Wednesday, 5th April, 2017

Hon. Senators, I would like to acknowledge the presence in the Speaker’s Gallery this afternoon of visiting youth leaders from Kakamega County. I request each member of the delegation to stand when called out so that they may be acknowledged in the Senate tradition.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Kakamega County happens to be my neighbouring county. My birth certificate reads that I was born in Kakamega before Vihiga was hived off from Kakamega. Therefore, the youth in the Speaker’s Gallery are from home. On my own behalf and on behalf of the Senator for Kakamega County, who is not in, I join you in welcoming the youth from Kakamega County and wish them a fruitful stay in Nairobi and the Senate Chamber. We are glad that they take interest in

A what is happening in this House which has a heavy and enormous responsibility of ensuring that devolution works in this country.

In the forthcoming and subsequent elections, I encourage the youth to go for positions including the position of Senator which many people believe is a reserve of the old and seasoned politicians. This is a House for all Kenyans. I encourage them to run for senatorial position in the various counties.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I join you in recognising the presence of the nine youths from Kakamega County who have come to learn and see what we do here on their behalf. Their Senator, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, who also calls himself a bullfighter is one of the most brilliant Senators around - although they buy those cows from West Pokot. I encourage them to become more vigilant now that we are devolved. Kakamega County is the only county that has a distinction of refusing to appear before the Senate to answer to their audit queries on how they have spent public funds. Since they come from a county of people who do not take accountability seriously, I challenge them to offer themselves to redeem that county through various positions particularly the Office of the Governor.

Kakamega County is just like any other county in Kenya. Therefore, responsibility and accountability is the top most agenda. I therefore encourage the youths to take this message to heart. Kenyans are concerned, including some of us from West Pokot County.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I join my colleagues in welcoming the youth leaders from Kakamega County. They are chairmen who hold different positions in their respective constituencies, more so political positions. Majority of them are from the biggest party in East and Central Sub-Saharan Africa, ODM. This is a good experience for them because they are learning. I can also see other people seated in the gallery. They have a lot to learn and prepare for the future.

The young people of this country are the leaders of today. This can only be achieved if we allow them an opportunity to benchmark in the right place, Senate being one of them. I see the Senate Minority Leader making noise because---

Order, Sen. Kanainza! Senators

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for the correction. I am proud of the youth leaders from Kakamega County. As a Senator representing the youth in this Republic, it is my role to mentor you. I will mentor you into various positions. As we go into elections this year, it is my hope that we shall have more young people going for elective seats as Members of the County Assembly (MCA) , Members of Parliament (MP) , Senators, governors, and president. They will win, in Jesus name.

The Senate Minority Leader (Sen. Wetangula) : Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I join you as well as the colleagues who have spoken before me to welcome the youth from Kakamega County, the second largest county in the country after Nairobi. It is a county with so much promise yet it has achieved so little in the last four years of devolution. I encourage the young people to be keen and involved in the day to day activities in our counties, particularly their county of Kakamega, which is the capital of the Mulembe nation. We are very proud of that county and so when they are here, they are not just

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I join you as well as the colleagues who have spoken before me to welcome the youth from Kakamega County, the second largest county in the country after Nairobi. It is a county with so much promise yet it has achieved so little in the last four years of devolution. I encourage the young people to be keen and involved in the day to day activities in our counties, particularly their county of Kakamega, which is the capital of the Mulembe nation. We are very proud of that county and so when they are here, they are not just

I wish to recognise the presence of visiting students and lecturers from University of Kabianga from Kericho County. They are seated in the Public Gallery.

In our usual tradition of receiving and welcoming visitors to Parliament, I extend a warm welcome to them. On behalf of the Senate and on my own behalf, I wish them a fruitful visit.

I thank you.

I wish to recognise the presence of visiting students and lecturers from University of Kabianga from Kericho County. They are seated in the Public Gallery.

In our usual tradition of receiving and welcoming visitors to Parliament, I extend a warm welcome to them. On behalf of the Senate and on my own behalf, I wish them a fruitful visit.

I thank you.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I join you in welcoming the Kenyan intellectuals who have come to benchmark at the right place. I wish them well and ask them to lead well together with the youth leaders who are here. The sky is actually the bottom and not the limit. They can do so much for this country and we need everybody on board.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you for allowing me the opportunity to acknowledge the presence of the University students from the University of Kabianga. We have some young Senators who have served as leaders in various universities. Their coming here could be that they are scouting on how to also win the elections and come here. If that should happen, I congratulate and welcome them to the Senate and wish them the best of luck. I am the Chairperson of the Committee on Education. The Senate Minority Leader (

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I join you and my colleagues who have spoken before me to recognise students from Kabianga University. This morning I had the privilege of seeing them at the gate and I was told they are pursuing a degree in Public Administration. We used to work with some of their lecturers in Moi University and some students come from my county.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when Kabianga University was started in 2006, little did we know that it was going to be a big university. Before then, it used to be a campus of Moi University right in the middle of tea bushes in Kericho County. Prof. Kipng’eno who is their Vice Chancellor taught me Statistics in 1988. He and other staff have done tremendous work to build the University to what it is today.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I request the students to take their studies seriously. People say that they are the leaders of the tomorrow but I want to tell them that there is no tomorrow. They have to start their leadership now and they should do things better than everybody.

We commend the students because recently when lecturers went on strike for almost two months, we did not see what used to happen many years before. Whenever lecturers went on strike, students would always jump on the streets. This time round they were very cooperative and obedient. That is a sign of maturity.

I urge them to continue that way by putting Kenya at number one. They should also work hard in the field they are because we want to see first class honours from Kabianga like any other university. That should not just be the domain of the University of Nairobi. They should not stop at that degree because one degree is just like Class Eight certificate. They can go higher than wherever they have reached.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me this opportunity to welcome students and teachers from Kabianga University in Kericho County which neighbours Bomet. More so, Kabianga University has a campus in Sotik which is in Bomet County.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I wish to take this opportunity to congratulate these students for visiting the Senate. I would like to mention that the role of the Senate is not well understood in the villages and small towns within our counties. It is upon the elites in universities who are leaders to take up the role of educating the public on the functions of each of the leaders whom they have elected.

I congratulate the university which is managed by Prof. Kipng’eno who was a classmate of mine. We went to school together and we have also done a lot. Having been a lecturer in the university and a Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, I worked very closely

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I join you and my colleagues who have spoken before me to recognise students from Kabianga University. This morning I had the privilege of seeing them at the gate and I was told they are pursuing a degree in Public Administration. We used to work with some of their lecturers in Moi University and some students come from my county.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when Kabianga University was started in 2006, little did we know that it was going to be a big university. Before then, it used to be a campus of Moi University right in the middle of tea bushes in Kericho County. Prof. Kipng’eno who is their Vice Chancellor taught me Statistics in 1988. He and other staff have done tremendous work to build the University to what it is today.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I request the students to take their studies seriously. People say that they are the leaders of the tomorrow but I want to tell them that there is no tomorrow. They have to start their leadership now and they should do things better than everybody.

