Parliament of Australia Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya and Ethiopia 3 to 9 June 2018 © Commonwealth of Australia 2019 ISBN 978-1-74366-951-8 Printed version ISBN 978-1-74366-952-5 PDF version This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Australia License. The details of this licence are available on the Creative Commons website: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0/au/. Members of the Delegation Mr Andrew Broad MP Member for Mallee Leader of the Delegation Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP Member for Cowper Mr Graham Perrett MP Member for Moreton Mr Tim Watts MP Member for Gellibrand Ms Julia Searle Delegation Secretary Introduction population and playing an intermediary role in Somalia and South Sudan. This report gives an account of the Australian Parliamentary Delegation to Kenya has one of the most diversified Kenya and Ethiopia from 3 to 9 June economies in Sub-Saharan Africa. 2018. Sectors contributing to economic growth are agriculture, building and The delegation comprised: construction, infrastructure development, manufacturing, transport • Mr Andrew Broad MP, Delegation and services, tourism and mining. Leader, • Hon Luke Hartsuyker MP, Australia–Kenya relations • Mr Graham Perrett MP, and Australia and Kenya established • Mr Tim Watts MP. diplomatic relations in 1965. Ties between the two countries include As one of very few delegation visits to collaboration on agriculture and food Africa in recent years, the overall security, counter-terrorism and piracy, objective of the visit was to strengthen mining exploration and education. ties with Kenya and Ethiopia. The visit provided the opportunity to reflect on The Kenyan community in Australia the existing relationship with each continues to grow with 19,390 people country and to discuss opportunities to born in Kenya, most having arrived in the strengthen these relationships into the last 10 years as skilled migrants. There is future. The delegation sought to explore a strong Kenyan diaspora in Australia. issues of common interest in the areas of humanitarian aid, mining, agricultural Australian aid to Sub-Saharan Africa is production, governance, education, focussed on education, agriculture, trade and investment. extractives and governance. The majority of the bilateral program is Appendix A outlines the delegation Australia Awards scholarships. Since program. 2011, 433 Kenyans have been supported through Australia Awards. In 2017–18, Visit to Kenya 49 Kenyans were supported to 3 to 7 June 2018 undertake Masters degrees and short courses in Australia. Kenya is the second largest economy in East Africa and its capital, Nairobi, is one The Department of Foreign Affairs and of the fastest-growing cities in Africa as Trade’s Australia NGO Cooperation well as a major regional hub for the Program and Direct Aid Program support United Nations, multilateral a range of community development organisations and diplomatic visits. programs. Kenya plays an increasingly important regional role on humanitarian, maritime Parliamentary relations and regional security issues in the Horn of Africa, hosting a large refugee During the course of the visit, the delegation met with the Speaker of the 1 Visit to Kenya and Ethiopia National Assembly, the Majority Leader in March 2018 to work together towards and members of the Foreign Affairs unifying the country. This was described Committee. These meetings helped to to the delegation as a ‘handshake’ further political ties between the two between the government and countries. opposition. The delegation’s first parliamentary Speaker Muturi welcomed the meeting was with the Speaker of the delegation to Kenya. He described the National Assembly, the Hon Justin structure of the current parliament and Muturi. reflected on the need to bring back aspects of the Westminster system. The Parliament of Kenya is a bicameral legislature consisting of the Senate (67 Delegation members indicated that they seats) and National Assembly (349 welcomed public commentary about seats). Speaker Muturi is the seventh corruption and the stance being taken by speaker of the National Assembly and the Chief Justice (which had been the first since the reintroduction of the reported in that day’s media). Speaker bicameral parliament under Kenya’s new Muturi indicated that he personally constitution. welcomed the Chief Justice’s statement and described the problems presented The composition of the National by corruption. He stated that he believed Assembly is established by the Kenyan law was sufficiently robust to Constitution as: deal with corruption and outlined key aspects of the Constitution and relevant • 290 members elected by the laws that deal with leadership and elected voters of