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{
    "id": 147021,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/147021/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 340,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Prof. Olweny",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Education",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 122,
        "legal_name": "Patrick Ayiecho Olweny",
        "slug": "patrick-olweny"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I rise to support the Budget Speech. It is interesting to hear hon. Members talk about devolution and yet, in the last Parliament, “devolution” was the most controversial word. It was a very contentious issue. That is why the Bomas Draft failed. That is why the Draft for the constitution failed during the referendum. Now devolution has come back. I do not know whether it came through the back door or the front door but I congratulate the Minister, because he has done what Kenyans have always longed for. It is unfortunate that he is not here to listen to hon. Members’ contribution. Even his Assistant Minister is not here. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, devolution of resources is the most modern initiative in development. This is done across the world today. Many countries – both developed and developing – are doing this. We are a little late. I congratulate the Minister for doing that. He has devolved the resources. What is left is just devolving the governance. That is a great achievement for this country. The Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance said that Cabinet Ministers, Assistant Ministers and senior civil servants are wasting Government money by using vehicles which have big engine capacity. It may be so, but I think he did not consider the conditions in rural areas. I do not know how a small saloon car can go through muddy conditions if a senior public officer is required to go to the rural areas. Maybe, the Minister has the picture of the City of Nairobi and neighbourhood of Kiambu, where the roads are good. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, on the education sector, the Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Finance did a good job. It is now six years since the Government started funding the Free Primary Education (FPE), and one-and-half years with the secondary education support programmes. One of the problems that we have is quality in terms of the delivery of the curriculum. This is mainly due to lack of personnel. We do not have enough teachers across the country. Even the officers that supervise teachers are not enough in this country. The Government has given quite a bit of money to this sector through three education funds but the most important thing that is yet to be done is improving on staffing. The Minister has made a move towards addressing that problem although I have heard the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) oppose"
}