We commend the students because recently when lecturers went on strike for almost two months, we did not see what used to happen many years before. Whenever lecturers went on strike, students would always jump on the streets. This time round they were very cooperative and obedient. That is a sign of maturity.

I urge them to continue that way by putting Kenya at number one. They should also work hard in the field they are because we want to see first class honours from Kabianga like any other university. That should not just be the domain of the University of Nairobi. They should not stop at that degree because one degree is just like Class Eight certificate. They can go higher than wherever they have reached.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you.

A with the professor and I am aware of his capacities and capabilities of running a university.

I therefore ask for the support of the students and the staff to support their Vice Chancellor to build their university. There are a lot of developments being done by the Jubilee Government. Very soon, there will be a tarmacked road to the university.

I take this opportunity to rubbish what the Senate Minority Leader has said about the Jubilee Government. This is a Government that is performing. It is doing tarmacked roads some of which are in Kakamega and Machakos.

As the Speaker today, I do not like the use of the term “rubbish.” Maybe a better word could have been used. Could you withdraw “rubbish” and use a better parliamentary word?

Very well, you have escaped.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Could Sen. (Prof.) Lesan tell us what the Jubilee Government has done in Kakamega County?

I will not entertain that as a point of order unless it is properly executed. Could you attempt to execute your point of order properly?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I would wish my colleague Senator to substantiate---

No. Start by saying “Is it in order---”

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, is it in order for Sen. (Prof.) Lesan to mislead this House and the country at large that the Jubilee Government that we will send packing on 8th August has constructed roads in Kakamega County or anywhere in western Kenya?

Very well executed. Sen. (Prof.) Lesan, you have been challenged.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Senators represent various counties in this country and we exactly know which roads have been done.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I represent Bomet County. Currently, we have 78 kilometres of tarmacked roads which were not there three months ago. I hope that---

Order Sen. (Prof.) Lesan! I believe I have a very good hearing capacity as your Speaker and I heard you refer to Kakamega County. If you have no facts about new roads in Kakamega County, it is just safe to withdraw.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I withdraw if I mentioned Kakamega. I said we represent various counties. There is one county I know very well and I used it as an example and that is Bomet County.

Very well. Thank God for being privileged.

What is it Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I withdraw if I mentioned Kakamega. I said we represent various counties. There is one county I know very well and I used it as an example and that is Bomet County.

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Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I just wanted to read Standing Order No.94 to Sen. (Prof.) Lesan but he has withdrawn his statement regarding Kakamega and Machakos because he cannot substantiate. Therefore, we are happy that he has used his privilege well.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I just wanted to read Standing Order No.94 to Sen. (Prof.) Lesan but he has withdrawn his statement regarding Kakamega and Machakos because he cannot substantiate. Therefore, we are happy that he has used his privilege well.

Next Order!

Sen. Madzayo, what are you trying to communicate? Can you read that properly because it is being recorded?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will read as guided because I wanted to use “dismissed” instead of “sacked.” The second one is the report on the petition made to the Senate by the sacked employees of the Kenya Railways. I thank you.

Very well. Next Order!

Whereas I appreciate the

Very well. What is it, Sen. Wetangula?

The Senate Minority Leader (Sen. Wetangula) : On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. It can never have been the intention of the drafters of the Standing Orders and the law, including the Constitution, where the foundation on petitions is grounded, that petitions are brought to the Houses, worked upon, tabled and that is the end of the matter. The omission in the Standing Orders is cured by Standing Order No.1, where, as the Chair you have a responsibility and duty to direct that he Committee on Implementation picks up all the outcomes of petitions and does a follow up. Some of these petition outcomes have recommended prosecutions, criminal investigations, surcharges, restitutions, suspensions and dismissal.

The petitioners could not have been expected by the Constitution and the law to implement the outcomes of the resolutions of this House, either through plenary or committees. so, it is only fair and just, not to the House alone but to the petitioners that a follow up mechanism, if unavailable, you use the powers bestowed upon you under Standing Order No.1 and look at precedence and usages in other comparable jurisdictions on how they handled outcome of petitions so that we are not engaged in a futile exercise of spending time and public money, and at the end of the day, you send the outcome to a villager who petitioner this House; an outcome they cannot use to do anything in furtherance of the course of justice that they were looking for.

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What is it, Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo?

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I note that the request by Sen. Wetangula would have been appropriately handled by the leadership of this House. I do not remember when I last saw some of the leaders of this House seated here, to the extent that we are talking about work that should have been conducted by the leadership. Where is the Senate Majority Leader? They should be looked for. These are the people who should see to it that this work is done.

The Senate Minority Leader has referred me to Standing Order No.1 on the issue of petitions. Unfortunately, I may not apply it. Standing Order No.1 (1) states:- “In all cases where matters are not expressly provided for by these Standing Orders or by other Orders of the Senate, any procedural question shall be decided by the Speaker.”

This is a matter that has been provided for by Standing Order No.227 (2) . It states:-

“Whenever a Petition is committed to a Standing Committee, the Committee shall, in not more than sixty calendar days from the time of reading the prayer, respond to the petitioner by way of a report addressed to the petitioner or petitioners and laid on the Table of the Senate and no debate on or in relation to the report shall be allowed, but the Speaker may, in exceptional circumstances, allow comments or observations in relation to the Petition for not more than twenty Minutes.”

I refer you to Standing Order No.213. See whether you can get a solution. I will not labour to read through Standing Order No.213 because it is a long one. That is the solution to your prayer. Anything that is omitted there can therefore, be submitted for amendments of the Standing Orders that is going on now. It is so ordered.

What is it, Sen. Billow?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, your ruling is in order regarding committal of petitions under Standing Order No.227. There is also Standing Order No.228 and 229. Standing Order No.229 is on the register of petitions. We are not aware that the Clerk of the Senate actually keeps a register, open to the public for all petitions and the reports on the decisions of the Senate.

However, the main issue on which we need your guidance is not on committal or on this, it is on the report.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. It can never have been the intention of the drafters of the Standing Orders and the law, including the Constitution, where the foundation on petitions is grounded, that petitions are brought to the Houses, worked upon, tabled and that is the end of the matter. The omission in the Standing Orders is cured by Standing Order No.1, where, as the Chair you have a responsibility and duty to direct that he Committee on Implementation picks up all the outcomes of petitions and does a follow up. Some of these petition outcomes have recommended prosecutions, criminal investigations, surcharges, restitutions, suspensions and dismissal. The petitioners could not have been expected by the Constitution and the law to implement the outcomes of the resolutions of this House, either through plenary or committees. so, it is only fair and just, not to the House alone but to the petitioners that a follow up mechanism, if unavailable, you use the powers bestowed upon you under Standing Order No.1 and look at precedence and usages in other comparable jurisdictions on how they handled outcome of petitions so that we are not engaged in a futile exercise of spending time and public money, and at the end of the day, you send the outcome to a villager who petitioner this House; an outcome they cannot use to do anything in furtherance of the course of justice that they were looking for.

