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{
    "id": 114730,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/114730/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 224,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Nyamweya",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 391,
        "legal_name": "Manson Oyongo Nyamweya",
        "slug": "manson-nyamweya"
    },
    "content": "the first place. We are very keen here talking about bringing in a new Constitution. I am not going to be the one to say we should not. But let us first ask ourselves: Do we believe and think that by simply saying that there is a new Constitution in place, we will solve our problems? I think the first thing all of us should ask, including the President, is: Why are we not complying with the current Constitution and the laws that are there? Why are we still boarding an overloaded matatu and yet, there is a law that says you should not? Why do you encroach on riparian reserves and you know that is against the environment? Do we think that by simply saying we now have a new Constitution, these things are going to change? I think we need to really emphasize on civic education. Even if we get a new Constitution, we must still comply with the laws that exist. Having said that, I think it is very important that when we start talking about bringing in counties, the senate and other aspects, we should ask ourselves: Did we not have those very same organs here at the beginning of Independence? We had a senate, regional assemblies and so on. We should ask ourselves truly, what went wrong with those ones? Why did they fail? Have we adequately discussed them so that when we put those new ones in place, we do not fall into a trap that brought the other problems? For example, there are certain districts or counties which are now going to be amalgamated, if you insist on having 47 counties instead of 74 or more. You will now be perpetuating another form of discrimination, especially when it comes to devolution of resources. Having dealt with that, therefore, you know my sentiments about the new Constitution. I think we should tread very carefully with it, particularly, in terms of devolution of resources. Have we paused to ask ourselves: How are we going to generate the resources that we are going to devolve? The President touched a little bit and, perhaps, not enough, on what is it that we seek to do. When we talk about the infrastructure and roads, what is it that we are trying to achieve? Are we not trying to expand the ability to produce and market our resources at a cheaper price than when our roads are non-existent? Did we mention the railway lines at all? How do we market our produce? How do we transport the heavy goods which destroy our roads? Did we talk about the waterways? If you do not supply water or sufficient electricity, how do you hope to industrialise? How do you hope to get the monies that you are going to distribute to those counties and other places? Honestly, I think we should focus more on this one. I propose - and I would have hoped to have heard it from the President - that we should have two years of free nursery school, eight years of primary school and four years of secondary school so that we have somebody who starts education from when he or she is a child to when he or she qualifies to get an identification certificate. What are we doing with our children now? If you leave at Standard eight, what do you expect that 13 year old to do? They are not useful for employment and you cannot do anything else with them. But would it not make more sense to take them up to Form IV? When they reach there, they can work and get employment or take them to the polytechnics or National Youth Service (NYS), where you train them for the Vision 2030 that we are talking about. That is because if you do not have a properly educated human resource, then you are not going to achieve all these things. You can have many counties and many other things but the economy will not grow sufficiently enough to be able to manage what we are hoping to achieve. I do not believe that, that is something we need to look from outside Kenya. Even the free primary education--- I know and I have been in delegations where we were told it is not possible to have free and compulsory primary education. But it is possible and we know it. It is for us to allocate resources to the right areas. If you ask yourself: What sort of budget"
}