THE REPUBLIC OF KENYA UASIN GISHU COUNTY ASSEMBLY THE HANSARD Tuesday, 27th March, 2018 The House Met at 2:59 PM [Deputy Speaker (Hon. Hosea Korir) in the Chair] PRAYERS (Point of Order) Deputy Speaker (Hon. Hosea Korir): What is out Order, Honourable Ramadhan? Use the microphone, Honourable Member. QUORUM Hon Werambo: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I find that we are not in Order because the quorum is not there, Mr. Speaker. So maybe we can ring the bell for the second time. Thank you. Deputy Speaker: I kindly call upon the Sergeants-at-Arms to have the quorum bell rung for the next 10 minutes in view of the quorum. (Quorum bell was rung) Deputy Speaker: Confirm the number of Honourable Members present before we begin this session. (21 Members present in the House) Hon Ramadhan Ali (MCA Kiplombe Ward), Hon Joseph Korir (MCA Ziwa Ward) , Hon Catherine Barmao (Nominated MCA) , Hon Alice Rono (Nominated MCA), Hon Edwin Korir (MCA Simat/ Kapseret Ward), Hon Mary Goretti (Nominated MCA) , Hon Francis Muya (MCA Langas Ward), Hon Amos Kiptanui (MCA Racecourse Ward), Hon Leah Sambai (Nominated MCA), Hon Hillary Rono (MCA Kipkenyo Ward) , Hon Belinda Tirop (Nominated MCA) ,Hon Hellen Cheptoo (Nominated MCA) ,Hon Noah Kemboi (Moiben Ward), Hon Julius Songok (MCA Megun Ward), Hon David Singoei (MCA Ngenyilel Ward) , Hon Edward Yego (MCA Segero Barsombe Ward) , Hon Gilbert Tenai (MCA Cheptiret Kipchamo Ward), Hon Leah Malot (Nominated MCA), Hon Maria Kesumo (Nominated MCA), Hon Peter Chomba (MCA Huruma Ward) , Hon Jonathan Ngetich (MCA Kaptagat Ward) and Hon David Keitany (MCA Sergoit Ward). Deputy Speaker: Thank you. Honourable Members, we can proceed and transact the business of the day. Proceed, Clerk. COMMUNICATION FROM THE CHAIR RECEIPT THE UASIN GISHU INUA BIASHARA FUND BILL (BILL NO 2) 2018 Disclaimer: The electronic version of the Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, with authority of the Clerk, Uasin Gishu County Assembly. Deputy Speaker: Honourable Members, I would wish to bring to your attention that we are in receipt of the Bill, the Uasin Gishu Inua Biashara Fund Bill (Bill No 2) 2018. Honourable Members, this Bill is deemed committed to the committee on trade so that they can through it and make recommendations and finally table it in this Honourable House. Honourable Members, I would wish to remind all of us that the sessions for our plenary are still as scheduled, that is, on Tuesday afternoon at 2:30 and then on Wednesday morning and afternoon and then on Thursdays the afternoon hours and I would wish to encourage all of us Honourable Members to be on time so that we do not lack quorum to transact the business of the day. otherwise I would like to remind all Chairs that this week we will be tabling reports , various reports for our sectoral committees and I want to appreciate the committee on environment; they were done with their reports and it was adopted in this Honourable House. I would wish to encourage all the Chairs to do the same particularly this week. Otherwise I wish you a nice deliberation as we begin this afternoon session. Deputy Speaker: Honourable Jonathan Ngetich. STATEMENT POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR INTERNSHIP PROGRAMME (Hon Jonathan Ngetich, on behalf of Pius Kigen, chair Public Service Management Committee) Hon Ngetich: Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir, for giving me this opportunity to read this statement on behalf of Honourable Pius Kigen, Chairperson, Public Service Management. Hon. Speaker Sir, aware that following a pledge made by His Excellency the Governor sometime in June, 2017 that his Administration would roll out internship programmes to assist graduates within the county attain experience and at the same time earn a stipend, the County Public Service Board advertised for the positions inviting qualified applicants to apply. Mr. Speaker Sir, further aware that the advertisement for the positions stated that the applicants must have graduated not earlier than 2015 and applications closed on 20th March, 2018. Hon. Speaker Sir , there has been an uproar from Members of the public as to why the County Public Service Board is discriminating graduates who graduated earlier than 2015, have not been in any form of gainful employment and have not attained the age of 35 years. Secondly, Honourable Speaker Sir, this honourable House has not received any policy framework form the department of public service management on how the internship programme will be managed. Mr. Speaker Sir, this is a programme costing the County Government of Uasin Gishu over sh100, 000, 000 every year in payment of stipends. Where is our oversight role, Mr. Speaker Sir, if we allow such a huge amount of money to be spent without a