Wednesday, 22nd April 2026

Sergeant-At-Arms, ring the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes.

Hon. Members, we may now proceed.

The Leader of the Majority Party.

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

Leader of delegation, Hon. Dorice Donya.

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

Hon. Members, allow me to reorder the Order Paper. We shall now move from Order No. 5 to Orders No. 8, 9 and 10, so that we can put the Question, then we shall go back to Orders No. 6 and 7.

Next Order.

financial statements of the following State corporations for the Financial Years 2018/2019, 2019/2020 and 2020/2021, laid on the Table of the House on Thursday, 26th February 2026:

We revert to Order No. 6.

Hon. Deputy Speaker, my name is Wanami Wamboka. Hon. Omboko is my senior, a history teacher and the national Chairman of the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) . On that note, congratulations, my brother, for winning again.

Okay, I will repeat that. Hon. Wanami Wamboka.

Hon. Deputy 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 insecurity in Kabula Ward, Bumula Constituency.

Over the recent past, areas within Bumula Constituency, including Kabula Ward, Mateka, Kimwanga, Nasyanda and Mayanja centres, have witnessed a surge in criminal activities, which have resulted in loss of lives, fear and anxiety among residents. These incidents have adversely affected economic activities in the area, placing the safety of residents and the business community at risk.

Despite ongoing security interventions, including engagement with the National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) , Nyumba Kumi initiatives and public barazas, aimed at strengthening security and enhancing security patrols, these incidents continue unabated. For instance, on 13th April 2026, Mr Isaac Wanjala Wabwile, a night guard in Kabula Ward, was brutally murdered during an attack at a local business building. This raises concerns regarding the adequacy of policing, intelligence gathering, and response mechanisms. There have been reports of delayed responses and insufficient security patrols, particularly during the night, which has in turn emboldened criminal elements.

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:

That Request for Statement is referred to the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security. Hon. Tongoyo, how long will it take you to bring a response? Sorry, Hon. Raso.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. The Chairman of the Committee just walked in. We will respond immediately after recess.

Thank you. Next is a Request for Statement by Hon. Julius Taitumu, Member for Igembe North.

We will proceed to the responses to Requests for Statements. I am informed that they have already been addressed, but the Vice-Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, Hon. Raso, will give a report. He will respond to nine Requests for Statements.

Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker. As indicated, the Cabinet Secretary for Interior and National Administration responded to all these Requests for Statements yesterday before the Committee. Colleagues canvassed appropriately on areas that had gaps. The Cabinet Secretary confirmed that he would write back on those areas. The following Requests for Statements were responded to:

Thank you, Members. I think we are now done with the Statements. Allow me to make a communication…

Hon. Tongoyo, do you have something to say about the statements?

Thank you. I just want to give a little bit of follow-up on what the Vice-Chairman, Hon. Raso has handled. Yesterday, the Speaker directed that despite the tabling of the twelve other Statements, we give a brief to the House with regards to the mass grave in Kericho. I need your guidance on whether I may proceed.

You may proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. The Member of Parliament for Kericho County, Hon. Beatrice Kemei, had requested the Statement. In particular, she wanted a report on:

Hon. Tongoyo, you can just summarise. I just exercised my discretion to allow you to go through it. The Member who you are responding to is not present. We would actually have forfeited it. Just summarise.

I am doing so because of the public interest.

Yes, but summarise.

I am doing so, and I am well guided. Sorry, I need to retrack. On 22nd March, a team led by the DCI Homicide Directorate visited the scene, The preliminary investigations established that Makaburini Cemetery in Kericho is owned by the National Council of Churches of Kenya (NCCK) . The cemetery caretaker, Richard Towett, stated that he had received a court order from David Araka, a Public Health Officer from Nyamira County, authorising the internment of the unclaimed bodies. He presented various correspondence relating to the internment in support of the claim. On the same date, the police arrested David Araka, the Public Health Officer at Nyamira District Hospital, and Mr Jackson Machori Nyarabi, the Chief Mortician at the said hospital. They were booked at the Kericho Police Station. A court order presented by the suspect revealed a discrepancy in the number of bodies authorised for burial.

Consequently, the documents were subjected to verification with the issuing authority and a response is awaited. The three suspects; Richard, David and Jackson; were arraigned before the court. The police filed a miscellaneous application, number E129, E130 and E140, seeking exhumation orders for the interred bodies and custodial orders of the suspect. An exhumation exercise was conducted on 24th March by the DCI Homicide Department, witnessed by Government Pathologists Dr Richard Njoroge and Jonah Nyamunga, representatives from Kericho County Government, representatives from NCCK, human rights actors, and Kericho Public Health Officers. The exercise resulted in the exhumation of 33 bodies. There is a summary of the 33 as indicated here. There were eight males; the causes of death for two of them were uncertain due to decomposition. One was due to a head injury from blunt force trauma. Another one was due to pulmonary thromboembolism. The other one's case was septicaemia. One case was choking. The other one was hypertensive heart disease. There was one case of pneumonia. There were also about 25 foetuses whose causes of death were prematurity, birth asphyxia, and amputation of specimen, leading to a total of 39 bodies.

I am trying to summarise as you directed. The investigation established that two court orders are in circulation. One authorising the burial of seven bodies, and another authorising the burial of the 13 unclaimed bodies from Nyamira. These court orders are currently under verification with the issued court, to ascertain their authenticity. Additionally, several documents obtained from the suspect and the mortuary are undergoing forensic examination to determine whether the requisite approvals and permits from inter-authorities were duly obtained in compliance with the law.

I think that is the most important part. Because you have instructed for a summarised version, that is what I can state. I submit.

Thank you very much. Yes, Hon. Member for Kitutu Masaba.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to raise two issues. One is a brief one which we would request that the Leader of the Majority Party assists us. As much as we thank the National Treasury for keeping in schedule with the NG-CDF disbursement to the Board, we are running out of time in this month’s disbursement. As we head towards the end of the financial year, could they fast track it?

Secondly, it is now almost two months, and the Leader of the Majority Party is very much aware of this. We have been requesting for a statement on the deduction of the Ksh13 million per constituency under KeRRA, the 22 per cent and 10 per cent RMLFs. Every two weeks, we have been informed by the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Roads that he will respond. The most recent was last week, when he was asked by the Speaker and the Leader of the Majority Party to give us a response on Tuesday this week. He actually said he did not have a response, but promised that he would give a response this afternoon.

We are talking about KSh3.77 billion in total, deducted from all constituencies, and no one wants to explain; Ksh13 million on average in most constituencies on routine maintenance. Those are three roads that are now possible, and yet no explanation is coming to this House. Sadly, 98 per cent of our Members of this House come from rural constituencies, and they really rely on this. I am usually very proud when I look at the Facebook page of the Leader of the Majority Party when I compare with the one for Hon. Cherorot and Hon. Wamboka here, where they post murram roads and say routine maintenance is ongoing. We all would like to be like the Leader of the Majority Party, who only posts tarmac roads.

But before we reach there, can we get an answer on why this money has been deducted since the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Roads, who also seems to be well off in his constituency and maintaining his road... We have seen even billboards in Nakuru talking about his good working roads in his constituency and Naivasha, but some of us do not have that luxury. We need the roads to be maintained, and we need to know why the money is late. Since the Chairperson is not able to do it, is it possible that the Clerk write to the KeRRA Director-General, and once he has the response, I can have that response to read to the rest of my colleagues, my fellow sufferers.

That almost was a fully-fledged statement, but Leader of the Majority Party, do you want to respond?

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. On the first one, on NG-CDF, as Hon. Clive says, we are on course, and the assurance from the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary, the National Treasury, is that we shall not cross over the financial year with any money owed to NG-CDF. They will ensure that they have disbursed everything before the end of the year.

On RMLF, the Chairperson last week indicated that he would give a statement this week. I was just trying to recall, as Hon. Clive was speaking, which particular day he had indicated, and I cannot reach him today on the phone.

It was today.

His phone has been off since 11.00 a.m., so I am not able to reach him. I will endeavour to look for him and see if he can answer that either tomorrow or, at the latest, Tuesday, if he will not be around tomorrow. More importantly, Hon. Clive has said something that he is alluding to, that he looks at my Facebook page, and he knows I have very efficient staff in my office who post what happens in my space. But also, to advise Hon. Clive, because he is a first-time Member just like Hon. Cherorot, whose example he has given, that it is possible with the RMLF money that you get in your constituency, 22 per cent and 10 per cent, to do tarmac roads.

I made that deliberate decision way back in 2019 that I shall never in my life as Member of Parliament for Kikuyu Constituency use public funds to grade a road, lay murram, that will be washed away in the next season. I would rather, with the Ksh60 million I have, tarmac one kilometre of road and it is something you could borrow from. I will invite you to Kiambaa Constituency because the Member for Kiambaa borrowed the same from me and can tarmac half a kilometre, a kilometre, but that is not to say that what Hon. Clive is saying is also not true, because it is true. You cannot compare my constituency to Hon. Cherorot’s constituency because it is more expansive. My constituency is densely populated, but has shorter roads, and therefore, that is why I say you cannot compare yourself to me or compare GK’s constituency, which is smaller than Kikuyu in terms of geographical size, to your constituency.

Therefore, you could borrow the short span roads and never tarmac. But that is not to say that the Chairperson should not answer that question and he will, I will push that he answers that question this week, latest next week before we break for the recess, because Hon. Clive Gisairo has been on that matter now for almost three months. In December, the last week before we broke for the recess, is when he asked that particular issue.

Thank you, Hon. Members. Allow me to move back to Order No. 2 as I have a Communication to make, and then we can go to Questions to the Cabinet Secretary.

I will sit so that the Members who are on their feet can sit down. Hon. Jalang’o, I am on my feet. Be seated so that I can proceed.

Hon. Members, you will recall that during the morning sitting of today, 22nd April 2026, I did convey to the House a matter of privilege arising from a complaint from the National Cohesion and Integration Commission, as revived by a letter received from the Member for Homa Bay Town Constituency, Hon. Peter Kaluma. At the time, while noting that a question of privilege takes precedence and must be dispensed to as a matter of priority, I allowed interventions and comments from the House on the matter.

Arising from the invitation, several Members of the Committee commented and called into question the origin, the timing and the intentions of the allegations, while highlighting the need to conduct a fair hearing and to safeguard the dignity of the House and its Members. The Members who spoke included the Deputy Minority Whip, Hon. Mark Mwenje CBS, Hon. Duncan Mathenge, Hon. Daniel Karitho, Hon. Ambassador Francis Sigei, Hon. Shadrack Mwiti, and Hon. Rebecca Tonkei.

In addition, several other Members lend their voice to the discussion, including the Majority Whip, Hon. Sylvain Osoro CBS, Hon. Majimbo Kalasinga, Hon. Jared Okello, Hon. Clive Gisairo, Hon. (Dr) Robert Pukose CBS, Hon. (Prof.) Phyllis Bartoo and Hon. Dido Raso. The Members noted the grave nature of the allegations and the possibility of their use to tarnish the name of the Chairperson and Members generally without proof. Notably, Hon. Clive Gisairo questioned the delay between the lodging of the complaint and its apparent revival by Hon. Kaluma.

At the tail end of the interventions, I allowed Hon. Jack Wamboka to comment on the allegations. Hon. Wamboka noted that the allegations were unfounded and possibly related to the robust examination of reports and accounts of the NCIC by the Committee. Notably, he alleged irregular recruitment by the Commission, allegedly at the behest of the outgoing commissioners, misappropriation of funds by the commissioners, and the persistent failure by the Commission to honour invitations to appear before the Committee as the reasons behind the complaint.

Hon. Wamboka further queried the motive behind Hon. Kaluma's letter and was of the view that the delay in the conveyance of the complaint indicated a determination by the Speaker that it was devoid of merit. Ultimately, he maintained the complaint ought not to have been brought to the attention of the House and urged the House to reject it summarily.

As I proceed to guide on this matter, permit me to address several critical issues relating to the complaint and the ensuing interventions. Firstly, it is incumbent upon the House to treat any question affecting its privilege with utmost urgency, regardless of origin or its perceived motive. Any Member of this House is at liberty to raise any issue that is, in their view, a threat to the privilege of the House. Casting aspersions on the intention of Hon. Kaluma without fully

and transparently addressing the complaint does not advance the interest of the House. It also logically follows that a complaint of this nature, once raised, cannot be dismissed summarily. It has to be considered in accordance with the Standing Orders of the House and its established practices, precedents, and traditions.

Secondly, it was urged that the complaint conveyed did not merit being brought to the attention of the House. This view does not accord with the dictates of the Constitution on national values, principles of governance, and principles of leadership and integrity. I am left to wonder where the proper place of directing the complaint received would be.

Is it the view of the House that the complaint relating to the Chairperson of the Committee should be rerouted to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Director of Criminal Investigations (DCI), or the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions (ODPP)? Alternatively, would it have been in order for the Speaker to feign ignorance and take no action on the matter? I hardly think so. I remain of the considered view that the Constitution, the Conflict of Interest Act, 2025, relevant statutes, and our Standing Orders obligate the Speaker to jealously safeguard the dignity and privilege of the House in the manner adopted this morning.

Thirdly, as the Chairperson of the Liaison Committee, I am aware of instances where a Committee encroaches on the mandate of another while seeking juicer business outside their ordinary mandate. Our Standing Orders clearly demarcate the mandate of the Public Investments Committee on Governance and Education. While reviewing the comments of Hon. Wamboka on this matter, I was hard-pressed to locate some of the matters alluded to as giving rise to the complaint within the mandate of his Committee. Summoning persons or entities to address matters falling outside the Committee's mandate may unnecessarily antagonise the said persons or entities against both the Committee and the House.

Fourth is what the Deputy Whip of the Minority Party and several other Members noted. That, pursuant to Article 49—I think it is meant to be Article 47—of the Constitution, the Member who is the subject of the allegations enjoys an inviolable right to a fair hearing. Any conclusion made based on the allegations alone would be premature and effectively condemn Hon. Wamboka unheard. Permit me to remind us of the express dictates of the Constitution on responsibilities of leadership. Article 73(1) of the Constitution provides that:

Authority assigned to a State officer—

As I, indeed, mentioned this morning, the current case gives us a novel situation in which the grave allegations have been made against only one Member of the Committee who also happens to be the Chairperson. The questions that immediately come to mind are whether allegations relating to the discharge of the functions of the Committee may be directed to a single Member or whether other Members present in the proceedings either actively encouraged or condoned the conduct complained of.

I note that the Members of the Committee who spoke this morning distanced themselves from the allegations. They called for submission and testing of any evidence of impropriety. However, it has since been brought to my attention that there are other complaints relating to the leadership of the Committee in discharge of its mandate. As such, the various questions surrounding the complaints can only be interrogated and addressed through a hearing. During the review of the Standing Orders by the 12th Parliament, the Public Investments

Committee on Governance and Education was hived off from the previous singular Public

Committee on Governance and Education is referred to the Committee on

Committee on Governance and Education in the discharge of its mandate. The

Committee on Powers and Privileges for the purposes of inquiry: Hon. Samuel

Hon. Deputy Speaker, I know there is no comment to your Communication, but I just wanted to commend you for that very Solomonic decision and Communication. As you recall, since you were in the 11th Parliament, there were similar allegations against the Public Accounts Committee, then led by Hon. Ababu Namwamba, which led to a sort of condemnation of the entire Committee and to a large extent, the House. I say your decision is Solomonic because I captured two pertinent issues that you have spoken to. You asked whether it would have been more prudent to send that allegation to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) or other investigative agencies. I think your decision to take it to our Powers and Privileges Committee is the best decision so that we deal with our own matters internally.

