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{
    "id": 1156635,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1156635/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 208,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mukurweini, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Anthony Kiai",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13439,
        "legal_name": "Anthony Githiaka Kiai",
        "slug": "anthony-githiaka-kiai"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I stand to support this very credible and important piece of legislation. You will realise that the amendment is intended to make sure that women, the youth and PWDs are exempted from paying the prescribed fees for categories 6, 7 and 8. It also recognises women, the youth and PWDs as a marginalised group. In essence, this is affirmative action to ensure that there are opportunities available in the construction industry, and they are well spread out. Currently, the situation is that only the big boys are involved in those big tenders in Government and in the public sector. The legislation gives an opportunity to the youth, women and PWDs to have a bite at the piece of the pie. What this Bill will do to our economy is to expand the employment opportunities and space. You will realise that when the youth are starting up businesses, they face a myriad of challenges, one of them being that they do not have the necessary capital to start up a business. Two, there are too many hurdles before you register a company or anything that is business- oriented. By removing this big burden from them, it ensures that the money that is saved from that can be utilised as part of start-up capital. For PWDs, what we have done in Mukurweini is to have the best persons with disability project in Kenya. One of the ways of doing this is ensuring that the opportunities afforded by the NG-CDF and those that commit to have PWDs enjoy the piece of the pie when it comes to tenders given out by the NG-CDF. The opportunities are available to all. We have constructed schools, roads and many other institutions in my constituency. A percentage of 30 per cent has been done by PWDs. PWDs are a marginalised group right from the national Government all the way down to the grassroots level. What we need is not to pity them. What we need is to create an environment – legislative or otherwise – that makes sure that they access the opportunities. After all, most of them are like me and you, only that they have one handicap or the other. It is only that our handicaps are invisible; they cannot be seen. Otherwise, they are as good as we are. We have seen 001 in this Parliament as one of the most active MPs despite his handicap. That does not mean that 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."
}