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After Azimio La Umoja Bi-partisan team decided to recusal from the talks citing a number of issues among them demanding Aden Keynan be excluded from the team.

Kenya Kwanza leader in the talks issued a statement after engaging in the preliminary informal talks with the Azimio team, they resolved to remain committed to the process endeavoring to bend backward to accommodate the views and concerns of Azimio.

Kenya Kwanza is set to table their issues before the Azimio team saying that the opposition group insisted on the exclusion of Hon. Keynan as the team objected to the inclusion of Hon. David Pkosing citing the conflict of interest in the process.

To demonstrate the process of commitment during the peaceful bipartisan conversations, Kenya Kwanza has said that they are ready to recuse Hon Keynan from the process calling for Pkosing to equally be recused.

Kenya Kwanza team has called the Azimio team to return to the table and engage requesting them to stop the plans of the demonstrations saying only bipartisan is the true confident way to end the recurring issues.

Finally, the Murugara-led team has called the opposition team to call off the protests appealing to resume the engagement inviting the co-chair Hon. Otiende and the leader of Azimio talks, both House minority and majority for a discussion to break the impasse.

The National Assembly’s Decentralized Funds Accounts Committee, in a Session chaired by Bobasi MP Hon. Innocent Obiri, held a meeting with the Fund Account Manager from Sabatia Constituency.

The agenda of the meeting was to review the Auditor Generals’ financial reports of the constituency’s financial accounts for FY 2013/2014, 2014/2015, and 2015/2016.

Among the issues that the Auditor Generals reports pointed out were, the use of emergency funds to purchase land for Vokoli Girls Secondary School and the purchase of land for Ursula Chamakanga Girls High School without following due process.

In his response to the committee, Mr. Tom Gimonge, the Fund Accounts Manager informed the committee that the land for Vikoli Secondary was purchased for the school expansion as there was a risk of losing the land to another buyer due to the owner urgently needing to sell.

However, the committee was not satisfied with the response, hence questioning whether the land purchase qualified to be deemed an emergency.

“Does the allocation fit in with section 12 (3) of the NGCDF act which states what qualifies to be considered an emergency?” Asked Hon Obiri.

Webuye West MP Hon. Martin Wanyonyi on his part questioned why public funds were being used to necessitate individual interests and needs.

On the issue of the purchase of land for Ursula Chamakanga Girls High School, the committee questioned the office for not following due process. The members also doubted the validity of the sale as funds were paid before an agreement was signed.

The Fund Account Member was pressed to answer the committee on the sale as he could not produce the sale agreement nor supporting documents for the payment of funds.

In her closing remarks the Vice Chairperson Hon. Gertrude Mbeyu faulted the constituency office for failing to follow procedures. She further urged the committee members to visit the constituency in order to investigate the matter extensively.

Prime Cabinet Secretary, Rt. Hon. Musalia Mudavadi made his way into the National House answering questions from the legislators. Musalia Mudavadi told the Members of parliament that the Government of Kenya has spent over Kshs.19 billion since July 2022 to alleviate the impact of drought in the country’s Arid and Semi-Arid Areas.

Rt. Hon. Musalia Mudavadi today responded to Questions by Hon. Yusuf Hassan, MP Kamukunji Constituency regarding the drought management, supply, and distribution of relief food in Arid and Semi-Arid Areas.

Hon. Mudavadi disclosed that the Ministry of East African Community, the ASALs, and Regional Development conducted a National Food and Nutrition Security Assessment to establish the impact of the drought in the Semi-Arid and identify the number of people affected, and determine necessary interventions.

The assessment revealed that approximately 4.4 million people in the ASALs and an additional 495,362 in nine non-traditional ASAL regions faced acute food insecurity, and over 2.5 million livestock deaths were attributable to the drought.

Members of the National Assembly learned that the worst affected counties were identified as Marsabit, Garissa, Isiolo, Mandera, Tana River, Samburu, Turkana, and Narok, where people were displaced in large numbers, and livestock and household items were swept away by floods.