Secondly, we give the Chairperson, Hon. Wamboka, a fair opportunity to be heard so that there is fair administrative justice being exercised first, within the House, even as you say without precluding other investigative agencies, from conducting any investigation that they may want to. However, it is paramount that we protect the dignity of the House and its committees by first acting within the House.

I say that because I know there has been a back and forth between Senators and governors. That decision that you have made this afternoon is not only Solomonic, but it will go down the annals of history as one of the right decisions to protect the dignity of the House and of individual Members, so that we do not condemn all the Members of that Committee because the allegations are not against the entire Committee or any other Member of the Committee other than the Chairperson. Therefore, it is only fair that the Chairperson gets an opportunity to be heard. Those who allege would get an opportunity to prosecute their case, and hopefully, under the chairmanship of Hon. Chepkonga, who is a seasoned lawyer and a ranking Member serving his third term, thereafter, we should be able to know the way forward within those 45 days.

Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

Thank you. The Next Order is Questions. Hon. Members, we have with us the Cabinet Secretary for Education.

On a point of order, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Junet?

Hon. Deputy Speaker, thank you very much. In line with your ruling, which I was listening to as I was coming to the House in my car, I think it is okay that the Committee on Powers and Privileges is there to handle certain issues pertaining to any complaint or allegations. I hope Hon. Wamboka, a Member of my Minority side, will get a fair treatment and a fair hearing through the Committee, and will not be mistreated. I think in the end, he will be vindicated God-willing. The people who should have been taken to those committees are the ones now shouting in the House, but their days are coming ahead of ours. I know Hon. Wamboka is a law-abiding Member of Parliament. He is a man who has chaired a committee for some time as a first term Member of Parliament. We wish him well. I hope and feel that in the end, he will be vindicated, God-willing. Thank you.

Thank you, Hon. Members.

In accordance with your Ruling, by tomorrow noon we will nominate, from our side, a Member to hold the Committee chairmanship.

Thank you. I appreciate that. We will now take the first Question under Standing Order 42A (6B) that is directed to the Cabinet Secretary for Education who is now with us in the Chamber. Thank you.

Hon. Omboko, you can proceed.

Thank you very much, Hon. Deputy Speaker.

The Question had already been undertaken and discussed in this House. It thereafter, ensued over the matter related to payment by the Kenya National Examinations Council

(KNEC)

of invigilators, supervisors, examiners and other personnel who rendered their services during the administration and marking of the 2025 Kenya Primary School Education Assessments

(KPSEA)

, Kenya Junior School Education Assessments

(KJSEA)

and the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education

(KCSE)

, including payments to examination centres and attendant expenditures.

Therefore, this Question is already with the Cabinet Secretary. I do not need to ask it any further. That is the status. Outside there, every teacher is waiting to receive their money having participated in supervision, invigilation or marking of the examinations. Let us remember that the examinations were done last year in September, October and November. It is now about seven months since the exercise was undertaken, but KNEC has not paid the individuals concerned. This is now threatening the education sector because, from what I hear, teachers are saying they may not open schools unless they are paid.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Omboko, you know that that is quite unprocedural. You will have to come back. Our procedures require that when Cabinet Secretaries come, they first answer Questions that had been asked, then we proceed with supplementary questions. So, you will indulge us to deal with your matter last.

At this point in time, I ask the Cabinet Secretary to give us a report, which is long overdue, on school uniforms. I will guide you on how to deal with your question as we proceed. Cabinet Secretary, I am sure you are prepared on the issue of uniforms and the status of KNEC payments.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education (Mr Julius Ogamba): Thank you, Hon. Speaker and Hon. Members, for giving me this opportunity to respond to matters concerning education. We have a report on the policy of school uniforms which I wish to present. I start by stating that the Ministry of Education has a policy framework in place to ensure that school uniforms are not prohibitively expensive. By a Circular dated 30th May 2023, Regional and County Directors of Education were directed to:

Hon. Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Speaker, I have been very keen on this particular matter of the policy on school uniforms because I am passionate about access to education for millions of our children. What the Cabinet Secretary is telling us is what we have heard before. I would like to let the Cabinet Secretary know that we have heard of this story over and over again. We are simply tired of hearing the same thing. He has informed of a Circular dated 30th May 2023 addressing things that are happening today.

I know the Cabinet Secretary has a retinue of education sector amendments they have been working on, and I wish the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education was here to tell us where they have reached on that. I expected the Cabinet Secretary to tell us why teachers and managers of schools do not adhere to the Ministry’s circulars. The circulars have become pieces of paper sent to schools that nobody cares or bothers to implement. As the Ministry’s circulars are ignored, parents are punished and children suffer at home because they cannot access school because they do not have uniforms. It even took His Excellency, the President, in January this year, to issue a directive that was not followed by the Cabinet Secretary’s officials in the Ministry. You have issued circulars and guidelines. The Teachers Service Commission (TSC) is an independent constitutional Commission, but you oversee it. What action are you taking against teachers who do not adhere to your guidelines and regulations on school uniforms? Cabinet Secretary, as we speak, if you visit your village or schools in your constituency, you will discover the following things:

I may be agitated because this issue is very personal not only to me, but also to many Members. It is not about me, but the children of Kenya. As we wear ties and suits in town, there are children who cannot go to school today. They have been chased away. They will open school next week. I am certain if you and your principal secretaries took time to visit schools, you would discover that there were children who were chased away for lack of uniforms or failure to pay for lunch. Children do not go to school to eat. They have to eat, but nobody should send them away because they have not paid for a lunch programme. There are circulars on lunch programmes, but who follows them? These Members see this in all their constituencies. I am not talking about Kikuyu Constituency. If I get a case, I go to the school. However, how many of us can afford to do that? I have that rare privilege because my constituency is 10 minutes away from this House. Hon. Gisairo cannot go to Nyamira County any other time he is called and gets texts from parents who tell him that their children have been sent home because they have not paid for a lunch programme. The best he can do is to send money via M-Pesa to the parents. However, these Members cannot afford to pay lunch for every student.

We have a school feeding programme which has become the headquarters of corruption in the Ministry of Education. I say that without blinking an eyelid.

Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I will get to it. There were people in that office before who stole relief food in their earlier lives.

You are doing so well.

It is not on that one.

Order.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I said this issue is personal. I wish the Cabinet Secretary would tell this House, without being casual about this matter, what we would do to address this problem. It is a life problem.

In the United Kingdom (UK) and other countries, when children move from primary school to JSS, all you need is a badge on the coat lapel or school sweater, or a change of tie. If you have a plain tie, you get a striped one when you join JSS to distinguish you from those in primary school. When I read this Statement from the Cabinet Secretary, I do not see an allusion to that. The people who have prepared it for you are doing a great disservice.

Thank you.

Very great disservice because you have not addressed the issues that we want you to.

Cabinet Secretary, in summary, the Leader of the Majority Party is asking whether the Ministry has lost control of school heads and principals. Can you do anything about it? Write them down. Other questions will be asked on school uniforms. Members, please, the Cabinet Secretary has several questions to answer. So, the next interventions will be purely on school uniforms.

Hon. Martin Peters Owino.

Hon. Wamuchomba just walked in. Members were already queuing. You have to wait for your turn.

I am consulting the Leader of the Majority Party.

That is okay. Proceed, Hon. Martin.

Thank you. Cabinet Secretary, this matter is as passionate to all of us, as it is to the Leader of the Majority Party. In fact, the enforcement of uniform in our schools, is more traumatising to our children than it does good. We want the Ministry to think outside the box. You can benchmark in other countries. We went to Angola last time and the only thing they have for students to identify themselves is a simple overcoat. There are no uniforms in Denmark, France, USA and Canada. Why should we subject our children to that trauma and intimidation? Directives are given and circulars are written, but there is nobody to implement them.

Thank you.

There is no penalty for not complying with them. This report does not help us.

Hon. Mathenge.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The Cabinet Secretary gave a directive that children who had finished Grade 9 report to the schools where they were admitted or the nearest ones, with the uniforms they were using in Grade 9. Two weeks later, the headteachers sent them away. We do not want the Cabinet Secretary to only come and read statements to us. These Members of Parliament have the figures and facts. We can name each school on condition that the Cabinet Secretary commits, on the Floor of this House, that the responsible principals stand suspended. We cannot continue having programmes where we get answers in the House, but mambo kwa ground ni tofauti. Hao ndio wanafanya tuambiwe tusikize ground.

Order.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there are schools that have been charging fees for uniforms. I want the Cabinet Secretary to tell us when the Ministry auditors audited the money collected for school uniforms and the school feeding programmes. Not one school in Nyeri Central Sub-County has been audited for the money they collect for school uniforms nor the school feeding programme. What are the auditors, who are being paid by taxpayers, for?

Thank you, Hon. Mathenge. Member for Samburu, Hon. Pauline Lenguris, please, make it short so that we can have as many Members as we can.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The issue of school uniform in our schools is a very big problem. Parents and students are experiencing many challenges because the prices given in schools are exaggerated. They cannot afford and many students have missed learning because of this. Besides school uniform, in Samburu, they are also asking parents of children joining junior schools, to buy lockers and desks. A parent is required to buy uniform, a desk and a locker. This is terrible; parents cannot afford it. It is a big problem. Parents are running up and down, especially at the beginning of the year, because of this challenge. We need regulation on this. The Ministry should not just write policies. These policies must be implemented, and that can only happen if there is someone on the ground to follow up. These things are happening in the eyes of county directors sitting in the counties. What are they doing to follow up the policies given?

Hon. Member for Magarini.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

The issue of uniforms is, indeed, terrible. I have several students who were sent away because of their uniforms, despite the directive by the President. Even now, as I speak, several students have not joined school. Is there anything the Ministry is doing to curb this?

Hon. Wamuchomba.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I thank you. In 2023, I had the privilege of bringing a Motion to this House regarding school uniforms. We debated it and the House gave a directive to the Ministry of Education. I come from Githunguri and I can confirm that a circular was issued, but none has been implemented. Even after we debated and the President gave another directive, it was not taken seriously. So why are we here? Why is the Cabinet Secretary here? For how long will we sit in this House and be criticised by the public for not debating matters that concern them? We tackle a sensitive issue like school uniform, yet the relevant ministries do not implement.

I refer to a Regional Directive of Education Circular issued on 30th May 2023 regarding school uniform and the letter on competition in the purchase and sale of uniform. It directed all regional and county directors of education that, according to the Basic Education Act No.14 of 2013 and the Basic Education Regulations 2015 and other enabling legal instruments, parents are not supposed to purchase uniforms from schools, canteens or school shops. Yet, in my constituency, schools are still stocking uniforms in their compounds. When did a teacher, headteacher, discipline master or anyone else employed by the Government under the TSC become a uniform vendor?

The Cabinet Secretary is here and must take this seriously. As a lawmaker, I feel demotivated for bringing a Motion here, but three years down the line, what we deliberated on has not been implemented. Unless the Cabinet Secretary wishes to confirm that he is not capable of following the law.

Thank you. Hon. Member for Suba South.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. We are addressing the right issue, but probably focusing on the wrong people. It is up to this House to decide whether in this country, we should have school uniforms, because they are not mandatory in many jurisdictions. And if we insist that we must have, then it is up to this House and the Government in power to figure out how to make them affordable, so that the requirement does not become a barrier for students to access education. It is not up to the Ministry; it is up to this House and the Government in power.

Hon. Omondi, the reason this report was requested is pursuant to our role that you are saying we should discharge. That is why this report was requested.

I want to go further and say that the statement we should receive from the Ministry is a report on a study of the merits and demerits of school uniforms or non-school uniforms in the education system. That is what the Ministry should present to this House so that we can make a determination. In my view, I do not think we need school uniforms.

But to go further, Hon. Temporary Speaker, recently there was a directive by the Principal Secretary responsible for Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions, that during graduation, students should not wear gowns. A gown identifies the collective of the graduate and the pride of the occasion. I am wondering whether there is a circular or policy in place, or whether that was just a statement made out of hand with no legal basis whatsoever.

In any event, we are making the same mistake with respect to books. We spend Ksh10 billion a year on school books, yet a proper printing machine costing Ksh2 billion will produce

the 10 billion books and more. It is lack of priority, and a Government that is not focused on efficiency and how to run affairs of the public.

Thank you. The Member for Loima.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The issue of uniforms has become a systemic problem in Kenya and requires serious scrutiny. The directive that was given in January by His Excellency, the President, that all students joining Grade 10 must report to school whether they have uniforms or not has not been followed. The Cabinet Secretary is telling us that he has written several memos to schools. My question is: Is there a way the Ministry of Education is enforcing whatever memos they write to institutions?

Members, I am just following the interventions as they are. I never skip anyone. Hon. Alice Ng’anga, go ahead.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The issue at hand is pertinent to all of us. If the Ministry of Education cannot come up with data on schools that are not following the memo issued by the Cabinet Secretary, Members can assist in identifying them. We know them very well. What I do not understand is where are the inspectors who used to visit schools when we were young? They would visit the school and unravel what was going on.

Nowadays, we do not see those inspectors or quality assurance inspectors who used to come and inspect schools to make sure everything is running. As we speak, even in day schools, those ones who moved from Grade 9 to 10, are at home. If they do not have that data, the Ministry can request Members of Parliament to provide it. They know all the schools that are not adhering or are sending children home. When we open schools in a week’s time, students who do not have uniform will not report. If they cannot do it themselves, we will help them because we cannot allow children to continue being at home because of school uniform. It has never been heard. It is better they go to school with home clothes.

Hon. Omboko, please, make it a minute so that we finish with this question.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we cannot reduce this House to only oversee. I, therefore, I agree with the Mover on this matter, that the fourth sustainable development goal was about access to education and that is prime. So, if school uniform is hindering access, then we have to deal with it. It is not enough to indicate that principals and teachers are not implementing. That is weak. This is Parliament. Parliament must make a policy today. I want to go with the words of one who spoke here that this is how uniform shall be handled, and the Cabinet Secretary must now bring an answer on how he is going to deal with the school uniform problem.

Legislators, let us not be weak. We must make a decision that will make education accessible. If school uniform is among the things hindering Sustainable Development Goal 4, then we deal with it. Let us not go supervising because it is myopic. Let us deal with the Ministry. The Ministry should bring a policy on how we are going to deal with uniforms; we either remove them or make them standard so that they are not expensive to hinder access to education.

I will have two more Members: Hon. Gisairo, the Member for Busia and the Member for Teso South.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I happen to sit in the Departmental Committee on Education. This is not the first time the Ministry has been asked to address this matter of uniforms and laxity of its officials named sub-county education directors. While I agree in totality with the Leader of the Majority Party that we need to see stricter disciplinary measures on headteachers, we also do need to see very strict disciplinary measures on the sub-county education directors because that is the lowest

level of the cabinet secretaries’ office. The laxity starts there. If it leads to corruption, the corruption starts there.

We can even borrow from the neighbouring countries, countries that sometimes we do not even want to pick an example from, like Rwanda and the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), where the whole nation dons the same uniform; a navy blue trouser, a white shirt and a navy-blue blazer or jersey. What differentiates us, as the Leader of the Majority Party said, is the badge. For you to know that this child is going to a different school, is the direction they are walking on the road. But across the country, be it private or public schools, their uniform is the same. I think as a starting point, that is something critical that the Leader of the Majority Party raised to do with the difference in uniform between Grade One and Six and Grade Seven and Nine.

