February, 18, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 1

Wednesday, 18th February, 2026

Serjeant-at-Arms, ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes.

Clerk, if we now have quorum, please, read out the first Order. We are now properly constituted.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, on behalf of the Senate Majority Leader, I beg to lay the following Papers on the Table of the Senate, today, 18th February, 2026-

February, 18, 2026 SENATE DEBATES 2 AUDITOR-GENERAL’S REPORT ON COUNTY GOVERNMENTS, COUNTY ASSEMBLIES (VOLUME 2) FOR FINANCIAL YEAR 2024/2025

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Very well. Next Order.

Chairperson, Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare, you have a Notice of Motion to give.

As you prepare, let Sen. Veronica Maina give Notice of her Motion.

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Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I beg to give Notice of the following Motion-

THAT, the Senate adopts the Report of the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on a petition to the Senate by Ms. Beatrice Likwop concerning people living with invisible disabilities, laid on the Table of the Senate on Tuesday, 2nd December, 2025.

I lay.

The Deputy Speaker (Sen. Kathuri) : Very well, next Order.

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Very well, next Order.

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Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.52 (1) , to make a Statement on a matter of national importance, namely, the urgent need to strengthen the protection of children from violence, neglect, abuse and exploitation, particularly in the light of the disturbing rise in cases of defilement, disappearance and brutal murder of children in Kenya.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, the nation remains deeply shaken by the heinous and inhumane murder of the late Shantel Waruguru, a nine-year-old child from Kianjathi Village, Mathira West Constituency, Nyeri County. This tragic and senseless act compels us, as leaders and policymakers, to urgently interrogate the effectiveness of our child protection systems, community vigilance structure and law enforcement response.

Tragically, Shantel’s case is not an isolated incident. In the recent past, several other children have lost their lives under horrific circumstances, including-

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Very well. Next is Sen. Hezena Lemaletian, MP. Statement pursuant to Standing Order No. 52 (1) .

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Very well. Next is Sen. Hezena Lemaletian, MP. Statement pursuant to Standing Order No. 52 (1) .

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Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on a matter of county-wide concern regarding the schedule of payment of statutory deductions owned by the County Government of Kajiado.

The County Government of Kajiado has allegedly deducted statutory pension’s contributions and other lawful obligations, including remittances of the County Pensions Fund (CPF) , LapTrust, LapFund, cooperative societies and bank loan payment from employees' salaries, without promptly and consistently remitting them to the relevant institutions.

This failure exposes employees to serious financial risks, including loss of pension benefits, loan penalties and interest, strained credit relationship and psychological distress. It also constitutes violations of labour laws, public finance management principles, accountability standards and the constitutional obligations on public entities to ensure prudent use of public resources. In the statement, the committee should address the following-

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Thank you. A

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare on a matter of county-wide concern regarding the schedule of payment of statutory deductions owned by the County Government of Kajiado.

The County Government of Kajiado has allegedly deducted statutory pension’s contributions and other lawful obligations, including remittances of the County Pensions Fund (CPF) , LapTrust, LapFund, cooperative societies and bank loan payment from employees' salaries, without promptly and consistently remitting them to the relevant institutions.

This failure exposes employees to serious financial risks, including loss of pension benefits, loan penalties and interest, strained credit relationship and psychological distress. It also constitutes violations of labour laws, public finance management principles, accountability standards and the constitutional obligations on public entities to ensure prudent use of public resources. In the statement, the committee should address the following-

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Thank you. A

On a point of order, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources on a matter of county-wide concern regarding the intervention measures being undertaken to address the ongoing water crisis in some parts of Tharaka-Nithi County.

Residents in areas covered south by River Ura, Rurikunu and River Thangatha continue to face acute water shortage following the drying up of these rivers. Reports of diversion of remaining water sources to private farms have further exacerbated the crisis, affecting households, schools, health care facilities and livelihoods.

In the statement, the committee should address the following-

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources on a matter of county-wide concern regarding the intervention measures being undertaken to address the ongoing water crisis in some parts of Tharaka-Nithi County.

Residents in areas covered south by River Ura, Rurikunu and River Thangatha continue to face acute water shortage following the drying up of these rivers. Reports of diversion of remaining water sources to private farms have further exacerbated the crisis, affecting households, schools, health care facilities and livelihoods.

In the statement, the committee should address the following-

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on a matter of countrywide concern regarding the ongoing conflict between herders and farmers, which has resulted to livestock deaths at Witu-Nyongoro Ranch in Lamu County.

On Tuesday, 27th January, 2026, at least, 50 cows were reported dead and other 20 collapsed shortly after grazing at the Labatari area near Maleli within the ranch.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence and Foreign Relations on a matter of countrywide concern regarding the ongoing conflict between herders and farmers, which has resulted to livestock deaths at Witu-Nyongoro Ranch in Lamu County.

