Wednesday, 3rd April 2026

Sergeant-at-Arms, halt the ringing

Deputy Leader of the Majority Party.

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

Next Order.

The first request is by Hon. Machua Waithaka. Is he in the House? He is not in the House. That one is deferred.

Hon. Wandeto, I am calling on you yet you are at the door. Are you ready to request the Statement?

Hon. Temporary 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 Transport and Infrastructure regarding the status of construction of the Mau Mau Road Lot 4 project.

The Mau Mau Road Lot 4 project is intended to enhance transport connectivity, promote trade and stimulate economic activities between Nyeri and Nyandarua counties. The project includes the Ihithe-Ndunyu Njeru Section, which spans approximately 52 kilometres, as well as link roads such as Njengu-Treetops-Ihithe-Kiamutugu-Mukarara-Ark Gate access, and the Munyaka-Koinange-Heni-Mwendadu-Joma-Weru corridor. While construction of certain sections of the road traversing the Aberdare National Park has been halted by orders of the Environmental and Land Court, other sections are clear for construction. Notably, the Ihithe, Kiamutugu, Mukarara and Njengu Treetop sections, which are uncontested, remain in a poor state, especially during the rainy season.

The continued delay in the implementation of the project, particularly in the uncontested sections, has denied residents, farmers and traders the full economic benefits envisaged under the project.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, it is against this background that I request a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure on the following:

That one goes to the Departmental Committee on Transport and Infrastructure. Is the Chairperson present? Hon. Kibet, are you holding brief for the Chairperson?

Yes, Hon. Temporary Speaker. We will respond in two weeks’ time.

Very well. Next Order.

Hon. Machua, I will indulge you but you will apologise for coming late. We will go back to Order No.7.

I give you this chance to request for your Statement.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I am sorry for coming in late.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, pursuant to the provisions of Standing Order 44 (2) (c) , I request a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Health regarding measures to forestall the outbreak of Ebola and Hantavirus diseases in Kenya.

In May 2026, the World Health Organisation (WHO) confirmed an outbreak of Ebola virus disease in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) . Subsequently, on 23rd May 2026, the Government of Uganda, in collaboration with WHO, confirmed five cases of an outbreak of the virus in Uganda. Consequently, the Africa Centre for Disease Control and Prevention (Africa CDC) warned that 10 nations across the region, including Kenya, are at a risk of being affected by the virus and are vulnerable, owing to the ease of cross border movement of persons within the region.

Additionally, an outbreak of Hantavirus has been reported in different parts of the world since April 2026, raising concerns of potential spread to Africa, including Kenya due to transnational movement of people. Currently, there are no vaccines or treatment for the two viral diseases, hence management relies solely on early intensive supportive care. These risks call for urgent need to put in place preventive measures to cushion Kenya from possible spread of the viruses.

It is against this background that I request a statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Health on the following:

Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Health, when will you bring the response?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. He has, in fact, asked about two viruses. One is the Hantavirus and the other is the Ebola virus. With regard to the Ebola virus, as Members are aware, the Cabinet Secretary will be in the House this afternoon to respond to the very issues that the Member has raised. If the response that will be provided will not be sufficient, the Committee will undertake to get more information. Concerning the Hantavirus, the Committee will take up the matter and undertake to provide the requested information within two weeks.

Therefore, I direct that

I am well guided, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Next Order.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I move this Procedural Motion, I would like to call upon Hon. Makali Mulu to be on standby to second it.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move the following Procedural Motion: THAT, this House resolves to exempt the business appearing as Order No. 10 in today’s Order Paper from the provisions of Standing Order 40 (3) , being a Wednesday Morning, a day allocated for business not sponsored by the Majority or Minority Party or Business sponsored by a Committee. As we are all aware, we are within the Budget cycle, which is a very important period in the life of Parliament. At such times, we call every Member of Parliament to examine the perspective that there are certain businesses that have become paramount as they must be passed within a certain period of time. Therefore, although today is Wednesday, a day ordinarily reserved for Members’ Bills and Motions and not business sponsored by the Majority or the Minority Party, it is important that we ask Members to give us an opportunity to prioritise important business like the Budget Estimates. I, therefore, request your support to amend the Order Paper slightly and allow us to incorporate and consider this Motion so that we may fast-track this business.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move and request Hon. Makali Mulu, a veteran politician and ranking Member of this House, to second the Motion.

Proceed, Hon. Makali Mulu.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I stand to second the Procedural Motion to amend the Order Paper and dedicate this morning to Budget-related business instead of considering Private Members’ Bills and Motions.

The decision to bring this Motion is informed by the reasons advanced by the Deputy Leader of the Majority Party. Bearing in mind that next Thursday, the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury will be presenting the Budget highlights to the nation, it is important that we work backwards and utilize this morning's sitting to process the Budget and be ready for that important day.

With those remarks, I beg to second.

Put the Question.

Do I put the Question?

Yes.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I wish to thank the House for shelving the business that is supposed to be transacted today to allow the Budget and Appropriations Committee to fast-track the processes leading to presentation of the Budget Estimates for the next financial year by the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I beg to move the following Motion: THAT, this House adopts the Report of the Budget and Appropriations Committee on its consideration of the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure and the Medium Term for the Financial Year 2026/2027, laid on the Table of the House on Tuesday, 2nd June 2026; and, pursuant to the provisions of Article 221 of the Constitution, Section 39 of the Public Finance Management Act (Cap. 412A) and Standing Order 239—

improve primary healthcare services and expand specialised healthcare infrastructure. Key allocations include Ksh20.9 billion for the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA), Ksh19.1 billion for the Primary Health Care Fund, Ksh18.8 billion for Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH), Ksh18.5 billion for the Global Fund for HIV, Malaria, and Tuberculosis (TB) programmes, and Ksh8.9 billion for UHC workers.

The Primary Health Care Fund, which is one of the most important anchors for the Universal Health Care programme, has continued to receive increased allocations year in, year out. In the current financial year, which is about to end, Primary Health Care received about Ksh13.5 billion. This has been enhanced to Ksh19.1 billion. It is important to note that in order for us to fully cover primary healthcare, we need an allocation of about Ksh28 billion. We are determined to enhance this allocation in subsequent financial years. If we collect more resources next year, I promise that this House will be ready to enhance this allocation to the estimated requirement.

Let me move to housing and urban development. Housing and urban development has been allocated Ksh138.2 billion, and this will be used to support the affordable housing programme, which will receive Ksh110 billion for urban infrastructure and informal settlements upgrading. Major allocations also include Ksh50.7 billion to the construction of affordable housing units, Ksh20.9 billion for social housing, Ksh18.6 billion for the Kenya Urban Programme (KENUP), and Ksh2.7 billion for the Kenya Informal Settlement Programme (KESP). These programmes are donor-funded, and they have been implemented in counties across the country. I think every county has a KESP and KENUP programme.

Under environment and natural resources, we have allocated Ksh112.4 billion to support water infrastructure, irrigation, forest conservation, climate resilience, and wildlife management. Significant allocations include Ksh47 billion for water and sewage infrastructure development, Ksh15.1 billion for wildlife conservation and management, Ksh14.4 billion for forest conservation, and Ksh8.9 billion for Financing Local Climate Action (FLOCA). This is one of the major donor-funded programmes by a group of donors, including the World Bank. This programme has brought a lot of reforms in the water and climate environment sectors. Every county in this country is implementing this programme. I can confirm that in my county, this programme has done very well to support environmental conservation and water development programmes.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we have allocated Ksh63 billion to support agriculture and food security. This includes Ksh18 billion for fertiliser subsidy, Ksh2 billion for seed subsidy, Ksh5.4 billion for food resilience project; Ksh4.7 billion for Natural Agricultural Value Chain Development (NAVCDP), and Ksh3.3 billion for pastoral resilience initiatives. Fertiliser subsidy remains one of the most important anchors for our agricultural performance. Each year, this House allocates resources for fertiliser subsidy. I want to confirm that this year, that allocation has been equally enhanced. This is one of the allocations that has done very well for us. Right now, the country has sufficient food that has been produced, courtesy of previous allocations to the fertiliser subsidy programme. This is sufficient allocation and it will help in improving our agricultural performance.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, let me now move to agro-processing. This House has been appropriating resources to a programme known as County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs). The CAIPs programme is supposed to be implemented in all counties. It is a collaboration between the national Government and the county governments.

Over the years, we have completed about 15 CAIPs. We have not allocated resources to the development of new CAIPs in this financial year but we have resources to be used to equip the CAIPs that have already been constructed and completed. We want to ensure that the CAIPs can now be turned into centres for innovation and centres for job creation. We have allocated Ksh2.5 billion for equipping and the operationalization of 15 CAIPs in counties

where both the national Government and county governments have fulfilled their respective counterpart funding.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there are some counties where the national Government has already fulfilled its counterpart funding but the county governments have refused to do their part. The Departmental Committee in charge of Trade has assured me that they are going to ensure that they engage those counties to see whether we can be able to fund them in the future. For now, we want to focus more on equipping and modernising the already completed CAIPs.

To support women and youth empowerment, we have allocated Ksh61.8 billion to the National Youth Service, Ksh10.4 billion for the Kenya Devolution Support Programme, Ksh22.6 billion for youth programmes, over Ksh21 billion for internship programmes and Ksh4.7 billion for the NYOTA programme. A further Ksh8.8 billion has been provided for affordable credit to Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). These programmes are intended to empower vulnerable groups to create economic opportunities and strengthen inclusive growth.

All Members are aware of NYOTA, a programme which was designed, implemented and championed by the President himself. I want to confirm that the NYOTA programme has been a game-changer in terms of youth empowerment. In my county, I know many women groups and many youth groups that have benefited from this programme. It is actually changing lives. So, the additional resources that we are applying in this financial year are going to be used to further enhance the programme and ensure that groups which received resources and are growing receive further allocations.

On improved digital access, strengthened e-governance and capability to participate in the digital economy, we have allocated Ksh10.5 billion to support digital transformation, expansion of digital connectivity, cybersecurity systems and development of digital hubs. In this sector, we have allocated Ksh 5.3 billion to the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project, Ksh 1.5 billion to last-mile connectivity, and Ksh382 million to digital and cybersecurity interventions. These are very important interventions and allocations aimed at creating job opportunities and strengthening e-government services.

To support our national security, the national security sector has been allocated Ksh566.9 billion to strengthen defence, policing, intelligence services, correctional services and National Government Administration (NGAO). Key allocations in this sector include Ksh250 billion for Defence, Ksh144.4 billion for the National Police Service, Ksh58.6 billion for the National Intelligence Service, and Ksh42.7 billion for Prisons and Correctional Services. First of all, the security of our country is something this House should never compromise on. My Committee is aware that this is one of the priority allocations that we must give to ensure that our country is safe. Before we even engage in any production, we must ensure that the country is safe. Therefore, this is an allocation which, even though not satisfactory, will support the security sector to ensure that the country is safe so that Kenyans move around freely and do their businesses.

