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{
    "id": 114439,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/114439/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 228,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Dr. Kosgei",
    "speaker_title": "The Minister for Higher Education, Science and Technology",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13,
        "legal_name": "Lucas Kipkosgei Chepkitony",
        "slug": "lucas-chepkitony"
    },
    "content": "know, came out of Agenda 4 of the Serena Talks. I will come back to that in a little while, but given the job that I have been given in this Government to do, of shepherding the process of university education and technical training, I noticed in the President’s Speech as I have noticed many times, that constantly, the idea of higher education is left out as an important element of our development. I suspect that when we look at the Vision 2030, we do not see that the country cannot develop without proper scientists. I am alarmed that the results that came out of high schools yesterday seemed to indicate that we have taken a step backwards in studying sciences. It is a little worse for the girls. I do not know why, but I think we could all encourage our constituents to give priority to the teaching of sciences. Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, with regard to universities and technical institutions, we suffer from under-provision of funding. Somewhere along the line, we think that we can develop Vision 2030 without a properly trained human power to take this country to the next level of development. We will be bringing a Bill to this House to look afresh at how to fund higher education. Somewhere along the line, we are getting the vibes that there are people in this country who think that we should get people to pay for this. We have to debate this because for most people who are here, they would not have had university education if someone else was not paying for it. Majority of our people still need help. I am concerned and I raise it here because I want my colleagues to be sensitive to the fact that no country will develop without technical training. It seems to me that every time somebody talks about higher education, they want to change a technical school to a regular liberal arts university. That is not helping our country. We need the technicians. Germany did not develop because of university degrees. For sure, we need the university degrees, but let us fund them. Let us not cannibalize anymore,` the few technical schools that we still have. My concern is that every time I listen to a speech that comes from higher up, there is very little reference or respect for higher education and even technical education. \\ Madam Temporary Deputy Speaker, in his Speech, the President referred to the need for national cohesion. As a Member of the Serena Team, under Agenda 4, I know that one of the institutions that we set up was the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission (TJRC) with its baby commission called the Waki Commission. I have watched the drama on television about one Ambassador Bethuel Kiplagat. I am very concerned because this is somebody who was presumably interviewed. The name came to this House and it was accepted. In retrospect, somebody who, probably, wanted that job or who has some grudge, has decided to prosecute this man publicly. So, I will say what I know because this much I know it is true because this is somebody I worked under for a long time. To me, it seems as if Mr. Kiplagat is accused, first and foremost, of having worked in a regime that some people do not like. If we want to go there, then we should use the same torch and look at everybody who worked at what position in this country. He is accused constantly of something that comes out of the Ndung’u Report. Most of us are constantly put in a position where we feel that we need to explain ourselves because we do not know what is in this Ndung’u Report. Did he interview the person he has accused of this and that? Let this report come out! I have tried at some point in the past to apply for a visa and I was told that I am in the Ndung’u Report for having been given"
}