I think the first policy or letter the Cabinet Secretary should write after leaving here is that effective January, there is no change of uniform. The child should wear the uniform they wore between Grade One and Grade Six.

Hon. Omanyo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The question here is: Are uniforms sold in school or outside school affordable? Parents are already burdened and as a teacher, this is serious. I have heard one of my colleagues say that we do not need uniforms. If we do not allow uniforms in school, it will cause a lot of distraction because a rich kid will come with classy clothes while a poor one can hardly afford to change his or her shirt. So, if we do not have uniforms in school, we will be creating chaos and mental health issues. Children will be depressed and they will start stealing.

Hon. Emaase, a minute. The Cabinet Secretary has seven questions to go. So, if you do not ask on this one, you can ask on the next. Go ahead.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Hili jambo la sare za shule limetukera sana. Bei yake iko juu kuliko bei ya kawaida kwa soko. Tumezungumzia kwa Mswada ulioletwa na Mhe. Gathoni na pia katika Kamati Ya Elimu. Lakini inaonekana kwamba Idara ya Elimu imeshindwa. Hata ile amri ambayo wanatoa kupitia barua zao, haitiliwi maanani.

Kama Waheshimiwa tunaofanya kazi na kutangamana na wazazi kila siku mashinani, tunaelewa kuwa kuna wale ambao wameshindwa hata kulipa karo na inabidi wasaidiwe na bursary. Sare za shule pekee zinachukua takriban nusu ya ile pesa ya kufanyia shopping. Kwa hivyo, kama Idara ya Masomo imeshindwa kutatua hayo mambo, basi tuondoe sera za shule, ili watoto waende na nguo za nyumbani.

Asante. Ningependa kujua kutoka kwa Waziri wa Elimu, ni mpaka lini wanafunzi ambao ni wakorino wataendelea kuzuiliwa kuingia shule walizohitimu kwa sababu wamevalia vilemba kwenye vichwa vyao? Nauliza kwa sababu mara nyingi, wanafunzi wanapoingia shule za upili, unapata kuna wanafanzi ambao, kwa sababu ni wakorino, wanarudishwa. Hili jambo limeletwa Bungeni na kwa Kamati ya Elimu. Limepelekwa kotini na uamuzi ukatolewa. Koti ilisimama na wanafunzi wakorino. Waziri, ni mpaka lini hao wanafunzi wataendelea kudhulumiwa?

Let us have Hon. Kwenya, and then Hon Emathe.

Thank you. We may be bashing the Cabinet Secretary with the matter that we are dealing with here.

He has not been bashed by anybody.

As long as the managers of learning institutions are teachers who are members of the TSC, this problem is not going to be solved. The Cabinet Secretary could issue these directives, but even if they are not obeyed, he has no power to either transfer or fire those people who are errant. Therefore, it is my proposal that going forward, our schools should be managed by competent accountants or managers who have some training in finance and who are under the purview of the Ministry of Education, as opposed to TSC teachers who are running our institutions and the Cabinet Secretaries can do nothing about it.

Hon. Emathe.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I just want to give an example. When I joined one of the most prestigious high schools in Kenya, I came with my uniform, a short and a shirt. The Cabinet Secretary must tell us on the Floor of this House, what direction he is going to take?

Next is Hon. Naomi Waqo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. School uniforms are becoming a real challenge especially for the disadvantaged and poor parents in our society. Many times, mothers cry because they cannot take their children to school due to lack of school uniforms. We are placing a huge burden on parents who have no source of income. Some are pastoralists whose animals have died during drought. They have no goats to sell in order to buy school uniforms for their children. Can the Ministry put themselves in the parents’ shoes and understand the dilemma we are facing as leaders?

Let us have Hon. Mishi Mboko.

Ahsante, Mhe. Spika wa Muda. Swala la uniforms ni muhimu sana. Ni lazima watoto wetu wavae uniforms kwa sababu kila mtu akivaa nguo zake binafsi, hatutaweza kutofautisha wanafunzi wetu kutokana na wahalifu. Pia, ile heshima ya wanafunzi itapotea.

Ninataka nipige msasa na niongeze kondo Mheshimiwa mwenzangu aliyezungumzia mambo ya Wakorino wanaofunga vile vilemba vyao. Hata sisi Waislamu tunajua kuwa hatupaswi kuziwacha nywele zetu zikiwa wazi. Lazima tufunike vichwa vyetu kwa sababu kulingana na dini yetu ya Kiislamu, tutakuwa uchi tukiviwacha wazi. Kwa hivyo, watoto wavae uniforms lakini pia wakubaliwe kuvaa nguo zao za kidini. Wakorino wavae vilemba vyao, Waislamu wavae hijab na Wakalasinga wavae vilemba vyao. Pia, wazazi wapatiwe nafasi ya kushona uniforms wao wenyewe kwa njia za urahisi. Isiwe kuwa ni lazima wanunue uniforms shuleni. Utekelezaji wa maamuzi na sheria ndio tatizo.

Lastly, let us have the Member for West Mugirango. Members, you will get a chance to ask your questions in the second round.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for also giving me a chance to take a bite at this. We cannot say it enough - uniforms are becoming a barrier to education in this country.

Now that the Ministry of Education is also in charge of the Technical and Vocational Education and Training institutions (TVETs) where uniforms can be easily manufactured, can the House come up with a policy decision mandating the Ministry to supply all learners with uniforms? I do not mind creating a budget line for TVETs to provide that solution. Further, why can we not define uniforms by grade? For example, learners in Grade 8 should have a standard uniform. Standard uniforms will help us identify whether learners are in Grade 8, Grade 10, or Form 4. That will go a long way in ensuring order and cost-effectiveness.

Cabinet Secretary, most Members have raised similar questions, so I expect a short response.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker and Members. I want to be very frank about this issue of school uniforms. It has been a thorn in parents’ flesh for a long time. It is becoming a barrier to education access

for our children. Directives have been issued such as the Circular of 2023 that Mheshimiwa referred to. However, implementation has been a challenge for several reasons.

One reason is that there are two centres of power regarding teacher management and discipline within the education sector. On one hand, teachers are managed by an independent commission known as the Teachers Service Commission (TSC). Even when the Ministry indicates that a teacher or principal has violated a circular, disciplinary processes are handled by a different institution. Because of this separation, enforcement becomes difficult.

Following the recommendations of the Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms (PWPER), we are undertaking reforms in the education sector. These include proposed amendments to the Teachers Service Commission Act and the Basic Education Act. We aim to re-introduce the Inspector of Schools, with powers to discipline teachers and principals, or to take action against those who do not follow Ministry circulars.

We need to consider several key issues. First, do we need uniforms? What kind of uniforms do we require? Do we need a single uniform across all levels in a school, as is the case in Kapsabet High School, where students wear the same uniform from Early Childhood Development (ECD) to secondary school? Do we need one standard uniform for all children in the country? Should we work with institutions like the National Youth Service (NYS) to produce uniforms? Those are emotive issues that require stakeholder engagement before decisions are made.

In 2018, a stakeholder engagement exercise was conducted to determine whether the country could move away from uniforms. About 63 per cent of the participants indicated that uniforms are necessary. How do we make uniforms available without placing an unbearable financial burden on parents? We have formed a team to examine those issues and conduct stakeholder engagement. By July this year, we will issue policy guidelines on school uniforms in basic education institutions. Those guidelines will be implemented through amendments to the law, including provisions for penalties and disciplinary action against those violating Ministry circulars.

Previously, there was no clear budget for monitoring and evaluation. However, in the 2026/2027 Financial Year, a sum of about Ksh600 million has been allocated to enable officers to reach schools and enforce those policies. As a Ministry, we are alive to that problem. We are working with stakeholders, including Members of Parliament, to find a lasting solution. We will work closely with Members of Parliament because they will pass the necessary Bills. We should solve that problem. It is not that we are not doing anything about it, but we acknowledge that it is a broad and emotive matter that we need to get right, once and for all. We urge Members to give us time. We will present a position in July and anchor it in law, so that enforcement becomes possible.

I submit.

Thank you, Waziri. There were two additional issues. One is the issue on the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority (TVETA) . Why would someone say that graduating students should wear specific uniforms?

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: The Principal Secretary made that statement in the spur of the moment. We have not had any discussions on the same. It is not a formal policy.

The second issue concerns Akorino students. The Ministry’s policy is that no learner should be prevented from attending school on the basis of religion. That is a legal provision. We should be informed to take action if anybody has sent away a child because of that. The limitation we have is vis-à-vis the TSC as I indicated. We have been able to work together of late. Recently, we submitted a list of 40 principals who have violated certain regulations and

action is being taken against them. We are working together to ensure that our policies and regulations are followed.

Cabinet Secretary, from that

I am sorry to press this further. Audits are mostly done on a capitation. There was a question from a Member about who audits the money paid for lunch. Who audits it? Is there a limit on what should be paid for lunch? How is it accounted for?

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: The challenge with that position is that we as a Ministry do not provide lunch or advocate it. Lunch is an arrangement between parents and the school. Boards of Managements

(BOMs)

do the audit.

You issue guidelines as the Cabinet Secretary. You even told teachers how much they could charge. You cannot say you do not encourage it yet the Ministry has given guidelines on charges.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: We have not done anything of that nature. As Government policy, we do not provide lunch to children in schools. It remains an arrangement between BOMs, schools and the parent.

On a point of order.

Let him finish. Proceed. The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: The Ministry may issue a directive to ban lunch programmes if it takes the direction of uniforms. However, we have indicated that no child should be sent home for failure to pay for lunch. That is the position.

We need to move to the next Question. Leader of the Majority Party, could we hold and ask those questions later? Proceed.

I will be very candid with the Cabinet Secretary. As the Ministry of Education, you must take your work more seriously.

You speak of school uniforms, circulars and all that and then say that there is no policy on school feeding programmes and lunch. If it is happening like with uniforms, we are telling you that that is exactly what is happening on the ground. Children are being sent home because of lunch programmes.

You cannot ban lunch in schools, but you can criminalise any teacher who sends a child home on that basis. The child can carry food from home if a parent cannot pay for lunch. I carried my cold ugali and sukuma wiki for eight years in primary school. Why should my child not do the same if I cannot afford lunch? That is what we are getting to, Cabinet Secretary.

exist, they are seated in offices. Even you and your principal secretaries are seated in offices in Nairobi. You ask us to name schools sending away Akorino children. I will name one: Loreto High School, Limuru. Ask the Member for Limuru, Hon. Kiragu, and he will even give you the name of the child. I was trying to get him on phone.

Cabinet Secretary, it is not my work as the Member for Kikuyu or the Leader of the Majority Party to firefight for the Ministry of Education. We shall not. We shall hold you accountable as the Cabinet Secretary if you cannot hold your officers on the ground to account.

That is the best we can do to you for the children of Kenya. Please, tell us as you leave.

He is not going anywhere. He is still here. He has just done the first Question.

I beg that you direct the Cabinet Secretary at the end of this session. This matter must not be left here.

Yes.

We want something in writing, from your Ministry to the House, on the actions you will take relating to school uniforms, lunch, desks and remedial classes, Mwalimu Kombe raised. Hon. Kombe is a teacher who knows what he is speaking about. I purchase 1,000 lockers in my constituency annually. I have seen teachers asking Grade 1 pupils to bring desks. I have intervened as a Member of Parliament yet that is not my work. It is the work of your officers at the Ministry.

Well said, Leader of the Majority Party.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I want you to direct the Cabinet Secretary. I said that the Cabinet Secretary and his Ministry are simply not taking us seriously. I want you to direct that he provides policy guidelines on uniforms as Hon. Clive Gisairo raised. Hon. Gisairo wanted to know if JSS and primary schools will have one uniform. Then, parents will know that they will not have to buy uniforms for JSS students next year.

Second is if you do not have money for learners joining Grade 10. Government policy is that no child should be sent away. We want to know that Grade 10 children who are reporting to school in May next week will not be sent away, even in January next year after their Grade 9 exams. We want to know that there will be sanctions against teachers.

Do not tell us there is a list of sanctioned teachers. We want that list. We want to see the list of sanctioned teachers. We want to see it so that we as a House can also hold the TSC accountable. We have the authority to act as a House if you have submitted to the TSC names of teachers who have contravened circulars and no action has been taken. Maybe you do not have power over the TSC. This House has power over the TSC.

We will deal with you as a Ministry and TSC in equal measure

Thank you. Hon. Members, this matter ends there. Cabinet Secretary, take the rostrum again and give us a final decision on what is possible on uniforms, lunch, reams of paper, desks and punishment. It is not July anymore.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker and Members.

I am very grateful for that directive. It gives me powers to take necessary action because Parliament has directed me. We will issue directives based on Parliament’s guidance and its support. It will be submitted to you within 14 days.

Order. Thank you. Fourteen days will be. It is a short time. We will still be here. We will be on recess in 14 days. However, upon resumption, we expect a response on the issues raised, but not limited to them. You have said something on the NG-CDF bursaries we give today, but Members do not agree with it. All the bursaries we give today are billed as lunch since the Government has said that there is no school fee being paid. So, you cannot say that the Ministry has no say on the money that we give that is billed as lunch. Every bursary we give is lunch. So, we need that information, including on uniform, lunch, reams of paper, desks and disciplining of errant teachers.

Order, Hon. Members! Cabinet Secretary, move to the next Question. Please go ahead. Do you have something on payment of invigilators and supervisors?

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Yes, on the Kenya National Examinations Council

(KNEC)

, Hon. Temporary Speaker. We have agreed it will include certificates.

With regard to the reason for the delayed payments of contracted professionals, in 2015, the Government, in line with the free and compulsory basic education policy, undertook to fund KNEC for the administration of national examinations. This implies that unlike previously when KNEC collected examination fees directly from schools and students, the National Treasury makes a transfer of resources to KNEC through the Ministry of Education. These are the funds that are utilised to pay contracted professionals. In the Financial Year 2025/2026, the approved recurrent budget for KNEC was Ksh5.9 billion for national assessments, being Ksh3 billion for KCSE, Ksh900 million for the Kenya Primary School Education Assessment (KPSEA) and Ksh2 billion for the Kenya Junior School Education Assessment (KJSEA) . There was nil allocation for school-based assessments. This was against a requirement of Ksh12.723 billion, being Ksh8 billion for the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) , Ksh1 billion for KPSEA, Ksh3.5 billion for KJSEA and Ksh87.3 billion for school-based assessments.

The Kenya National Examinations Council incurred a pending bill during that time for the year 2024 of Ksh1.037 billion. In addition to the allocation of Ksh5.9 billion, KNEC was granted Ksh3.1 billion in September 2025 under Article 223 of the Constitution. The outstanding deficit was, therefore, Ksh4.76 billion, being the 2025 funding deficit, including the 2024 pending bills. We had anticipated that the deficit will be addressed through the Supplementary Budget. That would have enabled the settlement of dues owed to examiners, supervisors, invigilators, marking centres and other creditors as follows: For the national assessments and supervision and invigilation, the requirement was Ksh2.3 billion. There is a pending bill in that set of Ksh2.3 billion because zero amount has been paid.

For marking in KJSEA, the requirement was Ksh644 million. We have made an instalment of Ksh168 million. There is a pending bill of Ksh475 million. For KCSE, the requirement was Ksh1.5 billion and we paid an instalment of Ksh431 million, and there is a pending bill of Ksh1.1 billion. For KJSEA, the requirement was Ksh191 million. We have made a deposit of Ksh165 million, and there is a balance of Ksh26 million. For KCSE, the requirement was Ksh711 million and we have made an instalment of Ksh319 million. There is a balance of Ksh391 million.

