Uh thank you speaker.
Uh speaker, we’ve heard a very elaborative uh explanation from the cabinet secretary and speaker coming from Lyia, we have a lot of reservations and especially concerns from the people we lead because we are representatives of the people.
Speaker, it is clear that this Ebola is rare and fatal disease and common sense will dictate that if this disease starts in a particular place, it will be natural that you just contain it where it has started.
I want to ask the cabinet secretary.
He has said that the government of Kenya and the government of the US signed an agreement way back in 2015 and in 2019 there was corona which was a global problem.
We didn’t see the US come out.
They have come out now to construct a corona isolation center or a center to help the corona people who are infected by corona inia or anywhere in this country and if they have probably the cabinet secretary can tell us about this Ebola thing.
I want to ask the cabinet secretary.
You know, it’s very unfortunate that we saw a US Secretary of State in Washington declaring that they will not allow even one single case of a corona infected US citizen, I mean Ebola set foot in America.
So if they infected in Congo, they will not take them to treat them in America.
They will not treat them in Congo.
They will bring them to Liipia.
A and you know members allow me to say this.
You know the people of Lipia we have never healed from the aftermath of colonization.
We still feel that even today we are still being colonized because half of our land went to the British colonizers and it later on went to their citizens and we have never regained a single inch of the ranches they took from us.
And now they want to bring corona.
And you know I mean Ebola and you know I’m just saying because I represent people who are concerned that if Americans are to be flown to Liipia Air Base to be treated there what happens if this disease god forbid you know leaks out and probably people around Nanuki are infected by Ebola with the American government take charge.
and treat the Kenyan citizens the way they would like to treat the American citizens.
That is one..
You’ve made your point.
There are many interest making a speech.
I I’m finishing finally the concern also is we have a lot of tourism in Lyia and as I speak now there’s a lot of cancellations by the people who are traveling to the lodges of Liipia.
Can the cabinet secretary tell us how are they going to communicate to the citizen? Because probably most of this mayhem is because of miscommunication.
Whose message is it that the citizen are getting miscommunicated by people who are not in authority to give that information to them? Why should the people who are in authority didn’t give the correct information to the citizens of Kenya and the citizens of Lyia? Thank you Sara.
Mary avoid the temptation to make speeches, ask questions.
Thank you.
Thank you uh honorable speaker.
Honorable speaker uh and I thank you for giving me this opportunity because I’m from the border to Uganda and my people are more at risk.
My question is I have listened to the peers uh to the CS I’m very sorry to the CS I have a concern the ministry officials were in Busousia County Tesso South at Alupe Hospital with a proposal to convert Alupe Hospital into an isolation center for managing a bowler.
Honorable speaker, I do not have any other hospital to serve the people of Tesos.
None.
It is only Alupe Hospital.
So I want to tell the CS that we will resist that Alupe Hospital cannot be made an isolation center for a bowler.
Whereas I support the government initiative for preparedness to protect the people of Busousia because we are at the border.
Let another venue be identified to build that isolation center.
But Alupe will not be converted.
Honorable speaker Robert Mui Minister I hope you are recording the members and the questions I have to thank you thank you Mr.
Speaker Mr.
Speaker listening to the CS he was very clear when he said that Kenya has no cases of Ebola and Mr.
Speaker, the ministry should endeavor to ensure that Kenyan citizens are safe because that is the purpose of this ministry.
Now, we know that Ebola is highly contagious.
There is this agreement that he says there, you know, because of suds, he cannot maybe table it before us.
But, Mr.
Speaker, I want to ask him to just clarify in that agreement which is between Kenya.
He didn’t say that.
He didn’t say he cannot table.
In fact, the agreement because he has not tabled.
Mr.
Speaker, the agreement is here.
Oh, we have it.
Okay.
Or the court case.
The court case the matter will not matter subjudice.
So, Mr.
Speaker, I wanted to just find out where in that agreement does it say that we can expose Kenyan citizens at the expense so that we can be able to save citizens of the US.
It’s very important that he points out that because in my opinion, I think that cannot have been something that this house would have passed.
And Mr.
Speaker, finally, I also want him to clarify.
