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{
    "id": 1059047,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1059047/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 211,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this important matter. It is clear that this Bill is fulfilling the dream of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010. Previously, there were library services, but there were questions on why they are not distributed all over the country, especially now that we have a new Constitution. This Bill is important. We will have a fair distribution of this important resource all over the country. It is good to note that due to modern developments in communication, a lot of libraries are online. We also have virtual libraries. A lot of library material can be accessed online. However, that does not mean that publishers will no longer publish books or as soon as they publish, they put them online. Hardcopies of books will forever be there. It will be a permanent thing. One of the things that was said by the Leader of the Majority Party while moving this important Bill is that if libraries are well set up across the country, they will keep the youth busy if they will be fairly and evenly distributed. I believe this should be the duty of the board, which will be appointed under this important law. Although a lot of library material has gone online, it will still take time for everyone in the country to access books and read them online. This is an expense that may not be met by common Kenyans. Therefore, in the interest of common Kenyans and a well-read nation, the libraries should be all over the country. If they will be all over the county, it means even school children who cannot afford school books or where books are insufficient can access them in the public libraries in different parts of the country. As you have heard, quite a number of Members have either fundraised to start a library or they have established libraries in different places through the NG-CDF for those who love reading, who are many. Children in the rural areas can access these libraries to do their homework. At times, there are people who destroy library materials, for example, tearing pages from a rare book they are unable to get. The proposed Section 36 of this Bill provides for penalties and heavy fines for somebody who willfully destroys library material or obstructs library workers. When libraries are properly done, they will be a source of employment to many Kenyans. We have a department at the Moi University which teaches Information Science that largely uses publications and information that is dispensed through libraries. There are graduate librarians. Libraries are all over the world and they are among the treasured stations in many parts of the world. Sometimes they are viewed as historical places that store historical information. For those who will seek knowledge, especially at Master’s and Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) levels, libraries will be useful, especially now that universities are distributed across the country. Universities and schools invest heavily on libraries. That is an expensive affair. This is why it is important to have a law and a board that regulates how library data will be handled. Libraries must be premised in a Ministry that will have a budget that will be brought to this House. We should make sure that the budget is distributed evenly across the country, so that students of day-schools that we are building using NG-CDF access libraries. Libraries are a good thing for old people who can still read. The late Senator Yusuf Haji used to read well without spectacles at the age of 86. We have many Kenyans who can keep themselves busy after retirement by reading and researching. Research is an important instrument of development in a country and most universities are bent to research. So, even individual Kenyans can conduct research on a matter of agriculture or industrialisation. They can have sufficient knowledge on how to handle Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) through a library 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."
}