In a session chaired by Speaker, Hon. Moses Wetang’ula, Members of the National Assembly asked forty supplementary Questions regarding measures to replenish livestock that have perished due to drought, over-reliance on rain-fed agriculture, and the Safety Net programs the Government has put in place to protect from recurring drought.

“Interventions have been in terms of relief food, emergency relief cash transfers, support to the school feeding program, cash transfers under the Hunger Safety Net Program, water trucking, and livestock off-take”, said Hon. Musalia Mudavadi.

He further added that county governments had also provided relief food assistance, scaled up cash transfers, livestock feeds and vaccination, and water trucking, as well as overseeing peace dialogues and resource-use agreements.

Documents tabled revealed that development partners, UN agencies, NGOs, and other non-state actors have contributed more than Ksh. 48 Billion towards drought response interventions, while the private sector-led National Steering Committee on Drought Response (NSCDR) has distributed 163,150 food hampers worth Ksh.450 Million to approximately 978,900 most affected persons.

While making his submissions to the National Assembly, Hon. Mudavadi informed lawmakers that the Government has also taken other steps to ensure relief supplies reach as many people as possible and to scale up relief and humanitarian response to save lives, alleviate suffering, and bolster human dignity among affected parties.

Mudavadi was adamant that it wouldn’t be soon to seek out the ongoing economy. The CS said the country should be ready for challenges that will last for at least two years, focusing on priorities.

“I want to be very honest, as a former Minister for Finance that we are in this for a long haul. We are working to turn the economy around,” he said.

As banditry is a headache in the North, Cabinet Secretary for Interior & National Administration appeared before the Senate to give updates on the status of security raised by various senators before the house and updates on the Kilifi cults and the vast 800-acre Shakahola ranch linked to Mr. Mackenzie.

Sen (Dr.) Ltumbesi Lelegwe paused tough questions asking the CS to give an update on Samburu and environs security status.

The Powerful CS affirmed on 13^th Feb 2023, the government deployed joint operations to restore normalcy after serious instances of breach of peace adding the police force through the inclusion of KDF.

Kindiki has however said that Samburu areas security status has improved from what he terms is the biggest step he has observed by invading the hide-outs of the bandits through high establishment finding that some places like the caves and gorges where the attacks were being planned by the bandits.

The CS confirms that all the places used as hide-outs in Baringo and Elgeyo Markwet among others are now clean and says that the presence of police forces will not allow again the clean and clear areas to be dominated by the banditry again promising that the areas will be fully occupied by the police to give room for the people to live safely.

Prof. Kindiki reports that the government is working hard to clean all the remains threats for the people of the north to live saying that the bandits had specific areas where they used to plan attacks. The government noticed that; after giving the ultimatum of 24hrs of vacation, the banditry also took the 24-hour window to mix up with the people.

“Operations in our view a success, we have learned there are still gaps but we shall seal the gaps, we are determined and we will win the war, its either Kenya or banditry, it’s either the law or crime as Kenya will not give way for bandits, Kenya will stand as bandits must give way,” CS says.

The government is improving the intelligence within all agencies of police as the agencies have helped in containing the threats of the bandits saying Kenya will win through the intelligence units.

“We have deployed and enhanced the special operations groups which helped us a great deal 2 months to stabilize Samburu North and the area of Baragoi there were guns and bloodshed every day but the area is cleared clean.” CS Prof. Kindiki sad.

The future is in the specialized formed units including the general unit terming them as the front soldiers of this and the areas have been cleared as we call it.

-Invest in peace-building activities by doing disarmament assuring the public that all criminals holding guns surrender the arms maintaining that the government will defeat the banditry as the government is investing in a long time possibilities by empowering the future of the north by silencing the terrorists.

Kindiki reports that the government is compiling data from August last year of cattle rustling set to be released.

Hon Kindiki said that in his possession they have crucial evidence that the attack in Kainuk 2022 was geared, that the senior commanders in the banditry criminal are geared by some politicians and is set to be released promises to build a case in court against the sponsors of bandits saying that their activities have been linked in the support of encouraging banditry.

“I believe that the future of our country is the Northern part facing insecurity” CS Kithure Kindiki affirmed.

CS Prof. Kindiki said that the government is considering the shift of empowering the chiefs with guns to help in providing security.

