National Assembly Proceedings Summary

Wednesday 25th June, 2025 | Afternoon Session

The National Assembly session on June 25th, 2025, centered on the passage of the Third Supplementary Estimates and Supplementary Appropriation Bill No. 2, 2025. The debate emphasized public finance discipline, concerns around the use of Article 223 for post-expenditure approval, procedural lapses in committee scrutiny, and mounting anxiety over Kenya’s public debt burden. Members also raised ethical concerns over healthcare and equity in school re-categorization.

Bills Discussed

• Third Supplementary Estimates for the Financial Year 2024–2025
• Supplementary Appropriation Bill (No. 2), National Assembly Bill No. 26 of 2025
• Deferred Bills:
  • Parliamentary Powers and Privileges Amendment Bill, 2023
  • Breastfeeding Mothers Bill, 2024
  • County Governments Amendment Bill, 2023
  • Salaries and Remuneration Commission Amendment Bill, 2024

Topics Discussed

• Legality and timing of budget revisions under Article 223
• Transparency and scrutiny gaps due to rushed timelines and sponsor absenteeism
• Re-categorization of public secondary schools and regional equity concerns
• Detention of deceased bodies due to unpaid medical bills
• Public debt management and foreign currency fluctuations
• Supplementary allocations for NGCDF, intern doctors, sports, and security
• Ethical concerns over late-stage fiscal amendments affecting development

Key Takeaways and Decisions

• KES 35.7 billion increase in the overall 2024–2025 budget approved, driven by KES 39.1 billion in recurrent increases and KES 3.3 billion in development cuts
• Regularization of KES 33.9 billion spent under Article 223, including Inua Jamii cash transfers, security allocations, intern doctors, and CDF restoration
• Passage of Supplementary Appropriation Bill (No. 2) with amendments to schedules and total expenditure figures
• Calls for a formal National Liability Management Policy within 60 days to guide debt repayment and fiscal planning
• Acting Speaker clarified that departmental committees were bypassed due to time pressure, sparking concern about legislative integrity

Major Participants

• Deputy/Temporary Speaker: Presided over proceedings
• Hon. Ndindi Nyoro, Chair, Budget & Appropriations Committee
• Hon. TJ Kajwang’, Hon. Makali Mulu, Hon. Peter Kaluma: raised concerns about process and budget transparency
• Hon. James Nyikal, Chair, Health Committee
• Hon. Irene Kasalu: raised issue of unlawfully detained body at KNH
• Hon. Oundo Mudenyo: questioned school re-categorization
• Hon. Junet Mohamed, Hon. Kimani Ichung’wah: defended the process and challenged absentee critics

Key Moments

• Contentious debate over whether departmental committees were sidelined in the review of estimates
• Hon. Makali Mulu publicly challenged the budget’s integrity, drawing personal rebuke over his absence during committee sessions
• Call to end habitual late tabling of supplementary budgets and to limit overreliance on Article 223
• Motion passed to develop a national liability management policy to bring discipline and predictability to debt servicing
• Healthcare ethics raised around the continued detention of Priscilla Gaku’s body over an unpaid hospital bill
• Gender equity milestone noted as Members advocated for sanitary support funding and equitable electricity allocation for marginalized schools

Notable Quotes

• “Development must never come at the expense of human lives.” – On infrastructure safety
• “The continued detention of Miss Gaku's body... inhumane torture.” – Hon. Irene Kasalu
• “Public debt is about over 9, 10 trillion... We need to know what debts we are paying.” – Hon. Peter Orero
• “We cannot make the 13th Parliament a talking shop on budget matters.” – Hon. Makali Mulu

This summary was generated from official YouTube livestreams of the Kenyan Parliament using bunge-bits, an automated transcription and summarization tool.