There are other creditors like those who offer transportation. There is a balance of Ksh437 million, making a pending bill of Ksh4.7 billion. It is this amount that is supposed to

be availed by Treasury to enable the payment of this pending bill to the examiners and other invigilators. What we are doing currently is negotiating with Treasury to avail these resources so that we pay the examiners. We have had discussions with them because in the Supplementary Budget this figure was not allocated. We are trying to see what can be done to make it availed. We had a discussion to work around the Budget Policy Statement that has been granted for the Financial Year 2026/2027 to see whether we can have access to funds for us to pay the examiners. The challenge has been that this budget was not provided for. As you can see from the previous financial year budget, the amount was not provided for. That led us to being given Ksh3.1 billion under Article 223. So, the challenge has been availability of resources to pay the examiners.

Hon Members, you have heard the reasons. Hon. Gachagua.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker and thank you, Bwana Cabinet Secretary for the clarification on the uniform issue. In Ndaragwa Constituency, I have a problem with the accreditation of junior secondary schools. There are some schools in my constituency...

Hon. Gachagua, this is a chance for follow-up questions on the matter of payment of invigilators, supervisors and examiners. It is not an open-ended chance. So, I would request that you ask a question related to that.

I stand guided.

Hon. Omboko, this was not a question in the manner you are saying. It was an issue that was raised in the plenary by the whole House. Go ahead.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, that was a request for a Statement from me that coalesced to become what it is now. However, that notwithstanding, the Cabinet Secretary is not telling the House when they will pay the examiners. He has told the House how much they owe the examiners and he has broken it down very well. For example, he has given the amount in KCSE. The only thing he has not done is to give the total, which is about Ksh4.7 billion. He can correct that because he is here. However, he has not told the House – what was the matter – about the invigilators, who are the teachers we have been speaking about. We said we really need to deal with them. As we deal with these teachers, I call upon the House to speak about their payment from the Kenya National Examination Council.

As we are all aware, the exams were done way back in October last year. To date, these teachers have not been paid. The Cabinet Secretary is not saying when they will be paid. He has said he is negotiating with the Treasury. This is money that was already allocated by this House to the Ministry of Education. So, the question is: When is the Cabinet Secretary paying the money to the teachers now that schools are opening and there is a pending bill of more than six months? What is he doing to make sure that in future, we do not have a situation where teachers supervised exams and they are not been paid in time? The Cabinet Secretary must tell us when they will be paying these teachers because I am aware that they are now tired of waiting for this money. They are not going to open schools unless they are paid their money, among other things that I am aware of. I am aware of three things. It is important that they pay these examiners their money because they worked for KNEC. That is the Cabinet Secretary’s docket, So, he must take responsibility.

Thank you. Hon. Member for Molo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to make a follow-up Question on payment of teachers. I see it as a matter of national security. If these teachers know that they are not going to be paid for a number of months, there is a chance that they will not mark future national exams accurately. The risk of having results that are not a true reflection of the performance of our students will be a big national security issue in this country. We will have people who are going to be doctors without qualifications. We are going to have people admitted to courses for which they do not qualify because their examinations are not properly marked. Most of us in this House, those who are products of public schools, public education, education is the only reason we are where we are at this stage in our lives, and that is because we obtained credible results. If teachers are not motivated to mark examinations correctly, and if, God forbid, the marking is compromised, that would be a disaster.

On the issue of desks, I would like to give an example from my constituency. I built two classrooms in a school. All classrooms constructed through the NG-CDF are supplied with desks. We build the classrooms and provide the desks. However, I was called by the area chief and informed that a student had been sent away because he did not have money to buy a desk. I questioned this because we had already built the classrooms and provided the desks. Moreover, students who moved on from previous classes did not leave with the desks they had been using. This practice of teachers asking for money for desks must come to an end. On the issue of uniforms, Hon. Wamuchomba had brought…

Hon. Kimani Kuria, no. We cannot do this. This is spent. Before you sit down, I had hoped, because this is an area in which you are well versed, that this would be a perfect example where, for the first time, Parliament, not the Executive, would move to use Article 223. Why must we wait for the Ministry? I had hoped you would advise Parliament that this is a suitable case for invoking Article 223. What is your view on that?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I will take it up as Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning and raise it with the National Treasury. We have a meeting with them next week on the Sovereign Wealth Fund and other matters relating to this House. We will raise the issue and propose that Article 223 be used to provide these funds, just as it has been used for other purposes, such as road construction.

Before that, can Parliament itself, sitting today, request this without going to the National Treasury?

Parliament is a budget-making House, but the authority to execute Article 223 lies with the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury. However, nothing prevents this House from initiating the process by passing a resolution directing the National Treasury to use Article 223 to disburse funds for these teachers. This could be one of the resolutions of this House today. A Motion could be read and put to a vote, requiring the National Treasury to act. The matter of national examinations is one of national importance, even national security.

Thank you. Hon. Mukunji.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. While I am putting my word on the use of Article 223, I would also like to hear a very clear apology from the Cabinet Secretary to the teachers who marked the exams and never got their pay. My mother and father-in-law are teachers, and they were among those who marked examinations, and slept in very dilapidated places for two weeks. This is one of the most unfair things that has happened to this country. We cannot continue to treat teachers as second-generation citizens and workers in the Government. They struggle with pay, allowances, and healthcare, yet we appear to applaud the Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet

Secretary should apologise to teachers. If this House had not intervened, nothing would have been done. These examinations were marked last year. It is not something that happened in March. It reflects negligence within the Ministry. I want to hear a clear apology from the Cabinet Secretary.

Thank you. Hon. Taitumu.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for this opportunity. Marking examinations is a cost. Supervision, invigilation and printing are also costs. This House appropriates funds for examinations, and the Government finances them. Why is the cost of marking not included alongside these other expenses, including transport, even by air, to some centres? It is unacceptable that teachers complete marking and then suffer. This cost should be planned for, rather than repeatedly invoking Article 223 and seeking funds from the National Treasury. Teachers should be respected and paid promptly after marking examinations.

Hon. Ikiara.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, examination marking and preparation are annual events. They occur every year and are predictable. When the Cabinet Secretary states that funds are being sought for work already completed, it is unacceptable. Teachers cannot continue to suffer because the system is not structured to ensure prompt payment. Teachers should not have to protest repeatedly to receive what is rightfully theirs. The Cabinet Secretary should ensure that teachers are paid before the next marking cycle begins later in the year.

Thank you. Hon. Emaase, do you want to speak to this?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Picking up from where my colleague left, payment for examiners is not unforeseen expenditure. Article 223 should not be used for such payments. This is an expense that ought to be planned for, just like salaries, healthcare, and other ministry expenditures. For teachers to remain unpaid after marking examinations last year, while discussions continue about sourcing funds, reflects lack of seriousness. This House must also take responsibility. I am a Member of the Departmental Committee on Education, and the figures were presented in the Supplementary Estimates. The Chair submitted the budget proposal to the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Why was payment for examiners not prioritised, as other expenditures were?

Thank you. Hon. Kombe.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I believe funds for examiners are normally budgeted for. If that is not the case, the Cabinet Secretary should clarify and explain the plans for examiners who will mark this year’s examinations. Is there a budget for them? Let us be informed, and let action be taken.

Thank you. Hon. Passaris.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. When leaders from the Executive and Parliament exchange accusations, then we do not get into the right direction. If the Ministry submitted a budget and the Departmental Committee on Education recommended it, but the Budget and Appropriations Committee prioritised other items, then responsibility also lies with Parliament. While we demand action from the Cabinet Secretary for Education, we must ensure that adequate budgets are approved. If funds were allocated, then we can question why payments have not been made. If not, we must ask where the funds are expected to come from.

Thank you. Hon. (Dr) Mutunga.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I associate myself with the comments and questions by my colleagues.

I want to start to take a slightly different approach. I know this question might have been previously asked. As we evaluate the quality of examination and the future of education and professional development in this country, and as we look at the Competency-Based Education (CBE), I would like the Cabinet Secretary to comment on whether the ongoing assessment at various stages, that is Grade 6 and Grade 9, and tentatively at Grade 12, are similar or better than exams.

The other issue has to do with teachers who turn politicians when the time comes. We are going into the political season and we would like to know the disciplinary mechanism that the Ministry has taken. On a number of occasions, I have protested to the Ministry about these issues. Teachers are becoming politicians, abandoning schools and even fighting existing Members of Parliament. Can the Cabinet Secretary tell us how the discipline is?

Hon. Caroli, do you want to ask a follow-up question on this?

No.

Cabinet Secretary, you have heard the questions. In your response, include whether this money that you said you do not have was budgeted for. I do not agree with the issue of the Supplementary Budget. Was this included in the main budget for the Financial Year 2025/2026?

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The Ministry presented what the Kenya National Examinations Council required in the main budget, but it was not provided. That is how we got the Ksh3.1 billion under Article 223 because it was not provided in the budget. The Members in the Departmental Committee on Education can bear witness. This year, we also presented the requirements to the Committee who then presented to the Budget and Appropriations Committee, and it was slashed. Therefore, there is no provision for the Ksh4.7 billion that is required to pay the examiners. The fault is not really with the Ministry. We do not have this money in the Ministry. If we had it, the easiest thing we could do is the payment. Going forward, once this request or requirement is given, can it be prioritised and granted as it is provided instead of it being slashed leading to the challenge that we are in now? The money was not budgeted for. It was slashed after we did the presentation and that is the perennial challenge we have had previously in KNEC.

Cabinet Secretary, I want us to get this clear because this has to stop. You cannot answer this question every single year. When the 2025/2026 Budget was brought to this House, had the money been slashed at your sector level by the National Treasury or was it presented to Parliament who thereafter removed it? I would like to know that because saying Parliament slashed means that this money was already there. We know how the budget process works. When the 2025/2026 Budget was presented to this House, was the money there or not?

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Can you give me a minute to confirm that?

As your team confirms, you can proceed to answer the rest of the questions.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Well, the answer is simply that we are ready to pay, but the money is not provided. We have been negotiating with National Treasury to see what else can be done, including requesting them to provide us with those resources under Article 223.

Out of the money you are saying you have received, how do you decide who you are paying and who you are not paying? When you receive Ksh160 million against Ksh600 million, who will be paid first? How do you decide who is to be paid first and who will be paid last?

Let me speak to this. What does the Cabinet Secretary mean by the word ‘negotiating’? Exams were done and the teachers and supervisors marked them. The Ministry is negotiating with the National Treasury to see whether it can pay or not. That is not a serious statement. I do not want to demean the Cabinet Secretary, but he must speak to this. Is this money in the budget at the sector level? That is a very important question. It is a starting point to see how we shall move forward.

Hon. Mary Emaase said something very important. All of us know that every single year, exams are done and they are invigilated, supervised and marked. This has become a crisis every single year. Cabinet Secretary, I hope you got your answer back.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Yes.

Please, proceed. The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: The budget was provided for at the sector level. It was slashed by the National Treasury.

Not by Parliament? The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Not by Parliament.

On a point of information, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Yes, Hon. Emaase.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I am a former Member of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and when the Ministry shares the cake at the sector level, it is given a ceiling. It is up to the Ministry to prioritise their functions. If they bring a budget proposal to the Committee, having prioritised this particular expenditure, then it will go through. However, most of the times it also comes to us as a wish list. When you take a wish list to the Budget and Appropriations Committee and expect it to look for the money from heaven to give to you, it becomes a challenge.

Thank you. Cabinet Secretary, we are all in this position. The Ministry knows that this will be a crisis and money will be found. Every single year, the Ministry leaves it pending, teachers cry, it becomes a crisis and thereafter you have to look for money. It is a bad way of doing things. It has to stop. Speaking from the Chair, I direct that within those 14 days, within which you said you would bring us a report on the uniforms and the rest, when Parliament resumes from recess, we would like to know how far you will have gone in getting money to pay teachers. I order that you write a letter to the substantive Speaker explaining how far your efforts are regarding this urgent matter of importance.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I am well guided, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

No. Hon. Omboko, this is spent.

Okay, what is it?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I plead with you that 14 days is too far. Like we had resolved earlier, this Parliament urges the Executive to use Article 223 to pay teachers in the next three to five days.

Cabinet Secretary, you have 14 days. We can get an answer by next Thursday and if you need the intervention of Parliament to make the National Treasury act, please, write to the Speaker so that this is expedited.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I am well guided, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

You are going to be here with us for a while today. I hope you have enough water with you there. Serjeant-at-Arms, please provide the Cabinet Secretary with enough water.

We have a Question by Private Notice, starting with the Member for Busia, Hon. Omanyo. Please, go ahead.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education the following Question:

Could the Cabinet Secretary—

Proceed, Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to respond to the three sub-questions together as follows. As indicated, the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Authority

(TVETA)

found that while KIM was accredited to offer Technical and Vocational Education and Training Curriculum Development, Assessment and Certification Council

(TVET CDACC)

courses, it was still conferring internal qualifications without a mandate to do so.

We appreciate that the non-compliance and the resultant action by the TVETA raised profound questions that affect multiple stakeholders, including persons who have obtained

certificates from the institution. It also exposes certain legal gaps pertaining to the place of institutions that were previously qualification-awarding bodies under the Repealed Education Act. The Kenya Institute of Management has the right, under Section 37 of the TVET Act, to appeal against the decision by TVETA, and, indeed, KIM has already lodged an appeal this morning against the decision that was made by TVETA, vide a letter dated 21st April 2026. We received the letter earlier today, a copy of which is provided in the response.

As a Ministry, we are committed to addressing and resolving the matter at hand through a deliberative and consultative approach that safeguards the interests of innocent third parties, such as the students who have already graduated, while also ensuring compliance with the law and promoting the credibility of our education system. We will seek to ensure that, going forward, all institutions are compliant and that no student is disenfranchised. We are also carefully reviewing the matter for possible corrective action against any party that may have been negligent in their duties and obligations.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, since this is a quasi-judicial process and the appeal under Section 36 of the TVET Act has been made to me, I seek the indulgence of the House not to prejudice the consideration of the appeal by making anticipatory comments on the matter. However, I assure the House that we have already written to TVETA to submit a response to that appeal, and we are due to having a hearing tomorrow afternoon with a view to resolving this matter within the next two or three days. That way, everybody will no longer be in a state of uncertainty as to what is going to happen to them.

The first bite belongs to the Member who asked the Question. You have the first shot at a supplementary question, or would you prefer that we proceed to other Members of Parliament while you are preparing yourself?

Yes, kindly.

Very well. Let us have Hon. Bedzimba.

Ahsante sana, Mhe. Spika wa Muda. Kuhusu swali hilo hilo, ni kazi na jukumu ya Wizara ya Elimu kufuatilia elimu ya aina yoyote inayofanyika hapa nchini. Ni hatari sana kwamba matangazo yaliyotolewa yanasema kuwa kuanzia mwaka wa 2018, vyeti vyote vilivyotolewa ni ghushi. Baadhi ya wanafunzi waliohitimu katika chuo hicho wameajiriwa. Jambo hili limeleta utata mkubwa kwani inaonekana kana kwamba watu hao wanatumia vyeti ambavyo vinasemekana kuwa ni ghushi. Naomba Wizara ya Elimu izingatie rufaa ya KIM, na itoe taarifa rasmi kwamba vyeti vilivyotolewa hapo awali havijabatilishwa mpaka appeal hiyo itakapokamilika, ili wanafunzi hao waendelee na kazi zao.