In conclusion, this Budget underscores our commitment to inclusive transformation, economic resilience, fiscal responsibility and sustainable development. One thing that I want to highlight here is that we have endeavoured to ensure that the Budget touches each and every corner of this country. This is the second Budget that has been processed under the broad-based government to ensure that each and every section of the country receives their share of development. We have programmes under water, we have programmes under irrigation, and we have programmes under roads and electricity. These programmes have been designed to affect each and every section of the country without ignoring any. I urge Members to support the Motion so that we move quickly and process the Budget Estimates. Before the end of the financial year, these Budget Estimates will have been signed into law and Kenyans will continue to receive services.

With those many remarks, I beg to move and request the Vice-Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, Hon. Pukose, to second the Motion.

Hon. Pukose.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Thank you, my Chair, for moving the Motion on adoption of the Report on the Estimates of Revenue and Expenditure for the Financial Year 2026/2027 and the Medium Term.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I just want to join my Chair in thanking the Chairs of the Departmental Committees for the submissions they made before our Committee. I also want to thank Members of the Budget and Appropriations Committee for staying in the meetings throughout the presentations that were made, and for spending more of their time to make sure that they have gone through the Budget Estimates.

In these Budget Estimates, we looked into all the sectors and for the first time, the Committee approved Ksh3.5 billion for stipends to village elders. I think this is a move in the right direction. Village elders have never been given anything before. I hope this Budget, and the NGAO will be able to pay stipends of Ksh3,000 to each village elder per month. We hope this is just the beginning. Subsequently, we will be able to increase that amount but starting with this, I think all the village elders in Kenya will now be able to smile and get something to start with. I know it might not be enough, but it is a start. You know my Chair was saying that now the village elders should think that they are part of the broad-based government and support the Government of the day. I think that would be an appropriate way of thanking the current Government for considering them.

In his Budget, we have also seen that there is money for UHC workers. I hope when we retreat, maybe in the mediation, we will be able to agree with our counterparts in the Senate to make sure that UHC workers who have been working in the counties for a long time are absorbed on permanent and pensionable terms. This is what they have been looking forward to all this time. This is a budget that is coming during very difficult times, when we have the war in the Middle East between the United States of America and Iran. We thank the Cabinet Secretary for the National Treasury for appearing before the Committee to shed light. We also want to thank Hon. Ndindi Nyoro for appearing before our Committee and giving his suggestions, which the Committee was able to listen to. We considered some of them and found that when we consulted with the Treasury, they were not workable. Some of the proposals are populism. They are good to hear but not workable. For instance, when you suggest that you remove even Ksh2 billion from the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) or another figure, it just translates to about Ksh8 billion, which I do not think is anything that will be able to assist in bringing down the fuel prices.

In this Budget, we also hope that whatever variations that will occur will be absorbed as far as possible by the national Government because in the Division of Revenue Bill, there is Ksh420 billion that will go to the counties. We hope that the counties will use that money for development so as to make a difference.

The national Government has also supported the counties by allocating funds in the Budget for health infrastructure. Some allocations were also used to drill boreholes in schools and arid and semi-arid areas where access to clean and safe water is a challenge. Funds have also been set aside for the housing sector to build foot bridges in inaccessible areas.

Our Committee conducted public participation in 26 counties within the Republic. Among the issues raised by the youth was the Youth Enterprise Development Fund, which they want domiciled in every sub-county to make it easier for them to access services.

Road infrastructure is another key issue that many Kenyans pointed out. They want accessible and tarmacked roads. They also want electricity. Funds have been allocated in the Budget to the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation (REREC) to ensure

critical facilities get electricity through the Last Mile Connectivity Programme, which will erect transformers and light up most areas.

With those few remarks, I beg to second the Motion. I hope Members will support the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2026/2027.

Let us have Hon. Makali Mulu.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I appreciate this opportunity to comment on the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2026/2027. My Chairman and Vice-Chairman have talked about the figures, but the only figure that they did not mention, which I would like to for purposes of policy, is the public debt. This year, the public debt will be Ksh1.11 trillion. This is the first year, in Kenya’s history, that public debt has crossed the Ksh1 trillion mark. The Public Debt and Privatisation Committee tabled a report on this matter. As a country, we need to give attention to the management of public debt. The Consolidated Funds Services (CFS) expenditure has increased to Ksh1.15 trillion with an interest of Ksh1.1 trillion, which is a lot. That has limited our fiscal space to the extent that we do not have many resources to care for our needs.

The other critical matter is pending bills. We have discussed this matter as a House for many years. I want to mention two areas relating to pending bills. One is that based on our interactions with various sectors, the main cause of pending bills is irregular Ex-Chequer releases. We budget for various activities but disbursement of funds to Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) is a challenge. That has increased the number of pending bills. We should have a serious discourse on pending bills. A high number of pending bills stifles economic growth. Money does not circulate in the economy hence slowing down economic activities. We should address that matter.

From our discussions with the State departments, we realised that we have many incomplete projects all over the country. Instead of having many incomplete projects which are forced to share limited resources, we should identify projects that greatly impact the economy and complete them, so that Kenyans can get value for money and improve their lives.

We have allocated Ksh9 billion to the Office of the Auditor-General. This Office has been generating important reports with important recommendations over the years. We should start incorporating the Auditor-General’s recommendations in the budget-making process, so that accounting officers who have been singled out to be engaging in corruption do not benefit from additional resources, and yet those who have utilised their resources well are not getting enough. As we look at the formula for allocation of resources at the county level, we should re-introduce fiscal discipline as a factor in determining how much a county gets. We will then improve our use of resources and help the country.

Another critical issue, which is becoming a challenge in our country, is ensuring that we mainstream equity issues in the budget. All parts of the country should be treated equally. There should be equity in the budget-making process. Many colleagues complain that resources are not allocated to their respective areas. It is time that we deliberated on equity as a country. Hon. Temporary Speaker, as we continue with this debate, do not be surprised to see some Members complain that their regions have not received any funds. Even regions that have received funds lose some of them during consideration of the supplementary budget. Therefore, I recommend that equity be a consideration during the budget-making process. We should try as much as we can to avoid reducing allocated funds during consideration of the supplementary budget to ensure equity.

I thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the department in charge of Konza City. They have allocated a lot of resources to Konza City to make sure that this City becomes operational. This is a very good decision because once this City becomes operational, it is supposed to transform this economy in many ways. That being the case, over the years, at the level of annual estimates, we include resources for Konza City but during the supplementary budgets, we reduce all that budget. You will find that you had good intentions at the start but towards the end, you cannot implement anything because the budget has been reduced.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, if you look at the issue of contingency funds, and remembering what the Chairman said, this year, the budget is being prepared under very strict measures because of the many external factors like the war in the Middle East. This means that we must be very disciplined the way we use our money. That being the case, there is need to provide much more resources to take care of emergency contingencies. And if things work out, we are likely to face a lot of local challenges or what we call local emergencies. That being the case, we can only address such emergencies through the Contingency Funds. We have reduced it from Ksh5 billion to Ksh2 billion. If collection of taxes improves, we can allocate more to this Fund so that we can be in a position to help this country.

We are allocating resources to a number of sectors. The major challenge is capitation. Health sector is the other one facing a lot of challenges. We need to think of how to allocate more resources to these two sectors. The other issue is in the education sector and more so, the examination department, where our people supervise exams but they are not paid for the services. We need to improve allocations for our national examination.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, you and I have been in this House for long. And if you remember, there used to be a Motion about giving some stipend to village elders. I am very happy that this is the first budget we have allocated them resources so that we appreciate their good work. As time goes, and if resources allow, it is time we also think of improving the stipend.

The last point is revenue collection. We are realising very low revenue collection and KRA needs to up their game. We have given them resources so that they are able to up their game. I hope the resources which have been given to KRA will be utilised properly so that we collect enough money for this country and reduce our public borrowing.

With those many remarks, I support. Thank you for the opportunity.

Very well. Vice Chair, Departmental Committee on Administration and Internal Security, Hon. Dido Raso.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support this budget. At the outset, we must lay some grounds bare. First of all, this budget must reflect the face of Kenya in terms of resource distribution and creating an equal platform for all Kenyans to participate in the discourse of life.

I start with the Equalisation Fund, which is in this budget. It has been the elephant in the room. For Kenya to be equal, every county or constituency must have some water, a hospital and electricity. Kenya can never be equal if many Kenyans are not able to participate in the decision-making in this country due to lack of basic amenities. For that reason, I ask the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee and his team to look at how best to dispose of the Equalisation Fund so that resources go to where they will help the people.

I thank the Committee for providing resources to the elders. This is really important. The elders at the grassroots play a formidable role in governance, trying to work on the issues of cohesion and ameliorate the issues of conflict at the grassroots. Considering them for something goes a long way in appreciating that this Government understands what aches our people on the ground.

In many areas, particularly in the area of Administration and National Security, as a Committee, we sat on this budget and considered many areas. For example, you have a lot of expansion in the area of administration of sub-counties, locations, sub-locations, and Assistant County Commissioners (ACCs) but there is no commensurate investment in resources to make it happen. For that reason, any place where we have developed an administrative unit, it is fair for us to put resources so that a Deputy County Commissioner (DCC) or a chief gets resources to work around the clock to provide services to our people wherever they may be.

I also want to encourage the Committee to look at the areas that can generate A-in-A, for example, a place like the Government Printer. If we invest in the Government Printer that actually does printing of all documents in this country that is required by the Government, it means they are able to cobble up a lot of resources. If we give them more allocation so that in the end there is no recourse of Government Printer to the taxpayer or to get resources from the Treasury, they will be self-generating and they will be working to provide services without asking the National Treasury to give them more resources.

I also see the issue of the Arid and Semi-arid Land (ASAL) in this budget. Unfortunately, a budget has been done for Arid and Semi-Arid Lands but this is the domain of the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group. This budget is to benefit the people in pastoral areas. In the absence of engaging the Pastoralist Parliamentary Group, we are only going there on a limp. When we see the printed estimate, we will start asking why you did not put this here. Why did you put this particular project here? So, to avoid this, I urge the Budget and Appropriations Committee that any specific or specialised area that has to deal with Members of Parliament from particular regions, we must engage them. It is important for the future prosperity of our people.

On the issue of the State Department for Vocational and Technical Training, this is the future engine growth for this country, together with MSCs. If we are looking at what generates a lot of money today in Kenya, it is actually from the Juakali sector. It is not from the blue or the white-collar jobs. If we want this country to take off and be a middle-income country or industrialised country by 2030 and beyond, then we must know where to invest money. If we allocate resources to youth and women empowerment, it means we are doing it where our mouth is. Youth is the backbone of this country. The future of this country depends on how the youth are cultured, engaged, resourced and empowered to move forward into the future.

