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"id": 1483066,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1483066/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Dagoretti North, ODM",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Beatrice Elachi",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Bill. It went through this House and the Senate, and now it is back with us. It is critical in terms of our libraries, especially when we talk about young people and all the new technologies that have come through, like the ChatGPT and others. Indeed, we need libraries. It is a function that was devolved, but we devolved many functions that required a lot of processing. That is why we find some challenges today. When you look at the Memorandum of Objects and Reasons, the principal object of this Bill is to give effect to Article 11(2)(a) of the Constitution, which mandates the State to promote all forms of national and cultural expressions through literature, the arts, traditional celebrations, science, communication, information, mass media and publications. When you go out of the country, one of the places they will take you to understand a country is either a museum or a library. That is where you will find yourself learning so much about the history of that country than any other place. Nairobi is lucky to have a team of young women who took over Macmillan Library. If there is any recognition we can do, the two girls deserve it because they took over the library, modified it, and changed it into a library you would appreciate when you walk in. We have students who use it. They have done another one in Makongeni. In Dagoretti North, we learned of a resource centre, but you cannot believe that the land was grabbed. Today, it is a yard for selling cars. While we are dealing with this Bill, we also have to look at where resource centres were allocated to be in this country, so that we can continue building libraries. As we talk of CBC, if we had serious libraries, our children would be using them. If you walk into libraries, you will find books of our time. I have not seen a library that we have transformed and where our young people can compete in technology in terms of AI and IT. We are using the technology, but we need a library to research. That is the purpose of a library. Even if a child cannot get books, they can walk into a library and do serious research on the subjects they are doing in school, or anything they need to research on. As we do all that research, if a library was available, children would understand more about climate change. Those are the current issues that are affecting us. When I go into a library, I find old technologies of our agriculture, the way we used to do veterinary service and yet, seasons have changed. We are dealing with young people who are ahead even of their teachers. So, we must be ahead. Part I of the Bill provides for preliminary matters, including the title. Part II of the Bill is on the establishment of KNLS as a body-corporate, which I agree with. Clause 5 provides for the functions of the Service. When I say KNLS, it is not just the one in Upper Hill, but the KNLS that should be replicated across the counties. That is why that function was devolved. But it seems those are some of the functions that the governors do not regard as functions. Some governors do not even take time to appreciate that they need a library for their children and anyone who needs to research or learn about the county. As we go through this Bill and ensure that it goes back to the Senate and we pass it, I wish we would not only look at the structures of the library. For example, it is stated that we need to nominate two people from the county. In every Bill we consider here, we create some committees and all that. The most important thing we need to look at in libraries is that they must be our icons where young people can go and study and understand the country. Many people will say that it should be in a museum. Fine, in a museum, you will find our history in picture form. But in a library, you will read. A library gives us knowledge through reading. Of late, we are not reading. That is why we pick one thing and run with it. By the time we realise we have done something wrong, it is what is hurting us. A library will help us. Let us have reading clubs in 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."
}