On Tuesday, 27th January, 2026, at least, 50 cows were reported dead and other 20 collapsed shortly after grazing at the Labatari area near Maleli within the ranch.

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Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 51 (3) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries on a matter of countywide concern regarding mass death of fish, particularly Dunga Beach in Lake Victoria cages, affecting fishermen’s livelihood and the potential threat to food security in the region.

In the statement, the committee should address the following-

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 51 (3) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries on a matter of countywide concern regarding mass death of fish, particularly Dunga Beach in Lake Victoria cages, affecting fishermen’s livelihood and the potential threat to food security in the region.

In the statement, the committee should address the following-

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries on a matter of countrywide concern regarding the allocation and disbursement of the Commodities Fund for the clearance of the coffee cooperative's debts.

Reports indicate that a substantial amount of money from the Commodities Fund has been disbursed to coffee cooperatives in counties such as Embu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Machakos, Bungoma, Kisii, among others, with some cooperatives receiving allocations running into hundreds of millions of shillings. However, Kirinyaga County is one of Kenya's leading coffee producing counties that was excluded from the allocation despite the existence of significant cooperative debts and the centrality of coffee farming to the

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries on a matter of countrywide concern regarding the allocation and disbursement of the Commodities Fund for the clearance of the coffee cooperative's debts.

Reports indicate that a substantial amount of money from the Commodities Fund has been disbursed to coffee cooperatives in counties such as Embu, Murang’a, Nyeri, Machakos, Bungoma, Kisii, among others, with some cooperatives receiving allocations running into hundreds of millions of shillings. However, Kirinyaga County is one of Kenya's leading coffee producing counties that was excluded from the allocation despite the existence of significant cooperative debts and the centrality of coffee farming to the

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Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Standing Committee on Health on a matter of countywide concern regarding the rising maternal deaths in Samburu County.

Alarming rise in the maternal deaths in Samburu County points not to isolated clinical events but to systematic gaps in health services delivery including shortage of skilled personnel, weak emergency response and referral systems, inadequate infrastructure and gaps in policy implementation and supervision.

Given that the residents of the remote and pastoralists areas rely almost entirely on the county health facilities, these incidences raise serious concerns regarding compliance with national maternal care standards and the realisation of the right to the highest attainable standard of health under Article 43 (1((a) of the Constitution of Kenya.

In the statement, the committee should address the following-

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Thank you. Hon. Senators, I will interrupt that Statement session for us to clear with this pending matter.

Sen. Cherarkey, I am aware that you have three Statements to make but before you do that, I would like you to clear this matter before me.

Thank you. Hon. Senators, I will interrupt that Statement session for us to clear with this pending matter.

Sen. Cherarkey, I am aware that you have three Statements to make but before you do that, I would like you to clear this matter before me.

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Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, since I tried reading the Standing Orders and they do not explicitly provide how classified information is handled, that is why I wanted your guidance. However, I have some information here, which I can table. Then, if there are rules and guidance on how classified information should be tabled, then I am well guided by the House.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, since I tried reading the Standing Orders and they do not explicitly provide how classified information is handled, that is why I wanted your guidance. However, I have some information here, which I can table. Then, if there are rules and guidance on how classified information should be tabled, then I am well guided by the House.

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So, what are you tabling?

So, what are you tabling?

Further information, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

What are you substantiating? What are you tabling?

I do not know why Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale is mad.

Sorry?

He is saying I am wasting the time of the House.

Can you read out what you are tabling?

These are dispatches from the NPS, in the official communication, which I can table. However, I thought the procedure is to table, then they verify and then they get back to me. That is the procedure of the House, unless the Standing Orders have changed.

What you need to do is to substantiate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I thought part of---

You are supposed to substantiate. Do you know what your statement was and what you should substantiate? You are not substantiating the police information or whatever they communicated. You are substantiating allegations about a meeting in Kitengela. That is what you should substantiate.

You are supposed to substantiate. Do you know what your statement was and what you should substantiate? You are not substantiating the police information or whatever they communicated. You are substantiating allegations about a meeting in Kitengela. That is what you should substantiate.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is why I am saying that it is classified information.

Sen. Cherarkey, you know, you are a lawyer. Where is the professor? The professor just left. He schooled you very well. You are supposed to substantiate your allegations. We do not need any police statements on this Floor. What the Standing Order requires you to do is to substantiate the allegations that you made.

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Sen. Cherarkey, you know what you are supposed to do; the rules of the House. You know you are supposed to substantiate the allegations that you made yesterday. Could I read to you once again?

Sen. Cherarkey, you know what you are supposed to do; the rules of the House. You know you are supposed to substantiate the allegations that you made yesterday. Could I read to you once again?

No, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I understand, but I needed the indulgence on the classified information part. If you can guide me---

No, you are going the opposite direction. Could you substantiate?

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, that is why I have information here that I wanted to table---

Resume your seat and let me read to you again what you said.

On a point of intervention, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

No, no, just a minute, Sen. Sifuna. Sen. Cherarkey, what you are supposed to substantiate is your statement that I want to read to you and please do not waste any time of this House. This is a serious House. You either substantiate or withdraw. Withdrawing is not a weakness. Apologising is not a weakness. That is a very positive strength but if you want to take us into circles, then you will face the consequences of Standing Order No.121.

This is what you said.

Sen. (Dr.) Lelegwe Ltumbesi, in just a minute. “We are facing issues of extrajudicial killings. There is a young man called Ayomo, who was unfortunately killed in Kitengela over the weekend. I urge our colleagues who organise political rallies, because I can see a number of them in this House, not to sponsor violence in their own meetings. They need to notify the police in good time. They should issue notifications and stop sponsoring violence in their own meetings.”

That is what you are supposed to substantiate, not to deliver police statements in this House. We do not need statements from the police, from the Inspector General (IG) , even from Interpol, we do not need their statements. Just substantiate your allegations. Or if you do not, of course, I read to you know what you should do.

Sen. Cherarkey, you may proceed.

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Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, so that the House can proceed in the comfort, I beg to withdraw and apologise but I know in the fullness of time I will be proven right.

You cannot give any rider when you are apologising. There are no riders, of course.

Now that Sen. Cherarkey has withdrawn and apologised, that means he is on the Floor. So, we do not need to hit him more than that, Sen. Sifuna. When a man apologises, just let us leave it at that point.

Sorry?

Okay, proceed but that matter is already dealt with please, Hon. Members.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, you know that the clarification that---

Please, just one minute, Senator for Kitui County. Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I think we all were elected to this House and we sought to take the proceedings of this House extremely serious. Some of us are considering whether we should sit in a House with somebody who makes a mockery of the rules of the House, gets away with it and we have to sit here and attend to business brought by that same Member because he has chosen a path that ensures he does not face any consequences.

Yesterday, the entire country was in shock that a Speaker of a House, and I am not going to name him because I will be told to bring a substantive Motion, kicked somebody out of Parliament for something they said on television forgetting the precincts of Parliament.

In my understanding, the Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Act exists to---

Sen. Sifuna, you know we cannot discuss the Speaker---

That is the clarification I am coming to.

Even if you do not want to mention his name, we know it is the Speaker of the National Assembly that you are referring to because that ruling is in the public domain.

I want to tie something up with the conduct that we have seen. Just give me---

What clarification do you want?

I am seeking clarification because I will be in Kakamega for a public rally this Saturday. Nobody should die in that rally. It is quite unfortunate because I was in Kitengela when we lost the 28-year old Vincent Ayomo.

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Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise pursuant to Standing Order No.53 (1) to seek a Statement from the Chairperson, Committee on Roads, Transportation and Housing on a matter of countywide concern regarding the recent disputes between matatu and boda boda operators in Nairobi City County which have escalated into violence, confrontations, destruction of property and transport strikes that have paralysed movement across the city.

On 2nd February, 2026, matatu operators staged a protest in Nairobi following violent clashes where matatus were allegedly torched and drivers attacked by boda boda riders. The strike left thousands of commuters stranded along major routes such as Thika Superhighway, Jogoo Road, Outering Road and Tom Mboya Street, while boda riders and rail services hiked fares, worsening the plight of ordinary Kenyans. These disputes have raised serious concerns about lawlessness, lack of regulation and Government’s failure to protect operators, commuters and boda riders.

In the statement, the committee should address the following-

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Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 52 (1) to make a Statement on a matter of international and general topical concern, namely; the Forum of Parliaments of Member States of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, (FP-ICGLR) electoral observation mission in the Republic of Uganda during the 2026 General Election held on the 15th January, 2026.

The electoral observation mission was deployed following an invitation by the Government of the Republic of Uganda, through the Electoral Commission of Uganda, in line with regional, continental and international commitments on democratic governance. The mission comprised parliamentarians and experts drawn from FP-ICGLR member states, including the Republic of Kenya.

The mission's mandate was to observe and assess the electoral process against the provisions of the FP-ICGLR pact on security, stability and development, the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the African Charter on Democracy, elections and governance, Uganda's Constitution, and the country's electoral laws.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, prior to polling day, the mission undertook a pre- election analysis which examined the political, legal and socio-economic context of the elections. Engagements were held with key stakeholders, including the electoral commission,

political parties, civil society organisations (CSO) , faith-based organisations, the media and other international observer missions. These engagements

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 52 (1) to make a Statement on a matter of international and general topical concern, namely; the Forum of Parliaments of Member States of the International Conference of the Great Lakes Region, (FP-ICGLR) electoral observation mission in the Republic of Uganda during the 2026 General Election held on the 15th January, 2026.