Is it true that this center that is supposed to be built in Mount Kenya region is supposed to be only meant to be used by US citizens and not Kenyans? He needs to clarify that for us.
Thank you Mr.
Speaker.
Yes.
Thank you very much honorable speaker for this chance and direct to the point I have listened to the CS and there is actually no space in his speech about the view of Kenyans I’m yet to meet one sec Kenyan who is in support of having this quarantine in Kenya honorable speaker and it is important for the government to know that the government exists for the wealthy of Kenyans and Kenyans know when their space is being cropped honorable Honorable speaker, honorable speaker, the US budget in terms of health is 860 times ours.
Their technology is better in all respects including biotech.
Honorable speaker, they have better capacity to handle these kind of issues than Kenya.
Honorable speaker, while the CS is here, I would request him.
Kenyans have spoken in one voice.
We do not want that facility of a bora here in Kenya.
Please listen to the Kenyan voices and honorable speaker as the CS is here the CS should actually bite himself and the obligations to what the Kenyans are looking forward to.
Lastly, honorable speaker in terms of the fragility of our health sector and also listening to some officials from the US proclaiming clearly that they do not want any case of Ebora in their country.
How reckless would the government be in doing exactly the same that which the the country that is the US do not want in their soil as Kenyans we refuse the government must listen to Kenyans and desist from having this quarantine in Kenya.
Yes, mama zam speaker.
Kenya County.
Either through sex Yes.
[laughter] Honorable speaker first.
I don’t know whether honorable Zamzam but the deputy speaker tells me honorable Zamzam is actually right because the minister did what the minister said.
She’s bodily fluids.
She simply said what the minister said.
So body in many ways the minister didn’t speak in such good swahil or at all.
So thank you honorable speaker.
Honorable speaker let me first begin by thanking the minister for this statement because as honorable sa said is indeed very elaborate and also to note honorable speaker that at the time this agreement was tabled in this house.
I highly suspect the honorable Adam Dual as leader of majority is the one who tabled this report uh in 2015 and the subsequent one tabled in 2022 was tabled by the honorable Kimuna my predecessor as leader of majority and it is true that the agreement between the republic of Kenya and the United States was tabled debated and ratified by this house.
Therefore, even as we speak, I know there’s a temptation, honorable speaker, to speak to the gallery.
And I wanted to begin by asking the CS to clarify just one thing that he has already said in his statement, but which many of us probably did not hear or we have blocked our ears from hearing it.
And because I have the privilege of having a copy of this statement here, honorable speaker, the CS did state that the proposed Ebola treatment and isolation unit at the Liipia air base is part of the 23 similar units to be established in the country as part of our preparedness and response.
So I would want first CS clarify to us and to the country that we are not establishing one isolation center at Lykeia Air Base.
The one at Lyia Air Base is one amongst 23 others.
Two honorable CS two honorable CS including some of the ones the the minister did name a few including one in Busousia.
Was it Alup or somewhere? Order gone.
Two honorable speaker, I want the minister to clarify to us and to the country something again that he has said in this statement that this isolation center is not being established for foreigners exclusively.
The minister has said that we have two Kenyan banks with Kenyans, our sons and daughters working in the DRC, some in Uganda.
We have 450 of our armed men, our armed officers who have given their lives to protect our lives in this country and this country and the region, our region of peace.
Should any of those 450 of our officers, our sons and daughters in DRC, God forbid, catch the Ebola vir virus, where shall we take them, do we take them to America? Do we do we leave them to die in the Congo forest or do we establish isolation centers as any responsible government and administration would do to make sure that should you honorable speaker this weekend I travel to Rwanda honorable speaker and I travel to Rwanda as a Kenyan.
Yes, Millie.
What is any other Kenyan would have traveled to Congo? Yes, Millie.
Sorry, uh, Mr.
Speaker, I had to interrupt um the majority leader especially now that I’m in leadership of the broad-based but I’m just wondering is the honorable member in order to imply that the United States of America is irresponsible by not setting up their own facilities in America because Kenya is responsible setting up one in Kenya.
Are you in order implying that America is is responsible by not setting up in their own country when they are a super power and we are a minion power? Are you even honorable is still looking for power and you are bringing are you suggesting that America is irresponsible by any chance? Honorable are you saying that America is incapable of being irresponsible? [laughter] Mr.
