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{
"id": 1199078,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1199078/?format=api",
"text_counter": 304,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Keiyo South, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Gideon Kimaiyo",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Speaker. Mine is not a maiden speech, but I want to contribute to the Motion on the school-feeding policy. At Independence, our forefathers talked about three problems; ignorance, disease and poverty. However today, we still face the same problems. The Motion by the Hon. Member for Kakamega addresses the issue of education. The United Nations (UN) did some research on 10 problems that will affect humanity in the next 10 years. Amongst them were education, democracy, environment, terrorism, war, and water. They highlighted solutions for all these issues. Education was key in addressing all these issues. I have gone to school hungry, so I know what it took for the Member of Parliament to come up with this Motion. It has taken true miracles for me to go to school. I was educated by the late Hon. Nicholas Biwott. I dropped out of school when I was in Form Three. When campaigning, I promised my constituents that we will establish a school-feeding programme. So, this Motion is personal to me. When I came to this House this afternoon, I was the first one to log in. I was first because this is personal to me. As we contribute to this Motion, I hope that one day, the school- feeding programme will not only be an Act of Parliament, but will also be anchored in the Constitution in such a way that when we talk about free primary education, there will be an element of food in it. This is so that we do not just talk about free primary education, yet we still have children who are suffering because there is no food. There is hunger problem in areas of Kerio Valley in Keiyo South Constituency. We thank the World Vision International for doing something about it, but that is a Non- Governmental Organisation. In previous Parliaments, this Motion was tabled, and the Government shot it down because they said that there was no money to cater for it. I believe that there is money. If we can arrange to have the Government, NGOs, and the World Food Programme (WFP) come together, we can have the money to sustain this programme. This is a noble and timely idea. Let me address the importance of this programme. One is that we will have improved performance in school. It will also bring equity. Currently, we are talking about the CBC, but when it comes to requirements for schools to cater for the CBC, children in private schools are more advantaged than those in public primary schools, where they cannot even afford a basic meal. This programme will also improve the health of our children. We will no longer see malnourished children in places where they cannot afford food. In the long run, it will assist with the issue of poverty. Education will be an equaliser for everybody, whether you come from a rich or a poor family. We are talking about hustlers in the new regime. When we talk about this feeding programme, we are not talking about dynasties, we are talking about people at the grassroots – the hustlers. It is a timely programme since it will address hustlers who form the larger part of this country. Once children have food, they will concentrate more in school, and this will improve their performance. When I was campaigning in my constituency, I promised them this programme. I did not know that one or two weeks down the line in Parliament, this Motion would be tabled. I 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."
}