The electoral observation mission was deployed following an invitation by the Government of the Republic of Uganda, through the Electoral Commission of Uganda, in line with regional, continental and international commitments on democratic governance. The mission comprised parliamentarians and experts drawn from FP-ICGLR member states, including the Republic of Kenya.

The mission's mandate was to observe and assess the electoral process against the provisions of the FP-ICGLR pact on security, stability and development, the Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance, the African Charter on Democracy, elections and governance, Uganda's Constitution, and the country's electoral laws.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, prior to polling day, the mission undertook a pre- election analysis which examined the political, legal and socio-economic context of the elections. Engagements were held with key stakeholders, including the electoral commission,

political parties, civil society organisations (CSO) , faith-based organisations, the media and other international observer missions. These engagements

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Hon. Senators, for 20 minutes, I will open the Floor for comments on the Statements starting with Sen. Crystal Asige. Give her the microphone.

Thank you, very much, Mr. Deputy Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to just contribute on the Statements that have been sought today.

I will contribute on the first Statement about boda bodas and matatus and the conflict that arose after protests. How I do wish that Sen. Cherarkey would have been as sensible as he was in putting this as a Statement, rather than just an arbitrary comment in yesterday's sitting, like he did for the Kitengela rally.

Sen. Cherarkey, it is much more responsible to do it this way. I hope that you continue to follow the rules of the House instead of casting aspersions on your fellow colleagues.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, however, now that he has brought something in the proper format of a Statement, I would like to support it. There is no reason for any public service vehicles, including matatus or boda bodas to cause any kind of violence. Protests or disagreements in the public domain is something that I believe my committee where I sit, which is the Committee on Roads, Transport and Housing, where the statement has been committed to, will investigate and get to the bottom of. I hope that Sen. Cherarkey will be with us in all of those committee meetings, so that he can hear and engage with the stakeholders that we will call to speak on this matter.

As I close, I just beseech every Senator in this House not to make staggering allegations against one another and instead bring it as a substantive statement or a Motion to this House, so that you are not accused by us or any members of the public as to being biased in any direction.

I thank you.

Hon. Senators, because of the constraint of time, maybe you can take two minutes. I can see that many Senators want to make comments. Sen. Asige, you did so well within two minutes.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I also want to contribute to Hon. Asige’s Statement. The issue of boda and matatus have really become a problem. The boda boda is a very active industry. It contributes to the economy. However, the riders' behaviour has become wanting and intimidates everybody on the road. The way the boda boda riders behave is actually so scaring that most of the drivers, especially in Nairobi, cannot drive comfortably and conveniently. This is because the riders come from every corner on the road and they do not even obey traffic rules. They do not stick to lanes or rules. Once you get involved in an accident with them, then you lose your vehicle. They burn vehicles. That is bad behaviour.

It is high time that the traffic police and the Ministry of Roads and Transport should come with orders and regulations to regulate the boda boda sector. There should be a heavy penalty for the actions of these boda boda riders. Otherwise, as it is, their behaviour is now unbecoming. They are behaving like goons. They come in large numbers, converge in one place, intimidate, harass drivers and even hit vehicles. That kind of behaviour cannot be entertained. Honestly, we need to have some order in this place.

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Proceed, Sen. Oginga Oburu. Did you want to make a comment on the Statement?

If not, then we go to Sen. Ogola.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. It is so symbolic and it is not out of the ordinary that I should speak after you call the name of the party leader. Thank you for the chance.

I would like to support the Statement by the Senator for Samburu on maternal deaths in Samburu County. It is unfortunate that women have to die in this century in the process of giving birth.

The question we ask ourselves is: Why delivery remains a punishment in this country? The Senator spelled out inadequate personnel as a major cause and lack of infrastructure. I support by saying that every woman has a right to access, in a timely manner, maternal services, which must be availed. The services must be of good quality so that the services that mothers get are efficient and effective.

Secondly, I want to support the Statement by Sen. Cherarkey on the issue of international schools in Kenya. As this Committee looks at this Statement, they must go further also to examine the social interactions that are in these schools and the ethical issues that keep on coming vis-a-vis the national values that we have in this Constitution. The curriculum of these schools, although they are international schools, must also be supervised and verified by the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) because the children, pupils, and students that---

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, many years ago, there was a belief that you could not control the matatu industry because they had become so disorderly. In those days, we used to have Kenya Bus Services Limited. The matatus then came and everybody believed there is nothing that could be done, but there came a Minister, the old Mzee called Michuki, and matatus got into order.