Wazazi wameuza mashamba na mali yao ili kuwasomesha watoto wao. Kwa sababu ya uzembe wa Wizara, wanafunzi walisoma kwa zaidi ya miaka kumi katika Mombasa Aviation, kisha siku moja wakatangaza kwamba masomo hayo hayakuwa ya kisheria. Hii inamaanisha kwamba Wizara ya Elimu haijielewi.

Kabla Waziri hajajibu, huwezi kuchanganya Kiswahili na Kiingereza. Ulisema, "Mpaka appeal hiyo itakapokamilika." Hiyo si sawa. Unapaswa kusema, "Mpaka rufaa hiyo itakapokamilika."

Waziri, endelea, The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I am in total agreement with the Hon. Member that the certificates issued between 2018 and the time we make our decision are valid. We will address that matter in the appeal, and we will be making a comprehensive statement on it. This is the Ministry's position. We will review the whole issue and communicate within the next two days on the status of all those certificates and the steps that we are going to take to ensure that KIM complies with the law.

Thank you.

The Member for Funyula, Hon. (Dr) Ojiambo Oundo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Many of us who have known KIM for many years were really taken aback—shocked to the core—having collaborated with them in many training sessions on corporate governance and related matters. Nevertheless, this is, perhaps, also an indicator and an eye-opener. We want the Ministry and the Cabinet Secretary to be very clear on this matter. There are so many private institutions and colleges in this country that operate as TVET institutions. Members of the public are now going to be concerned. Does this mean that quite a number of those private institutions are not duly certified to offer diploma courses, certificate courses and short courses? What is their fate? We need clarity. When one enrols at such an institution, does one need to ask for proof of certification? Is there a repository where a member of the public can go to check and ascertain whether a given institution is publicly certified, or whether it is a private institution that is not certified?

Cabinet Secretary, I suggest you take a few more questions and then answer them together. Is anyone else interested in this matter? Yes! The Member for Magarini. Uliza swali lako.

Ahsante, Mhe. Spika wa Muda. Sikunuia kutumia Kiswahili, lakini kwa kuwa umenianzishia, niache niendelee. Swali langu ni hili: Rufaa imewasilishwa. Ikizingatiwa kwamba rufaa hii inaweza kukubaliwa au kukataliwa, iwapo itakataliwa, ni mikakati gani itakayochukuliwa ili kufidia wanafunzi ambao wamehitimu katika chuo hicho hadi sasa?

Swali la tatu litaulizwa na Mhe. Osero.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. What baffles me is this: I am certain that there are some students from KIM who underwent interviews at the Public Service Commission (PSC) and were subsequently offered employment. What does this say about our public institutions? What of the salaries that those individuals may have earned?

Cabinet Secretary, you may answer those three questions, and then we shall take one final round on this matter.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Speaker. The TVET Act was passed in 2013 and came into operation in 2015. Institutions that were operating as TVETs at that time were required to be accredited, and a number of them have since been accredited. This is, therefore, a matter that we will be addressing on a case-by-case basis with respect to those private institutions.

However, with respect to KIM and the certificates that students obtained from 2018 to the period during which it was operating under legal standing, those certificates are valid. The appeal we will be dealing with is in respect to compliance going forward. That is something that we have already seized of and, as I said, within the next two days, we will issue a comprehensive statement to ensure that no person qualified under KIM with a certificate, or employed in the Public Service through the certification of KIM, is disenfranchised. Because the appeal is specifically addressed to me under Article 36, I request that I do not pre-empt. Please, allow us to provide the statement by Friday.

Just to clear any doubts on that, if my memory serves me right, KIM has been in existence since the 1950s. But you have mentioned that this affects those from 2018. Does that mean those who got certified before 2018 will not be affected? Please, clarify that.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: No, this is after the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act came into force and required

accreditation. Before that, they were properly recognised as an award-providing institution. It is just a small issue that requires validation, and we are going to sort it out. I want to assure the parents and students not to worry. We will resolve this matter within the next two days.

Has that answered your questions?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, you are not seeing this side.

Order, Hon. Members. Has the answer covered the three questions that were asked?

No.

Cabinet Secretary, please, answer Hon. Kenneth’s question.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I actually answered it. He had asked what would happen if the appeal did not succeed.

You are right. You answered it. You have properly covered it. Member for Teso South, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The Kenya Institute of Management, famously known as KIM College where I come from—and I have also had several students there—has been in existence for many years. I have always known it to be a very reputable institution. The question I want to ask the Ministry is: Does the Ministry have a system for continuous assessment and supervision? If such a system exists, why has it taken more than eight years to realise that, that institution has been offering courses that are not accredited?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

I will take one more question, and then we will go to the next Question. Questioner, please proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

I am only worried about one thing. Since students and parents have already panicked, can the Cabinet Secretary assure us of credit transfer in case the appeal does not go through, so that students do not drop out, give up, or drift into something that shows they are not interested?

You are making a presumption of something that has not been determined by saying: “In case the appeal does not go through”.

Because they have appealed, the Cabinet Secretary should…

The Temporary Speaker

: The Cabinet Secretary has assured us of that using many words. Next Question by Hon. Mishi Mboko.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker…

Hon. Mishi Mboko. Just a moment. Let us first have Question7/2026 by Hon. Robert Mbui.

He is on his way.

Why are you sure that he is on his way? This Question is deferred to a later date.

Proceed, Hon. Mishi Mboko. Question 8/2026

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education the following:

Could the Cabinet Secretary—

Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The Ministry and the TSC remain committed to ensuring that all public learning institutions are adequately staffed to support effective curriculum implementation and quality learning outcomes.

In addressing the concerns raised regarding teacher shortages in Likoni Sub-County, among other public schools, we continue to implement targeted interventions aimed at bridging identified gaps. Those interventions include progressive recruitment of additional teachers. The Teacher Service Commission annually seeks budgetary allocation from the National Treasury through Parliament for the recruitment of additional teachers to reduce existing shortages.

Secondly, on the replacement of teachers exiting service, the Commission continuously replaces teachers who exit service through retirement, resignation, dismissal or natural attrition to sustain staffing levels in schools to maintain teacher establishment.

Thirdly, there is staff balancing through transfers. The Commission undertakes the redistribution of teachers from relatively well-staffed schools to schools experiencing acute shortages, including institutions in Likoni Sub-County.

Additionally, there is re-tooling of teachers for CBE implementation. Nationally, over 3,000 teachers have been re-tooled to handle Grade 10 and Senior School pathways under the CBE framework, and some of those teachers are stationed at Likoni Sub-County.

There is also teacher-training in new learning areas. The Commission has had engagements and advised universities and teacher training institutions on emerging learning areas such as marine technology, sports science, theatre and film, music and dance, among others.

We also have the development of new staffing norms. The Commission has also developed staffing norms for primary, junior and senior schools to guide equitable deployment and utilisation of teachers to align with the CBE.

The current staffing position in Likoni Sub-County is as follows: For Senior School, we have an enrolment of 5,666 learners, with a teacher requirement of 229 teachers, with the

teachers currently on duty being 190 and, therefore, there is a shortfall in Senior School of 39 teachers. In Junior Schools, we have 9,332 learners, with a teacher requirement of 306, and those on duty or in position are 150; meaning that we have a shortfall of 156 teachers. In primary school, we have 14,408 learners, with a teacher requirement of 319, with the teachers on duty being 316, thus having a shortfall of three teachers. Therefore, the total teacher shortage in Likoni is 198. The requirement is 854, and we have 656 teachers in place, with the total learners being 29,406.

Currently, Likoni Sub-County has 656 teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, against an overall requirement of 854 teachers, translating to a shortfall of 198 teachers. While the Sub- County has identified staffing gaps that require progressive intervention, the situation remains comparatively better than that in many other public schools and regions across the country that continue to experience more severe shortfalls.

The Ministry is fully cognisant of teacher shortage in schools across the country, including in Likoni Sub-County. It remains committed to fulfilling its constitutional mandate of staffing all public basic learning institutions in Kenya. To this end, the Ministry and the Commission will continue to:

Do we have any follow up question? Hon. Mishi Mboko.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for Education for the good response he has just presented in this House of Parliament. However, I need clarity on the measures they will put in place to employ affirmative action of placing teachers, because the Government had done recruitment of teachers.

Additionally, we have marginalised areas that include North Eastern and the Coast. What strategies is the Ministry putting in place to ensure that whenever recruitment is done, there is a matrix showing the number of teachers in specific areas, and which area needs more teachers than another?

We also do not have adequate Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) teachers. That is a big problem in all the marginalised areas. That is why there is a disparity in the students taking sciences and those taking arts. This is because of the availability of teachers who are teaching STEM subjects. Whatever the Cabinet Secretary has said is good, but the issue is implementation and the formulas that are being used to ensure there is fairness in the distribution of teachers in the 47 counties in the Republic of Kenya. Most of the teachers in the marginalised areas in the Republic of Kenya are paid by the boards of management. Therefore, it is the parents who contribute to pay teachers under the Parents Teacher Associations (PTAs) and boards of managements. We do not understand why that happens. Going forward, we need to have a proper formula, like an affirmative action, that should be open, transparent and accountable. We should have an inventory showing regions that have adequate teachers and those that do not have, so that we can concentrate on the regions that do not have adequate teachers. In performance, other regions will remain behind because they do not have adequate teachers.

Hon. Omboko Milemba.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I would wish to support Hon. Mishi. What is the Ministry doing, in collaboration with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) , on the issue of staffing? The Ministry should manage and work with TSC on this matter. That working formula has been there even when we were in school under the Provincial Directors of Education (PDEs) and Provincial Education Officers (PEOs) . The Ministry should make sure that the marginalised areas that have been mentioned - not only Likoni but even in North Eastern, including Mandera, Wajir and Garissa counties, have teachers. I have moved around all those places and so, I know the situation. The Ministry should also ensure that Lamu and Tana River counties get a fair share of appropriation of teachers. The Cabinet Secretary should answer that question on the Floor of this House, in collaboration with TSC.

There is also the issue of JSS teachers that Hon. Mishi has talked about. Cabinet Secretary, we do not get you all the time. You know very well that there are no proper working conditions in JSS level. There is a lot of push and pull. We asked you this question in Naivasha, but I will repeat it now that you are in the House. What are you doing within the space of the Ministry to make sure that JSSs start operating independently? We should stop that push and pull that is making the quality of education questionable. We cannot bury our heads in the sand for a very long time when we know very well that the system is not operational. What are you doing to make sure that, that sector is operating independently? I mean: “What is famously known as the autonomy of that sector.” We will not run away from that issue. We are leaders and we need to deal with it.

Finally, is the issue of intern teachers. This is your sector, Cabinet Secretary. The courts were very clear when they made a ruling. That was the Court of Appeal. It is not any ordinary court. This is a very serious court and it pronounced itself when it ruled on the issue of employment of intern teachers. Currently, we have 44,000 intern teachers. The court said that it is illegal to have intern teachers. Cabinet Secretary, TSC is under your Ministry. Tell us the steps that you are taking to make sure that all the 44,000 intern teachers are confirmed on permanent and pensionable terms. You should also stop that policy on intern teachers since it has been declared illegal by the Court of Appeal of Kenya.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Jematiah.

Thank you so much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also want to add on to Hon. Mishi’s Question, which is very pertinent in the education sector today. I have observed the sector and realised that the issue is not about the shortage of teachers in this country. We have over-stretched by building many schools that are under-utilised. We build many schools in an area without proper mapping of students that will attend the school. We then end up with few students and many teachers at some point. Therefore, the Government, through the Ministry, could map every constituency and have the number of children that go to school so that we can build few schools with quality amenities. We can then post teachers equally across the country. I also realise the importance of what Hon. Mishi Mboko is talking about on the STEM subjects. This is a very pertinent issue now.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we were not prepared for the roll-out of Competency-Based Education (CBE) . Children graduate every day without proper qualifications. This is the life of a child. If we are unable to take care of children when they are in school, they may not compete properly in future. Otherwise, I support this idea. I believe it is something we can work out through legislation, and help the Ministry of Education achieve its goals and provide better quality education.

Is that Member for Chesumei? Do not look back.

Hon. Maungu, proceed.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me to appreciate the Cabinet Secretary for the feedback he has given. I wish to raise an issue in support of what my colleague has just said in regard to C1, C2, C3 and C4 schools. Recently, senior Ministry of Education officials declared that some C4 schools need to be closed because they do not attract learners. We know there was a challenge with the admission of Grade 10 learners. C4 schools were suffocated because they opened the space for C1 schools, which ended up admitting more learners than their required capacities.

For instance, a school may be allocated about four streams, but it ends up having double that number. I wish to hear the Cabinet Secretary speak on the Floor on the future of C4 schools. We have gone out of our way to develop schools in our sub-counties that are meant to serve local communities. Declaring that C4 schools may be closed because of not attracting learners is a major challenge. We have situations where a C4 school has five learners, but a C1 school is over-enrolled, which strains resources like laboratories, teachers, playgrounds and dining halls. What strategies are being put in place to ensure that, going forward, C4 schools will be secured?

Secondly, recently, our learners travelled to Nyeri for music festivals. It was very embarrassing to see teachers travelling all the way from Western Kenya, including Luanda and Vihiga where I come from, to take their learners to Nyeri, but the facilitation to make them comfortable so as to assist learners was quite wanting. I wish to hear you come out strongly on the same. Teachers who participate in extra-curricular activities are not paid well or taken care of to ensure that they watch over and mentor learners. Sports play a great part in schools.

Lastly, Cabinet Secretary, you have talked about this, but I have received several messages from examiners. I continue receiving them about their money. Those teachers were contracted and did what they were supposed to do. Despite the passage of the Supplementary Budget, they are still crying. Can you go on record on the fate of the examiners who marked exams?

I submit. Thank you.

Member for Funyula.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Member, do not make a speech.

I will not make a speech.

Ask a question.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I was in the village last weekend. Four or five fairly middle-aged men came to my compound. They all carried TSC registration numbers. They are 40 to 45 years old, but they have never been employed by the TSC. One of them asked me whether he would retire before he felt the sweetness of earning a salary from TSC. Could the Ministry initiate an affirmative action to mop out those men and women who are over 40 years? Some of them graduated as early as

Daktari, you have made your point. Do not do an over-kill. Let us have the last one by the Member for Magarini. Ask a question for God’s sake. Do not give a speech.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary. Speaker. Yes, I am asking the question. I would want to hear from the Cabinet Secretary first, about the balancing of teachers in Kilifi County. There are areas which are over-staffed and others that are under-staffed. Some teachers have stayed in one school for too long; over seven years. When they ask for transfers, they are never transferred and yet, other schools are suffering.

Secondly, there are areas where teachers do not want to go and teach in because they are hardship areas with no hardship allowances. What is the Ministry doing to take care of such areas?

That is the last one on this Question. Cabinet Secretary, proceed to answer those questions.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. In terms of ensuring that we have affirmative action with respect to employment of teachers in marginalised areas, the staffing norms of TSC have a provision to ensure that, in the marginalised areas, affirmative action is taken when teachers are being employed. The recruitment of teachers is progressive. They are working towards ensuring that there is equitable distribution of teachers across the country. For example, the distribution of senior teachers is also taking into account issues with respect to the specific pathways that would include the STEM, Social Sciences, Sports and Arts.