In the absence of allocating enough resources to the youth, we will always see them back on the streets complaining that there is no employment and that we are not looking after them. As Parliament, we must engage in areas that we know that if we allocate resources, they will give us a heads-up and a far-reaching thinking that Kenya is moving forward.

We say that education is the single equaliser. This is a one-line budget item. Education must be accessible to everyone in Kenya. A child in Marsabit, Kisumu, Mombasa and Nairobi, must have equal access to educational resources. If we do not allocate resources to the education sector with equity across Kenya, it will never be the same. Kenyans will never move at the same pace. You notice that Kenyans do one examination for primary and secondary schools, yet there are disparities across this country. I will not accept a child in Marsabit to be disadvantaged because they do not have equal access like a child in Kisumu, Nakuru or Nyeri. For that reason, when the State Department for Basic Education allocates resources in Kenya, even if it is a shilling, it must reach everywhere.

Finally, I come from a region which keeps livestock. It is everything for us. It is our economy. Our people depend on the growth of livestock to sustain their lives. As a country, we do not allocate much resources or think seriously on livestock. This disadvantages the larger Kenyan population, particularly in the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands. For that reason, there is an opportunity for this Government to look at the success of every region in this country that will contribute to the national kitty. To that end, the Livestock Marketing Board in the State

Department for Livestock Development must be activated, resourced, and must move around the ASAL region to make sure that the counties invest their little resources into livestock. This will benefit livestock farmers across Kenya and they will contribute to the growth of the Kenyan economy.

My final issue is on the ease of trading. During our visit to Malaba and Busia border post recently, we saw that our neighbours have good housing. They are well resourced. I do not know what is happening to our side. Why are we not allocating enough resources, yet one- stop border post eases trade across national borders? If Ugandans, Ethiopians and Tanzanians are able to do something positive on the other side of the border, then the Kenyan side must mirror the same.

The Chairman has alluded to the issue of security. For Kenya to grow in all the different facets—economically, socially and youth— it must be secure. Those who secure this country are the National Police Service, the State Department for Defence, the National Intelligence Service (NIS) and the Kenya Prisons Service. All these people work round the clock to make Kenya a safe place for investment, and for Kenyans to do their work with ease. For that reason, any money that is invested to secure Kenya is not wasted. It gives police officers enough vehicles and the right resources like body protection equipment. It is also used for their welfare, particularly in the area of housing. There are too many things that we can do that can make our police officers feel that Kenyans look after them, and then they will look after us.

With those many remarks, I beg to support the Motion. The devil is in the detail. Let us reflect deeply on what is in the printed Budget Estimates to have the face of Kenya in the long run. Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Before the next speaker, allow me to recognise schools that are seated in the Public Gallery. They are: St. Simon’s Mbui Nzau Secondary School, Kibwezi West Constituency, Makueni County; St. Joseph International School, Makadara Constituency, Nairobi City County; and Lakewood Emerald School, Kajiado East Constituency, Kajiado County. You are all welcome to observe the Proceedings of the House.

The next person to get a chance to speak is the Member for Dagoretti North, Hon. Elachi.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I also rise to support the Motion and appreciate the work that the Budget and Appropriations Committee has done. This is the Budget that closes the 13th Parliament as we go to our elections.

One of the things I will talk about is on health and women empowerment. I have looked at the Committee’s observations, recommendations and the projections that they have. One thing that we need to ask ourselves, even as we now close this 13th Parliament, is what we, as Parliament, have done in terms of the Budget and the challenges we have faced, especially when dealing with the Finance Bill.

Allow me to bring out a few recommendations. One, it is important for us to demand an explicit alignment of budget allocations, especially on women economic empowerment. We have had Uwezo Fund for the last four years. At one point, we stopped issuing Women Enterprise Fund, and then it started again. I know women have not grasped whether we have brought it back. At one point, we completely went digital and it really hurt many of the women who were running these programmes. I am happy that the Government has brought it back. It is important that now, the enterprise goes back to the women. And from the Budget, we must ensure that more women receive funds for their businesses and the groups that they have.

Other things that we need to look at, are review of performance, redirecting of resources towards higher impact programmes and our health sector. I know we have SHA. We have really tried on its enrolment although it is still very low. One thing that we must do as a House, is to

try our best, even using the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) to ensure that we register more people so that those who cannot afford healthcare can at least have SHA which will help those families. We must do that within this Financial Year.

When I look at the things that the budget is addressing, most of the resources have gone back to our disciplined forces. They are the ones taking a higher allocation. We also have education. I am hoping that every child – as we progress – would be captured in the Kenya Education Management Information System (KEMIS) which used to be the National Education Management Information System (NEMIS) so that capitation is done in the correct way. We still have children who do not get capitation because they are not captured in KEMIS. I still call it NEMIS.

If every child gets capitation, schools will appreciate, especially secondary schools. We also want to see the issue of books addressed. As we provide a budget to the Ministry of Education, we need to ask ourselves whether the education standards in schools are improving. Do schools in every constituency have books? Are they shared among students? What can we do to ensure that schools have textbooks?

The other thing is on the Junior Secondary Schools (JSS). We now have 20,000 intern teachers who will be transitioned to permanent and pensionable terms. There will be promotion of at least 30,000 teachers and the implementation of the second phase of the 2025-2029 Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA). So, the education budget will take care of a number of key things. To the teachers and everyone, we are doing this for the sake of our children. One of our challenges is that we assume that teaching is just a job. If you go to a school and look at the children, you will feel a bit sad. I, therefore, want to plead with teachers to realise that they are there because of the children. If children were not in school, then there would be no need of teachers’ employment in schools. They should take care of school children and be there for them.

Some of the school going children need counselling. One time we decided to bring a hundred counsellors in a girl’s school. I will not tell you the name of the school but listening to the issues that the girls raised, we realised that there is absolute need of parent-child friendship. You hear a child saying that when he goes home after passing his exams, their parents never see that as something because it has become a norm. Some of the things we are seeing right now in schools…

I want to send my condolences to the parents who lost their children as a result of the Utumishi Girls Academy fire. May they have the Lord’s favour and be comforted. We also have children who were suspected of burning the school and are now facing the worst prosecution. They also need prayers. Sometimes we do not understand our children. We do not know who to blame and what to say. However, when you look at them, you are left with a lot of questions. It is difficult. Politicians and the country politicise everything. I know what you are going through, Hon. Temporary Speaker. It is difficult to even talk about it.

The confirmation of JSS teachers is critical. Let us go back to our children. Teachers should not only see it as a job. They should mould the school children who will come and take over the nation.

The other thing is the fertiliser subsidy. It is a programme that has done very well. I am hoping that it will continue to help farmers who are registered. Its budget is Ksh18 billion. I wish more farmers can register. If you have land somewhere, do something on that land to save the country.

On the recommendations, I know everyone is waiting to see what we will do. If you may remember, we had agreed that for those who have a salary of Ksh30,000 and below, we will ensure that we ease their burden. I am hoping that that is going to happen because it is critical. They are hurting and we need to see… I know that we have a challenge of petroleum

where we will ease the burden and where will we hold ourselves as one country and walk this journey together with the knowledge of the challenges that we are facing. If the Government wishes to ensure that we move in the same direction, Parliament should push for an urgent revision of the institutionalisation and guidelines of gender-based violence because it is an issue that has really hurt this country.

With those few remarks, I beg to support.

Very well. The Member for North Imenti.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Generally, I support the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2026/2027. We have the Equalisation Fund which has been allocated Ksh10 billion in the Budget Estimates. However, the Fund has a debt of more than Ksh20 billion. I, therefore, hope that the Ksh10 billion will be forthcoming. When we did an audit of the Equalisation Fund under the special funds, it had a debt that had never been cleared. I am surprised that there are a few items here that the Budget Committee did not see it fit to remove. Do we have less prisoners that they would reduce the rations by Ksh100 million in the Prisons Department? I am surprised because I know there are more prisoners than we can accommodate in our prisons.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, the budget for the Rural Electrification and Renewable Energy Corporation has been reduced and transferred to other public institutions. About Ksh1.5 billion has been reduced from purchase of transformers and put into public facilities. We need more funds in the energy sector. I hope the Chairman will take note of that.

Hon. Makali Mulu talked about KRA being given more money. However, I can see that KRA allocation has been reduced under revenue enhancement area. About Ksh300 million has been removed from KRA revenue enhancement. How are they then supposed to recover and get people to pay what is required? I think KRA needs to be supported more.

Under the Judiciary, I have seen that ICT allocation has been reduced and yet this area would help expedite cases. However, money for ICT has been removed. If money under ICT is removed, how do we expect courts to operate and solve cases faster? I do not understand.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, one good thing I note is the money allocated to village elders or area managers, as they are called in my home area. This will go a long way. I hope once this is done, they will be more motivated to work because they have been working without pay all these years. We should even look at how we can provide uniforms to them because some assistant chiefs and chiefs have made uniforms for their respective village elders. It enhances their work and gives them a sense of pride in being part of the security apparatus.

I have seen that we have a record budget for the roads sector, but we have a lot of pending bills, about Ksh100 billion, in that sector. I wish we could focus on how to pay off all the pending bills. The national Government's pending bills stand at over Ksh510 billion, while those of the county governments stand at over Ksh170 billion. Those pending bills include services supplied to the national Government and county governments. We are always talking about verification. How long will the verification exercise take so that suppliers can get paid? Many people have committed suicide due to non-payment of their dues, yet they had taken loans from banks to finance the contracts. The Government needs to think about how we are going to pay the pending bills.

Thirdly, is about the national debt. This is because we cannot have the budget increasing every year. When I was a member of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning in 2014, and the Chairman then was Hon. Lang’at, I asked why we always increased the budget instead of keeping it stationary. I wish we had left it the way it was then. The debt ceiling after President Kibaki's time was at Ksh1.2 trillion. However, there was a proposal from the National Treasury at the time to increase it by another Ksh600 million to make it Ksh1.8 trillion. Unfortunately, when it was brought to Parliament, instead of passing what the National

Treasury had asked, we decided to increase it to Ksh2.4 trillion. I wish we had stopped there then. As we stand now, our debt is still going up, and we are paying so much in interest charges, which we inherited from previous governments.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, in the current Budget Estimates, we are expecting revenues of about Ksh2.9 trillion against a budget of about Ksh4 trillion. We will have to borrow Ksh1.1 trillion from somewhere. If we borrow from the domestic market, the cost of that debt and its repayment can be prohibitively expensive. At the moment, the banks are laughing all the way because they are making abnormal profits at the expense of giving loans to ordinary citizens. We need to cut down all our debts. We need to manage our debts. If possible, we should not increase the budget.