What is it, Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo?

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I note that the request by Sen. Wetangula would have been appropriately handled by the leadership of this House. I do not remember when I last saw some of the leaders of this House seated here, to the extent that we are talking about work that should have been conducted by the leadership. Where is the Senate Majority Leader? They should be looked for. These are the people who should see to it that this work is done.

The Senate Minority Leader has referred me to Standing Order No.1 on the issue of petitions. Unfortunately, I may not apply it. Standing Order No.1 (1) states:- “In all cases where matters are not expressly provided for by these Standing Orders or by other Orders of the Senate, any procedural question shall be decided by the Speaker.”

This is a matter that has been provided for by Standing Order No.227 (2) . It states:-

“Whenever a Petition is committed to a Standing Committee, the Committee shall, in not more than sixty calendar days from the time of reading the prayer, respond to the petitioner by way of a report addressed to the petitioner or petitioners and laid on the Table of the Senate and no debate on or in relation to the report shall be allowed, but the Speaker may, in exceptional circumstances, allow comments or observations in relation to the Petition for not more than twenty Minutes.”

I refer you to Standing Order No.213. See whether you can get a solution. I will not labour to read through Standing Order No.213 because it is a long one. That is the solution to your prayer. Anything that is omitted there can therefore, be submitted for amendments of the Standing Orders that is going on now. It is so ordered.

What is it, Sen. Billow?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, your ruling is in order regarding committal of petitions under Standing Order No.227. There is also Standing Order No.228 and 229. Standing Order No.229 is on the register of petitions. We are not aware that the Clerk of the Senate actually keeps a register, open to the public for all petitions and the reports on the decisions of the Senate.

However, the main issue on which we need your guidance is not on committal or on this, it is on the report.

Order, Sen. Billow!

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, recommendations have been made under Standing Order No.228.

Order! The office of the Clerk is under my office. Do you doubt my work?

No, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir but look at Standing Order No.228. It states:- “The Clerk shall forward copies of responses received under Standing Order 227

to the petitioner or petitioners.” Now, in these copies ---

Do you have any reason to doubt that the copies are forwarded to the Clerk

No, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir.

So, have a seat.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, our concern is that there are recommendations made by this august House that need to be implemented by various institutions and there is need for the Committee on Implementation to implement and give the House a report on the progress. That is all we are seeking. Under Standing Order No.213 we need to know what the status is.

In the last report I just tabled, we had a situation where cash was being taken out of a county government account into a personal account with all the evidence yet there is no response at all from the county government. Counties are bleeding. We need a report from the Committee on Implementation. We cannot just let things be the way they are.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Senate has been accused. Even this morning, while seated in the Mediation Committee, the Senators were accused of watching helplessly as governors pilfer public funds. My Chair has pointed out that there is a lady who withdrew over Kshs300 million and evidence is contained in these documents. That lady should be sanctioned.

This is the same county where carcinogenic wheelbarrows were procured and another Kshs1.5 million was spent to investigate the purchase.

I thought they were anti- carcinogenic.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, whatever they were, the point is that there must be a way that our decisions can be discussed. First, this is one petition that we have spent more than 60 days. Secondly, the petition has got outright pilferage of public funds. We should have provided a way to debate this. We can make Bungoma an example of what governors should not do. We can even go round our Standing Orders, because they are only standing orders for purposes of standing, but we must make sure that the Constitution is implemented. Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The Senate Minority Leader (

Order. We are on Notices of Motions. Have you given the notice?

Just hold on. Maybe, this is not the right opportunity. Is there any other Notice of Motion?

Let us move to the next Order. Do we have requests for Statements? Sen. Mbura.

The Chair presiding today is also a Member of the Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budget that has been so praised. So, I also take credit. However, I want to communicate the following. There is a register in the Clerk’s office for all petitions and reports on petitions. There is also a register on all the responses that are sent to the petitioners. Also, the reports are sent to the relevant Government agencies for further investigations. The reports are also sent to the Committee on Implementation. However, this House also has the opportunity for any Member to move a Motion on any issue on a petition as an individual Motion for discussion, deliberation and proper conclusion, in a manner that the House may decide. This House also has an opportunity to seek for statements. Look at the last page of today’s Order Paper. May I refer to Statement (a) that was sought by

Thank you Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I rise pursuant to Standing Order No. 45 (2) (b) to seek a Statement from the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare regarding the violation of rights of the EPZ workers in Mazeras, Rabai Constituency.

In the Statement, the Chairperson should:

“The Chairperson, Sessional Committee on Implementation to issue a Statement on the plight and welfare of former councilors under Kenya’s defunct local authorities.” You will remember that this was a petition that was brought to this House. In my own analysis and conclusion of your concerns, first, there is a complaint that the Committee on Implementation is not doing its work. Secondly, there is a complaint that the Constitution did not give enough space to the Senate on the management of important and serious complaints by Kenyans through petitions to this House. Thirdly, there is a complaint that our own Standing Orders need to be revised, to be a little bit stronger on

Could we hear from the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare?

Thank you Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I request for two weeks to be able to come up with substantive reply to this.

It is so ordered.

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

What is your point of order Sen. (Prof) Lesan?

Just hold on. Maybe, this is not the right opportunity. Is there any other Notice of Motion?

Let us move to the next Order. Do we have requests for Statements? Sen. Mbura.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I second the Motion that Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo is capable of managing the House as suggested. I second.

Could we hear from the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare?

Thank you Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I request for two weeks to be able to come up with substantive reply to this.

It is so ordered.

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

What is your point of order Sen. (Prof) Lesan?

Thank you Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I beg to move: THAT, pursuant to Standing OrderNo.18, the Senate elects a Senator to preside over the proceedings of theHouse for the rest of the sitting today, Wednesday 5th April, 2017. NOTING that there is no Member of the Speaker’s Panel in the House this afternoon and that the Temporary Speaker, who is on the Chair, is going to see a doctor - the Temporary Speaker has made that appeal - I move: That this House elects a Speaker to preside over the proceedings of theHouse this afternoon. THEREFORE, I rise Pursuant to Article 107 (1) (c) of the Constitution and Standing Order No. 18, that the House elects Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo to preside over the sitting of the Senate for the remainder of the sitting today. I want to ask my colleague Sen. Billow to second.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I second the Motion that Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo is capable of managing the House as suggested. I second.

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

What is your point of order Sen. Khaniri?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have no doubt in my mind whatsoever, that the good Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo can preside over the affairs of this House. However, electing somebody who presides over the affairs of the House is a bipartisan issue. If Sen. (Prof.) Lesan moved the Motion, courtesy demands that the Motion is seconded from this other side of the House. That shows concurrence. Subsequently, the other Members can support.

Is he in order to make it a Jubilee affair?

Whereas I see no Standing Order that gives that kind of practice but the practice and tradition of this House and previous Houses before demands that the courtesy is granted. With all the due respect, I will overrule

It is so ordered, Mr. TemporarySpeaker, Sir.

