunity to, first of all, thank the following Members for their contributions: Hon. (Dr) Makali Mulu, a very dedicated Member of the Committee, Hon. Nabulindo and Hon. Kiili for their contributions. I recognise the importance of integration, the EAC and the challenges that they have given us in terms of processing the recommendations into actual laws for EAC. As a Committee, we will take up the challenge.

I would wish to emphasise on the importance of the EAC and recognition of Kenya as a big brother within the EAC. I would also like to inform Hon. Nabulindo. I used to think that Kenya does a lot of trade outside the EAC, but I discovered that we make most of our money in terms of trade within the EAC. We are one of the biggest beneficiaries of that particular regional conglomeration that we have within the EAC. It is very important that we continue to ensure that we play the very important role of continuity in establishing and ensuring that the different institutions we have within the EAC are working not only for us, but also for the partner States within the regional block. This is also to encourage and ensure that our Council of Ministers and the Summit as well continue in its work to provide for us provisions and laws that we ratify in this House. We must seek to push and ensure that the regional integration that we have within the EAC works for us not just within the trade sphere, but also in terms of the institutions that support the partner States and their citizens. More importantly, EAC should work for the legislatures because in all those partner States we have committees that are relevant towards regional integration.

One of the things, if I mention, is that as we seek to amend the Standing Orders for the new parliamentary term, we translate this Committee into a departmental committee for the EAC because of the importance of the EAC within our country. Currently, as it stands, that State Department is covered under Departmental Committee on Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Affairs. One of the things that the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary have mentioned to us is that when they are having budgetary discussions, the Committee will begin with defence and then foreign affairs and then later in the day, is when they address the matters of EAC, which are very important. So, it is very important and I will push to ensure that we have a departmental committee that is dedicated to the EAC. The committee should take centre stage because of the importance of EAC within our country and the EAC.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, with those few remarks, I beg to reply. Thank you.

Thank you, Hon. Irene Mayaka.

Thank you, Members for staying this late. I request that you stay more, in as much as you want to go and watch that match between the DRC and Portugal, to enable me perform some parliamentary rites.

Next Order.

I have the request of the Mover of this

Motion to have it deferred to the future for the House’s consideration.

Again, I have the request of the Chairperson, Committee on Implementation, to have this Motion deferred for parliamentary consideration to the future, which request I have acceded to. Next Order.

The Hon. Leader of the Majority Party, has requested - and I acceded to his request - to have this matter appearing under Order No.21 deferred for consideration by Parliament to a future date. Next Order.

The Chairperson, Public Petitions

I have acceded to. It is so deferred to the future at such time as the House Business Committee will schedule it.

(Motion deferred) Next Order.

Again, I have acceded to the request by the Chairperson, Public Investments Committee on Commercial Affairs and Energy, Hon. Emmanuel Wangwe, who has sat with us throughout this afternoon, to defer this Motion to the future. Next Order.

Committee on Social Services, Administration and Agriculture on its

I have the request of the Chairperson, Public Investments Committee on Social Services Administration and Agriculture that, due to his engagement in other parliamentary business, the consideration of the Motion appearing under Order No. 24 be deferred to the House’s consideration to the future. Order! Hon. Members, please be upstanding. That marks the end of the business of the House today.

Hon. Members, the time being