This incident of violence that was visited upon the matatus by the boda boda riders shows that there is a culture of bad behaviour amongst the boda boda operators. We need to do something to change that culture. It can be done. We were in Uganda in December and we saw in that place that the boda bodas are much more disciplined than the ones in Kenya. We were in Kigali and they are much more disciplined.

Therefore, in order for this culture of violence against matatus or against other motorists not to take root, I am calling upon the Committee to call the Cabinet Secretary

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Deputy Minority Leader, Sen. Enoch.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to make a comment on the Statement by the Senator for Tharaka-Nithi. I will be very brief. I say, yes, I agree with him that when people along a riverbed are able to utilise the water resource, they should not compromise the ability of other people living downstream to utilise the same resource.

There is need for management of resource in the rivers of our neighbors in Tharaka-Nithi; that is, Rivers Ura and Thangatha.

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would want you to guide me, and do so properly. When the Speaker of a House declares that a Senator is yelling and making noise, and that the Senator should be moved from where they sit to another place, what is that Senator supposed to do? What is the recourse of that Senator?

I did not choose to sit here. Those who chose that I should sit here can make a decision for me to sit outside, if they can do so. Let us not degrade the stature of this House, because that is what we are doing. We are elected leaders to represent our people. We have a right to represent our people by speaking on the Floor of this House.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. I come in peace. I listened to the tone of Sen. Wambua, and I am looking at the faces of Sen. Nyutu. I believe I was the next in terms of the people who were to be given the permission to speak, and so I come in peace.

I wanted to comment on the Statement by Sen. Cherarkey about the international schools operating within the country. I believe prior to any person, whether it is a local or international institution is permitted to operate, there are certain requirements that the law would expect them to have complied with, both in terms of the infrastructure arrangement or even the curriculum that they offer.

To the extent that we have institutions like the ones Sen. Cherarkey has referred to, operating in a private firm without proper licenses, is in itself a failure on the part of the government institutions that are supposed to oversee such licensing and related permits to those institutions.

The question about the admission to students and the teachers employed by that institution, including even the deductions on their salaries which are not remitted, is a conversation we had yesterday and earlier on today in the morning on the issues affecting the petition of former employees whose claim was a subject of a petition before this House.

Sorry, we have only two minutes because we are closing on the Statement’s time.

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Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Let me quickly support the Statement by Sen. Cherarkey on the involvement of police in repossession arising from defaulting debtors and guarantors.

How I wish this Statement could be expanded so that we look at the general involvement of police in illegal operations. The police have been involved in many operations which are not within the law and are largely criminal in nature. If we have a police force that is readily available to be used for dirty operations, then this country will be headed to the dogs.

We know this is what used to happen in Haiti. Haiti is what it is today because the police force was misused to conduct illegal operations. I think as we said that Sen. Cherarkey could not substantiate.

Over the weekend in Kitengela, I witnessed the police force commanding the goons to destroy the Public Address equipment for our team, while the police were watching and did not do anything. The same police went ahead and threw tear gas to a crowd that was largely calm and peaceful. We know they are planning to do the same in Kakamega. We are a people of peace---

Sen. Murango James, please, proceed.

Asante, Mheshimiwa Spika wa Muda. Ningependa kuchangia Kauli ambayo imeletwa na Sen. Gataya. Ni vizuri kujua kwamba tunapopata rasilmali inafaa itumike kwa watu wote ambao wanahusika. Kwa hivyo, ni vizuri wakati tunatumia mito yetu tuhakikishe ya kwamba walio chini wanafaidika pia.

Lakini unapata kuwa taasisi za kiserikali ambazo zinahuskika kuhakikisha kuwa maji yanafika mahali yanafaa, zimelala. Nilishangaa sana juzi kupata kwamba badala ya Taasisi ya Water Resource Management Authority (WARMA) kuhakikisha kuwa watu katika kaskazini mwa nchi wana maji, wanaongeza nyongeza ya malipo ya maji.

Mhe. Naibu Spika, mojawapo ni kwamba, leseni ambayo wananchi walikuwa wanalipia Shilingi 7,500, saa hii ni kati ya Shilingi 180,000 hadi Shilingi 500,000, ambayo wananchi hawawezi kumudu.

Jambo la pili ni kwamba, wanatumia kanuni ambazo zinapitishwa na Bunge visivyo. Kwa mfano, saa hii wanatumia kanuni kuhusu huduma za maji No.54, Kanuni kuhusu uvunaji wa maji nambari 58 na Kanuni kuhusu rasilmali za maji. Wanachukua hizo zote, wanakusanya pamoja, na kuzitumia kuongeza ada ya maji kwa wakulima na watu wengine ambao wanatumia maji.