In terms of the recruitment going forward, because of the percentages of students taking the various subjects, almost 60 per cent of students are taking STEM, which means going forward, as we recruit teachers, 60 per cent of them should be given to teachers with STEM capacities. There is another around 38 per cent that are doing Social Sciences, and 10 per cent that are doing Sports Science. Ther recruitment is, therefore, supposed to be proportional to the subjects that the students are taking in terms of the distribution.

It is, however, true that in some areas, we have a large number of teachers, and in other areas, there are no teachers. We have agreed with TSC to do a mapping and rationalise the redistribution and harmonisation of those teachers to cover the country. Therefore, affirmative action exists, and it is being applied.

There is a critical question that has been asked by Mheshimiwa Maungu with respect to the C1 to C4 schools, and that the C4 schools that did not attract a good number of students. What happened is that most of the schools did not have Form 2s and so, they declared a higher capacity of the students that they could take. This year, 2026, they have actually taken the maximum number of students that they could take. Meaning that next year, 2027, they would have to come back to the actual number that is normal for them. This means that we cannot make a decision this year on the basis of the admissions that were done, that certain C4 schools that do not attract students should be closed. That decision can only be made next year when

we will have normalised the process. Next year, the schools that took more numbers, for example, in C1, would not be taking that number because they have already filled their capacity. The decision has not been made to close or merge any of the C4 schools because they are critical.

In fact, 60 per cent of the students who were admitted to our schools were admitted to C4 and C3 schools. Those are the most important ones, and we are not closing any of them until next year, when we will have rationalised and pupils will have come back to their normal numbers in terms of the facilities that they have. That is not going to happen this year. We shall wait until that time because we already have Form Three and Form Four students, and that is when we will be able to make that decision. But not this year. I just wanted to ensure that, that is sorted out.

With respect to the issue of drama and music, since we have now moved to ensuring that sports and arts are part and parcel of the mainstream study, we have been directed to ensure that the budget for that particular provision is not dealt with like co-curricular activities, where you are looking for resources from outside to be able to support it. It is going to be mainstreamed so that the support to the teachers, the work that they do, and the promotions that are required to be done, will take into account their role in handling music, drama and sports, so that we do not disenfranchise them. The budget is going to be mainstreamed in the main budget of the institution, and those are not going to be extra-curricular or co-curricular activities. They are part and parcel of the programmes.

There was a question with respect to the autonomy of the Junior School that keeps coming up. The Presidential Working Party on Education Reforms did indicate that we are going to have a system called a comprehensive school, where Junior School is domiciled in primary schools under one head of institution. As I indicated earlier, there is a team that is working on how that co-existence is going to happen in those institutions, taking into account the various friction points that have been raised by the Junior School, so that it is handled. That team is working on a paper, and after that paper is done, that is when we will see what the proposals are to support what the Presidential Working Party recommended, and how we implement it without causing friction within the Junior School and the primary schools in which they are domiciled.

Just for the interest of the Temporary Speaker, there was a Member who asked about the over-concentration of teachers in some schools and a complete scarcity in other schools. What does the Ministry of Education intend to do to address this imbalance? It is not that we do not have sufficient teachers, but it is that in some schools, they do very few lessons, while in other schools, they are non-existent. What happens? Can you give the Cabinet Secretary the microphone, please?

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I actually responded to that and indicated that the Teachers Service Commission

(TSC)

is doing harmonisation and redistribution of teachers across the country, so that we move teachers from areas where there are more, to ensure that every school is equitably staffed. That exercise is going on.

Let me also answer the question from the Member from Funyula on the 45-year-old teachers, that is, people who have qualified and have been out there since 2012. The agreement with the TSC is that, as they do the recruitment, they start with the people who have been out for that long to ensure that they are supported. So those are the ones that...

There was something on the interns in Government schools.

Hardship is quite a wider issue. It has been asked here, and it is not fair just to... Order! Hardship cuts across all. That matter has been

addressed many times here. The only issue is the one that was raised by Hon. Omboko, which was the illegality of interns. Order! It will be answered here.

Hon. Members, the next Question was asked by Hon. Basil, but he has nominated the Learned Counsel, Hon. Caroli Omondi, to ask on his behalf.

Question 9/2026

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise on behalf of the Member for Yatta, Hon. Robert Basil, to ask the following Question:

Could the Cabinet Secretary—

Cabinet Secretary. The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. The promotion of teachers in public service is premised on the provisions of the Code of Regulations for teachers, career progression guidelines for teachers, and the policy on selection and appointment of institutional administrators. Regulation 73 of the Regulations provides for general guidelines governing promotion of teachers, including merits and ability as reflected in the teacher's work, performance and results, seniority and experience as set out in the schemes of service, existence of a vacancy, academic and professional qualifications and, above all, budgetary provisions that are appropriated by the National Assembly.

In 2015/2016, the Commission, in consultation with the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) , conducted a job evaluation for the teaching service. Based on the findings of the evaluation report, the SRC rendered a formal advisory under Article 230 of the Constitution advising on a new grading and remuneration structure for teachers in the public service.

Subsequent to the job evaluation, the Commission signed the 2017/2021 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) with the teachers' unions, purposely to anchor the findings of the job evaluation results. The adoption of the new remuneration structure and the new CBA necessitated the development and implementation of new teachers' career progression guidelines to align the new grading structure with the career progression of teachers. To this end, the Commission developed, through a consultative approach, the Career Progression Guidelines, 2018.

The Career Progression Guidelines have a comprehensive and definitive career progression framework for all the teachers under the employment of the Commission, including the primary and secondary school teachers, teacher training colleges, lecturers, and special needs education teachers. The Career Progression Guidelines spell out the progression structure from classroom to administration, grades, qualifications, skills, competencies, and the

experience that is required for advancement in the profession by setting out the minimum requirements for selection, appointments, and promotion of teachers at different grades. To this end, all promotion vacancies are filled competitively with the objective to recognise or reward efforts, align teachers for succession management and career progression, and to motivate employees to perform better in their duties and responsibilities with the aim of improving quality teaching and learning.

The old programme of promotion of teachers upon acquiring higher qualifications, such as diploma and degree certificates, was discontinued on 8th January 2024, due to lack of vacancies in the establishment and budgetary constraints.

Therefore, currently, Regulations 73 and 74 of the Code of Regulations for Teachers 2015 include acquisition of higher qualifications as a sole requirement for promotion. The career progression guidelines provide a clear progression path for all categories of teachers. To this end, teachers who are currently serving on C1 Grade are required to apply for promotion once suitable vacancies are advertised.

On the second question, the career progression guidelines stipulate two forms of promotions in line with the prevailing regulations, namely; common cadre establishment and competitive promotions under common cadre establishment where the Commission promotes teachers automatically after serving for three years in one job group, subject to satisfactory performance and availability of vacancies. The grades that form common cadre establishment in the teaching service include Primary Teacher 2, which is TSC Scale 5, otherwise known as B5 Grade; and Primary Teacher 1 and Teacher Service Scale 6; that is, C1 Grade for primary teacher education certificate holders.

Common cadres for secondary teachers and college lecturers include Secondary School Teacher 3 or Lecturer 3, which is TSC Scale 6, also known as C1 grade; and Secondary School Teacher 2 or Lecturer 2, which is TSC scale 7, otherwise known as C2 grade. For diploma holders, they include Secondary School Teacher 2, Lecturer 2, which is TSC Scale 7, known as Grade C2 and Secondary Teacher 1, Lecturer 1, Teacher Service Scale 8, known as Grade C3, for holders of Bachelor of Education or its equivalent.

On the other hand, the Commission conducts competitive promotions through interviews. The promotions are subject to availability of vacancies and budgetary provision. The Commission considers the following general criteria in the promotion of teachers under competitive promotions. The criterion provided is geared towards ensuring that there is fairness in undertaking teacher promotions.

They consider:

Hon. Caroli Omondi, take the first bite of the cherry.

Thank you very much. That is a very elaborate answer. I have one further clarification to seek on the first question on P1 teachers. There was an element of salary arrears which the Cabinet Secretary did not address.

Fair enough.

That is the only matter I have.

That was a very elaborate answer. You gave it justice. Answer that final question and then we call it a day.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I have been informed that there are no salary arrears for P1 teachers.

Okay. Member for Magarini.

Thank you.

Please confine yourself to a question on education.

It is a question on teachers’ promotions. The Cabinet Secretary said that a teacher stays in one grade for three years. However, I have a case in my constituency of a teacher who has been acting for 17 years. He has not been promoted to head a school. What is your take, Cabinet Secretary?

Member for Funyula, are you sure your question is not related to promotion?

I have a very quick question related to teachers’ promotions.

Okay.

The Cabinet Secretary may not answer it right away. It may require consultation and research. We have a very unfortunate situation of teachers who have stagnated at one level for many years. When applications were made for deputy headteachers, principals and deputy principals, only one or two teachers out of 1,000 qualified in Funyula Constituency. Is it systematic, coincidence or marginalisation of a certain group?

Member for Funyula, that is a specific case. The best way to do justice to it, including what the Member for Magarini has asked, is to

ask a specific question. For example, why has a particular teacher from my constituency stagnated in one position for long? A general question will not address such specific issues. It does not do justice to the person you are trying to help or to the Ministry.

Yes, Hon. Rindikiri.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Member for Funyula has raised a pertinent issue. I believe the Cabinet Secretary is not well versed with this TSC matter. When it comes to promotions and interviews in my constituency, we are banded together with another constituency, Imenti North. In the last four or five interviews, nobody from my constituency was considered for promotion. I raised this matter with the local TSC directors and even escalated it to TSC Headquarters.

This is a very important question because it highlights a serious problem. Individuals from outside the constituency are often promoted, only to exit after a short time, thus creating a problem within the constituency. This situation is significantly affecting teachers’ morale. We have been there. They attend interviews.

Order, Hon. Rindikiri. I will go back to what I said earlier. Unless you are able to identify names of specific teachers and officers who have been overlooked for promotion over the years, it becomes difficult to obtain meaningful answers. Asking a supplementary question to a general question will not help your teachers. It does not help the teachers you are trying to support. As a senior legislator, I advise that you go back and come up with pertinent questions. For example, if a teacher has been acting in a position for 17 years without promotion, ask why that particular individual has not been promoted. Ask why no teacher was promoted in specific schools.

They will give you answers, and you will be able to assist your teachers. However, jumping on a question that was raised by Hon. Basil, especially on such a general matter, is not going to help you or even the teachers you are trying to support.

I seek your indulgence, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Yes.

I understand that the Ministry of Education operates within certain limits when it comes to interference with school management. I appreciate what the Cabinet Secretary has stated. They want to review the Act to clarify the limits of the Ministry of Education and the TSC because that is the source of the problem. The indulgence I seek from you is to make a ruling on when Members can engage with the TSC alongside the Ministry.

Very well. Point taken. My suggestion is that although the TSC largely functions independently from the Ministry, it is not absolutely independent. Still, the Ministry oversees the TSC. Still, the Cabinet Secretary for Education is the one who appears before Parliament. You can ask a question that is supposed to be answered by the TSC and still have the Cabinet Secretary answer it. So, why not get the specifics? It does not do justice to the people you are trying to help.

I sympathise with you. I am sure your teachers will require a very specific answer. I encourage you to raise the matter as a Question by Private Notice. I am sure that the Cabinet Secretary will be willing to respond. At that point, the Chair can intervene and direct that, since it is a specific question directed at the Cabinet Secretary, the matter be referred back to the TSC for detailed information. For instance, you may seek an answer on why, in an entire constituency with many schools and teachers, none of the teachers who were interviewed was promoted. That answers your question.

You have somebody who has been acting for 17 years, but the Cabinet Secretary does not know. You did not ask him that question. You are just trying to ride on a question that was asked by Hon. Basil, which has nothing to do with that specific case. For you to do justice to a

specific teacher, ask a specific question. What is the name of the teacher? Which school are they in? They have been acting in that position for all those years. Why have they not been promoted?

Thank you. Mhe. Bedzimba uliza swali lako. Ask your question. Question 13/2026

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to ask the Cabinet Secretary the following Question-

Cabinet Secretary, proceed to answer the Question.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to respond to the three questions together.

Section 10

(2)

(g)

of the Kenya National Examinations Council Act, 2012 outlines one of the functions of KNEC as being to equate certificates issued by accredited foreign examining bodies with the qualifications awarded by the Council. Section 48 of the same Act grants the Council power to make rules, including rules for the equation of certificates and prescribing what examinations may be equated by the Council. Pursuant to this provision, the Council enacted the Kenya National Examinations Council

Rules, 2015, and the Guidelines on Equation of Foreign Certificates

, Annexure 1, which is the response. The Rules and the Guidelines provide that the Council shall not equate:

Hon. Bedzimba, do you want to ask a follow-up question?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. According to the Cabinet Secretary’s response, students pursuing the international curriculum can be employed in the public sector. That is what he means. Secondly, KNEC was supposed to form a committee, but it has not done so to date. I do not know whether he is aware of that. Maybe, he can tell us.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: No committee is required. Those examination boards need to submit documents, which are then evaluated by KNEC. Two examination bodies have already submitted their documents. The CAIE is yet to submit its documents. Only three international bodies offer examinations to foreign students in Kenya. In 2018, the courts declared the non-equation of certificates and diplomas obtained from international schools as unconstitutional. The matter is being handled.

Cabinet Secretary, we previously had the Cambridge School Certificate, which was replaced by the East African Certificate of Education (EACE) , which was subsequently replaced by the Kenya Certificate of Education. We also had the Ordinary Level (O-Level) and the Advanced Level (A-Level) education. To qualify for university, you only needed a minimum of two core principles in your A-Levels.

During the time of A-Level education system, students would go to university for three years in most cases except for medicine students, who would study for five years. Dentistry students would study for four years. Law students would also study for four years, if my memory serves me right. The presumption was that because the A-Level system encouraged students to specialize in three subjects for two years, they were above our current Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) .

In some cases, students who went through A-level would start university in the second year in Europe and the United States of America (USA) . I saw a case in which a student who had four principle passes in his A-Level was told that his grades were equivalent to a C- Mean Grade, which was an absolute disaster. We all know the depth of the studies undertaken under the A-Level system for two years. That decision was not informed by professionalism or scholarly inquest. You should find the right people to fairly determine the equivalence. That international curriculum is recognized all over the world.

Those undertaking the equalization went through the 8-4-4 education system, which is not as good as getting an A-Level certificate with three or four principles. The decision to allow students who passed their A-Levels with three or four principles to go to university for three years instead of four years was informed by the fact that their system of education was superior to the Kenyan one. We adopted the 8-4-4 education system because it is broader. Mwalimu Omboko is here. He can attest to that fact. We need to delve more into this issue, so that parents who choose to take their children to pursue an international curriculum are not disadvantaged purely out of some kind of activism on the part of those with the responsibility of determining their future, simply because they are products of the 8-4-4 education system. Do you agree with that? I am not using the Chair. I am also a Member of Parliament and a parent.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education (Mr Julius Ogamba): Hon. Temporary Speaker, your arguments are sound. That is why we said it is part of the documentation that the various examination boards present to KNEC to determine the appropriate level to equate. That applies to both KNEC and Kenya National Qualifications Authority (KNQA). That process is ongoing.