Speaker, Mr.
Speaker I am actually asking for clarification.
I am not saying Mr.
Speaker, I plead the fifth amendment.
I just want to know.
Okay.
Honorable speaker, in direct response to my sister, honorable Millie.
I am very well versed with our standing orders.
I would never allude to the responsibility of a friendly nation on the floor of this house.
I will not do that.
But my point was honorable speaker back to my point that as a responsible country should we or should we not have isolation centers because this disease we can’t run away from the fact that it is there and it is there in our neighborhood in this region.
Therefore, the question that I wanted the CS to clarify.
Yes.
And I’m saying this honorable speaker deliberately in a in a leading manner so that the CS clarifies for us and for the nation this isolation center from what I read in his statement.
You know honorable speaker the problem is that members don’t listen like honorable the member for Alai is making noise and distracting me and that is why maybe we may have missed some of the issues the CSR has said because my understanding and that is the clarification I sought was that this isolation center is to prepare is for preparedness even to cater for Kenyans who may catch the disease whether it is a staff of KCB equity bank or one of our armed officers who are working in DRC should they catch the disease for instance the military the natural thing would be if I was a commander-in-chief or the CDF airlift anyone in an isolated manner to the air to the isolation center there to be treated there but a track driver honorable speaker who catches the disease in DRC in GMA and probably is detected said at the busier border.
Is there a facility at the busier border? Because I have read about the the laboratory testing there.
Maybe amongst the 23 the C should also clarify where are these other 23 centers to be established.
Do we have them around the border with Uganda and where the trucks are passing both legal and the illegal crossings? because I see in his statement he spoke about the legal crossings but there also illegal border points.
What are we doing? Lastly CS on your preparedness you have spoken about the 100 contact tracing we’re at about 100% 87% on laboratory readiness rapid response teams at 90 90% infection prevention and control at 56%.
But you have also told us that we have kits for the first 200 suspected cases and that is where preparedness comes in honorable speaker and I hope the CS can tell us have you then prepared because I I’ve also seen your request you are saying the first 100 cases will cost about about 2.
686 686 billion.
Is this money already provided for in the budget or should we as we go to the budget process now factor additional resources for this preparedness for Ebola? Because the first 200 if we learned anything from COVID to get from zero to a,000 cases would take less than 3 4 weeks.
Therefore, honorable speaker, I’ll just seek those clarifications.
And uh honorable speaker, let me just close by saying this.
Ebola is a dangerous disease from what we have seen but as a country we must be prepared and those isolation centers ought to be there but they cannot be exclusively for others to use without Kenyans and I think that’s the very critical clarification because honorable speaker you know in closing this country as Michael Joseph once told us we have peculiar habits Now as politicians we are many of us are very good experts in Ebola and many Kenyans almost all Kenyans are experts in Ebola.
Let us hear from the experts including uh the doctors here let let order let him respond to those but before that minister [clears throat] I’ll come to you after junate ka after in that quick succession Mr.
Speaker thank you very much for giving Mr.
Speaker I want to ask this but having noticed that uh Mr.
Speaker there is a ratified document by this house the speaker members you’ll take very serious when the speaker is putting a question as many of that opinion say you just say ah you don’t know you’re ratifying something that is going to bring a disease so be careful next time next time be careful please but Mr.
Speaker my question is this I have condensed this thing into two aspect Mr.
Speaker and I want the the minister to clarify what Kenyans are grappling with.
Mr.
Speaker, is how does the government intend to safeguard Kenyan sovereignity and decision making authority? Just explain to the house how you have safeguarded your sovereignity and your decision making.
And then lastly, whether it is the foreign governments that will decide who gets admitted to those facilities and whether you have done public and security assessment and whether you have done that report public.
If you answer those four questions, then Kenyans will be safe.
Thank you very much.
Okay, next.
Uh thank you honorable speaker.
I think my first one was uh point of order.
Is it in order? The first one I’ve given you to ask a question.
A point of order arises when a member is on the floor.
There’s no member on the floor.
Ask the question.
If you don’t, I give you yield the floor.
Uh thank you honorable speaker.