I do not know who you are ordering.

Mr. TemporarySpeaker, Sir, I thought we were to wait for the owner of the Statement, Sen. Sang. However, I will go ahead and read it.

Do not push that weight to Senators who have hardly finished five years. It is unfair. The Senate Minority Leader (

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The implementation status of these issues at the National Treasury vide a letter dated 26th March 2016, declined the recommendation of the Committee. (See the attachment).

We, as a Committee, have requested the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Devolution and Planning to have a meeting with us on Monday 10th April 2017 at 10.00 a.m. to discuss the way forward.

Thank you, Mr. TemporarySpeaker, Sir.

Thank you Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I have absolute confidence and trust in the abilities of Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo. He is level headed, lacks obvious bias and has the ability to preside over the proceedings of this House. In fact, he is a stranger in the palace where he sits. I want to second that he can sit on the Chair and execute his responsibilities in addition to those of being the king of the Pokot people of this country.

Very well. I will strike off the last phrase from the records of this House.

Tradition demands that I give you that latitude of comment. However, since I see no interest of comments, I now put the question.

We were on Statements. The order had already been read. We are now on Statement (a) .

Where is the Chairperson Sessional Committee on Implementation? Remember you were accused. Do you have the Statement?

Mr. TemporarySpeaker, Sir, I do.

Unfortunately, the questioner is

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. The questioner requested me to sit and prosecute it on his behalf.

Is there a copy of the communication to my office with those instructions? Anyway, we will give the benefit of

A doubt that Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo who has been declared the quasi-king of Pokot actually got those instructions.

It is so ordered, Mr. TemporarySpeaker, Sir.

I do not know who you are ordering.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I sympathise with this House for having not done anything.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to join in the complaints. As you have said it is more about complaining. Given the long time that this answer has taken and then it comes in the negative; that is actually wanting. We discussed this issue at length a long time ago. We are being pressurized by the people whom we represent; the former councilors. They have been asking us as Senators who take care of them in the counties what we are doing to address this matter.

From your directive that the meeting be on Monday, I am requesting whether we could do it on Tuesday. We know most of our colleagues have other commitments over the weekend and probably they will be back on Tuesday. If we are going on recess, I am not so sure whether everybody will get the information. This is something that we would all like to interrogate and be assured that our former councilors will be taken care of.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. There is a small request that has been made; if the officials of the former councillors could attend the meeting. I hope the Chair will respond to that.

Would it be in order that the Chair responds to the request that a representative of the councillors is present also?

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I beg the Chairperson to give us the specific reasons the National Treasury declined to implement the recommendations of a Committee of this House.

A required from the leadership since he sits on the Government’s side. I believe he can be able to seek that political goodwill which is not there at the moment.

We have written a letter to the National Treasury and to the Cabinet Secretary in charge and we have invited him for a meeting on Monday. We have also extended our invitation to the representative of the former councillors. I also want to extend the invitation to my colleagues, Senators, to come to the meeting. If there are any concerns you would wish to be addressed, I believe the Cabinet Secretary will be available to respond to the issues.

What is it, Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo?

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Did I hear the Member of the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare indicating that I should follow the political route? Could he elaborate what she meant by “political route”?

Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo; that was not a direct quotation. I think she was referring to a response that was given and a request or an order to you. It was an indirect quotation. So, I do not think you are in order to seek substantiation from the Member of the Committee on an indirect quotation, unless you otherwise express yourself.

Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo, I share your concern and frustrations on hearing those words. As the Speaker, I do not think that was the implication. It was an added advantage to you that you are concerned. So, it was a compliment that you are even more concerned than other Members of this House. She went further to quote a Bill that is on the Floor of this House that will not only address pension schemes for the previous councillors but also previous Members of Parliament (MPs) . Unless the Chairperson has anything to add, I will close the chapter there.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as much as we are meeting the Cabinet Secretary, it should also be clear to the Members that the National Treasury advised that this matter should be referred to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for further guidance.

You should have commented on Sen. Lesuuda’s request on the change of day. As the Speaker, it is not possible. We are mandated to give at least, seven days’ notice to anybody we invite for particular sessions with the Members. So, it will be totally impossible to make that kind of communication and expect to be actualized on Tuesday. So, Monday sticks.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am concerned about the rider that the Chairperson has just given, that we should be aware and channel some of the concerns to the SRC. Is it in order for the Cabinet Secretary to preempt the meeting about what we will discuss? It is important that the Chairperson communicates to the Cabinet Secretary to come here with an open mind and listen to the concerns of the Senators.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I want to join in the complaints. As you have said it is more about complaining. Given the long time that this answer has taken and then it comes in the negative; that is actually wanting. We discussed this issue at length a long time ago. We are being pressurized by the people whom we represent; the former councilors. They have been asking us as Senators who take care of them in the counties what we are doing to address this matter.

From your directive that the meeting be on Monday, I am requesting whether we could do it on Tuesday. We know most of our colleagues have other commitments over the weekend and probably they will be back on Tuesday. If we are going on recess, I am not so sure whether everybody will get the information. This is something that we would all like to interrogate and be assured that our former councilors will be taken care of.

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I saw every Senator scratching the head silently, in their minds over that. It is as if an answer had already been given. I believe that was not the intention of the Chairperson. Chairperson, what do you have to say?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, these are not my words. This is the response we got from the Principal Secretary in charge of the National Treasury. For these reasons, because we are not in agreement with what he gave us, we have decided to call the Cabinet Secretary so that we can deliberate on this matter once and for all, for us to give a response to this House.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with your kind indulgence I suggest that ---

What is it, Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo?

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Did I hear the Member of the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare indicating that I should follow the political route? Could he elaborate what she meant by “political route”?

Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo; that was not a direct quotation. I think she was referring to a response that was given and a request or an order to you. It was an indirect quotation. So, I do not think you are in order to seek substantiation from the Member of the Committee on an indirect quotation, unless you otherwise express yourself.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Kenyans, particularly those affected - the councilors - could easily think that the solution to this problem lies and has been suppressed by Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo. Why? The Chairperson has said I was advised to do it and I have not come back to give a response. That is why I wanted that clarified. What does it mean?

I am advised that statement (c) will be handled and dealt with in the Bill which you have prepared as a Committee.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, as much as we are meeting the Cabinet Secretary, it should also be clear to the Members that the National Treasury advised that this matter should be referred to the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC) for further guidance.

A

So, let us move to statement (d).

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am concerned about the rider that the Chairperson has just given, that we should be aware and channel some of the concerns to the SRC. Is it in order for the Cabinet Secretary to preempt the meeting about what we will discuss? It is important that the Chairperson communicates to the Cabinet Secretary to come here with an open mind and listen to the concerns of the Senators.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Statement is not ready. I was in the Office of the President this morning and they have started working on it. Hopefully, you will have it tomorrow, as I requested yesterday.