Some of the people who transitioned us from A-Level to the 8-4-4 system, such as Prof Chacha Mwita, are still alive. A good number of them are available. I think you need to bring them on board instead of bringing in someone who only went through the 8-4-4 system. Such people may just be protecting their own. We should involve those with broader experience. Otherwise, some of those decisions may appear political and self-serving.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: The point is well taken, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Thank you. I think this is the last Question, unless there is someone else with a question. Yes, Hon. Rindikiri. I know where you come from. I will give you the last bite of the cherry.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I am not feeling very well today. I stepped out, took some medicine and came back. I have two specific questions. I must confess that I was not present for much of the session. It would have been okay if those issues never came up.

The first issue concerns pension payments to retired teachers. We have many cases. I have about 39 pending pension cases in Buuri. I also have seven pending cases involving deceased individuals, with no explanation given. I have asked whether it is possible to provide us with an aging report of those pensions so that we can identify where the problem lies. You are told to wait whenever you go to the TSC. There are delays, possibly at the National Treasury. I think the Cabinet Secretary can look into this matter.

The second issue concerns transfers, particularly of spouses. This is becoming a serious matter. I have about four cases where teachers want to join their spouses. One of them is a person living with a disability (PWD) . We need to revisit the issues of pensions and transfers. We can submit specific cases given the importance of the concerns. There should be a policy allowing someone to join her husband or his wife. Similarly, there should be a policy addressing PWDs. This includes infrastructure requirements for PWDs. We have special classes but there is a shortage of teachers such as sign language instructors. What is the Ministry doing about this? We have many persons with disabilities, but there are not enough teachers trained in special education.

Hon. Members, I do not want the Cabinet Secretary to go into areas he has not prepared for. You may answer the questions now or undertake to respond to them later when you are fully prepared. Let us take one more question. Hon. Rashid Bedzimba, ask your final question.

Ahsante sana kwa kunipa nafasi hii niulize swali la ziada. Swali langu la ziada linahusu Eneobunge la Kisauni. Bado tunahitaji majengo ya shule hivi sasa kwa sababu watoto ni wengi madarasani. Wanasoma watoto mia mbili katika darasa moja.

Tunajenga shule lakini wizara inakataa kutoa stakabadhi za kusajili shule mpya. Huwezi kutulinganisha sisi wa Eneobunge la Kisauni na Eneobunge lingine. Sisi bado tunahitaji majengo lakini Wizara inakataa kutoa stakabadhi za kusajili shule mpya. Je, hiyo ni sawa? Ama tuendelee kukaa na watoto 500 katika darasa moja?

Ahsante sana, Mhe Spika wa Muda.

Cabinet Secretary, this question was not listed or filed formally. However, you may proceed if you can respond.

The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I have visited some of the schools he has mentioned. They are very good schools. They should not lack registration. Please, provide us with details and I will follow up on registration. I will inform him if there is a problem. I have visited about three of them. We have opened three in his constituency.

Hon. Bedzimba, in such situations, just walk to the Cabinet Secretary. I have done that many times myself. He will always move with a speed that will surprise you.

Mhe. Spika wa Muda, kwa sababu Waziri amelizungumzia suala hilo, niruhusu nimpongeze. Alienda Kisauni wakati wa Krismasi kufungua Shanzu Senior School. Huo wakati, Mawaziri wengine walikuwa wamepumzika. Lakini yeye aliendelea kuhudumia taifa. Namshukuru sana na nitampelekea ombi letu ili aweze kulishuhulikia.

Ahsante sana Waziri.

Cabinet Secretary, on the matter raised by Hon. Rindikiri, if you choose to go back, he can also come to your office for consultation. Hon. Rindikiri, the Cabinet Secretary will sort it out for you.

Let us have Hon. Dorothy Muthoni, the Women Rep for Meru. Am I right?

She is a Nominated Member.

Nominated Member, Hon. Muthoni.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I want to ask the Cabinet Secretary for Education a question that was canvassed in this House - on the time learners should report to school. I remember very well that this matter was brought to this House by Hon. Doris Donya, who said that children are subjected to walking in darkness very early in the morning, sometimes as early as 5.00 a.m. Personally, when I come to Nairobi on a Monday, I wake up at around 4.30 a.m. and start my journey. By 5.00 a.m., there are children on the road going to school, including very young learners who are unaccompanied. I try to imagine what would befall them if somebody insane met them in the darkness. What we are seeking is a clear policy where schools must start their daily operations at an appropriate time. We do not want to see children, especially girls, going to school in darkness. That is my concern and I hope it will be addressed.

You can respond to that one. The Cabinet Secretary for Education

: I addressed that question. There is a policy that says learners should be in school by 7.30 a.m. and go back home by 5.00

Hon. Dorothy, as I said earlier, it would help a lot if you specified the school that the children were going to. Instead of

generalising, since you saw the uniforms won by the children, you would know the schools. It would not do any harm, for instance, if you say: “Such and such schools have children on the road as early as 5.00 a.m.” Such detail enables the Cabinet Secretary to pick up the phone and talk to the education managers in that specific county. You will be surprised that the problem will be addressed. Where the policy matter has already been sorted out, we need to focus on specifics. Specifics require specific attention. That is what Members of Parliament should pursue as it makes it easier for the Ministry to act.

I would like to just make a comment, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your comment? Proceed. Let it be short because we are going to the next Order.

I will be brief, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Thank you for giving me the opportunity. I thank the Cabinet Secretary for responding to the issues raised. I want to make a suggestion since the CS has said he will come up with a policy document to respond to all the concerns that Members have raised. Through your office, I propose that when that happens, we have a Kamukunji so that he gives us the details of the policy. A Kamukunji is better forum than a plenary session.

Absolutely. Minister, take note of that suggestion. When you are ready, you will communicate to the leadership of Parliament and the Speaker will facilitate a Kamukunji. What I have learned is that when you pick up a phone and say in this and that school you have seen children in a given manner and the problem is this, it makes life easier. Such a problem will not persist.

Cabinet Secretary, you are released. You are now at liberty to go back to your office. Next Order.

Where is the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock? Hon. Mutunga is usually around. Oh yes! He is here. Please, proceed, Chairperson.

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

THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock on its inquiry into the pricing of tea in Kenya, laid on the Table of the House on Thursday, 4th December 2025. Hon. Temporary Speaker, this Report is a culmination of a lot of questions which were coming from various Members of Parliament from different parts of Kenya where tea is produced. The Speaker gave a ruling that we form an enquiry team and enlarge the Committee to incorporate some Members from those areas.

The tea sector in this country remains one of the largest foreign exchange earners. It is actually the third leading foreign exchange earner in the Republic of Kenya, basically providing a vital economic lifeline to more than 600,000 households of smallholder farmers in this country. Despite this paramount importance, the industry has recently been besieged by many challenges, including delayed payment of farmers, unstable global prices, escalating production costs and narrow market space for Kenyan tea. The genesis of this enquiry is a series of complaints raised by Hon. Members representing tea growing constituencies, especially from the West of the Rift Valley.

[The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Farah Maalim) left the Chair] [The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Omboko Milemba) in the Chair] Farmers in those areas alleged that there was a systematic disparity in bonus payments compared to their counterparts from the East of the Rift Valley. Therefore, this situation required very close scrutiny. It led to a lot of disaffection amongst farmers and some of them resorted to uprooting their tea. The Committee's primary objective was basically to undertake a comprehensive review of the tea pricing mechanism to evaluate its effectiveness, fairness, long-term sustainability and the application of the principles. Our enquiry basically focused on identifying the determinants of tea pricing, establishing why tea farmers in the Eastern side of the Rift Valley consistently fetched higher prices, and uncovering the causes of the depression in the net income of the farmers who produce tea in the Western side of the Rift Valley.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, to ensure a robust and evidence-based approach, the Committee employed a multi-faceted methodology. The Committee held extensive stakeholder engagements with the Tea Board of Kenya, the Kenya Tea Development Agency, the Kenya Tea Growers Association, and independent experts.

Further, the Committee conducted rigorous field visits to tea factories in Bomet, Kericho, Kisii, Nyamira, Embu, Meru, Murang’a and Kiambu. It also inspected the Tea Research Institute in Kericho. In addition, the Committee visited the Mombasa Tea Auction and the quality analysis laboratories in Mombasa that were established by the Tea Board of Kenya.

The Committee’s findings reveal a complex mix of geographical, technical, and governance factors contributing to the current pricing crisis in the country. First, tea pricing is primarily driven by the Mombasa Tea Auction, where prices are determined by global supply and demand dynamics, as well as organoleptic assessment, a sensory method involving tasting and smelling that is conducted by brokers and buyers. While this method is a global standard, it is inherently subjective and has fostered deep-rooted suspicion among farmers, particularly those from the Western part of the Rift Valley, regarding the objectivity of tea valuation.

Regarding regional disparities, the data confirms that tea from the Eastern part of the Rift Valley generally earn higher prices than tea from Western Rift Valley. For instance, in the 2024/2025 Financial Year, the average auction price for tea from Eastern Rift Valley was US$2.95 per kilogramme, whereas tea from Western Rift Valley fetched an average of US$1.78 per kilogramme. This disparity is largely rooted in quality differences between tea from the two regions. Factories in Eastern Rift Valley benefit from high-altitude conditions and more uniform plucking standards. Conversely, tea from Western Rift Valley faces significant challenges, including rampant tea hawking and the proliferation of independent processors. Those independent processors often accept low-quality tea, referred to as coarse leaf, which is typically rejected by KTDA factories. That means the tea that is rejected by KTDA due to poor quality is more likely to find a market in Western Rift Valley than in Eastern Rift Valley, where investment in private tea processing is comparatively lower. Further, the multiplicity of tea cultivars in Western Rift Valley, which are processed simultaneously despite differing fermentation requirements, negatively affects the final product quality. Let me take a minute to explain what I mean by this fundamental factor.

Different tea varieties require different fermentation conditions in terms of temperature and duration. Some varieties require between 80 and 120 minutes. However, the standard fermentation time that is used in factories is approximately 90 minutes. When different varieties are processed together under the same conditions, those requiring longer fermentation

periods, such as 110 to 120 minutes, will remain under-fermented, while those requiring around 90 minutes will be properly fermented. A mixture of such semi-fermented tea with fully fermented tea would cause a serious setback in quality.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, efficiency and cost management are the second pillars of this particular inquiry. Our analysis shows that the cost of production in Western Rift Valley is approximately 31 per cent higher than the cost of production in Eastern Rift Valley. This is largely due to the greater distance of Western Rift Valley from Mombasa Port, which inflates transport and insurance costs. Additionally, the cost of labour in Western Rift Valley is significantly higher due to collective bargaining agreements that are negotiated with unions. In the current system, the lowest paid factory worker often earns a monthly wage that is five times more than the average proceeds of the farmers who actually own the tea.

Let me pause to explain this particular fact. Most of the workers in Western Rift Valley have gone back to bargain for higher pay. Whenever Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) varies the cost per unit, they still resort to the unions to negotiate for higher payments. It is, therefore, clear that the payments made in Western Rift Valley are much higher than those in Eastern Rift Valley.

On the other hand, when it comes to the management costs, it is apparent that energy remains a major component of costs. It is another exorbitant cost centre. Kenya has an electricity user index of 0.57-kilowatt hour per kilogramme of made tea. In other words, it takes so much to process a kilogramme of tea. Therefore, this is significantly higher than that of our global competitors, which is generally costly for all Kenyans. Paradoxically, factories that have invested in small hydro power plants do not enjoy the benefits of cheaper power. This is because those factories are currently forced to sell their power to the national grid before it is redistributed. There was an investment within the KTDA factory system to produce own power. Some of them have actually produced this power, but they are not allowed to use it as is. It is the Government’s policy to link this power to the national grid before it is redistributed. Despite the investment, they suffer from the high cost of electricity, which is a lot higher in Kenya than the rest of the world.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, governance and financial integrity issues were also prominent during our inquiry. We found evidence of inflated sitting allowances. In some cases, we found a number of factory board members having up to 55 sittings with inflated sitting allowances in a single year, far exceeding the recommended 19 sitting allowance according to the statutes of those particular factories. That was disturbing.

There were also disturbing reports of falsification of weighing scales at the buying centres. That means adjusting the weighing scales to non-weight selling. In other words, the machine is set in such a way that it records a higher weight than the actual weight. This particularly happens in Western Rift Valley, where we have also seen stealing of hard-earned produce from farmers.

Further, the inter-factory loan system, that is managed centrally by the KTDA’s management system, lacks transparency policy on guidelines and board resolutions, leading to significant cash flow constraints for several factories. We realised that whenever a factory is unable to pay its farmers, especially the bonuses, they borrow under the KTDA management system. Kenya Tea Development Agency has negotiated a global management system for all the 71 factories. Some factories can lend money to other factories. However, this lending is not always beneficial to the lenders, nor is it beneficial to those who borrow. The issue at hand is the frequency of board meetings. For instance, we discovered that one factory, specifically named Motigo Tea Factory Kenya, held more than 55 meetings in a year. This was extremely costly for the factory.

The external market environment offers no relief to the farmers. Over 50 per cent of Kenyan tea is exported to just two destinations: Pakistan and Egypt. This narrow market scope

is concerning. In the Financial Year 2024/2025, Pakistan procured between 35 per cent and 40 per cent of Kenyan tea, amounting to 6.27 million kilogrammes valued at over Ksh70 billion. This represents around 35 per cent of Kenya's total tea production. Egypt, on the other hand, procured between 11 and 15 per cent. Therefore, those two countries together accounted for between 46 and 55 per cent of our tea exports during that period. This is to say that our tea has a very narrow scope of market outlets. If we were to encounter any issues with Pakistan or Egypt, we would struggle to sell our tea domestically. This is a significant challenge that must be addressed.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, economic instability, currency devaluation and factors such as the Ukraine-Russia war have severely disrupted traditional markets. Those disruptions have affected the absorption of Kenyan tea due to the limited range of outlets. While our competitors, such as Sri Lanka, have successfully diversified into high-value speciality and orthodox teas, Kenya remains overly reliant on bulk crush, tear and curl (CTC) tea.

In light of those findings, the Committee has formulated several transformative recommendations to restore the sector's profitability. The first recommendation pertains to audit and accountability issues. The Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development has the mandate to oversee those institutions and should thus conduct an independent audit of the Tea Board of Kenya’s licensing processes. Additionally, the Tea Board, as the regulator, must conduct lifestyle audits for its directors and clerks to weed out corruption.

We have also seen reports indicating that the Tea Board of Kenya has been conducting serious audits. Where necessary, we recommend detailed forensic audits to uncover the true state of accountability within the factories.

Regarding energy, we recommend the immediate implementation of the power-wheeling laws. This would allow factories that generate their own power to distribute it to neighbouring factories, reducing their costs rather than simply sending the excess power to the national grid.

Furthermore, we recommend modernising the factories. Factory management must prioritise replacing dilapidated machinery. Some of those factories have been operational for many years and have been processing tea continuously. Certain production lines are broken and no longer functional. Therefore, we strongly recommend improvements in performance through the modernisation of those factories. This should include introducing lines that process orthodox tea, which would provide us with alternative market access. Our over-reliance on CTC tea must be addressed, and we can revert to orthodox tea processing, as it was originally. There is a clear market for this line of value addition, as well as for preferential pricing for orthodox tea.

The fourth recommendation is on market diversification. The Government must pursue aggressive diplomatic efforts to open new markets under the African Continental Free Trade Area. It should also encourage factories to pursue direct sales rather than rely solely on auctions in Mombasa. We discovered that Sri Lanka has placed a tea marketing officer in most of its embassy outlets. This is something Kenya should adopt, and I believe it would not cost the Government any additional money.