Wakati huu ambapo wananchi wa kaskazini mwa nchi hawana maji ndio wameleta kuweka malipo hata kupatia ngamia na mbuzi maji, eti, sasa wanafaa wawe wanalipa. Miradi inayofanywa na mashirika ambayo sio ya serikali kuwezesha jamii kusishi na kuweza kuendela mbele kama Financing Locally-Led Climate Change Action (FLLoCA) , bado wanaweka vipimo na mita ili waweze kupimia watu maji.

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Hon. Senators, the time that had been allocated to comments on the Statements by the Speaker was 20 minutes. I have just been notified that we have run out of that time. I will extend the time for another five minutes to allow three Members to comment. So, let us work within the five minutes that I will add for us to conclude.

I have quite a number of Members in my dashboard. Sen. Sifuna, the Floor is yours.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I can see the spirit of Lent and Ramadhan is catching up with you. You are being very nice. I would like to wish all the Muslim brothers and my Catholic brethren a happy Ramadhan and a successful Lent.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would like to comment on the Statement by Sen. Murango, who as everybody knows, is my standing advisor on matters of cash crops in this country. He has presented a Statement here that has quite shocked me about what is happening in this country.

If you go through the data, Kirinyaga County is one of the counties that ranks highest amongst the coffee producers in the country. If you look at the number of corporate societies that are in that county and the debts that they are holding on their books, one would expect that because this Commodities Fund was set up precisely to provide access to cheap credit, then you would expect that Murang’a County would be on that list. How is it possible, Sen. Murango, that when they are disbursing these funds, a county that has those credentials can miss out?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I was going through the data that he shared. A county like Embu, which is not even in the top five, got approximately Kshs171 million in one cooperative and Kshs59 million in another, yet it is not even in the top five. When you compare to a county like Bungoma, they got Kshs6 million in one cooperative, Kshs2 million in another and Kshs1 million in another. We need to be told, the criteria that is used for the distribution of resources. Where is the fairness? Where is the objectivity in the distribution of these resources? This is because, it just does not make any sense. We do not grow any coffee here in Nairobi. So, I want this Committee to provide these answers to me, so that I can understand what is going on in the distribution of resources in this country.

I thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Now that should be the spirit of timekeeping and mindful of your colleagues.

Sen. Veronica Maina, please proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you for the opportunity.

I rise to support the Statement brought to the Floor of this House by Sen. Cherarkey, on the regulation of international schools in Kenya. It is very sad to note that a school of this level and cadre can be operating from a residential area, when we have a

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Sen. Olekina, please proceed.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Quite briefly, let me comment on two Statements. One is on the coffee by the distinguished Sen. Murango. Why was the Commodity Fund established? It was established to provide credit to farmers. I am concerned about this issue of loans. This is about time that we need to teach our farmers. I take a completely unorthodox approach to this matter. Teach our farmers to take insurance policies so that we do not overburden the country.

On the issue of discrimination, that is a matter that I want to request the Senate Standing Committee on Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries to look into those figures provided by our colleague, that other cooperatives have been treated fairly while others have been treated unfairly, so that we can bring a balance.

Secondly, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on the issue of the international school, my view is completely unorthodox. There is no law in the country that designates areas where schools should be established. I have looked at this school. It is an international school. What concerns me are the allegations that teachers who are teaching in that school do not have immigration papers. That is a concern to me. Secondly, the concern to me, which is an allegation up to this level, is that there are statutory deductions that are not being remitted. The only way for us to find the truth is by the Committee on Education investigating those allegations on whether or not the school is legal.

There is also an allegation that has been raised out here by the distinguished Senator, that because of the way the students are being treated, 30 students left the school. Was it by choice or are we just raising Statements that are not factual? So, my concern is whether this is factual or an allegation.

Has anyone gone to court to say that their statutory deductions have been deducted and they have not been remitted? Let us not crucify every international attempt to uplift education in this country. The French School does not subscribe to the Kenyan system of education. You have a choice to take your child to that school, let him or her go through the French School, see whether it is accredited, but let us not crucify everyone. I

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Senior Counsel, Sen. Okong’o

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to comment on the Statement on the dispute between matatus and boda bodas. While on it, I want to caution Sen. Cherarkey, who is a colleague in the profession, that it is never wise to make unsubstantiated claims against your colleagues. Despite any differences that we may have in this House, I can never rise to crack jokes or make uncaring statements when a Kenyan has lost a life.