There is a reduction of Ksh30 million in the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) budget, under teacher training. I thought we needed more teachers. This Government has employed 100,000 teachers in the last three to four years. We have not had very many teachers before, but we now need to find how to accommodate the JSS teachers. This is because we need to separate JSS from the primary section. We also need to promote teachers due for promotion and employ the JSS teachers. I have not seen a proposal to employ JSS teachers.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there are many things that we need to do as a country. If possible, we could subsidise a few services so that fuel prices can come down. I was glad to hear the Cabinet Secretary for Energy and Petroleum, Hon. Wandayi, say that fuel prices will go down soon. I urge the Cabinet Secretary not to wait until 15th June to lower the prices. I think he can do better by ensuring that the reduction happens before 15th June. I have seen an increased allocation for indigents, but we have reduced the allocation for the Social Protection Fund. It is going to indigents insurance. We now need to rebalance and see that our people on the lower social ladder can get their stipend on time.

With those few remarks, I support.

Member for Marsabit County, Hon. Waqo.

Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to add my voice to the Budget Estimates debate. I confirm that I support the ongoing debate. I have gone through the Report, which I am holding. I also want to congratulate the Committee for giving all their attention, and time to this very important process, and for guiding the nation and this honourable House.

Going through the Report, one thing that comes out clearly is the different areas that have been considered, especially allocation towards payment of allowances to village elders. We are all part of the village elders’ formation, and we have all benefited from their services. In fact, this matter has excited me. The amount of Ksh3,000 may look very small, but even giving them just airtime so that they can communicate with their people and us, because we all depend on the village elders for one reason or another is important.

For the first time our Government has done one of the best things by recognising village elders and appreciating their efforts. I, therefore wish to sincerely thank our President because he is focused and considers every part of the country, as well as all the people who contribute to the growth of this nation. For village elders to receive some support from now on is very encouraging. Our role is to continue improving the policy and ensuring that adequate budgetary allocations are made to take care of them. I am, therefore, happy that village elders have been considered.

If you look at the Report, Ksh18 billion has been allocated to the fertiliser subsidy programme to strengthen food security. A nation that cannot feed its people cannot prosper. The President's focus on ensuring that we have enough food in our stores and that our people are well fed is commendable. This confirms that we will be able to feed our children, support their education and build a healthy nation. Adequate food production also generates income locally and creates opportunities for export when production exceeds domestic demand. This is a positive step because it will enable our farmers to produce sufficient food for the country.

A substantial amount of money has been allocated to road infrastructure because every part of this country stands to benefit. I wish to congratulate His Excellency, the President and the Ministry for their focus on this sector. Pending bills have been paid and identified roads are now being constructed to the required standards. The allocation of adequate resources to this sector demonstrates that we are making progress as a country.

Rural electrification, particularly the Last Mile Connectivity Programme, is another important area. I come from a region that still requires this service. The Government and the Committee have considered this need and allocated resources to it. This will enable many more homes to be connected to electricity and improve the lives of our people. With improved road infrastructure and electricity connectivity, there will undoubtedly be economic growth. People will have better opportunities and improved living standards. That is why I am happy that we are on the right track. The budget may appear large, but we are committed to transforming this country and our President remains focused on that objective.

The Youth Enterprise Programme, which will be domiciled in every ward, is another encouraging initiative. We have many young people, including graduates, who are innovative and creative. Many have started their own businesses, but without financial support, they may not be able to do a lot. The inclusion of this programme in the budget demonstrates that we are concerned about the future of our youth. I encourage young people to make good use of these funds and utilise them prudently for their benefit and that of their families.

On footbridges, while we are undertaking extensive housing projects and constructing many houses, we often face challenges because of inadequate pedestrian infrastructure. Sometimes accidents occur and lives are lost. By investing in footbridges, we protect our people and ensure that the infrastructure we build serves its intended purpose safely.

If you look at the budget, resources have been allocated to election preparedness. The Committee has provided funding for the timely procurement of electoral materials and technology, strengthening voter registration, civic education programmes and enhancing institutional capacity to guarantee public confidence and the effective delivery of the electoral process.

This is very important because we are approaching the 2027 General Election. Empowering the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and providing it with adequate resources will help ensure free and fair elections. It will also enhance voter education, create awareness and build public confidence in the electoral process. This is the right time to make these allocations so that the IEBC can undertake its responsibilities effectively and prepare the country adequately for credible elections.

The confirmation of JSS teachers is extremely important. This Government, in history, has already employed over 100,000 teachers. The Committee noted that these interventions are expected to address existing staffing gaps in schools, enhance teacher motivation through career progression, improve job security and promote stability and efficiency in the education sector. Education remains one of the most important sectors because we are investing in the future of our children and preparing them to become leaders. They are our future leaders and unless we invest adequately in their education and provide them with the resources they need, we risk compromising the country's future leadership.

In conclusion, the Government has focused a lot on allocating substantial resources to this sector. My request to the TSC is that promotions should be conducted fairly and that all qualified teachers from every part of the country should be considered. This will ensure that no one is demoralised and that all teachers remain motivated to give their best service to the nation. The Budget looks good and is in the nation's best interest. We may need to go the extra mile to mobilise additional resources. I congratulate the Committee and look forward to seeing the country grow through its implementation.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Thank you very much. Hon. Koech.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Allow me also to add my voice to the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2026/2027. While I will not go through the entire document, I must commend the Budget and Appropriations Committee for a job well done. The Committee, chaired by my good friend, Hon. Samuel Atandi, has undertaken commendable work.

A budget of Ksh4.8 trillion is not merely about numbers. It is about the real transformation that this country requires. It must translate into tangible development. That development must be felt by the people. I have taken time to examine the budget. I have noted that many of the areas we have consistently advocated for have been addressed, particularly in the education sector. I am especially pleased because every Member of this House has received messages from unconfirmed JSS teachers who have consistently appealed to us to provide budgetary allocations for their confirmation.

The Budget Estimates contain good news to them. There is now a budgetary allocation for their confirmation. This means that all JSS teachers who have been serving on temporary terms will now be confirmed into permanent employment. What does this mean? It means that the ratio of teachers to students will significantly reduce and that will be very important for the teaching fraternity. We will have teachers to cater for the number of students we have.

I must thank the William Samoei Ruto administration for employing 100,000 teachers in the last three years. That is not a mean feat. That is the highest number of employed teachers that has ever been achieved since Independence. That is the combined numbers of all previous administrations and even surpasses them. Subsequently, there will also be the confirmation of all Junior Secondary School teachers employed temporarily.

In terms of healthcare, particularly primary healthcare, there is an additional funding. If we, Members of Parliament, utilise the funds well, we will boost the SHA where we have issues. As Members of Parliament, all the time, we have become mobile social welfares. We contribute to fundraisers because of sick people. Because of the cost of hospitalisation, many of them will die if they are not supported. Now that there is injection of funds or an increase in the allocation to the primary healthcare, it will boost the healthcare of citizens and we will have a healthier population with reduced stress in our hospitals. Significantly, that means that even our economy will improve.

I also want to mention the National Youth Opportunities Towards Advancement (NYOTA) Programme. I know critics will have their say, but let me say that the NYOTA Programme is robust, huge and transformative, particularly for those who have seen what it did in the previous phase of its rollout. It is transformational because small entrepreneurs borrow and make significant input into their businesses and in real-time. These are small businesses like mama mboga that are given a small amount of money to start or improve their businesses. These are the people who hustle every day in the bodaboda sector; and these are the shoe shiners that drive the economy of this country at the village level. The Government has given them a pat on their backs by resourcing them to start new businesses.

We must be alive to the fact that we have a challenge in the nation. There is a ballooning population of young people without job opportunities. As a country and Members who are responsible for leadership, we must be deliberate on what we want to do for our people so that we are able to create employment. This is a sector I think is a game-changer. I must thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee for allocating about Ksh12.5 billion to the NYOTA Programme. That is a significant boost that will change, help our society and help people who want to start small and big businesses to achieve what they intend to.

On the Ministry of Defence, where I chair the overseeing Committee, I must again thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee. The world has become extremely dynamic. Threats are becoming real and new every day. We are confronted by a restless erratic world. Pronouncements that are made in the capitals, whether it is in Washington, D.C., or in the European Union (EU), have a direct effect on our national security. Therefore, the resources of our defence become extremely paramount in the budget-making process. I must thank my Committee and the Budget and Appropriations Committee for considering the recommendations we had made as a Committee to conform with the reality and changes in the global security space.

The other day during demonstrations at Laikipia Airbase, we must have seen the machine that was out. That is what we call an Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC). It is a new APC that our military has acquired. We must continuously make sure that our military, as a defence of our sovereignty, is well-funded and well-catered for so that it continues to secure our borders. We have, as I said, restless neighbours. There is an imminent threat every single day. And as a country, we must not sleep. We must make sure that we resource our military. In fact, as a Committee, the challenge we have is to make sure that every coin allocated is accounted for to ensure our soldiers are fully kitted and their equipment is up to date so that we do not experience any incidents.

I have in mind the Kenya Air Force. This Parliament has put me to task on account for the accidents that we have seen before in the Kenya Air Force. I confirm to the country that the Ministry of Defence has acquired an air defence system. It is also improving our air defence through the Kenya Air Force. I would not go into the details, but today, Kenya Air Force is more equipped, better trained and ready to confront any challenge or threat that might face them soon or in the future.

I must also say something about our intelligence gathering by the NIS. I use this opportunity, in a very big way, to thank the NIS Director, Mr Noordin Haji, for transforming our national intelligence infrastructure. Today, information gathering has become better. Many people might not know that many terrorism attempts have been thwarted by our national intelligence system because of information gathering. Members from the North-Eastern Region and Rift Valley, particularly, those from Baringo, Samburu and Turkana, will tell you that we have had a very robust information gathering system spearheaded by the NIS. Information is given beforehand of terrorist attempts that are sometimes targeted at the country and sometimes even at this Parliament.

NIS Service is at the forefront. Since the onset of this 13th Parliament, there have been very few cases of successful penetration by terrorists or terrorist attempts in Kenya because we have continued to resource our NIS to improve and increase their workforce, buy more sophisticated and advanced equipment that is used to gather or collect information and transmit it I thank Hon. colleagues and the Budget and Appropriations Committee for seeing it fit to resource NIS.

