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{
    "id": 1439660,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1439660/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 88,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Samburu West, KANU",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Naisula Lesuuda",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "(i) Unemployed graduates with appropriate skills, who require practical hands- on experience to improve their chances of employment. (ii) Graduates with professional qualifications, who are required by the professional bodies to undertake internship as a precondition for registration, or any person who has successfully completed a course of training under the Technical and Vocational Education and Training Act. The principles that will govern internship in the Public Service will be promotion of equity and fairness by ensuring inclusivity and accessibility of opportunities to interns from diverse backgrounds. We must consider inclusivity to ensure that children from all corners of this country are given an opportunity to be interns. We should also ensure that there are transparent recruitment and selection procedures so that Government entities do not just dish out internship vacancies under the table. We will ensure that the opportunities are advertised and put on the internet so that those who require internships are aware to apply. Thirdly, there will be professionalism to ensure that interns acquire practical experience that is required for their professional and career development. We have seen very many interns on social media saying that their work is being sent as office messengers to drop things at a certain place. That is the work that the interns are doing. Others are even told to go and buy tea and mandazi for the office. We must ensure that interns are mentored and given the practical experience that they require for their professional and career development, not just giving them internship opportunity as a requirement for their graduation. The fourth thing is to ensure efficiency of the internship programme on the basis of cost effectiveness. That is why we have left it to the relevant Cabinet Secretary to consider what is practical to be paid as a stipend to interns and their insurance. In addition, the Cabinet Secretary will ensure quality supervision by providing appropriate work experience that is commensurate with the qualifications of an intern. We also want to ensure that an intern does not take up the job of a staff. Some interns are given so much workload. They do the work of the staff. The staff need to walk with the intern as they work together, but not to overload them with so much work with little stipend and make them leave the office so late. Some institutions give them a small stipend while others do not even pay them. As I said when I started moving this Bill, we needed to pay Ksh1,000 to get internship placement at KBC. Some interns are from very needy backgrounds. They probably come from a different part of the country and do not live in Nairobi. They have to put up with relatives who also have their own struggles at the family level. The families do not even have money to give the interns fare. An intern walks long distances to a certain institution without lunch and are overworked. This law will ensure that we dignify the interns. Lastly, the Bill ensures adherence to Government and public agency programmes and activities. This is because there is also what is expected of the interns once they are recruited in an institution. As a country, we have so many unemployed young people. Our unemployment level is going up by the day. We have a huge population of young people who do not have work. It is important for us as a country to think of how we can engage those young people even as we wait for vacancies to come up. How do we make them more active? Many of them are losing hope. Many of them have studied under very difficult circumstances. Earlier this week, a lady came to see me and told me that she educated her son under very difficult circumstances. Before she even concluded talking to me, she was already breaking down. The son has been at home for five years with no form of employment. There are very many cases like that across the country. Others have stayed for 10 or 15 years after graduating. Giving them an opportunity as interns keeps them busy. It gives them opportunity to be on the lookout for other job opportunities in different places. We should not discourage young people by telling them to try out other skills, or do businesses while we have not given them capital to start them. We should not tell them that a 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."
}