Oketch Eddy Gicheru

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. Through you, your honour, of course, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 18th June, 2026- Report of the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on the County Government's Equitable Share Cash Disbursement Schedule for Financial Year...

Thank you once again Mr. Speaker. Again, through you, your honour and on behalf of the Chairperson Liaison Committee, the Deputy Speaker, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 18th June, 2026 – Report of the Liaison Committee on the activities and...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir, once again. I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate today, Thursday, 18th June, 2026. Report of the Standing Committee on Roads, Transport and Housing on its consideration of The Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill (No.3) (National Assembly Bills No.34 of...

I thank you once again, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I beg to give notice of the following Motion – THAT, the Senate adopts the Report of the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on the County Governments (Equitable Share) Cash Disbursement Schedule for Financial Year 2026/2027, laid on the Table of...

Thank you once again, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I beg to give notice of the following Motion- THAT the Senate notes the report of the Liaison Committee on the activities and operations of select committees during the Fourth Session, 2025 pursuant to Standing Orders No. 224 (2) laid on the Table...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, as a Member of the Committee on Finance and Budget, I assert that this is a procedural Motion because the bulk of the work was the passing of the Division of Revenue Bill and the County Allocation of Revenue Bill, which give money to the counties. Whatever...

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I understand the veracity of this matter. I also understand that Sen. Okiya Omtatah is keen to substantiate the document that he has brought here and we need to understand it too. However, the rules of this House are very clear on the language that must...

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I would also like to add my voice to the statement by the Senator for Bomet, Sen. Wakili Hillary Sigei, regarding failure by the County Government of Bomet to pay contractors for completed road works. I know the statement has been committed to my committee. Therefore,...

Perhaps, I can give you some figures. The road transport is a dominant mode of transport in our country to the extent that approximately 93 per cent of all freight and passenger transport are dependent on roads. The country's road networks, however, has had a problem of bias when you...

take care of the signages. So, we are losing lives and businesses because there is nobody who takes the oversight role on traffic and safety on that road. There is also the enforcement of axle load requirements. This would mean collection of data on our roads, preparation of annual road...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I do share the spirit, because it is a procedural Motion. When I was moving the Motion, I also did refer to the fact that this Bill has got a stringent timeline, because both Houses of Parliament must complete working on the Bill by 27th of...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I second. I wish the nation knows that in this particular Session, we have worked so hard on the primary role of sending monies to counties. So, as we go to counties in the next three weeks, you see us trying to make sure that the...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. This is a very special delegation to us, as a House, especially because we have seen a number of things happening in our schools today that we did not expect. It is amazing to see many students who are committed to continuing with learning despite...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, the question asked by the Senator for Kilifi County is an important one. The Water Service Providers (WSPs) in Kilifi County face many challenges, including the bills they receive from the Coast Water Works Development Agency (CWWDA) . This is similar to what is happening in Migori...

Thank you, Mr. Speaker, Sir. My question is very specific. I have listened to the Cabinet Secretary’s response. Despite the fact that there is a requirement to use this e-GP system to procure everything in government, there is the issue of essential services that if they face any glitch of...

Hon. Cabinet Secretary, proceed to give your response.

I am coming to the question, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir.

Mr. Speaker, this is very important. I could have landed the question, but this is what I am trying to say, that the Vision 2030, the way it was crafted, was hugely dependent on all the flagship projects pegged on PPP. In the response of the CS, the projects that...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the question by Sen. Hamida Kibwana is a critical one. We might miss something here because in most cases audited reports concerning the national Government are reviewed by the National Assembly. Therefore, it is difficult to peg to some specific issues that I wanted to follow...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are asking these questions in the context of the mother Question by

Thank you, Mr. Temporary, Speaker, Sir. The Cabinet Secretary has spoken about very serious numbers here. There are two numbers that have drawn my attention which now leads to my question. The first number is Ksh7 trillion of public debt in the domestic market and the 69 per cent debt...

uko sehemu za nyanja ya juu. Watu wanaambiwa stori nyingi. Wengine wanatumia hela nyingi.Wengine wanapelekwa mahali ambapo hapana huduma za kiafya zinazofaa kusimamia na kutibu shida kama hizi. Hii imekuwa ni shida kwa wananchi wetu wa hapa Kenya na watu wa Tana River wenye matatizo ya kukosa mtoto kwa sababu...

Madam Temporary Speaker, it is a privilege to second this Bill. This is because governors have struggled with the concept of service to the extent that the relationship between them, Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs) and the CPSBs has been very adversarial and dictatorial. In most cases, the governors...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise from the outset to second the position as put by the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Budget. Given that several Senators wish to participate in voting on these issues, I will not belabor the point. I only wish to emphasise that this is...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, and perhaps my Chair of the Committee on Finance and Budget could help here, because we are facing a thin balance, where we can have excuse for mischief on governance on this issue of Disbursement Schedule. I have the Disbursement Schedule that was already shared in our...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, my request then is, because of integrity issues, if the Senator of Nandi is debating that the CS for the National Treasury and Economic Planning has not sent that schedule to the House, and continue debating as such, then we are just excusing the governors.