Let me mention to this House that we have defence industrialisation. In India, Bangladesh and Pakistan, under the Ministry of Defence, they have a Ministry of Industrialisation that is massive. I have seen comments at times from people who do not understand the support that the Ministry of Defence provides in making sure that, as a country,

progress of works is achieved on time. Let us look at Talanta Stadium today and Wajir Stadium, where we held the 1st June celebrations. If you look at the timelines that the Ministry of Defence had been given and the time that they took to execute the project until we had celebrations there, it shows you that there is a lot of efficiency in Government. That is why the Ministry of Defence has been brought in to support in supervising most of these projects. We have about 48 active projects that are being supervised by the Ministry of Defence right now. We have the Talanta Stadium, the Bomas of Kenya, roads, hospitals and stadiums under construction. We also have water infrastructure that is being put up by the Ministry of Defence, in addition to the supervision of our railway. Therefore, in a way, most of the budget that we allocate here at some point will have to go into the supervision of the works being done by the Ministry of Defence.

I want to laud the Principal Secretary in the Ministry of Defence, Mr Mariru, and of course, Hon. Soipan, both of whom are our colleagues. Both of them were on the Speaker's Panel. I laud them for the way they have transformed our military to become even more robust to be a military that engages people, and one that takes part in the development of our infrastructure. Development of infrastructure is development of our country. Continuous development of that infrastructure and supervision by the Ministry is commendable. As a House, we must laud them for meeting those targets and making sure that they become part and parcel of our BETA.

As I conclude, I thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee. I have looked at different areas like education, healthcare and transport, and on the same measure, I must thank the Ministry for thinking outside the box. Today, we would be having a challenge if we did not have a thoughtful and innovative mind in the Ministry of Roads and Transport. Beyond our normal revenue and the direct injection of capital into the sector, they have become extremely innovative and they have now explored the securitisation model. This will enable them fund some of the infrastructure that for many years had not been developed. I am certain that in every county in this country today, machines are rolling on site, some roadworks and earthworks are being done. This is what we need. As we go to election as Members of Parliament, part of the things that you must show your people is what you have achieved and what you have done as a Member of Parliament. Even though we do not manipulate how funds are allocated, this House and the Budget and Appropriations Committee must make sure that there is equitable distribution of resources across the country. This will ensure that the entire country achieves meaningful change.

With the many remarks, I must say this will be a transformative Budget. I laud the Budget and Appropriations Committee. I support. Thank you very much.

Thank you very much, Chairman. Hon. Members, before I go to the next Member, I would like to recognise the following students seated in the Speaker's Gallery this morning; Kiawambogo Senior School from Kangema Constituency in Murang’a County, and Moi High School Mbiruri from Runyenjes Constituency in Embu County. Thank you very much for visiting the National Assembly. You are welcome to continue observing proceedings of the House.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker for this opportunity. As I rise to support this Budget, I will only make comments on three areas that I think are important. Money has been allocated to them but we may have to do a little more. I will start with the area of education. As you have already seen, it has got the largest share of

the whole Budget, but we still have issues there. The main thing there is harmonisation of policies. We have too many policies that have come up. Among them are the university funding, Competence-Based Education (CBE) and capitation processes. These are all great ideas and rightly funded, but the issue is the efficiency with which they are being implemented is being hampered by the fact that they are many and they are not harmonised. If we harmonise them, we will get better result for the extra money we have allocated. We have problems in the education sector. For example, the unfortunate fire problem we experienced recently. I must pass condolences to those families. How can a child take a matchbox, strike it, pour paraffin and light a mattress where a colleague is sleeping? We must find out what is happening in our country. With issues like that, it is good to allocate more money but also look at the processes in that sector.

The next area I want to talk about is youth empowerment. Again, this is one of the biggest challenges we have. I am happy that money has been allocated, but one thing that is important are the structures. What has actually made me feel a little better with this Budget is that they have actually put money to operationalise constituency youth offices. We have all these programmes; the NYOTA Fund and even the Hustler Fund. Maybe things are different in some constituencies, but there is no structure that follows this money in my constituency. There is no way to know the people who got into the NYOTA programme, people applying for the Youth Development Fund, or even the Hustler Fund. Who do these people link with? You need a lot of structures in place to support these young people when they have got the money. Who is following up on the training programmes they have if you do not have officers at the constituency level? The amount of money we give out should be in a way related to the amount of money we spend on operationalising them and supporting them. That is extremely important as we put money there.

Lastly, I will make a comment about health. I know and I appreciate the Budget and Appropriations Committee that the proposals we made from the Departmental Committee on Health have come through. The increase for Primary Healthcare Fund (PHC) from Ksh13 billion to Ksh19 billion is extremely important. People have issues with SHA. Some are saying it does not work while others are saying it is working, but the problem is simple and straightforward. This will help it. Thirty million people have now registered under SHA, but only about five million have paid the premium. Why are we registering too many if they are not covered under the premium? Because we have the PHC for which they do not have to pay a premium. If we increase the money that will support level 2, level 3, and even some outpatients in level 4, that will go a long way. This is because people do not have to pay a premium for that. As long as you have registered you will get the service.

Another important thing in this area is how this PHC is used. It is actually disbursed directly to the facilities through the Facility Improvement Fund (FIF). That is now under the management of the counties. We have a problem there. In some counties this money is not properly used such that facilities back in the counties have money, but some have even put in place what I would call bylaws that put the money back. If we improve the utilisation of this Ksh19 billion through the FIF, the counties can strengthen level 2 and level 3 facilities using this money. Can you imagine Kenyans going to these facilities, getting treatment, getting their drugs and going home? That is a huge change. It is possible with the Ksh19 billion that has been allocated. If we do that, it will take off the heat on SHIF and we will see marked improvement.

At the same time, we have allocated Ksh20.9 billion to KEMSA. That is a lot of money. This money together with the FIF can be used for distribution of drugs. This could help us get into a situation where in our primary care facilities like the level 2 and level 3 hospital, drugs are available to patients. Patients do not see the doctors and then they are sent to go and buy drugs elsewhere. That would work, and that is why the KEMSA is being funded at this level.

The link between KEMSA supply and the counties is important because sometimes counties do not pay KEMSA once they have been supplied. So, if that does not work, then every year we will have to put large amounts in KEMSA, while the design was that it should be like a rolling fund, so that if you put money and the counties buy, then KEMSA really does not need to be funded every year. If you look at the debts that KEMSA has, basically it is Government, from the Ministry of Health for distribution and storage, and from the counties that do not pay when KEMSA has delivered… We have found that in counties where KEMSA is paid and drugs are delivered, we find that even the Facility Improvement Fund works better. That is an area where we should spend that money properly.

On the UHC staff, this is a problem we have had. We put money in the last Budget, and they were supposed to be taken on permanent and pensionable terms, but again the arrangement between the county governments and the national Government did not work. We have put this money again, and it is going directly to the counties. We expect that they should take up the UHC workers now. I call upon the county governments to take the people who have been there, who have been working on contract terms. Do not employ new people while what motivated us to put this money was to make these people on permanent and pensionable terms.

Also, the supply of Global Fund support for malaria, TB and HIV stand at Ksh18.5 billion. This is welcome, and again our Committee is thankful to the Budget and Appropriations Committee because this is an area that for a long time has been funded by donors. We know donor funds are dwindling, and if we do not keep up and put more funds, we are going to have problems in those key areas. This is an area we are suggesting, and I have not seen the recommendations, that the key areas in health, like the Global Fund and vaccination, the money should be ring fenced so that even during the Supplementary Budget we do not touch it.

I have noted, with a little bit of satisfaction, that we have put little more money in Kenyatta National Hospital, but this is just one. All these level 6 facilities, Kenyatta National Hospital, Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, Kenyatta University Teaching, Referral and Research Hospital have a big problem with personnel emoluments. When we started, there was anticipation that with SHA working, they would raise a lot of funds, but that has not worked as well as we wanted. Therefore, we reduced their personnel emoluments. But the basis on which we reduced them has not come to fruition. They are facing a lot, and this is an area where we asked the Budget and Appropriations Committee if they could add more money for personnel emoluments in our level 6 hospitals.

With that, I support this Budget.

Thank you very much, Hon. Chairman. Hon. Wamboka.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I would like to appreciate the work that has been done by my good friend Hon. Atandi on this. But I want to underline a few issues that are of importance to our country. Since where we have come from as a country, from 1963, honestly speaking, the least we expect as a country is that we have free primary education, free secondary education, and free university education. Education is the foundation of any society. Looking at the trends that have been happening in this country, education is not funded enough. The other day, when the President was saying they had released capitation, to our dismay, they had released only Ksh95 per student. Those are peanuts.

We want to encourage this Government to ensure that primary education is free. Provide enough money for teachers and infrastructure. When we get stories of fires like the one we had in Nakuru the other day, it is not good. You could see that students were even sleeping in corridors. There are beds in the corridors, which makes it very difficult for students to even escape when these fires come up. We want the Government to prioritise the education

of our children in this country. Provide enough money for infrastructure. If you give head teacher Ksh95 per student, for how long can a student depend on the amount? We are encouraging this Government to wake up from slumberland and ensure that it prioritises the issues of education.

If you asked me, between housing and education, for instance, I would go for education. It will matter not how many skyscrapers you build in this country as long as our children are not in school. As long as we do not have infrastructure in our schools, it will matter not. If you go to my village, or if you go to Bumula Constituency, we do not need housing. We do not need housing. We need education. We need infrastructure in our schools. We need our children to feed and stay in schools. I dream of that day when education will be free in this country. I miss the late Hon. Mwai Kibaki, His Excellency. I miss former President Uhuru Kenyatta. The late Mwai Kibaki gave us free primary education. Uhuru Kenyatta brought us free secondary day education.

This Government must do something. It must have a signature on the education of this country. We want to encourage this Government to go out of its way to ensure that it prioritises matters of education. We have 44,000 teachers in JSS. I have looked at the Budget. They are only accommodating 20,000 teachers. I want to beseech this Government. Why do we take our students to school if we cannot absorb them?

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Did I hear a point of order from the Chairman? Please proceed, Chairman, Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Hon. Wamboka is my good friend. I just wanted to correct him that it is only JSS teachers who are going to be confirmed, those who have served for two years. The arrangement is that every two years, we confirm JSS teachers. Therefore, the amount of money we have in the Budget is sufficient to confirm JSS teachers who have served for two years. Therefore, there is nothing out of order in your point.

Thank you.

Hon. Wamboka, please proceed with your debate without misleading the House. Make sure that you have read the Report so that you are able to debate based on facts.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we have 44,000 JSS teachers who are not employed. I agree with what Hon. Atandi is saying, that those who have served for two years are 20,000. We want to encourage the Government that once we train these teachers, and we have a deficiency of teachers in this country, absorb all of them. I agree with what Hon. Atandi is saying. It is a fact. But why can we not take all of them, even those who have not served for two years? That is my point. I want to encourage that once we train our students, we take them to universities, and we take them to colleges, we have enough teachers to go and serve our schools. Teachers are suffering in this country. If a teacher falls sick today, woe unto him or her. This thing called SHA insurance has caused a nightmare to teachers.

