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{
    "id": 1011240,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1011240/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 246,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kiminini, FORD-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr.) Chris Wamalwa",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1889,
        "legal_name": "Chrisantus Wamalwa Wakhungu",
        "slug": "chrisantus-wamalwa-wakhungu"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Bill and to congratulate my friend the sponsor of this Bill for the good work that he has done, but I have some concerns. The critical objective of this Bill is, one, once one attains the mandatory age of 60 years, one should not seek an extension. Secondly, this mandatory age has been in the regulations. What the Hon. Member is doing is that he wants to bring it into a statute. We support the youth. About 80 per cent of unemployed people in this country are the youth. We support them because they have the qualifications. They have all what it takes and they should be given the jobs. My concern is that the moment you remove this 60-year requirement from the regulations to put it in a statutory Bill to an Act of Parliament, it again makes it very difficult. Sometimes back, when we were young, we knew people used to retire at 55 years. Later on, it was extended to 60 years which was through a regulation. This is what is happening, but the Hon. Member wants to put it in an Act of Parliament which will make it very difficult. If another president comes or if a youthful president takes power, or you become a president for that matter and you declare that people should retire at 55 years, you must go and, again, amend that Act, which is very difficult. I would have wished that it remains at the regulatory level because it is not changing anything. The retirement age is still going to remain 60 years. There is no change at all. If the House is convinced that it should be in the Bill or an Act for that matter, later on, when Hon. Chris Wamalwa becomes the president, and I want to say the youth should get jobs, I will have to amend. In this House, you will agree with me Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, it is very difficult to amend an Act. To go through the pre-publication period, then through the scrutiny, and going through public participation will take another whole year before you can amend that. We need to also understand why people seek extension. It might be a medical issue or somebody has gone on study leave. It is not normally that one seeks an extension. There must be a reason. Normally, when you act, you do so because there is a reason. I am assuming somebody has gone for a study leave. When you have taken more than a year and here you have put a timeframe of six months, it becomes very difficult. So, I am requesting the Member that, as we move to the Committee of the whole House, let us amend this for purposes of having a win-win The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}