Langata Member of Parliament, Hon. Phelix Odiwuor has moved a motion regarding the neglect of Langata public cemetery which was declared full, close to two decades ago.

The Motion calls upon the National Government through the Ministry of Health to urgently conduct an assessment of the public health risks posed by the continued use of the Lang’ata Cemetery, and to institute mitigatory measures in collaboration with other stakeholders.

The Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) has commenced public participation on the Anti-Money Laundering and Combating of Terrorism Financing Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

The Bill, which seeks to amend 18 laws, was committed to the JLAC chaired by Hon. George Murugara (Tharaka) and the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning chaired by Hon. Kuria Kimani (Molo), for consideration.

The Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning chaired by Hon. Kimani Kuria (MP) has been told Kenya risks a lower rating as a regional financial hub if she does not expedite amendment to law of anti-money laundering to align to international standards.

 The revelation emerged even as the Committee moved to expedite consideration of provisions of the Anti-Laundering and Combating of Terrorism Financing Laws (Amendment) Bill, 2023, which affect the finance sector.

The National Assembly Committee on Environment, Forestry and Mining chaired by Hon. David Gikaria (Nakuru East) has been briefed on the Climate Change (Amendment) Bill, 2023.

The Amendment Bill sponsored by the Leader of Majority Party Hon. Kimani Ichung'wah (Kikuyu)  seeks to provide for regulations of carbon markets.

The Bill seeks to amend the Climate Change Act, 2016; a national legislation intended to enhance response to climate change and provide mechanisms and measures to achieve low carbon climate-resilient development.

The Former Prime Minister Rt. Hon. Raila Odinga has called on the national government to devolve all the county government functions as stipulated by the 2010 Constitution.

Addressing delegates during the Devolution Conference that is going on at the Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County, Odinga castigated the National Government for retaining reasonable funds meant for County functions at the National Government level.

Delay in the disbursement of County funds has negatively affected operations in Counties across the country.

This is according to the Senate Minority Leader Sen. Sen. Justice (Rtd) Stewart Madzayo, CBS.

Sen. Madzayo told delegates attending the Devolution Conference at Eldoret Sports Club in Uasin Gishu County that for some time, late disbursement of funds has slowed and in some cases stopped progress in Counties.

It was a sorrowful day at Uasin Gishu County Assembly when the Senate Labour and Social Welfare Committee met with over 500 residents of Uasin Gishu who were allegedly defrauded of their hard-earned money by First Choice Recruitment and Consultancy Agency. 

The Honourable Senators were on a fact-finding mission in the County after the residents informed the Senate, through a Petition, that the recruitment agency obtained money through the false pretence that they would facilitate them to find jobs in Qatar, Dubai, Australia, Poland and Finland. 

Senate Deputy Speaker Hon. Kathuri Murungi, MGH has assured Kenyans that the Senate is fully committed to supporting transformation in Counties through necessary legislative interventions and the requisite legal framework.

In his remarks that were submitted by Sen. Veronica Maina, a member of the Speaker`s Panel, during Devolution Conference in Eldoret Sports Club, Sen. Murungi said the Senate will do all that is possible to ensure Kenyans feel the fruits of Devolution.

Speaker of the Senate Rt. Hon. Amason Jeffah Kingi, EGH has challenged counties to strive to be independent and avoid over independence from the National Government.

Hon. Kingi who spoke during the official launching of the Devolution Conference in Eldoret said despite several achievements realized courtesy of Devolution in the last 10 years, there is a lot that needs to be done to ensure full implementation of Devolution for the benefit of Kenyans.

The Majority Party and the Minority Party in the National Assembly have jointly presented a Motion aimed at securing legal recognition for the establishment of a National Dialogue Committee.

The Motion moved by the Leader of Majority Party, Hon. Kimani Ichung'wah (Kikuyu) intends to foster productive dialogues and consensus-building.

The  structure of the National Dialogue Committee will be in adherence to the Constitution and laws of the Republic of Kenya. It will uphold the functional and institutional integrity of state organs.