Sen. Dullo, you were told yesterday by the Speaker that this Statement on the killing of livestock in Laikipia County by the security personnel is urgent. The statement was requested by Sen. Lesuuda who is here.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my only concern, which I raised when I was requesting for this Statement, is that we should get it by tomorrow since we will be going on recess. I am convinced that the Office of the President is not aware that we will be going on recess tomorrow. We need to have an assurance that the Statement will be ready.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the ruling was given by the Speaker, but I remember promising that I will try to get the Statement. I went there personally and told them that the Statement is required on Thursday and the House will be going on recess. That is the position we agreed on with them. I hope that we will have the Statement by tomorrow.

Because of the urgency of the matter, I will give you further leeway this afternoon, if you so wish, to go and camp in the Office of the President until the Statement is produced. As you know, the House will possibly go on recess.

I order that the Statement be issued tomorrow afternoon.

It is in order. You will do it tomorrow afternoon.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I stand guided.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have the Statement which was requested, but I understand that the Senator who requested for it does not have a copy. I seek your guidance as to whether I should read the Statement as we prepare a copy for the Senator or we defer the Statement until the Senator gets a copy.

I am advised that statement (c) will be handled and dealt with in the Bill which you have prepared as a Committee.

A

So, let us move to statement (d).

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, while I thank the Chairperson for the Statement, it is imperative that there was bias from the beginning. Even the meeting on 11th and 12th April, 2017 is doubtful. We have a total of 65 KMTC campuses, which surpasses even the number of counties. That means that some counties have more than one campus, when others do not have even one. What criteria was used to omit Kirinyaga

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this Statement is not ready. I was in the Office of the President this morning and they have started working on it. Hopefully, you will have it tomorrow, as I requested yesterday.

Sen. Dullo, you were told yesterday by the Speaker that this Statement on the killing of livestock in Laikipia County by the security personnel is urgent. The statement was requested by Sen. Lesuuda who is here.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, my only concern, which I raised when I was requesting for this Statement, is that we should get it by tomorrow since we will be going on recess. I am convinced that the Office of the President is not aware that we will be going on recess tomorrow. We need to have an assurance that the Statement will be ready.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the ruling was given by the Speaker, but I remember promising that I will try to get the Statement. I went there personally and told them that the Statement is required on Thursday and the House will be going on recess. That is the position we agreed on with them. I hope that we will have the Statement by tomorrow.

Because of the urgency of the matter, I will give you further leeway this afternoon, if you so wish, to go and camp in the Office of the President until the Statement is produced. As you know, the House will possibly go on recess.

I order that the Statement be issued tomorrow afternoon.

What did you say?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have the Statement which was requested, but I understand that the Senator who requested for it does not have a copy. I seek your guidance as to whether I should read the Statement as we prepare a copy for the Senator or we defer the Statement until the Senator gets a copy.

Since both of you are here, and we have deferred some Statements, you can present the Statement this afternoon.

Sen. Karaba.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have now received a copy. He can proceed to issue the Statement.

In the meantime, I wish to congratulate you for being in the Chair.

Thank you. Proceed, Chairperson.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I congratulate you for sitting on that lofty Chair.

I wish to give a Statement on the Kenya Medical Training Colleges in the country. The information sought was:

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, while I thank the Chairperson for the Statement, it is imperative that there was bias from the beginning. Even the meeting on 11th and 12th April, 2017 is doubtful. We have a total of 65 KMTC campuses, which surpasses even the number of counties. That means that some counties have more than one campus, when others do not have even one. What criteria was used to omit Kirinyaga

A County from the list of campuses? Kirinyaga County has a high population and we pay more money in form of taxes than some counties that have KMTC campuses. We need to be told the truth. Will we have a campus in Kirinyaga County after the meeting on 11th and 12th April?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the number of KMTC campuses that have been established stands at 65. As we are aware, through public participation, there has been a push by citizens in some of the counties to have some of these institutions. This has driven counties to be in communication with the national Government to establish these institutions. I am sure that this is a priority in Kirinyaga County and it will be established as per the KMTC Strategic Plan. I would request the Senator to participate in the process, particularly when the Committee will be visiting the county, so that he can add some impetus on the drive towards establishing KMTC campuses not only in Kirinyaga, but in the other four counties that do not have.

Sen. Karaba, we wish you well as you wait. You also need to note that it is about the pro-activeness of the county leadership, especially your governor. Tell him that there is collaboration between counties and the directorate of Kenya Medical Training College (KMTC) .

Sen. Karaba. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, is it the business of the governor or the Senator to indicate the need of KMTC or there is a policy to be considered before a campus is established? Based on the geography that I know, I doubt if there are campuses in some of those areas in those counties he has mentioned. They are not necessarily where the county headquarters are. I would like to know what went wrong if we have 65 campuses in 47 counties and there is none in Kerugoya or Kutus. Kerugoya is the headquarters of Kirinyaga County where we have our county hospital. Something was done to deny us the campus. I think it was corruption.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I may not be in a position to answer this question tomorrow in view of the fact that we wrote to the Ministry of Labour and they have not replied up to date.

It is in that regard that I am making the application, with your approval, that this matter be brought forth after two weeks. That is when I will be able to substantively answer the question.

Mr. “Acting” Speaker, Sir, it is not ready. We will inform the House tomorrow.

What did you say?

I said, Mr. “Acting” Speaker, Sir.

You are one of the oldest Members in the House.

A

Is it Acting or Temporary Speaker?

It is Temporary Speaker, which is good for you.

Proceed.

Thank you. I said that we will bring a comprehensive Statement tomorrow.

Where is, Sen. Dullo?

That is approved. You

Proceed, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.

Second Reading

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am not in any way challenging your ruling that the matter be brought forth tomorrow afternoon. However, I am speaking from a point of knowledge. I know that the questioner of this Statement incidentally happens to be the Temporary Speaker of the moment thus a lot of interest. However, I would ask for the indulgence of the House. This is because I will give the same reply that I am giving today. Instead of wasting time of the House---

Order, Chairperson! You

Order, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.! Please, move the Bill properly.

The next is Order No. 19. Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o is not in today and he was to give a reply. I am his Vice- Chairperson and I am currently on the Chair. I could have done so, but because we all cannot do so, I defer Order No.19.

A

financial operations of Kiambu, Busia, Tana River, Trans Nzoia, Nyandarua, Migori, Kwale, Kisumu, Samburu and Kericho County Executives for the Financial year 2013/2014 (1st July, 2013 to 30th June, 2014) laid on the Table of the Senate on Thursday, 23rd February, 2017. (Sen. (Prof.) Anyang’-Nyong’o on 29.3.2017)

Is the Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Labour and Social Welfare ready to move this Bill?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I am not ready to move the Bill right now. In view of the fact that we are on the final phase of compiling the Public Participation Report, I will move it tomorrow.

A

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, how do you go about it? Clause (18) gives a process, a petition by a registered voter and a County Executive member. How do you comply with the petition? There is a schedule which has a form and which sets out the conditions that must be met.

