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{
    "id": 1035203,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1035203/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 255,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kikuyu, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Kimani Ichung'wah",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1835,
        "legal_name": "Anthony Kimani Ichung'Wah",
        "slug": "anthony-kimani-ichungwah"
    },
    "content": "This brings me to Article 43(1)(f) of the Constitution which is part of our very progressive Bill of Rights. It gives every person the right to education, including those who are training as accountants. The import of this provision is that nobody should be denied the opportunity to pursue any manner of education, even those training as accountants on account of not being able to join an association. Therefore, I find both what is provided for in the Bill and the further amendment proposed by the Chair of the Departmental Committee on Finance and National Planning, to be falling flat, contrary to the Constitution. They seek to deny young people who want to train as accountants the opportunity to first train. Hon. Speaker, in your other life before you became a Member of Parliament and consequently our Speaker, you served in the legal profession. There are many lawyers in this House, including senior and serious counsels, like Hon. Otiende Amollo, who I see here. He will tell you that even in the legal profession, nobody is compelled to join the Law Society of Kenya (LSK). We cannot be telling our students at the Parklands Law School that, for you to sit for examinations you must first register with the LSK. The import of these amendments is that they are telling young Kenyans who are training as accountants that they must be members of ICPAK. I have told you of my experience over the years, while I worked as a professional accountant and up to date, I have not registered with ICPAK. It is an association where anybody should have the freedom to join or not. Lawyers and engineers are not compelled to join any association. Why should accountants be compelled and we deny our young people in this country an opportunity to first train as accountants. Once they qualify, the institute... This is a conversation we had last year. I remember it was very well articulated by the Leader of the Minority Party, Hon. John Mbadi, that probably, it was time ICPAK engaged those of us in the profession to look at accountants wholesomely and make amendments in a substantive Bill that will amend the Accountants Act, but not to seek to introduce these amendments which in their very nature are unconstitutional and will be denying our young men and women an opportunity to train. We should allow them to train and once they qualify as certified accountants then they may find ways of compelling or making them join the institute. Hon. Speaker, your position as the Chair of the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) will bear us witness that there are many legal officers serving and offering us very good legal counsel in our Committees yet, they are not members of the LSK. 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."
}