I speak for the teachers of Bungoma County who were being treated at Bungoma West Hospital the other day. It collapsed and teachers are now hanging—you go to one hospital, SHA is not working; you go to another, and you find that SHA has been suspended. Teachers are suffering. Let teachers go back to their days of dignity when they had an insurance scheme that took care for their needs without inconvenience.

Healthcare in any nation is key to its future. We encourage the Government to put more money in our hospitals. Yes, they have increased the healthcare budget but we encourage them to provide free healthcare to the citizens of this country. Our people are suffering and dying

every other day. Those who cannot access medication are dying from ailments as basic as malaria. We encourage this Government to prioritise health. Ninety per cent of the problems that befall a country will not exist if you have a healthy and educated nation.

I thank the Committee of Hon. Atandi for providing a stipend to our village elders. We started this initiative with Hon. Mwengi Mutuse when we were working on this Motion. We thank them because our village elders the Bakasas and the Ligurus who have done a lot of work can at least smile at the end of the day. The Ksh3,000 may not be enough, but thank you. Considering the current economic situation, Hon. Atandi, try to ensure this amount increases in future.

Lastly, we want regional balancing. We want everyone in this country to feel and believe that they are part of Kenya because we all pay taxes. I was looking at the roads sector in Bungoma County where roads that started in 2013 remain incomplete up to now and the amounts allocated are not sufficient to construct even a kilometre. We want fairness. We all pay taxes. We want a scenario where every Kenyan and region matters.

Hon. Members, before we continue, I would like to take this opportunity to recognise students seated in the Speaker's Gallery this morning. They are from St Angela’s Girls School from Kitui Central Constituency in Kitui County. You are welcome to the National Assembly to continue observing proceedings of the House.

Hon. Dawood, do you know them? Member of North Imenti, please take one minute. You have really requested that you want to welcome the students.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Yes, I know them. I met the lovely ladies seated in the Speaker's Gallery up there. They told me they are from Kitui. I call them cousins because you are also from Kitui. The Ameru and the Akamba communities are cousins, for that matter. I welcome them and the other students as well. Hapa ndio mnaweza kufika mkisoma vizuri.

Ahsante.

Thank you for making it brief because we have important business before the House. Hon. Nyakundi.

Thank you for giving me this opportunity. First, I thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee led by my good brother Hon. Atandi for presenting the 2026/2027 Budget Estimates—a fair budget distributes resources well across the different regions of this country. It is a substantial budget of about Ksh4.89 trillion with about Ksh420 billion going to support devolution and county governments. I have looked at this budget and noted that a substantial allocation of about Ksh789 billion is going to education which is very important. It is the only equaliser in life.

I heard my good brother, Hon. Wamboka, say that this Government is not prioritising education. I categorically tell him here that if there is one Government that has prioritised education, it is this one. This Government has employed more than 100,000 teachers under the leadership of President William Ruto. We have allocated Ksh8 billion in this budget to help move intern teachers to permanent and pensionable terms.

I also want to tell Hon. Wamboka, who is my good friend and has just left the Chamber, that this Government has increased the education budget from Ksh500 billion.

Hon. Nyakundi, I wish Hon. Wamboka was in the House so that he could listen to you. You have gone through the report

and are giving facts contained in the Budget and Appropriations Committee Report. It is unfortunate that he spoke, made very negative remarks, and left.

Hon. Members, I encourage you that it is good to remain in the Chamber for at least five or ten minutes after debating. Then, you will get a feel of what other Members are saying. Please proceed Hon. Nyakundi.

I think Hon. Wamboka knew I was about to speak and present clear facts. That is why he decided to run away. Nevertheless, I will share these facts with him afterwards.

It is under this Government that the education budget has increased from Ksh500 billion to Ksh789 billion. That is an increment of more than Ksh200 billion since 2022. The increase will support capitation to junior schools, primary schools, TVET institutions and the HELB. This Government has done a lot for education and schools so that we support them. It has also constructed more than 23,000 junior school classrooms in less than two years. Therefore, allow me to educate Hon. Wamboka on matters relating to education and this budget when I hear him discussing education without facts. I encourage him to come back to this House with facts next time.

I also thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee and the Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock for allocating a substantial amount of money to agriculture, about Ksh63 billion. As you know, we as a country depend on agriculture. We had issues in the sector a few years ago. However, we have now allocated enough money; about Ksh18 billion towards fertiliser subsidy and about Ksh2 billion towards seedling subsidy. I thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee for the good work done in that regard.

I thank the Committee because, as you know, the Consolidated Fund Services (CFS) is the first charge to any budget. Much money has been put into servicing our debt and interest obligations. About Ksh1.1 trillion has been set aside to assist in meeting the country’s debt. As my good brother Hon. Wamboka has said, most village elders were previously not paid, but about Ksh3.95 billion has been set aside to pay them. That stipend will go a long way in supporting them because they support the Government and the people at the grassroot level.

Hon. Wamboka said that the funds set aside for infrastructure development are not enough. In 2022, we set aside Ksh75 billion for infrastructure development, but currently, the amount set aside is Ksh170 billion. We have completed the construction of roads that had stalled since 2018. Contractors are on site and construction on the stalled roads is ongoing. We are not only getting support for road construction from the Budget, but also from the securitisation of Ksh7 for every Ksh25 collected per litre through the Road Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) . Most roadworks are ongoing. We thank the Ministry of Roads and Transport for doing a good job in supporting infrastructure development.

Lastly, I want to talk about the funds set aside for the Last Mile Connectivity Programme. About Ksh12 billion has been set aside to put up transformers in constituencies. Electricity should not just be for the rich, but for every Kenyan. That will go a long way to support kids as they do their homework and to promote industrialisation. I thank the Departmental Committee on Energy because those funds will go a long way.

I want to thank the Budget and Appropriations Committee for this equitable Budget. Every part of this country has been catered in the Budget. Road works are ongoing in Northern and Western Kenya, and in the Coast region. I want to thank all the Committees which took their time to present their estimates before the Budget and Appropriations Committee. This Budget will transform and develop our country.

Let us have Hon. Naisula Lesuuda.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to also contribute to the Motion.

From the onset, I support the Report before the House. I would also like to congratulate the Budget and Appropriations Committee, of which I am a Member, chaired by our able Chairman, Hon. Atandi. I would like to thank him for his guidance and also for the long hours that we put in listening to the chairpersons of the Departmental Committees. I would also like to congratulate the Departmental Committees for the effort that they put in before they appeared before the Budget and Appropriations Committee. Our Committee engaged with the Departmental Committees that oversee different sectors, which contributed to this Report finally being tabled in the House.

I just want to pick up from where one of my colleagues had left on the issue of equity. The National Treasury proposed very good recommendations when they appeared before us, which we support. They proposed that in future, Departmental Committees should capture ongoing projects and the constituencies in which they are located. That will ensure equity and prevent Ministry officials from concentrating projects in one area. We must promote equity in our country. No constituency or county should be left behind when dividing “the national cake”.

I must commend the Budget and Appropriations Committee for the funds allocated to the education sector, which continues to account for the largest share of our Budget. The education sector has received an allocation of Ksh781.4 billion in the 2026/2027 Financial Year. A country that does not invest in education is definitely one that is planning to fail. Education will give our children an opportunity to fulfil their dreams to come to Parliament and represent their people. We should continue to invest in education by increasing the capitation to our primary, junior secondary and secondary schools.

When the Cabinet Secretary and the Principal Secretary, the National Treasury and Economic Planning appeared before us, we took them to task to ensure that those monies are not just in the books or in the Estimates, but that the National Treasury releases capitation on time. One of the assurances that we got from Cabinet Secretary Mbadi is that capitation would be released before schools re-opened. That is commendable and should continue. We do not want our teachers and students to strain in schools. We hope that trajectory will continue as we move forward.

Hon. Melly, the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Education, mentioned the issue of extra-curricular funds allocated to schools for sports and drama festivals. We all know that in the second term of school, our children participate in extra-curricular activities. Members usually receive requests for funds for transport, hiring buses, or for lunch. Funds have been set aside for those activities in the Budget. That amount should be allocated per capita or per child and should be released on time. Headteachers should put that money to good use because it is not factored in the NG-CDF. It is mostly from the pockets of the Members of Parliament, and it can be catered for in schools.

The third important issue still related to education is the Ksh4.9 billion that has been allocated for the conversion of 20,000 intern teachers into permanent and pensionable terms. Our intern teachers have been putting in a lot of teaching hours in our schools. They have also been reaching out to us, requesting to be employed on permanent and pensionable terms. Around 20,000 of them have been factored in this Budget. The number of teachers is increasing, which will help our learners in schools.

The NG-CDF budget has increased to Ksh61 billion from Ksh58 billion in the 2025/2026 Budget. I have been at the forefront in fighting for the increase of that allocation alongside other Members. Our courts have now declared that the NG-CDF is constitutional. Anyone who still disputes that fact should know that Kenyans spoke and said that they would like the NG-CDF to remain as it is. The NG-CDF equalises all of us. The NG-CDF helps in the development of our schools, bursaries, and the environment. The National Government

Affirmative Action Fund (NGAAF) helps our women at the county level. Even with the meagre resources allocated to NGAAF, we can see its great impact on our women and youth.

On matters Equalisation Fund, as the Committee has noted, there continues to be a shortfall in the allocation. I can call it arrears. The Equalisation Fund is a very important fund in our Constitution, which is allocated to counties that have been marginalised for many years. Even as the money continues to go to these counties, I hope that when the formula on how the money is distributed to counties is done, we can revert to the original counties. This is because the Fund was really meant to improve, especially infrastructure in these counties to have something significant. The money that we are now taking to the ward level and doing roads of Ksh10 million or Ksh20 million is not how to equalise counties. We need to put funds, which are going to improve these counties to levels that are meaningful in terms of building roads that interconnect counties and constituencies. That way, the Equalisation Fund will have a true meaning.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, there is one observation that has been made here several time, and it is the issue to do with SHA cover. Personally, I have members of the public in my constituency who have benefited. Also, we are paying SHA cover for members of the public through the NG-CDF. However, we have noted that there is need for the Ministry of Health and the SHA to institute a predictable and time-bound claim reimbursement mechanism for healthcare facilities with priority being given to public health institutions that rely heavily on SHA reimbursement as Appropriation-in-Aid (A-in-A). We have to make sure that our hospitals at the county level are reimbursed on time so that members of the public can access the much-needed health facilities.

As I conclude, it is also important to note that money that has been given for the village elders is a stipend, but it is very important because these village elders in our communities do a great job. On the Public Service Commission (PSC) interns, there is a provision of Ksh2 billion under the PSC internship programme. It is an important one because many of our children who have finished their university and college education need to go through an internship programme. It is important that the Government considers them. The Committee has asked the Auditor-General to actually audit and ensure that the funds are used for that specific purpose. They should not be used for other operations. That way, interns can serve in a conducive environment.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support.