In the rally that took place over the weekend in Kitengela, Sen. Cherarkey, a mother lost her son because the Kenyan police did not respect human life. When we come to this House, we should hear Sen. Cherarkey empathising with that family. You cannot come here belittling Kenyans who were enjoying their rights and you are a lawyer.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we fought very hard as a country and I am happy that this afternoon we have the son of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga in this House behind me, who fought very hard for us to have a free country. He fought for us to have a country where human rights are respected. Even if you are doing a rally in Kapsabet, I do not want to see the police disrupting or tear-gassing innocent citizens who have gathered to enjoy their rights. We are in a democratic country. People shed blood for us to get this new Constitution. As leaders, we must be here---

Sen. Cherarkey, I will give you the microphone to comment, but whenever the Speaker has not given you the attention, he is listening and can see. If he has not caught your eye, he did not get your eye. You can now speak to the Statements. I want you to confine yourself under the rule of relevance. Thank you very much.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, under Standing Order No.1, you should also exercise your discretion by protecting Members. When a matter has been ruled on, it is a res judicata matter. It should be stopped from discussion. I thought the Senior Counsel would be better placed to know when a matter is rested. Let me comment from a point of relevance since I am wiser than him.

Water crisis is a big problem in this country. One of the agenda of President William Ruto is to ensure accessibility of water. We have the Bosto Dam and Itare Water Project in Bomet County. The water crisis in this city is very unfortunate. Quality and safe water should be accessible to every Kenyan. Nairobi has rationing of water. Water should be free. Water should be affordable to each and every Kenyan.

Yesterday, I saw Uasin Gishu County Government issue diarrhea alert in Eldoret City. Eldoret Water and Sewerage Company (ELDOWAS) serves Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi and Uasin Gishu counties. When the County Government of Uasin Gishu, through the Governor, decided to hike the water prices, the people of Uasin Gishu decided to purchase water from vendors. That water is not safe and that is why cases of diarrhea are increasing in Eldoret. The Governor of Uasin Gishu County and its county government

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Thank you. I wish the kind of discipline we have experienced in the last 10 minutes in the House will continue. We will transact a lot of serious business. Sen. Madzayo, the Floor is yours. I will similarly guide on content of your contribution before you speak. The Senate Minority Leader (

Thank you, Sen. (Dr.) Oburu. Finally, Sen. Miraj.

Asante, Bw. Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii ili nichangie Kauli iliyoletwa na Sen. Lelegwe kutoka Samburu kuhusu vifo vya mapema kwa watoto, yaani maternal health. Kwa hakika, tatizo hili limekuwa donda sugu katika taifa letu na pia mataifa mengine. Takwimu za Umoja wa Mataifa zinaonyesha kwamba vifo vya watoto wanaozaliwa wakiwa marehemu vimeongezeka kwa asilimia mia tatu ulimwenguni. Sababu zilizopeanwa na Seneta wa Kaunti ya Samburu ni utepetevu wa afya ya mama mja mzito, haswa ya kisaikolojia.

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Sen. Miraj, your time is up. Hon. Senators, the time which we have graciously extended for purposes of comments on statements has now ended, and we will progress from the Order Paper.

Clerk, you may now call the next Order.

Asante, Bw. Spika wa Muda, kwa kunipa fursa hii ili nichangie Kauli iliyoletwa na Sen. Lelegwe kutoka Samburu kuhusu vifo vya mapema kwa watoto, yaani maternal health. Kwa hakika, tatizo hili limekuwa donda sugu katika taifa letu na pia mataifa mengine. Takwimu za Umoja wa Mataifa zinaonyesha kwamba vifo vya watoto wanaozaliwa wakiwa marehemu vimeongezeka kwa asilimia mia tatu ulimwenguni. Sababu zilizopeanwa na Seneta wa Kaunti ya Samburu ni utepetevu wa afya ya mama mja mzito, haswa ya kisaikolojia.

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Sen. Miraj, your time is up. Hon. Senators, the time which we have graciously extended for purposes of comments on statements has now ended, and we will progress from the Order Paper.

Clerk, you may now call the next Order.

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We will also defer Order No.10 in the Order Paper for today.

For purposes of progressing with the business of the House, I will rearrange the Order Paper and I direct that Order No.20 be called out.

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Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that The Electronic Equipment Disposal Recycling and Reuse Bill, 2025 be now read a Second Time.

I take this opportunity to speak about the Electronic Management Bill. Kenya generates an average of 3,000 tonnes of e-waste annually mixed with ordinary waste. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , e-waste is considered hazardous, threat to the environment and to human health, if not treated, disposed and recycled appropriately. The release of thousands of chemicals which are harmful neuro-toxicants,

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Give Sen. Tobiko the microphone. You are on. You may now proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to move that The Electronic Equipment Disposal Recycling and Reuse Bill, 2025 be now read a Second Time.

I take this opportunity to speak about the Electronic Management Bill. Kenya generates an average of 3,000 tonnes of e-waste annually mixed with ordinary waste. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) , e-waste is considered hazardous, threat to the environment and to human health, if not treated, disposed and recycled appropriately. The release of thousands of chemicals which are harmful neuro-toxicants,

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I now call upon Senators who would like to contribute to this Bill. Sen. Maanzo, you are on top of the list from my dashboard; you may have the Floor.