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I rise from the outset to second the position as put by the Chairperson of the Committee on Finance and Budget. Given that several Senators wish to participate in voting on these issues, I will not belabor the point. I only wish to emphasise that this is...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, and perhaps my Chair of the Committee on Finance and Budget could help here, because we are facing a thin balance, where we can have excuse for mischief on governance on this issue of Disbursement Schedule. I have the Disbursement Schedule that was already shared in our...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, my request then is, because of integrity issues, if the Senator of Nandi is debating that the CS for the National Treasury and Economic Planning has not sent that schedule to the House, and continue debating as such, then we are just excusing the governors.

County Government. Go and audit the inventory for drugs and the governors, so that they can tell us who owns the chemists in Migori County and Nandi, where Sen. Cherarkey comes from, and Bungoma County County Government. Go and audit the inventory for drugs and the governors, so that they...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, there are logistical inefficiencies of drugs in our counties. We want to know who owns all the chemists in our counties. This is because governors are making so much money and they are making KEMSA inefficient. They must stop taking drugs from our hospitals and giving...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for this opportunity as I also appreciate Sen. Ledama Olekina for bringing this statement. Time without number in this country, we have seen that when disaster is looming, there is no serious preparedness. There is no organisation at the national and county levels that...

Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir, I rise to make a brief comment on the Statutory Instruments (Amendment Bill) (National Assembly Bill No.3 of 2024) . My colleagues have already highlighted the dangers of allowing the Executive to control legislation. Parliament has been given the power of the purse. When it comes...

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir for this opportunity to also put my thoughts on this amendment Bill. If you read our Constitution, the one that the people are keen on the most is Article one of the Constitution, which talks about the power of the people and the sovereignty...

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. While I support this Bill, in the other sectors that it has been put, I wanted to draw the attention of this House and all Senators to this particular Clause 8, that I think we should amend by deleting it in entirety for us...

Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity. I have listened to the Cabinet Secretary very keenly. He has looked at the legislations, legal actions and framework that exist in terms of this response. On this question, could the Cabinet Secretary be clear on what the Ministry is doing to...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I think that either the Cabinet Secretary got my question wrong or did not just answer it at all. I did not ask about legal frameworks. I indicated that the Cabinet Secretary has centred on legal frameworks that exist. What I asked the Cabinet Secretary is, how...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is good to see the Cabinet Secretary here again today. Bw. Cabinet Secretary, there has been a lot of challenges facing MSMEs in the recent past in the wake of flooding disasters. You find a place like Migori County, and to some extent places like Budalangi,...

(Applause) Consequently, there are Members who are stuck outside because the bar was not drawn, and it would be important for them to put a vote for this Bill. I plead with you to reconsider, to add one more minute, so that they are able to get in.

Thank you, Mr. Deputy Speaker, Sir. This is a very good Bill and I hope that Sen. Crystal Asige will see the need to be educated by an agroforestry expert. You learn knowledge in the middle of debate. Perhaps one of the things that this House does not know is...

same way by eucalyptus. I will argue my case to help us rework this Bill for it to have a coherent approach that does not limit it.I will start with the cons or the demerits of planting eucalyptus. The Kenya Forestry Research Institute (KEFRI) has shared knowledge on this a...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I seek your indulgence. My question was actually in the previous question and I tried to seek your attention. Unfortunately, we have already passed that bridge. It is a very important question, Mr. Speaker, Sir. I know but time is of essence. We are dedicating these minutes...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I believe the issue of outages in the country, seeing from my colleagues, certainly not only during weather times, because in Migori County, and the CS is very well familiar with Migori County--- We have travelled with them to deal with the issue of electricity. The...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I wish to express my concern. This is a very delicate matter, since I would never wish to be in the bad books of the Speaker by appearing to vary your decision in this House. However, in the interest of the House, once a Member has asked...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will straight away go to the Cabinet Secretary. He has mentioned a number of areas that concern me in Migori County, which I will condense into the issue of market access, particularly on two commodities that you have mentioned maybe by passing, not specifically going...

He does not have time even to respond.

Very well, Senator. We have understood you. Cabinet Secretary, maybe you can just make a commitment that you will respond in writing. The Cabinet Secretary for Investments, Trade and Industry (Hon. Lee Kinyanjui) : Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I was just responding to Hon. Mandago that our inability...

If you do not mind, could he just give us---

Could he give us the impact assessment, perhaps not now, he can commit to you whether he had done an impact assessment on the damages this might have in the economy in terms of pollution and damages on our vehicles, so that we just know that these standards will not...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, I thank you for this opportunity. I want to quickly comment on the quarterly report that was issued under this Statement Hour by the Senator for Wajir, Sen. Abass, regarding the work that has been done by the Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations. If you look...

Mr. Speaker, Sir, it is indeed an honour to second this Bill as moved by the Majority Leader, Sen. Aaron Cheruiyot. In the same spirit, I urge the House to pass this Bill as has been tabled in this House, without amendments, for the reason that this is a Bill...

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

Sen. Sifuna has alluded to something very important, which I also had talked about, but I need to inform you on something here. He has alluded on the amount of money on this Equilisation Fund Appropriation Bill, which is Kshs16 billion. What I want to inform him is that because...

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I thank you for this opportunity. (Sen. Cherarkey spoke off record) Mr. Temporary Speaker, may you protect me from Sen. Cherarkey? (Interruption of debate on Bill)

Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I beg to lay the following Paper on the Table of the Senate, today, Wednesday, 6th May 2026- Report of the Standing Committee on Finance and Budget on the Equalisation Fund Appropriation Bill, 2025 (National Assembly Bills No.21 of 2025).I thank you.