Thank you very much. In the absence of Hon. Rindikiri Mugambi, the Chairman of the Departmental Committee on Housing, Urban Planning and Public Works, I will go directly to the Chairman Departmental Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, Hon. Mutunga.

Thank you very much, Hon. Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to also contribute to the adoption of the Report by the Budget and Appropriation Committee on next year's Budget. I wish to thank the Committee for the good work it has done and for the considerations that have come forth. Most of the Members have noted those considerations.

I would like to take note of the important consideration this time round of the support to the village elders; the ones we call area managers. These people have always been asking us why we are not doing anything about their situation. It is important to note that this time round, at least, this House has looked in their direction and given them some recognition, however meagre it is. From zero to something positive is always good, and it is notable that this year’s Budget has given them that support.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I look at the issue of proportionality and address this House on matters agriculture, I realise that this sector is still not a major priority in this country. It is not one of those areas that has been favoured by this Budget. We have been placed at

around priority number eight, but we forget that agriculture is one of the sectors that provide the basic need; food. Besides food being basic, we will also, in a few minutes, look at how agriculture can really drive this economy forward. Agriculture is a key supporter of employment. The greater proportion of those who are employed in this country are employed in the agricultural sector, and it has immense potential to employ even more. It is one of the main drivers in terms of foreign earning exchange. It is the key driver to industrialisation which this country requires.

I have absolutely no problem with financing education for I know education is a liberator and an equaliser. I have no problem in us constructing roads and extending electricity, but as an individual and as a Member of this House, I have a problem being in a country where we are not focusing on creating jobs. The easiest way of creating jobs is supporting agriculture. If we give agriculture 3.9 percent, against a lot of effort by the African Union, through the Comprehensive African Agriculture Development Programme... We have been discussing, negotiating, and signing protocols to support agriculture, at least, by governments allocating 10 per cent of their budgets to it. There is evidence from countries like Rwanda, Ethiopia and Tanzania which have given significant support to agriculture and are now realising double digit growth. Here, we miss the point most of the time.

It is important to have very educated people, but it is also very frustrating to have educated people who have no jobs, when we have opportunities to create those jobs. If you may want to look at it, Hon. Temporary Speaker, agriculture is the one that basically will give us sustainable agri-food systems. For us to have sustainable agri-food systems, a lot of work has to be done, and jobs must be created. Increased public investment can only occur easily in agriculture.

This is where almost everyone in the community can invest. Inclusivity of the youth can easily happen in agriculture. These are key themes that are integrated in the BETA. There are key themes that are integrated in the Agenda 2063 for Africa, and there are key themes that are integrated in the Vision 2030 of this country. So, they are there, but they are not really responded to effectively. If we take a close look at BETA, out of the nine priority areas that are considered as growth areas in that particular Agenda, six are agricultural. In fact, there are seven of them considering fisheries. It has an agricultural background because the blue economy and fisheries, basically, is agriculture. So, if we look at the support we are giving to the dairy, tea, rice, edible oils, the leather sub-sectors and so on, then we realise that we are not doing enough.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, without appearing to lament a lot, if we just substituted the imports on edible oils alone, which takes close to Ksh200 billion every year, and if we really worked seriously on substituting total imports on food, which goes up to Ksh522 billion every year, we can do a lot in this country. We can create more jobs, we can have very strong systems, and we can also employ a lot of youth. Agriculture is short of Ksh56 billion, and I would like to correct our Chairman. The Chairman says agriculture has been sufficiently funded. The Chairman of the Budget and Appropriation Committee, agriculture lacks! Out of the proposed Ksh135 billion, they were given Ksh79 billion. They are short of Ksh56 billion! So, we start from a shortfall which has ramifications across the sector. Also, some sectors and State corporations do not have enough personal emoluments or compensation for employees. In many of them, money is lacking. If you look at our agricultural research system, it is one of the most

affected. The Kenya Agricultural and Livestock Research Organisation (KALRO)requires about Ksh500 billion to meet its budget deficit. If we cannot fund our agricultural research systems, it means we will be poor in technology, innovation, and management practices. We will not drive the agricultural economy as it is supposed to be the case.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, I have come from a convention on wheat in Bologna, Italy. I can confirm to this House that none of the Kenyan scientists attended that function. It was a scientific conference where global wheat scientists took the floor and discussed what they do in various areas. We need to look at what we are doing in these areas.

Another issue I would like to bring to the fore is pending bills, which continue to accumulate. I would like to thank the Committee and the greater effort within the National Treasury and for considering an increase in the Budget and improving the funding for fertiliser. The fertiliser subsidy demands Ksh18 billion. We are grateful this time because that money has been allocated. However, we have pending bills of about Ksh16 billion which need to be paid. We also have pending bills that have been demanded at the court level, with court orders requiring payment of the same. A classic example is in the livestock sector, where we have a pending bill called, 'Agriculture and Livestock'. It is a common factor within the sector and an embarrassment to the State. The matter has been taken to court many times and has also been negotiated out of court.

Initially, the court’s determination was Ksh6.2 billion. There were negotiations between the Government and the owners of the money to bring it down to Ksh4 billion. Since we did not pay on time, they went back to court and were awarded Ksh7.2 billion. This is a pending bill that we need to look at.

With regard to implementation of the Budget, there are many good ideas contained there. We recognise the funding for infrastructure which is important for this country. Most of the stalled projects have started. I can speak positively from my background. When it comes to managing activities after the Budget, the National Treasury needs to pull up its socks in terms of Exchequer releases. Most of the contractors are worried because they may not be paid within the next 27 days due to insufficient Exchequer.

There is also the issue of debt factor vis-a-vis budget deficit. As a country, our appetite to spend continues to increase, but we have not done enough. I would like to point out a case where we spend a lot of money, but we need to refocus; the County Aggregation and Industrial Parks (CAIPs). If you look at the 47 counties and assess the extent to which these CAIPs have backward integration with suppliers and what is to be supplied, that particular correlation has not been built. We are currently funding the installation and equipment of CAIPs. We need to focus more on the software than the hardware.

We need to look at different areas in this country and the potential we have to supply to the industries. We also need to look at the extent to which agriculture supports the economy, the expectations we should look at, and where we should be. It is best for us to speak about agriculture supporting the economy up to 4 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP). How did other countries get there? Is it that they hit a goldmine? Did they begin with basic education and infrastructure for them to arrive at that level? The answer is no. They all started with agriculture. We have all studied Geography. During our time, we did American Geography which explained how they reorganised and invested in their agriculture. Investing in agriculture is investing in people. When you invest in people, you empower everyone to contribute towards nation building. We have not done enough in this regard.

As we look at the Budget, let us remember that agriculture has a huge deficit. We can talk about a few projects which are in the agricultural sector. We always insist that they should be spread across the country. We insist on listing of these projects, since there is a thin spread of them across the country. If you look at the intensity, you might realise that in a county, you only cover two sub-counties and two wards. At the end of the day, you cover two sub-counties and four wards in a county rather than seven or eight wards. It is not happening at the desired scale. We need to look at how to scale it up.

As we look at the various value chains in this country, as the National Treasury and the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) look at possibilities of generating revenue, and as we enact

laws in this country, let us remember that agriculture is the anchor of our people. It is what the livelihoods of Kenyans depend on. This is a highly sensitive sector, especially now that we are moving towards an election year. Let us be very careful about what we do in agriculture.

I thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I support the Motion.

Hon. Christopher Aseka, Member for Khwisero.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I join my colleagues in supporting this Report by the Budget and Appropriations

Committee on the Budget Estimates for Financial Year 2026/27. The Government of Kenya

Thank you. Next is Hon. Clive Gisairo.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Very quickly, Hon. Gisairo,

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Right from the outset, I support the Report and the proposals contained therein. I will dwell on two or three sectors highlighted in the Report.

First, I will start with the education sector. I also wish Hon. Japheth Nyakundi were here, as he may not have gone through the Report despite sitting on that Committee. While we say the education budget has increased to Ksh781 billion, we also need to be mindful that student numbers have been increasing at the same rate, or even faster, than the budgetary allocations.

We must realise that capitation has consistently fallen short for both primary schools and senior schools. If this trend continues, we are likely to experience a systemic collapse because schools are unable to meet their day-to-day expenses. Headteachers and principals are struggling to run schools and are therefore heavily dependent on the NG-CDF for infrastructure development and bursary support.

While Ksh56.7 billion has been allocated to the HELB, this remains gross underfunding of that institution. At present, the Board can provide only upkeep funds to students and cannot disburse the full scholarship and loan components intended for remittance directly to universities. As a result, universities have accumulated pending bills totalling more than Ksh100 billion.

This affects the quality of higher education and compromises the quality of graduates we produce as a country. Another issue in the education sector is the allocation of research resources. If we are to achieve the aspirations we continue to proclaim, we must invest significantly in research. We have yet to attain even 1 per cent of GDP allocated to research. As it stands, we are still gyrating below 0.8 per cent. There is no way we can become a first- world economy if we do not allocate more resources to research and development through the State Department for Science, Research and Innovation. As long as we continue underfunding the State Department and research generally, we shall remain a developing country, merely hoping for a better country.

The Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) has been allocated Ksh9.9 billion. According to this Report, an additional Ksh1.5 billion is expected to be allocated, bringing the total to approximately Ksh11.4 billion. KNEC has consistently been underfunded. Last year alone, it faced a funding shortfall of nearly Ksh4.2 billion. As a result, examiners have not been paid on time and, to date, some who examined last year's examinations have still not been paid. This year, KNEC required approximately Ksh14 billion. We are still underfunding the institution to the extent that we are effectively budgeting for additional pending bills beyond the existing Ksh4.2 billion. If this trend continues over the next two financial years, KNEC’s pending bills will exceed its annual budget request.

I would propose beginning to capitate examination funding. Just as capitation follows the student, examination funding should equally follow the number of students sitting examinations. Currently, we allocate a lump-sum figure without accounting for the actual number of candidates. If we adopt a capitation model, we will address KNEC's funding challenges, ensure that invigilators and examiners are paid promptly, and improve the quality

of examinations and the examination environment. Otherwise, in the next few years, we may not even have sufficient examiners and invigilators to administer and mark these examinations.

In the youth sector, Ksh4.7 billion has been allocated to the NYOTA Programme. While we all agree that this is a donor-funded programme with good intentions, we also need statistics on the beneficiaries and the success rate that can be independently verified. I heard the Chairperson say he has witnessed success stories in his county. That is commendable. However, I do not have a single case in my constituency. Many Members here may equally be unable to point to a specific case, yet they will stand and claim success in their counties. We need verifiable information, not merely from leaders in those areas, but from any member of the public.