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Mr. Temporary Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to support the Bill as proposed by the distinguished nominated Senator, Sen. Peris Tobiko. I do not want to underscore what has been said about Sen. Tobiko. The distinguished Senator for Makueni has agreed that Sen. Tobiko has served as a legislator for some time, and therefore, this comes with experience.

The Electronic Equipment Disposal Recycling and Reuse Bill is long overdue. We should have legislated this Bill in 2012 because with the advent of the computer, many others are being brought here and there are very critical. I congratulate her for this

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Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker. Kindness is my second name, so I will be kind to everyone, including the Senator, Queen of the North.

Madam Temporary Speaker, allow me to begin by congratulating our colleague, Sen. Peris Tobiko. There is one thing that happens, and people do not talk about it a lot, but today, because you have asked me to be nice and kind, let me be nice and kind to Sen. Tobiko, because she deserves it. She was introduced to politics by none other than His Excellency Dr. Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka, when together they formed the then Wiper Party. She has been very consistent on the values that we espouse as a party, being a true social democrat.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I would say that this Bill that Sen. Tobiko is proposing has come at the right time. Yesterday, we got the full script of the deal between the national Government and the Nairobi City County, where one of the areas of cooperation is on solid waste management. A whooping Kshs4 billion has been assigned by the national Government to assist in the management of solid waste in the City of Nairobi. The only thing that I will add to that is that, I hope, being a true believer in the success of devolution, perhaps the same support could be extended to other counties that are also really struggling, especially with this matter and question of solid waste management.

Madam Temporary Speaker, what I like about this Bill is that it sets a framework for the regulation of both the collection and recycling of electronic waste. One of the biggest challenges that we have been facing as a country is that there has been no distinction between the disposal and management of waste from our living rooms, offices, even from our kitchens-including ugali and githeri, and the management of electronic equipment that has become obsolete and needs to be disposed. So, the thinking behind this Bill is noble. I therefore would like to ask and encourage my colleagues to support this Bill and hope that once we pass it, Members of the Lower House will have the presence of mind and consider this it, so that it is assented into law by the President.

There are a few things, however, that I would want to suggest to Sen. Tobiko about this Bill. I wish I could get the attention of the Mover of the Bill. She is being distracted by the Senator of Bomet County, who a few minutes ago was seated where you are seated. I would like Sen. Tobiko to hear this. Sen. Wakili Sigei you can pick up with her after I am done with her about a few issues regarding the Bill.

First, my reading of this Bill creates the impression that recycling of e-waste should be licensed by the Cabinet Secretary. The people who wish to carry out that

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Thank you, Sen. Wambua. Proceed, Sen. Thang’wa Paul Karungo.

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Thank you, Sen. Thangwa’. Sen. Olekina Oledama, proceed.

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Madam Temporary Speaker, that is my full name, and I appreciate the fact that you have called out all the names, including the very critical place I represent, the County of Bomet.

Madam Temporary Speaker, when we closed in the Fourth Session last December, this House and our respective desks had different gadgets. We had tablets which were different from the ones which we are currently using. I dare ask the question, where are they? How are they disposed of, and whether they are still a subject of utilisation elsewhere? That is part of the question the Bill that has been sponsored by Sen. Tobiko is seeking to answer. How do we dispose of our electronic waste (e-waste) and electronic equipment in terms of reuse or recycle? Therefore, Sen. Tobiko, this is a timely Bill, and I want to appreciate the effort that you have put into making sure that this Bill gets to the floor of the House.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I am a proud Member of this House because earlier on, Sen. Cherarkey indicated that he was unable to access the documentation that we are utilising in the House to transact the business of the House in the equipment that we have. I would like to confirm that the reports that we are debating and the Bills that we are dealing with, including the Bill that I am speaking to right now, the Order Paper, and every other document that we are using to transact the business of the House is on this gadget. The question then would be, by introducing this new gadget, we have minimised and reduced the use of and cost of papers. By extension, the waste that comes along with it has been minimized. Therefore, the Bill that Sen. Tobiko has brought before this House is a timely one. It seeks to answer so many questions.

Madam Temporary Speaker, I have gone through a bit of the record, and I have some quite glaring statistics on the e-waste currently in Kenya. Record has it that in 2025, we had 53,559 metric tons of e-waste. These 53,000 metric tons of e-waste is largely contributed by, among others, small household items like fridges, toasters, which give us 19,000 metric tons. Laptops, tablets, phones, among other such gadgets contribute around 527,000 metric tons of e-waste. Besides those specifics which we have mentioned, the conversation around disposal of e-electronic equipment is something that is global for now.

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Hon. Senators, it is now 6.30