Naisula Lesuuda OGW

Today I successfully presented a legislative proposal of amending the Roads Act to incorporate & enforce the implementation of Non-Motorized Transport on our roads. Received overwhelming support from the committee & Ministry. It will proceed for publication with few amendments.

Honoured to have been conferred the Chief of the Order of the Burning Spear (CBS) alongside my colleagues Hon. Liza Chelule and Hon. Martha Wangari Cbs as earlier awarded by His Excellency the Head of State. The three of us share a unique journey having been privileged to serve in the 1st Senate in 2013 through affirmative nomination and subsequently transitioning to elective seats. It is truly an honour to be recognised among many distinguished Kenyans who have contributed to our nation in different ways. Congratulations to all my colleagues who have been honoured. May we continue to serve with humility, dedication and purpose. God Bless NL

I strongly condemn the reported collective punishment being meted out to innocent residents of Waso Ward Samburu East. This is following the tragic killings in Isiolo County by criminals. The incident in Isiolo is deeply regrettable and I extend my sincere condolences to the affected families. Innocent people should not be subjected to torture, injury or the loss of their livelihoods and livestock because of crimes they did not commit. I urge our security agencies to rely on intelligence led investigations to identify and apprehend the actual perpetrators rather than punishing entire community for the actions of individuals. Justice must be pursued but it must be justice based on evidence and accountability not collective punishment as two wrongs do not make a right. God Bless NL

That is me in 2020, heavily pregnant proudly standing with Kenya’s cycling community. The National Assembly approved the Kenya Roads (Amendment) Bill, 2024. For me this is much more than the passage of a Bill. It is a milestone; in a journey that began in 2019 and one, I have walked, advocated for and worked through alongside Kenya’s cycling and wider Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) community. The Kenya Roads (Ammendment) Bill, 2024 (National Assembly Bills No 31 of 2024 has been read a First Time in the Senate this past Tuesday. For years NMT infrastructure was never a priority. The result was that some of our most vulnerable road users who include pedestrians, cyclists, people using wheelchairs and other mobility-assistive devices were left exposed to danger, injury and far too often death. When cyclists first came to me, they told me plainly: “Naisula, our roads are death traps for non-motorised transport users.” I listened and realized that the most meaningful thing I could do was to take their concerns to Parliament and sponsor legislation that could help change this reality. I became part of their community. They cycled with me, walked with me and worked with me every step of the way. Once I began to understand and experience their reality, I could not look away. Week after week, there was another story of a cyclist injured or killed on our roads. Another pedestrian knocked down. Another family grieving. Just the other day I saw two young children riding together on a single small bicycle along the edge of a busy road balancing on a narrow gravel shoulder just inches from fast-moving vehicles. They were simply children trying to get where they needed to go yet the road offered them little protection. In that moment, I was reminded why we began this journey. Behind every statistic is a child, an adult, a family. A life that should never be put at risk simply for choosing to walk or cycle. Safe walking and cycling infrastructure is not a luxury or an afterthought. It is a fundamental right. Our children deserve roads that protect them, not roads they have to survive. The shift towards walking and cycling has always been a question of fairness as much as transport. “When a mobility system fails, it fails the pedestrian first and infrastructural inequality mirrors social inequality, everyone has a responsibility in ensuring safe and sustainable mobility, and public understanding shapes public demand. The choices we make today will influence the cities our children inherit and if we don’t take action now, history will judge us.” The approval of this Amendment is therefore a huge step for NMT safety, accessibility and climate action. When we build safe, accessible and reliable NMT systems we give people the confidence and opportunity to walk and cycle. We create greener mobility choices, reduce emissions and make our roads safer for everyone. This milestone is the result of years of advocacy, persistence and most importantly, Kenyans refusing to accept that the deaths of NMT users on our roads are simply the price we must pay for mobility. I am grateful to my fellow Members of Parliament for supporting this important step, dedicated staff at the National Assembly, Transport and Infrastruture Committee, the Clerk and the Speaker. I am also grateful to First Lady H.E. Mama Rachel Ruto, an avid cyclist, for supporting the #MyLane2 campaign, which many came to call the #LesuudaNMTBill and for amplifying the call for safer roads. To organisations such as WWF-Kenya and all stakeholders who put in their views thank you for advocating for a just road system and championing safe NMT as part of our efforts to cut emissions. To every cyclist, pedestrian, NMT advocate and Kenyan who has kept pushing, speaking up and showing up, this milestone belongs to you too. We keep going! We started this journey in 2019. We have come a long way, but there is still work to do. As always, I will do my part. God Bless NL

Joined the Speaker of the Senate of the Parliament of the Kingdom of Eswatini Senator Lindiwe Dlamini, Auditors-General among them Nancy Gathungu, Chairpersons including Hon. Tindi Mwale, members of PAC Committees and Civil Society representatives at the 18th SADCOPAC Conference. The conference is being held under the theme: “Oversight into Action: Building an Integrated Accountability System for Anticipatory Governance and Systemic Resilience.” A timely conversation on strengthening oversight, accountability and resilient governance systems that can anticipate challenges, respond effectively and ultimately deliver better outcomes for our people. God Bless NL

Congratulations Ian and Joan. Wishing you God’s abundant blessings as you begin this beautiful new chapter of your lives. May your journey together be filled with love, joy, and countless blessings. Congratulations too to my sister and friend @AnneWaiguru. Your radiance said everything about how much this special day meant to you.