The fifth issue is scientific testing, which has been contentious among farmers. It is, therefore, necessary to enhance objectivity in testing. The Ministry should develop scientific blind testing methods to complement the current organoleptic evaluation system.

The sixth recommendation is for a legislative review. This House must, therefore, consider further amendments to the Tea Act 2020, to ensure that it reflects the current development needs of the industry. It should also provide for a dedicated tribunal to handle the tea sector disputes. They are many and very complex. The proposed amendment does not capture this particular provision; therefore, we recommend a review of the legislation.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I only have two recommendations left.

I add you more time.

I need two minutes.

Please add him two minutes.

The seventh recommendation is that varietal or clonal specificity is key and should be assessed to sustain quality, so that processing standards are maintained.

The eighth recommendation is that there was evidence of questionable investment in those factories. We also found a lack of transparency, including procurements that appear to benefit factory directors. For instance, we found cases of leasing transport from external providers when factories already have their own transport. There were also cases where land was purchased to benefit certain board members.

In this regard, we believe that the forensic audit we propose, along with the follow-up recommendations, will identify and address those anomalies. Additionally, insufficient research findings are apparent. Our research centre in Kericho is under-funded. We discovered that an elegant, magnificent factory has been built, but it has never been equipped. It cannot process anything.

The plight of tea farmers is a national concern in this country. We cannot afford to remain spectators as a vital industry teeter on the brink of collapse due to inefficiencies and regional biases. By adopting this Report, we take a decisive step towards ensuring that every tea farmer receives a fair return for their labour and investment.

I now beg to move and urge the House to adopt this Report. I request Hon. Osero Kibagendi to second this Motion.

I thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Great. Hon. Osero Kibagendi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to second this Motion. It is of national importance. This Report was prepared after extensive tours of both the West and East Rift. In the Committee, we divided ourselves such that those from the West went to the East, and vice versa. For example, in the West, the average bonus second payment was Ksh12. The average was Ksh55 in the East. There was a hue and cry. The farmers nearly set some factories on fire. We aptly captured the farmers' concerns. Governance, fairness, and price disparities were the major issues in the West. You will find a person is a board member in his factory, at the head office and in one of the many companies KTDA has, like Chai Holdings. He earns allowances throughout. The Chairman said that one board member had 55 meetings. He is paid between Ksh70,000 and Ksh120,000 for each meeting. This money belongs to farmers. This is a conflict of interest.

Some board members lease their vehicles to specific factories at exorbitant prices. One instance we came across is called Sanganyi Tea Factory. They are talking about handling wet leaf pre-factory, which we understand can be an issue. They want to charge Ksh1 less because of the wet leaf in the morning. That means if you were to earn Ksh22, you get Ksh21 because the leaf is wet. This is a natural occurrence.

We urge the Tea Board of Kenya to do a lifestyle forensic audit. There are board members and directors who were elected riding bodaboda. They and their children drive VX model-type vehicles and have bought plots. We ask the Tea Board of Kenya to proceed with the forensic audit and to refer the report to the relevant authorities for action, whether the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) or the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) .

Lastly, we, as tea farmers, accept that there are domestic issues we can handle better in the West of the Rift. That is why those directors go for benchmarking in the East, but those reports have never come to fruition. We also suggested that it is high time our farmers benchmark in different farms. Farmers from the West can benchmark against those from the East to gain first-hand experience of how tea is handled, and why those price disparities occur.

As we approach the second payment, and with this war in Iraq, the tea bonus will be worse than last year's. This matter is urgent. We need to adopt this Report.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Members, I remember this was a very stormy matter, being a very regular person in Parliament. Let us have the first bite from Hon. Moses Kirima.

Where is the Member who seconded this Motion? He did not go on record as seconding it. Get back to your place, then indicate that ‘you beg to second this Motion’. Give him the microphone. There is a microphone in front of you.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to second.

Great. Having done that, we can now hear Hon. Moses Kirima.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. Tea is one of Kenya's most important cash crops. Tea is not grown in every part of Kenya; it is grown in specific areas. Tea has been grown since the colonial period to the present day. But the way it was grown during colonialism is very different from the way it is grown today. During colonialism, it was grown in big tea estates. But after independence, it has spread widely, even among peasants, so that a person can own a very small portion of land and have tea bushes on it.

I say this because tea prices depend on the way a factory is managed. Even in areas, especially in the eastern Rift Valley, where it is said that the tea prices are so good, that is not the case. This is because some factories still complain that they are under-paid. Some factories also complain about their directors, CEOs, or factory management. The way management conducts its activities depends on the deductions a member is supposed to be paid at the end of the day, either as a monthly payment or an annual bonus.

Mainly in the eastern region east of the Rift Valley, KTDA manages most of the tea. But on the other side, which we also had an opportunity to visit, as Members of Parliament during the tea annual general meetings, there are many independent buyers. I am a tea farmer. I have gone through a process whereby KTDA insists that tea farmers pluck the nip and the first two leaves. If you do not do that, your tea is rejected at the weighing centres. But in some places, for example, Meru, Embu, and Tharaka Nithi, we had one independent buyer who would traverse the region and collect all the tea that is rejected by KTDA. If the tea is rejected by KTDA but is picked and mixed with the tea that is selected by KTDA, the resulting blend will be of lower quality. Most of the rejected tea is overgrown and has not passed the quality threshold that is required by the buyers.

That, notwithstanding, there was a time when the Departmental Committee on Trade, Industry and Co-operatives visited the Euro-Russian bloc. There was no Kenyan tea in that market.

If you go to Europe today, say Britain, the breakfast tea you are served has nothing to do with Kenyan tea. This shows that the marketing of Kenyan tea has not been adequately done, thus preventing it from earning the money it deserves. Pakistan, which is said to be our main market, together with Egypt, are the only two semi-Arab and Islamic countries, and cannot be said to be the best. We need more marketing by Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) or agencies which are ...

Please give him one more minute. He sounds quite knowledgeable in this area.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, if you go to Britain, which was once our colonial master, you will not find Kenyan tea on their table, which they call “breakfast tea.” Instead, you will find teas from Morocco and other mountains that have nothing to do with tea, which is similar to ours. When you enquire at a Kenyan Embassy, you find there is no trade attaché discussing our tea or commodities in those countries where they represent us. Honestly, this is very disappointing, and we wonder why we have all the ambassadors hovering everywhere and yet, they are not selling our commodities. This is what I observed in both the Russia bloc and European markets. When we sell our tea to people who are struggling like us, third-world countries such as Pakistan, Egypt and others, you cannot expect much.

To my brothers and sisters in the western part of the country, I urge them to focus on quality and the rules. Rumours are circulating that the Government is planning to impose a Ksh3.50 tax on tea farmers. This rumour is widespread. I do not know how it is being addressed, yet it is not true. In my view, marketing and quality must be prioritised. Otherwise, we risk going down, and tea farmers may begin uprooting tea as has happened before. To prevent this, the Government should provide farmers with a safety net.

With those few remarks, I thank you.

Great. Let us now hear from Hon. John Gitonga.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to comment on this inquiry. I wish to note that I come from a very strong tea-growing area, Embu, which has over three tea factories: Kathangariri, Mungania, and Rukuriri. Those are among the factories that lead in pricing for good tea in Kenya.

I commend the Chairman for this elaborate Report and inquiry. As one goes through it, one realises there is a bit of failure on the part of the Tea Board of Kenya (TBK) . As the regulator in the tea sector, I have both tea and coffee and speak about them often. So kindly bear with me. TBK must step up and do a bit of education and due diligence to ensure we do not have this rift. I remember that when bonuses were paid last year, I contributed in this House on the reasons for the price disparities between what we refer to as the East and the West. Members from the West were all over my case. This is because I clearly pointed out that there are challenges in how they manage their tea. This is the process from production, harvesting and the whole value chain.

As we discuss the East and the West, we need a basic standard for our country to work towards. This is why one of my recommendations, in addition to the Committee’s recommendations, is to task the TBK with developing regulations to standardise our tea from the East to the West.

That aside, we are in a crisis, especially at this time when we are dealing with a lot of world crises like the Iran, USA and Israel war, and also the Sudan issue that is very near to us. Sudan used to buy our Broken Pekoe 1 (BP1) tea. They closed the market, said that Kenya is supporting the civil war, and they retaliated by closing our market in Sudan, which was buying the BP1 tea. We are left with a very meagre market: Pakistan and Egypt. This is a crisis because, when we compare prices, we are selling at US$3.1 right now, compared to last year, when the price was almost US$3.3 per kg. This suggests the pricing might go even lower. This will create even more crises. The West will get even worse pricing.

There are a few things that we must do. One, we must increase our local consumption of tea. I will give an example. China is currently the world's largest tea producer. But their consumption of tea is not...

If I could get a minute, I would really appreciate it.

Give him one minute.

Thank you. As I was saying, today, Kenya exports 90-92 per cent of the tea we produce. That shows that if we have a global crisis, many families that depend on tea will fall into poverty. I agree with my good friend that we should market our tea more, reach new markets, and pursue better markets. China’s market is still not full. They do not just produce, they also import. We need to go to those markets. We also need to go after the English market, which has always been using our tea and calling it English tea. At the same time, it is Kenyan tea that is mixed with other small things. Those are the likes of Lipton Teas and Infusions, who buy tea from us at auction, but sell it without mentioning that it is Kenyan tea. When we do that, we can get better prices.

Last but not least, we need to better brand our tea. We have a problem with how we sell our tea at auctions in magunias, where we do not really add value. That is where the money is. That is where our farmers can get better prices. If we do not do that, next year, we might be in this House debating higher prices. There might even be tea wars in this country if something is not done.

I beg to cede the Floor.

Very well.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order, Hon. Dorothy?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Pursuant to Standing Order 96, I beg to move that this debate be adjourned to some future occasion. This is a matter of national importance, and I would like to advance it to the next level and discuss it with the full House.

Thank you, and I beg to ask Hon. Moses Kirima to second.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I second. Thank you.

Indeed, Members, you will notice that when this matter came to the Floor of the House, there was almost an uproar. There was suspicion, and farmers felt the administration had changed. Indeed, this report then becomes very crucial. Therefore, let it be adjourned to a later date and sitting so that we can have a very comprehensive discussion on this matter.

Next Order. Is the Chairperson there? Proceed, Chair.

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

THAT, this House adopts the 11th Report of the Decentralised Funds Accounts Committee on its consideration of the audited accounts of the

National Government Constituencies Development Fund for West Mugirango, Bobasi, Awendo, North Imenti, Kirinyaga Central, South Mugirango, Ugenya, Kieni, Kipipiri, Budalangi and Kiharu Constituencies for the financial years 2013/2014 to 2022/2023, laid on the Table of the House on Thursday, 4th December 2025. The Committee examined a total of 99 reports of the Auditor General spanning across the financial years. Of the 11 constituencies examined in this Report, Kiharu Constituency emerged as the best, with the fewest audit queries, which were satisfactorily addressed. This was closely followed by Kipipiri Constituency, West Mugirango Constituency, Bobasi Constituency, North Imenti Constituency, Kieni Constituency, Kirinyaga Central Constituency, Awendo Constituency, South Mugirango Constituency and Budalangi Constituency, in that order.

In its general observations, the Committee noted several cross-cutting issues affecting the Fund's management. We observed systemic challenges in financial reporting, including inaccuracies in the variance between financial statements and supporting schedules, and the failure to reverse stalled cheques in cash books. The Committee further observed that delays in project implementation were widespread, primarily due to late disbursements from the National Treasury, which hampered timely implementation and negatively impacted service delivery. Additionally, some fund account managers experienced significant procurement and asset management challenges.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, allow me to highlight some of the key observations and findings that were made by the Committee. Without going into details, most of the projects were delayed for the reasons I stated above. However, we noted that in West Mugirango, Kebirigo Primary School has completed installing a water pump and purchased storage tanks, which are in use.

In Bobasi, Ksh2.5 million was allocated for the construction of a 100-capacity library, which is now complete and in use. In Awendo, there was the Awendo Police Station, which cost Ksh5 million and involved walling, plastering, and roofing of the administration offices. It is completed and in use. In Kirinyaga Central, Kirimunge Secondary School featured the construction of a storey science laboratory, which was allocated Ksh9.17 million. It is completed and in use.

In South Mugirango, Obera SDA Secondary School, funds were allocated for the construction of classrooms and administration blocks. In Kiharu, the Karate Street Light Project is a major electrification initiative that involves installing street lights. In Ugenya, there was Sega Township Primary School, which involved the construction of several classrooms and sanitation facilities. In Kieni, there was a significant project with a total disbursement of approximately Ksh8.38 million for school infrastructure. In Kipipiri, Miharati Primary School, extensive renovation and construction of the new learning blocks were undertaken.

It is important to note that across all those constituencies, all the projects that I have mentioned and many more were completed and are in use. This is a clear sign that the National Government Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) money has been put to prudent use.

The project implementation delays are not due to the fund managers or the project management committees' inability to manage them. I have stated that it is due to the delay in disbursing those funds. It is our considered opinion that the National Treasury will give an undertaking to ensure the timely disbursement of those funds, enabling all projects to be completed on time.

The NG-CDF remains a cornerstone of grassroots development in the country. The implementation of this Report will safeguard those resources, enhance accountability and ensure that the fund continues to serve the people of Kenya effectively. It is worth noting that all those constituencies' bursaries were given on time. I laud the NG-CDF because education

in this country would be at risk if the NG-CDF did not ensure that our children receive bursaries.

I thank the Committee Members, particularly our Chairperson, for their dedication, and the Offices of the Speaker and the Clerk for the support accorded to this Committee in discharging its mandate.

I beg to move and ask Hon. Moses Kirima Nguchine, Member for Central Imenti, to second.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Kirima.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to second the Motion that this House adopts the 11th Report of the Decentralised Funds Accounts Committee on its consideration of the audited accounts of the National Government Constituencies Development Fund for West Mugirango, Bobasi, Awendo, North Imenti, Kirinyaga Central, South Mugirango, Kiharu, Ugenya, Kieni, Kipipiri and Budalangi constituencies for the financial years 2013/2014 to 2021/2022.

I agree with the issues raised by the Chairperson during the Committee's deliberations. The NG-CDF remains a cornerstone of development in our constituencies, and the implementation of this Report will safeguard those resources, enhance accountability and ensure that the funds continue to serve Kenyans effectively.

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

Very well.

Let me propose the question first.

We can now hear from you, Hon. Dorothy Ikiara.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise under Standing Order 96 to request that debate on the Motion be adjourned to some future occasion. I also request Hon. Kirima to second.

Let us have Hon. Kirima.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I beg to second. Debate on the Motion should be deferred to a different date because the Motion is of national importance and should be debated when the House is fully constituted.

Very well.

Next Order.

to healthcare by cancer patients in the country, laid on the Table of the House on Wednesday, 8th April 2026. The Chairman of the Committee had sought permission to defer the Motion to attend to other matters of national importance.

(Motion deferred) Next Order.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

What is your point of order?

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I rise under Standing Order 35 to note that the House lacks a quorum and, therefore, we cannot continue with business.

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

Very well. We have done the 10 minutes and we can stop there. A Member rose from his place under Standing Order 35 on quorum. We have since rung the Quorum Bell for 10 minutes, and I can confirm that there is still no quorum. Therefore, we may be upstanding.

Hon. Members, the time being

Published by Clerk of the National Assembly