Concerning the area (Shakahola) he has said that it is an active security operation zone and no access to it by the public shall be permitted effective 26th April 2023, except as may be permitted by the operation Commander and/or until these orders are vacated.

Interior CS has however imposed a dusk-to-dawn curfew in Shakahola and banned public gatherings, processions, or movement during the period of curfew into and out of Chakama Ranch for the next 30 days.

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee led by its Chairperson Hon. George Gitonga Murugara held meetings with different Legislators proposing various amendments on different Bills.

Hon. Simon King’ara of Ruiru, the proposer amendments on the Law of Contract Act, Cap. 23; to provide that incase of a default of a certain financial obligation, the plaintiff should first realize the assets of the defaulter before attaching the assets of a guarantor.

The proposal is intended to protect the guarantors against the claims that arise following default on financial obligations by the principal. This Bill had been passed by the House during the 12th Parliament but was referred back by the President.

The Chairperson of the committee commended the legislator for the proposals noting that they will help caution guarantors, and promised to further deliberate on them with the committee members.

“We need to look into some sort of exhaustive remedies against the principal borrower and we also have something on security, exhausting on items to recover that are stated by the principal lender. The committee will look at it considering all the reservations and address them conclusively.” Said Hon. Murugara.

Hon. Francis Masara, (Suna West) appeared before the committee with amendment proposals for the Marriage (Amendment) Bill, 2022. The principal aim of this Bill is to amend the Marriage Act, 2014; by introducing Clause 2 of the Bill to amend section 2 of the Act by inserting a new definition of the term “mutual separation”.

The proposal also seeks to introduce clause 3 of the Bill by inserting a new section 75(A) into the Act, to provide that parties in a marriage may jointly petition the court for decree of divorce by mutual consent if the marriage has irretrievably broken down, the parties have mutually separated for atleast one year immediately preceding the date of presentation of the petition and also if the parties have mutually agreed to dissolve the marriage.

“The current process will remain intact. But the only difference is, in the current process, only one party goes to court. But in most instances when people are divorcing, none of us wants to make the first move. But in this one, I want to introduce the process; how do we initiate it. The only cure I want to make is for the two to initiate the entire process which will go as per the current law.” Stated Hon. Masara.

The committee also heard from Hon. Julius Sunkuli (Kilgoris) who has a proposal for the National Coroners Service (Amendment) Bill, 2023; that seeks to amend the National Coroners Act, 2017; to have a Coroner-General, who should be a legal practitioner on account of the complexity and the technical nature of the role which requires them to make recommendations on the legal and policy interventions in accordance with standards and practice.

Further, the proposal re-designates the office of the Coroner-General and the National Coroners Service from the Public Service Commission to the Judicial Service Commission. The legislator also noted that the Attorney General has never been categorized as a Cabinet Secretary and therefore proposed deletion of the term Cabinet Secretary and insertion of the word ‘Commission’, to mean the Judicial Service Commission.

On the qualifications, the legislator proposes an alteration of the qualification of a Coroner-General from a medical practitioner to an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya with atleast 10 years experience.

Hon. Sunkuli noted that this office will help to thoroughly and independently investigate the extra judicial killings happening in the country, especially the current mysterious killings of people in Shakahola, Kilifi County.

The sessional Chair Hon. John Kaguchia (Mukurwe-ini) agreed that there are many things that have come into question with this Bill, and that it needs to be looked into comprehensively.

The committee lastly heard from Hon. David Gikaria (Nakuru East) regarding the Penal Code (Amendment) Bill (National Assembly Bill No. 56 of 2022). The legislator proposes to amend the Penal Code, Cap. 63, by repealing section 182 which provides for offences relating to idle and disorderly persons.

Hon. Gikaria argued that the provision has been abused by law enforcement agencies to harass innocent members of the public and that it limits the right to freedom of movement and association.

“We need to mop up these colonial laws which are in our constitution. You find the arrests for some minor offences are blown up using section 182 and exorbitant penalty charges instigated on the accused.”

The Murugara-led committee will be conducting an in-depth analysis on the proposals while considering the current laws, the loopholes and the resultant implications of the amendments.