Since this is a matter concerning counties, we have proposed under Clause (19) that that petition shall be submitted to the Senate. Under Clause (19), once the Speaker receives the request in the normal manner, the Speaker shall report and refer that petition to a Special Committee under the Standing Orders. The Special Committee under Clause

Proceed, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr.

Second Reading

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to move the County Boundaries Bill (Senate Bill No. 16 of 2016) .

I will begin with the problem as it addresses the reason we require this Bill. The Constitution under Article 6 divides the territory of Kenya in to counties specified in the First Schedule which are 47 counties.

It is now apparent from our research that we do not have any single legislation that defines the boundaries of counties. Article 188 of the Constitution---

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I wish to second this Bill. I would also like to congratulate you, Chair, for sitting on that Chair---

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I am sorry to interrupt Sen. M. Kajwang. In parliamentary practice, whenever a Bill is being moved, the Leader of Business in Government, these days, the Senate Majority Leader, his deputy or any other senior leader on the Government side would be in the House.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you will notice that the entire leadership of the Government side is not in the House today. What is even worse is that there is no single Senator of Jubilee in the House.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Senators of Jubilee are overpaid. They earn Kshs1 million every four weeks. Kenyans who work very hard are underpaid yet colleagues of ours are not here to represent them. What sanctions do you think should be considered against the Government that shortchanges the taxpayers and receives remuneration for work not done?

Order Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale! I order that Sen. M. Kajwang continues from where he left.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, thank you for allowing me to continue. I was congratulating you for assuming that Chair. It is obvious that you are a

Thank you, Mr. Temporary, Speaker, Sir. It has been a while since I moved a Bill.

Under the Constitution, Article 6 (1) divides this country into 47 counties. After the promulgation of the Constitution we do not have any piece of legislation that defines what those counties and their boundaries are. In the event that a person or persons seeks to amend or alter a boundary; they shall follow the procedure stated under Article 188. I successfully moved a Motion for the Committee of Legal Affairs to draft legislation that would anchor the 47 counties into law. This is because for any person to then get the right to alter the boundaries as proposed under Article 188, there must be a process of how those boundaries will be altered.

Where then do you find legislation? In my research, I bothered to check the history as to how we arrived at 47 counties. From my research, the 47 counties were put together from what is now called The District and Provinces Act of 1992. That was the compromise. That is what I was told by the people who negotiated for our current Constitution. Therefore, the existing legislation as it is today, talks about districts and provinces. It does not refer to counties. We have no process. It is a pity that our counties are not anchored into law. They exist only in a name. This piece of legislation will provide us with that process of anchoring them into the law.

The 1992 Act commonly referred to as The District and Provinces Act has 47 schedules which are now the 47 counties. Any person who wants to know where the boundaries are, will have to refer to the Schedules in that Act.

The purpose of this legislation that I have proposed through the Legal Affairs Committee is to, first of all, anchor those boundaries as stated in that law into this legislation.

First, if there are any issues on those boundaries, then the process will then be found in this very elaborate legislation. This matter has raised concern in 19 counties, so far, and we are still counting. We have similar concern between Meru-Isiolo, Makueni- Machakos, Makueni-Taita counties, among others counties.

There are two petitions, one by Sen. Karaba on boundaries in Kirinyaga, another one from Emali between Makueni and Kajiado. There is a common notion in Emali in Makueni County that the boundary is the railway line. At the time I was drafting this Bill, many people in those two counties knew their boundary was the railway line. However, with the coming of the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) , I asked them whether their boundaries had shifted because the SGR line moved further to the left.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are living in dangerous times dangerously. This is because while we continue discussing this issue in these fora, Sen. Murungi moved a Motion which sought to request the Office of the President to appoint a taskforce to determine the dispute between Meru and Isiolo. What was the result? First of all, we advised him not to do so, because it was unconstitutional. However, power is power.

A They used power. When they went to the ground, it resulted in deaths of people. Why? Because when I challenged that Motion, the initial intention, they said then, was that there was no dispute between Meru and Isiolo and that all they were going to do was to place beacons. That is already a dispute. The minute you place the beacons, that is where the dispute begins. This legislation provides a very nice method of doing these things where we will involve both Houses. I am hoping that it can find itself into law so that by the time we come into the next Senate, we can have county boundaries clearly defined. Part two of the Bill is on County Boundaries. Clause 3 states Article 6(1) of the Constitution provides for 47 counties and their boundaries are set out in the First Schedule to this Act. It is fairly straight forward. Clause 4 says as follows:

“The Cabinet Secretary shall keep and shall upon request by any person make available an up to date electronic record of the boundaries of counties.”

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, in portions of some counties, if you read you will find that the beacons are the Global Positioning System (GPS) coding. For example, Kisumu County on page 353, of this Bill, you see beacons in GPS coding.

We anticipate that in an attempt to be a digital nation, our boundaries will be electronically retrievable as opposed to what we do in Makueni when we want to determine boundary disputes where we buy sisal, tell a person to stand on the other side, another on the opposite side and then draw a straight line on the ground. We want to walk away from those archaic methods of doing boundaries by planting sisal or doing walls. We want boundaries to be imaginary lines on the ground. As the Senator for West Pokot County, you ought to be able to retrieve its map by GPS coding while seated where you are is. In Konza City, for example, you can now retrieve a parcel of land while seated right here on your phone by just getting the GPS coding. The anticipation is that at some point this country is going to digitize mapping and the boundaries so that we do not use a river as a boundary because it can change its course. Roads and railway lines can change. Let us avoid using them to determine our county boundaries.

I spoke about the railway line between Makueni and Kajiado. There is now the SGR so you wonder whether the boundary has changed. Others have used streams which have changed course. Others have used posts which have been removed. Others have used many other methods and those things have changed.

I hope that this nation can get to that level where even your own title or your own shamba can have a digital map where you can draw it digitally from whatever location without necessarily having to do it physically. If you attempt to move it physically, then it is easy to determine that you have encroached and trespassed on somebody’s land.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, on Clause (5), we have proposed that disputes on county boundaries will, first of all, anchor the county boundaries in law. Then we anticipated West Pokot will have a dispute. So, we proposed mediation first. The mediation is captured in Clause (5) of this Bill. We anticipate that the first thing the Senate will do if a dispute arises like the ones that came to the Senate, and I hope that the second Senate of this Republic can determine some of the boundaries disputes we have. We propose that there would be mediation in Part 3, beginning with Clause (7).

A

At the end of Clause (6) is the parameter of how boundaries would be altered and are there. The Constitution talks about population density and demographic trends; physical and human infrastructure; and historical and cultural ties. I am told there are certain wards where you find one community in some places in Trans-Nzoia. So, this would take care of that.

Let me turn to the cost of Administration: Do we have counties that are so big that you need to alter them? Do we have wards that are much better off in one county and not another one? The cost of administration will take care of that.

Views of the Community: We have marginalized communities who live in wards and they might have their views about where they think their boundaries should be. It is taken care of in the Constitution and in this Bill.