single member integrity, and anti-corruption. He constituencies, explained the appointment of the • 47 women elected by the judiciary, which according to the registered voters of the counties, Constitution, must be done each county constituting a single competitively. member constituency, • 12 members nominated by Other areas of mutual interest included parliamentary political parties Australian mining interests, such the according to their proportion of current mineral sands project in Kwale, members of the National opportunities to share farming and Assembly to represent special agricultural production experiences from interests including youth, persons Australia, and the impact of employment with disabilities, and workers, laws in Kenya. In terms of trade, it was and noted that Australia is Kenya’s second largest export market after the European • the Speaker as an ex officio Union for cut flowers. member. Delegation members appreciated the Following months of discord between opportunity to observe proceedings in the Government and Opposition the National Assembly with Speaker following the 2017 elections, the Muturi in the Chair. President and Opposition Leader agreed 2 Visit to Kenya and Ethiopia He noted that there are 290 constituencies in Kenya and described his constituency in Garissa. Delegation members asked about the activities of al- Shabaab, noting the attack on Garissa University in 2015. Mr Duale also outlined the Constituent Development Fund, whereby 2.5 percent of revenue is divided amongst the Delegation members with the Hon Justin Muturi, Speaker of the National Assembly constituency for purposes such as education and support for the elderly. The delegation met with the Hon Aden Duale, Majority Leader of the National Assembly. Mr Duale is serving as the first Leader of the Majority of the National Assembly since the position was introduced under article 108 of Kenya’s new constitution in 2010. Delegation members with the Hon Aden Duale, Majority Leader in the National Assembly Mr Duale told the delegation about the creation of his office, describing it as a The delegation also met with members difficult office. He referred to the of the Defence and Foreign Relations absence of Ministers in the House – like Committee. The meeting was chaired by the US system, Ministers only appear the committee’s Vice Chairperson, the before Committees. Discussion with Mr Hon Richard N Tongi MP. Duale ranged across the handshake between the Government and Mr Tongi noted that the Committee has opposition leader to the institutions that oversight of the Minister for Defence, have been put in place to address Minister for Foreign Affairs, National corruption. Mr Duale referred to the Intelligence Minister and the East African Office of the DPP, Auditor-General and Community Minister. Matters falling Director of Criminal Investigation who within the responsibilities of the report to the Parliament. Anti-money committee include defence, intelligence, laundering and anti-bribery legislation foreign relations, diplomatic and exists as well as parliamentary consular matters, international committees, such as the Committee of boundaries, international organisations, Supply, which scrutinises every vote. He agreements, treaties and conventions. noted lifestyle audits are undertaken on key officials in Government. Mr Tongi stated that he appreciated cooperation with Australia in the areas Mr Duale described the ethnically-based of mining, agriculture, education and the nature of Kenyan politics and the health sector. divisiveness of presidential elections. 3 Visit to Kenya and Ethiopia Matters canvassed in discussions With an influx of new arrivals in 2014, included Australia’s involvement in Kakuma surpassed its capacity by over maritime security, peacekeeping 58,000 individuals. Land for a new operations, refugees, dual citizenship, settlement at Kalobeyei, 25km from terrorism and radicalisation, and Kakuma town was identified following corruption. negotiations between the UNHCR, the National Government, the Country Aid and humanitarian issues Government of Turkana and the host community.3 Developing countries play a significant humanitarian role. Kenya, together with At the time of the delegation’s visit, Lebanon, Jordan and Ethiopia, is home there were 186 088 registered refugees to nearly 90 percent of the world’s and asylum-seekers at Kakuma of a total refugees.1 number in Kenya of 468,910. A key focus of the delegation’s visit was The breakdown of refugees and asylum the Kakuma Refugee Camp in Turkana seekers at Kakuma by country of origin County in north western Kenya, one of was: the country’s most impoverished and • South Sudan, 108,047 marginalised areas. • Somalia, 33, 545 • Democratic Republic of Congo, The delegation