Since these are public funds, any citizen should be able to verify the beneficiaries, the success stories, and the impact of these funds. Otherwise, we may end up in the same situation as the Hustler Fund, where we do not know who the beneficiaries are, the extent of their growth, the success rate, or any measurable outcomes that can be independently verified.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

I would request not to be interrupted after sitting here for all those hours. My time will not be added. I have not spoken anything out of order.

Chairperson, are you raising a point of order or a point of information?

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Is it a point of order, Chairperson?

It is a point of information.

If it is a point of information, I will have to ask the Hon. Member whether he is willing to be informed.

I am not willing to be informed because I am properly informed.

If he is not willing to be informed, I will unfortunately ask him to continue.

I am actually the one informing the Chairperson.

Thank you.

What we are saying is that while these funds are going to the youth, a matter we as leaders have no difficulty supporting, we must be able to see verifiable success stories. The Chairperson cannot simply tell us that the programme is successful without supporting evidence. We have allocated Ksh12.5 billion to support youth training through the NYS.

On a point of order, Hon. Temporary Speaker.

Hon. Gisairo, I have a point of order from the Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee.

Proceed and prosecute your point of order. What is out of order?

What I was trying to tell Hon. Clive is that the NYOTA Programme is not selective. It is a programme conducted in every constituency in Kenya, the 290 constituencies. Therefore, I think it is not in order for the Member to claim that, in his constituency, there is no single programme under NYOTA. If you need information, I can provide you with details of the beneficiaries in your constituency.

That is a valid point of order, speaking from a point of fact.

That is not what I said. I said I do not have the details to verify. I did not say there is no beneficiary. Hon. Temporary Speaker, as I said, the Chair intends to disrupt me. Let him also be attentive and listen keenly to the proceedings by putting his phone aside.

We have allocated Ksh12.5 billion to the NYS. This can be a very productive programme. However, if you look around nowadays, very few youths are interested in participating in the NYS recruitment process. The reason is that we do not give these young people the endgame of joining the NYS.

When security agencies need to recruit, why not go to NYS records to pick students who have benefited from there and automatically transition them into the security agencies? This will encourage young people to join the NYS and learn from it. It will also get more youth off the streets, enable them to receive proper training and mould them into patriots and productive citizens of this country. So, I hope I will be added a few seconds, courtesy of Hon. Atandi.

Lastly, the confirmation of the 20,000 teachers is underwhelming. Given the ongoing court cases, I felt we should have confirmed all 44,000 intern teachers. Just in case the ruling goes against the TSC, which would render the remaining 24,000 student intern teachers jobless.

Give him a minute because of the interruptions.

Thank you. The assertion that the Government has employed 100,000 teachers is far from the truth. The Government has employed 56,000 teachers and 44,000 intern teachers, and it now plans to employ an additional 20,000 by confirming 20,000 interns. Therefore, in total, the Government will have employed 76,000 teachers, not 100,000. An internship is not employment, by definition… I can see my Chair itching to correct me; it is a form of training. It is not employment. I have finished. There is no need to have a point of order.

Chair, unfortunately, he has already finalised the prosecution of that matter. Therefore, your point of order cannot be prosecuted. Hon. Members, I can see that many people would like to speak, but the person at the top of the list is the Hon. Rindikiri Mugambi, Member for Buuri.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. This is a very important annual programme. We all need time to explain it to Kenyans, because I believe we are not talking to ourselves; we are talking to Kenyans. I join my colleagues in applauding the successful presentation by the Chairperson and the entire Budget and Appropriations Committee.

My keen interest is in the State Department for Housing and Urban Development and Public Works. I heard a Member state that housing is not a priority in this Budget, but I am here to remind anyone with that thinking that housing is an issue anchored in our Constitution. I also wish to applaud the bold step that the ruling party and the Government have taken in implementing housing programmes.

In Vote 1094, you will see the key targets we aim to achieve in the next financial year. Let us not lose sight of the fact that housing is not only about providing shelter but also a source of employment. We have direct and indirect employment as a result of the housing programmes that we are developing. It is a skill transfer opportunity. We currently have about 4,500 interns across various housing programme sites, Economic Stimulus Programme (ESP) markets, institutional housing, the Nairobi River Regeneration and Engineering Works Programme, and civil servants' housing units. They are gaining experience, and we believe that, at the end of it all, employment of our youth will improve as we equip them with the right technology.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, we had requested support and the Committee...

I see two points of order here, one by the Hon. Harrison Kombe and the other by Hon. Ndindi Nyoro. I assume you both intend to speak?

Yes

Okay. You may continue,

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Housing is also causing an indirect spiral economic improvement programme, particularly in manufacturing and transport, among others. Those who are playing down the concept of housing do not understand it. We have over 790 ongoing housing projects. Many counties or constituencies have not been covered. We made a presentation to consider keeping the pace of these projects, because if we slow down, it will affect employment and other consequential effects of housing.

We had a conversation with the Chairman of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, and we have agreed on the way forward. We had requested Ksh150 billion, which included about Ksh50 billion from housing sales and Ksh100 billion from securitisation. We have consulted the National Treasury, and because I know many people will look into what really happened, we have agreed on the way forward. I applaud the Committee for taking that initial step.

Hon. Temporary Speaker, when we talk about equity and equality, some counties have not benefited from the Housing Levy Fund. It is our view that those counties are given an opportunity. When we ask for additional funding, we know exactly which countries are not covered. Big cities like Nairobi and Mombasa are where the largest housing demand is, and we cannot bury our heads in the sand. We must continue with this programme and fund it.

I had the privilege of being at the Coast and saw the housing units that have been built in Mombasa, Kilifi, and Kwale. They have all been applied for, and the demand is doubling. We will continue developing the housing sector. We also have institutional housing that provides accommodation for students. Not every student comes from a large family. We feel this will help enhance student and civil servant accommodation.

The Nairobi Rivers Commission (NRC) is doing a great job. I ask Hon. Members to please support this budget, as the majority of the funds we are allocating to urban and metropolitan areas are going towards the Nairobi Rivers development. We are not talking about the Nairobi River but the Nairobi Rivers. It is a support system within the housing chain. We cannot separate the two because we are constructing the market next door to housing. We are developing that infrastructure to make it a comprehensive programme. In any case, we are improving our environment.

Regarding the Kenya Informal Settlement Improvement Project (KISIP/KUSIP) , which falls under our Committee, we had requested that Ksh500 million be allocated towards its completion as a Government commitment. Unfortunately, this was not considered. We have since agreed with the National Treasury on the way forward. I want to thank the Committee for treating this as a special case.

In KUSIP, we have 79 municipalities, and only two of them are donor-funded: Dadaab and Kakuma. We are on good terms with our donors, and we do not want to disappoint them. However, due to the economic situation and the source of revenue, we agreed to consider it during the Supplementary Estimates.

We also have Public Works. I want to thank the Committee for listening to our prayer and ensuring that this State Department is not crippled. This is the department that supervises many of the programmes the Government is undertaking in housing, as well as the coastline

infrastructure. We thank the Committee for agreeing that we need more and for providing an additional Ksh128 million.

I will not conclude without noting that the overall Budget is good. However, my emphasis is on allocating more money to education, as many Members have said. The Government has made considerable effort. The amount of money allocated has increased over the last three years, and the demand has also continued to rise. Nevertheless, let us acknowledge that something positive has been done. We have issues with capitation and teacher recruitment. Additionally, we must create a conducive learning environment. Therefore, the Government should continue allocating more resources to the education sector despite competing demands.

I am concerned about the equipping of the Information and Communications Technology (ICT) hubs, which the majority of Members have already put up. In Buuri, we have established six of them. We have installed the fittings and fixtures, and we are now waiting for the computers. I hope and believe that even in some of the reductions I have seen, consideration has been given to the supply and installation of computers, which the majority of Members are waiting for. This is very important because it will contribute to youth employment and, secondly, create self-employment opportunities.

The other issue is health, and I want to congratulate this Parliament and this Committee for taking a keen interest in the health sector. I learnt that the Kenyan Parliament passed a very important Bill, which should be accompanied by adequate financing. This is because the prevailing concern across the country now is the state of the health sector. Therefore, I am pleased to note that the Government is also very keen on this matter.

I wish to point out that some areas are underrepresented. I particularly refer to water and electricity. In the future, I think the most important thing is for the Budget and Appropriations Committee to ensure that the limited resources available are distributed equitably across the counties, especially to areas that have been marginalised for a long time. Therefore, Chairperson of the Budget and Appropriations Committee, we will be watching keenly. We do not want to learn that some areas are receiving more while others are receiving less.

With those few remarks, I support and ask that, in the future, we be our brothers’ keepers. I thank you.

Hon. Members, seated in the Public Gallery this afternoon, we have students from Muvuti Boys’ School from Machakos Constituency, Machakos County. Also seated in the Speaker's Gallery this afternoon are students from Mount Kinangop Girls' School from Kinangop Constituency, Nyandarua County. You are welcome to the National Assembly to continue observing the proceedings of the House.

Hon. David Ndakwa, Member for Malava, you have the Floor.

Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. I rise to support the Budget Estimates for the Financial Year 2026/2027 and to propose a greater allocation of resources to areas that directly improve the lives of our people.

First of all, I congratulate the Budget and Appropriations Committee, led by our able Chairman, Hon. Atandi, for providing us with a credible document to examine and make observations on. I draw the attention of this House to the important role played by the area elders in this country. These are men and women who are always the first on the front line, resolving family disputes with little understanding of the law but using their wisdom, providing security without sophisticated machinery, and addressing social challenges within our communities. They resolve land disputes without a legal framework, but turn these resolutions into reality by addressing the conflict. The peace of our society is very delicate, and these elders bring our communities together in the name of cohesion; they also address societal and grassroots governance issues.

They have been dedicated to their duties without any monetary stipends or facilitation. I want to give credit to the Government and the Budget and Appropriations Committee for recognising the need to provide a regular stipend of Ksh3,000 per month to recognise their service to this nation. This, I must say, is a realisation and a dream come true, as my predecessor, Hon. Malulu Injendi, had previously proposed a Motion for area elders to receive a stipend at the end of the month. I wish to emphasise the increased funding for the youth. The youth are the investment of this country.

Order, Hon. Ndakwa. Hon. Members, I know that several of you have expressed interest in speaking to this: Hon. Joshua Mwalyo, Hon. Harrison Kombe, Hon. Joshua Melly and Hon. Zamzam. We encourage you to come when this is next scheduled. Hon. Ndakwa will have six minutes to continue the debate on this.

Hon. Members, the time now being 1.00 p.m., this House stands adjourned until this afternoon at 2.30 p.m.

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