Objects of Devolution: Since the idea of devolution is to get services, is there a need for Lamu County where you have so many islands? Will the objects of devolution be covered by adding or reducing?

Geographical features: You have counties separated by hills and rivers. Would it be necessary to change or alter the boundaries?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the Constitution has left those parameters and we have adopted them with all force. Part 3 – Resolution

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I have stated that under Clause 7, we have proposed a resolution of county boundaries through a Mediation Committee upon a request either by a governor or recommendations of a committee of the Senate. The process of how it will be considered is in Clause (8). Who will sit in the Mediation Committee is in Clause

A

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, how do you go about it? Clause (18) gives a process, a petition by a registered voter and a County Executive member. How do you comply with the petition? There is a schedule which has a form and which sets out the conditions that must be met.

Since this is a matter concerning counties, we have proposed under Clause (19) that that petition shall be submitted to the Senate. Under Clause (19), once the Speaker receives the request in the normal manner, the Speaker shall report and refer that petition to a Special Committee under the Standing Orders. The Special Committee under Clause

A

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. We need to tidy up those pieces of legislation because constituencies are part of a county. When you delimit the boundaries of constituencies, there is some linkage with the boundaries of counties. Sometimes you want a constituency to start from one point to the other, which then might end up interfering with the boundaries of a county. We are clear that Article 188 talks about boundaries of counties but in the same light, we cannot, if we want to involve Parliament in the process of delimitation of boundaries of constituencies, then, let it be Parliament. Let it not be the National Assembly.

This Bill is very clear on the role and concurrence of both Houses when it comes to delimitation of county boundaries. We either go back and respect the Constitution and get Parliament away from delimitation of constituencies or we then say that let that process be guided by Parliament which we know is bicameral.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, with those remarks, I beg to support.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I rise to support that the County Boundaries Bill (Senate Bill No.16 of 2016) be now read a Second Time. Before I go into the details, allow me to congratulate Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. for this very innovative industry that he has demonstrated. Every time I listen to the Senator for Makueni, I quickly realise he is a very good student.

It is true that young legislators like Sen. Moses Kajwang, Sen. Omar Hassan and Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. have been admiring the older politicians. Therefore, I am not surprised that he has quickly followed up on a similar Bill but which is not related to the one that I moved in this House and which is now law. It was in respect of the headquarters of our counties. Just like that Bill which abated a lot of disputes, I look forward to the wisdom of this Bill once it becomes an Act to solve quite a number of sticking issues.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is now over six years into devolution. We can now speak authoritatively with the benefit of hindsight. One of them is that the issue of boundaries as clearly expounded by Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. is imperative and needs to be streamlined as captured in this Bill. What is more is the issue of the number of counties. Today, we have 47 counties which were arbitrarily settled upon without any reference to reasons that would inform the formation of those 47 counties other than as clearly elucidated in this presentation by Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. – the fact that they were trying to adopt the districts that existed in 1992. Since we want devolution to work and have economic returns, it is important that we look beyond the current 47 counties and ask ourselves, do we need these 47 counties? The answer is no. We need to amalgamate some of these counties so that we form counties that can make economic sense.

On a point of order, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I am sorry to interrupt Sen. M. Kajwang. In parliamentary practice, whenever a Bill is being moved, the Leader of Business in Government, these days, the Senate Majority Leader, his deputy or any other senior leader on the Government side would be in the House.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, you will notice that the entire leadership of the Government side is not in the House today. What is even worse is that there is no single Senator of Jubilee in the House.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, Senators of Jubilee are overpaid. They earn Kshs1 million every four weeks. Kenyans who work very hard are underpaid yet colleagues of ours are not here to represent them. What sanctions do you think should be considered against the Government that shortchanges the taxpayers and receives remuneration for work not done?

A

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, if you were to amalgamate these counties, then you would be doing nothing new. It is what governors have already realised. That is why you have heard of many governors forming economic blocs. Those blocks are informed by the fact that were you to put the counties of the former coast province together, they would form one huge county that would open up the economic potential of the coastal region, create jobs and improve the lifestyles of our people. The same applies to the Lake Basin area where Sen. Kajwang’s governor, my governor and others have come together and formed a similar bloc. Therefore, I look forward to the next Senate to be the one that will begin this conversation; that we need to amalgamate counties.

Secondly, now that we have seen the work of county assemblies, we need to reduce the number of county wards. We need to merge some of the wards, so that we have bigger wards with fewer Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) who will be affordable and with higher standards of education put on their heads before they join the county assemblies. This will ensure that they practice actual oversight over the governors.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, it is not just in Kakamega County, but even in West P, Makueni, Homa Bay and other counties that our MCAs have been held captive by the governors.

Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale, which county is called “West P?”

Proceed.

A

Sometimes you thank God that beyond every failure there could be some silver lining and beyond the failures of the Government to implement Konza Technopolis and Isiolo Resort City, the only silver lining is that there is no conflict because people are not seeing the tangible signs of development. But when a new government that is action oriented takes over, like the new government that we want to bring in which will implement all the big projects, people will fight because of the locations of the borders.

Due to conflicts around county boundaries, we have seen loss of lives. In June, 2016, two people were killed because of the Kisumu-Nandi border dispute and we got the usual explanation that it was cattle rustling and traditional practices. However, when we went there as Members of the Joint Committee on National Cohesion and Equal Opportunity, we realised that there are deeper issues and it is not just cattle rustling. There are issues around resource distribution.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there are also cases of double taxation. There are certain centres that fall at the confluence of Homa Bay, Nandi and Kisumu. Sometimes residents of my county feel that taxes are collected from them by revenue officers from counties that they do not owe allegiance to.

There is also perpetuation of historical injustices. Some of the boundaries were established many years ago. Due to their establishment, there are certain areas that felt that they were given a raw deal. If the area is hilly, some people feel that they were given the leeward side and others feel they were given the windward side. So, it perpetuated some of the injustices and this brewed a lot of conflict and mistrust between people of different communities living in those areas.

There is also the issue of political marginalisation where county boundaries have fallen in areas that divide members of a small community. You will find that there is a little bit of them on one side and a little bit of them on the other side. So, they can never be actively, properly and fully represented at the top levels within the county.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, when you read this Bill, you will realise that alteration of county boundaries is not the first option. It is for that reason that I strongly support this Bill. We are not saying that we should set up structures to change county boundaries. There could be a need to change them but when you read this Bill, you will clearly see that the first option is not alteration but mediation because it is the mediation committee that gives rise to county boundaries.

The Ombudsman, in an advisory note, had talked about this particular matter. He advised that one of the things that the national Government can do even before Parliament legislates on these issues because this falls within the responsibilities of the President is to undertake a marking exercise so that we set up beacons to clearly delineate boundaries of counties so that we move away from reliance on things that are movable. We thought the railway line will never move but now it is moving away from Kisumu to other places and people feel unhappy about that.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we must find a way of setting up beacons based on the Global Positioning System (GPS) and technology but not based on anthills, rivers or lakes because lakes can dry up. Lake Kenyatta is drying up and you wonder whether that is a message about certain dynasties that might also be drying. We must base the county boundaries not just on natural features but clear geographical and technological position as recommended in the First Schedule of this Bill.