policy framework? Mr. Speaker Sir, only God knows what kind of audit queries can arise from such unregulated expenditure. Also Mr. Speaker Sir , without a policy framework, how will this Honourable House be informed on the criteria for recruitment for example at Ward /Location /Village level? How will we ensure that there is regional/gender and also that special interest groups are considered? Disclaimer: The electronic version of the Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, with authority of the Clerk, Uasin Gishu County Assembly. Mr. Speaker Sir, who will pay for insurance for the interns? Who will manage them in instances of disciplinary cases? What areas of specialization are the interns going to concentrate on and where exactly are all these positions? Are they within the County only? Mr. Speaker, a Sir a policy framework should address all these issues and be scrutinized by this Honourable House before approval. Further, Mr. Speaker Sir, I submit that any form of short listing that could be ongoing to be immediately halted until the discrimination clause is cured and all graduates are given an equal opportunity to apply. Mr. Speaker Sir, the discrimination on the newspaper advertisement was so conspicuous on the face of the advertisement. Mr. Speaker Sir, I seek a comprehensive statement from the Chairperson on the committee on Public Service Management on the issues raised. Thank you, Mr. Speaker Sir Deputy Speaker: Thank you, Honourable Jonathan Ngetich. I want to get from you whether you are standing in for Chair person and you are asking the Chair person to answer the same . Hon Ngetich: Thank you, Mr. Speaker. In this case, we want to inquire from the Chair, Public Service Board. I think there was a typographical error but in any case, Mr. Speaker, I can as well be the one who has moved the statement so that the Chair person Public Service And Management can liaise with the Chairman , Public Service Board . Deputy Speaker: Thank you for that clarification. Honourable Members, given that this is a pertinent issue, Honourable Members, it is allowed by our standing Order maybe to allow Members to deliberate and I will give you, Honourable Members, the next 10 minutes before we proceed to the other business of the day. Honourable Chief Whip. Hon Singoei: Thank you, Honourable Speaker, for giving me the opportunity to make contributions toward the statement that was read by Honourable Jonathan either on his behalf or on that of the Chairman Public Service Committee .what has been raised is very pertinent and it is important that we all discuss it at length. Honourable Speaker, there are issues that have been said because, one, we really did not know the procedure or the criteria on which these people are going to be given the positions given that Uasin Gishu is vast county, with different communities, with different backgrounds and more so is what has been addressed by the statement: the issue of discrimination based on the year in which you actually graduated. What are we telling those who graduated later or earlier than 2015, for example? We still have children who graduated in the year 2010, 2009, 2011 2012 and 2013. Why the discrimination and I think that is the issue that we must be dealt with by way of introducing a clear policy so that that the policy addresses all those issues. Honourable Speaker, I have been around some offices and you will be shocked that people are circulating names. I don’t know if Members are aware of that. People are circulating names and saying, ‘bring names from this Ward or bring names from here.’ I don’t want to mention any names but I think it is worth stopping this exercise for a while so that these issues can be actually addressed. I got somebody asking me if I could give two names from my Ward and I was shocked what is this what is going on. I thought this is going to be transparent; it is going Disclaimer: The electronic version of the Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, with authority of the Clerk, Uasin Gishu County Assembly. to be open and it is for the children of Uasin Gishu and not just for few individuals getting names from wherever. Even the exercise, Honourable Speaker - because I am one person who believes in speaking the truth and say it the way it is - even the exercise is just for cosmetic; it is just for public to know that we have advertised and we are going to do short listing. The exercise is actually full of rot, if I may speak because the names that have applied have just applied for the sake of it but people have names from different offices, getting names from relatives, getting names from wherever which, I think, if we want to help the people of Uasin Gishu let us be very transparent; let us be fair even for once - let us be fair.