The National Assembly has reached a consensus regarding the time allocation for speeches during debates on Motions introduced by individual Members. 

This is in a bid to clear the backlog of Motions that are pending before the House.

According to a Procedural  Motion passed by the House, debate will be restricted to a maximum of one and a half hours, with the Mover granted up to 10 minutes for the initial presentation and five minutes for the concluding response.

Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage, Ms. Peninah Malonza appeared before the National Assembly to answer Members' Questions on different matters concerning her Ministry.

 Hon. Gedion Mulyungi (Mwingi Central) wanted to know from the CS what measures her Ministry has put in place to to minimize the cases of human-wildlife conflict. 

The National Assembly has debated a Bill that seeks to streamline safety controls on food and livestock feeds to be allowed into the market.

The Food and Feed Safety Control Coordination Bill No. 21 of 2023, sponsored by the Leader of  Majority Party Hon. Kimani Ichungw'a (Kikuyu) proposes the enactment of an Act of Parliament to provide for the coordination of the public institutions in the control of food and feed safety.

In a bid to boost Kenya's coconut and cashew nut industry, the National Assembly Committee on Agriculture and Livestock, chaired by Hon. Dr. John Mutunga, is poised to scrutinize a legislative proposal.

The proposed Coconut and Cashew Nut Bill, 2023 sponsored by Deputy Majority Leader of the Majority Party and Kilifi North MP, Hon. Owen Yaa Baya, seeks to provide regulation for the production, processing, marketing, grading, storage, collection, transportation and warehousing of coconut and cashew nut.

The National Land Commission has requested the support of Members of Parliament in securing a budgetary allocation of Kshs 900M to pay Project Affected Persons for displaced due to several infrastucture projects.

In a meeting with the National Assembly Committee on Lands,  Mr. Gershom Ochami, Chair, National Land Commission (NLC).

Under the chairmanship of North Mugirango MP, Hon. Joash Nyamoko, Members of the Committee on Lands met with Mr. Gershom Ochami, Chair, National Land Commission (NLC) and Ms. Kabale Tache, CEO.

The National Assembly Defence, Intelligence and Foreign Relations Committee has officially launched an inquiry into activities of the British Army Training Unit in Kenya (BATUK).

As a result, the Clerk of the National Assembly has invited members of the public and stakeholders to submit memoranda on relevant issues they may wish to draw the attention of the Committee to in relation to the Inquiry.

The National Assembly's Select Committee on National Government Constituency Development Fund, led by Hon. Musa Sirma (Eldama Ravine) has concluded the first phase of public hearings across several counties. The committee organized the public participation sessions into four sub-committees, which were led by Hon. Musa Sirma, Hon. Kassim Sawa, Hon. Dr Gideon Ochanda, and Hon. Joshua Mwalyo.

In Eldama Ravine, Hon. Musa Sirma presided over a public hearing meeting attended by residents of Baringo County. 

The Departmental Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation has learnt that the collection of personal data from Kenyans by the foreign company Worldcoin dates back to 31 st May,
2021. 

Senators and the Senate staff broke into celebrations after the Senate soccer team hammered the Council of Governors 3 goals to nil at the Kipchoge Keino Stadium Eldoret.

The afternoon match that marked the first day of the Devolution Conference attracted several elected leaders, staff and locals who turned out in large numbers to witness the match.

The Senate team under Team Manager, Migori Senator Eddy Oketch and Captain, Mombasa Senator Mohamed Faki took control of the match against the Governors from the beginning displaying a ball possession of 70 percent.

The National Assembly Committee on Implementation, led by chairman Hon. Raphael Wanjala (Budalangi), convened a meeting with the implementing parties; the Kenya Space Agency, Italian Space Agency, and the Ministry of Defense to address the emerging issues. The meeting was also attended by IItalian Ambassador to Kenya Roberto Natali. 

“We are here to address concerns raised by the Defense Cabinet Secretary, indicating that Italy is not meeting its end of the bargain,“ said Hon. Wanjala.