You have three minutes.

A

Since there is no more interest on the Bill, I now call upon the Mover of the Bill to reply.

Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I would like to thank Sen. M. Kajwang and Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale for elucidating their proposals in such a manner. I have no other option other than to agree.

On Clause 7, I will propose and will make in the third reading---

What is it, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale?

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is such an important Bill and you can see that from its size. The amount of thought that has gone through this Bill is such that if through you, you could stand it down and allow debate to continue. This will allow other Senators, who did not know that it will move so fast, to get the chance to speak. I can confirm for a fact that the Senate Minority Leader, Sen. Wetangula, who is a President in waiting, would have loved to make a contribution to this important Bill.

I beg you.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I meant West Pokot County.

Proceed.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, during that exercise we need to also overhaul our constituencies, so that we reduce the number. It is a fact that if you go to the National Assembly, on any day of debate, or go through the HANSARD, you will find that most of the oversight work in the committees has not been done by more than 50 to 70 Members of Parliament. The others simply wait to take instructions from State House on how to exercise tyranny of numbers.

I will not go to the cases that are bound, where dispute resolution is required, because Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. and Sen. M. Kajwang have mentioned them.

Before I go to specific clauses in the Bill, I want to ask Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr. a question. You will be in the next Senate; I will not be there. The other question we would want to answer through this House is: Do we still need the units that were created under the former provincial administration? If you go to Kakamega, for example, you can forgive all the children in Class Eight because they are confused. When they fill out documents they do not know whether they should say that they come from Kakamega County, Kakamega South Sub-County, Kakamega South District or Ikolomani Sub- County. They all refer to the same place. We need to align the nomenclature of administrative units of this country along the devolved structure, so that the standard will be that we move from the state to the county, sub-county, ward and village.

Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., I would like you to take a look at Clause 7, which is on the establishment of a county boundaries mediation committee. I want to propose that the request for this establishment should include, over and above the two that you have provided, also a request by the Senator of a county. If the governor can request, I do not see why the Senator should not request. You should also include that if the Members of

A Parliament from that county are in agreement that such a request should be made, they should be allowed, and so should the county assembly be allowed to make this request.

Clause 9 speaks to the composition of the committee. I have no problem with it, but do you not think that when you are appointing the mediation committee, in (b), you should signify who is nominating and appointing that person? If you look at (d), the Bill talks about the public officer nominated by the Cabinet Secretary. That is okay but there are a maximum of 22 Cabinet Secretaries. Therefore, it should specify which Cabinet Secretary.

Clause 9 (2) (a), says that a person shall not be qualified for appointment under subsection (1) (a) and (b) if that person has stood for an elective office in any of the affected counties in the last ten years. I beg that this be deleted, because it is tantamount to criminalizing the profession of politics. Who says that after Sen. (Prof.) Lonyangapuo quits serving the people of West Pokot as the Senator, he does not have the intelligence to serve in such a mediation committee? In anything, a former Senator, Member of the National Assembly or MCA is more knowledgeable on matters of that county and, therefore, stands to be a resource person in this very critical committee.

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I now want to take the distinguished Senator to the Schedule. I have gone through the schedule and I am very pleased. Since I do not understand other counties as well as Kakamega County, allow me to make a few remarks on Kakamega County. A bird’s eye view on the statement made in this schedule on Kakamega County tells me that the few errors that I have noted require that before it becomes part of this Bill, a deliberate effort be made painstakingly by either the Ministry of Lands or whichever responsible Ministry to describe the official county boundaries of all counties that will be on record in detail. It is lack of that detail that opens up room for disputes. It is the presence of that detail that will abate disputes.

Kakamega County borders Busia County, Bungoma County, Trans Nzoia County, Uasin Gishu County, Nandi County, Vihiga County and Siaya County. When you go through the narrative here on pages 336 to 340, the detail to capture that particular span is not clear. We need to clarify at every point. When you start at point “X,” for example, where it commences at the confluence of Namayakalo River with Nang’eni River, you need to state that now you have started describing the boundary of Kakamega County as it borders Busia County. If we do not do that, somebody trying to understand this narrative will not know whether you are describing Namayiakano River and Nang’eni River which may not be in Busia, but in some other Luhya bordering county. Some names in the Luhya nation are shared because they were named by our people when they were migrating. You will find that a name of a river might repeat itself in Busia when it is in Kakamega. It is important to know this.

It is glaring because when you go to the bottom of page 37, they say hence the westerly upstream to its intersection with Yala River. When you are in Kakamega, there is no river called Yala. The river they are referring to as Yala is called Yala when it is in Siaya. This river is called River Lukose.

THAT, the debate on this Bill be adjourned under Standing Order No. 99 (1) . I have listened to Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale on the First Schedule on Kakamega County alone and realized that it will be of great benefit to this Senate to listen to the other Senators on such details about the First Schedule and the importance. We would know what to do as we move to the Third Reading.

Therefore, I agree and beg that you agree to the proposal to defer debate for the other Senators to have an opportunity.

With the request from the Mover under Standing Order No. 99 (1) that we adjourn debate and noting the interest and gravity of the matter that it touches on our country, my county and the neighboring counties such as Turkana and others, we will grant that request.

I note what Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale said earlier that we need to take our work in the House seriously for us to be able to justify why we are here, particularly those Senators who sit to the right hand of the Speaker.

Next Order.

The Mover is not around; that is, the Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations, the order is deferred.

Since there is no more interest on the Bill, I now call upon the Mover of the Bill to reply.

A

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

What is it, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale?

Hon. Senators, there being no other business, the Senate stands adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, 6th April, 2017 at 2.30 p.m.

The Senate rose at 5.35 p.m.

THAT, the debate on this Bill be adjourned under Standing Order No. 99 (1) . I have listened to Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale on the First Schedule on Kakamega County alone and realized that it will be of great benefit to this Senate to listen to the other Senators on such details about the First Schedule and the importance. We would know what to do as we move to the Third Reading.

Therefore, I agree and beg that you agree to the proposal to defer debate for the other Senators to have an opportunity.

With the request from the Mover under Standing Order No. 99 (1) that we adjourn debate and noting the interest and gravity of the matter that it touches on our country, my county and the neighboring counties such as Turkana and others, we will grant that request.

I note what Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale said earlier that we need to take our work in the House seriously for us to be able to justify why we are here, particularly those Senators who sit to the right hand of the Speaker.

Next Order.

The Mover is not around; that is, the Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations, the order is deferred.

It is touching on the same Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations. The Motion is deferred.

Hon. Senators, there being no other business, the Senate stands adjourned until tomorrow, Thursday, 6th April, 2017 at 2.30 p.m.

The Senate rose at 5.35 p.m.