I would want to ask the minister now that Kenyans has spoken loudly and clear that the context has changed and will no longer want this center.
What is his recommendation? Does the wishes of Kenyans become irrelevant or can dynamic Kenyans think or once something is passed in this parliament it’s passed in heaven? Thank you.
Yes, Dr.
Nikal.
Uh thank you Mr.
Speaker, Mr.
Speaker, let me ask one, who will be admitted in this facility and what would be the criteria for admission? Two, will people who are already sick be transferred to this admission? Three, will people other than Americans be admitted in these institutions? and the contrary will Americans be admitted in the other 23 institutions that you have put in place and why didn’t we Carl I gave you an opinion for one question okay then four then let me just I asked three I’ll leave it there but let me make a comment about the agreement because I know the agreement I remember the discussion and I’ve had time to look at it the agreement is a general agreement Mr.
Speaker, it is not just Ebola.
It is other diseases.
It is nuclear.
It is nuclear materials as well.
And in every point in the agreement, it says with mutual agreement.
At every point in that agreement, he said with mutual agreement.
So, Mr.
Speaker, I only wanted to make those those two points.
What is the point of order Monday? Was your point of order, honorable speaker, is it in order for the chair of the uh health committee to mislead the house and the nation that in those two agreements which I have here and which I’ve read, there’s a clause that provides for the establishment of an isolation and treatment center in case of any outbreak of Ebola or any other disease.
There’s none.
I can read them out.
Show us tell us the article.
Mr.
Speaker, I say Dr.
Car, I heard you clearly.
Take your seat.
Take your seat.
Carmon just wanted an angry to make an inflammatory statement.
Yes.
You never said that.
Jaldza Jaldza here.
Thank you.
Nik never said what you are saying.
become closer to him and I listen to all of you.
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
Thank you, Mr.
Speaker.
I want to tell the house that Kenya is lucky to be having the leading and the best researchers in this region.
Kenya has been taking leadership in libery research it at Alupe which was an isolation center.
Mr.
speaker when HIV started HIV patients were actually isolated until people learned that it’s not such contagious disease and it was based at Camry and it has done very well and the research work which was done and the researchers were left behind for the country.
Mr.
Speaker, last co COVID was such a threatening disease that we were actually trying to look for beds for patients who have COVID and people are going to all sorts of funny places including some hospitals in Kira and it saved people’s lives.
But the good thing the Nairobi Nairobi hospital east wing the Nairobi hospital east wing was left behind for the hospital and for what is the point of order? Oh, Mr.
Speaker, let’s see.
Is it right for my colleague to refer to Kira as funny hospitals even in Kibra? Is Kibra not a constituency? Yes, it’s demeaning my constituency.
Go on.
Mr.
Speaker, Kir is a constituency and it has the the highest concentration of people in this country and it deserves better services.
Mr.
Speaker, my point is this, [laughter] Mr.
Speaker, when this Ebola virus outbreak ends, what will be the benefit left for the country that now we can say the country benefited financially in terms of resource and research from this outbreak.
Deputy Speaker, honorable honorable speaker, I would like the cabinet secretary to confirm to the members here who have objected to having um the quarantine centers in their own counties that in our case was county is one of the quarantine centers and because of our close proximity to Malaba border, we can be at risk and our people can be at risk and that is the reason why we are not politicizing it.
We are welcoming it because we know they’ll take the the necessary necessary steps to make sure that we don’t risk.
And also I want the cabinet secretary to also confirm to members that you’re not going to endanger our health because of politics.
This is a highly infectious disease.
In fact, you it can it can warrant calling of a state of emergency in the country.
It is not a choice for people to make or a court process.
The moment the country people’s health is endangered and livelihoods at a risk, we might not even be you’re not supposed to even question.
So I think it’s important to know that that is not something that is within our our our prerogative to say I don’t want this hospital.
I want or I do not want that hospital.
And for honorable Kari Karolio Mundi, if you look at page five, you will see the participants instead to intend to collaborate in the following areas.
Surveillance and outbreak response.
What is exactly happening now is surveillance and outbreak response.
All the steps that the cabinet secretary has has here are exactly those.
Thank you, honorable speaker.
Madena
