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"id": 1492132,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1492132/?format=api",
"text_counter": 266,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Murgor",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for allowing me to air my views. Like Sen. Olekina, I do not know whether to support this Motion or not. I thank Sen. Thang’wa for this elaborate Bill. There is indeed a lot of manipulation in the current NG-CDF that goes to every constituency. When I was a MP, I inherited a situation where out of Kshs500,000 was given to a location for a project, and Kshs200,000 or Kshs300,000 went back to the office of the constituency. So, the project ended up getting half of the money. This is not peculiar to West Pokot County alone; I know it is happening everywhere. It is also true that there is a lot of nepotism practised in constituencies and constituency offices and at the county level. I was asking some parents in an area about bursaries given by a certain governor. Those parents asked me, which bursary? The bursary that goes to every child of that clan and leaving the rest just not being able to afford anything and eventually not being able to go to school? A lot of that is going on in the counties. Corruption is rampant. You do something to get something. This practice is true at every level, even the level of MCAs, because sometimes some counties give bursaries to MCAs and the malpractice goes even to that level. This is also enhanced by the governor and the Member of Parliament of the area. Interestingly, sometimes money that comes from the national Government is swapped with money that comes from either the county or parents. A parent may be asked to pay Kshs20,000 for their child, but the money is taken to have come either national or another level. That money is swapped. Therefore, the school administration or principal will have some money around. That is why parents are continually asked to pay school fees. I was addressing a gathering in a public day school in my county. I counted sources of money that each sector contributes. For example, Kshs20,000 comes from the county, Kshs22,000 from the national Government and Kshs5,000 or Kshs10,000 from the constituency. That adds up to Kshs50,000 per year per student, yet students who are supposed to be getting that money are sent home all the time to go and get money from parents. Parents as well contribute up to Kshs20,000 or Kshs40,000. Probably, there is about Kshs60,000 to Kshs80,000 that is contributed per child who is supposed to receive about Kshs40,000 or Kshs50,000 per year. However, because of corruption, advantage is taken at every level. The national Government is taken advantage of. The worst is what the Cabinet Secretary said yesterday that they do not know how much it is per child. Out of that played or purported ignorance, there is a lot of manipulation that takes place. Some of us went to school at a time when our parents were not aware of what used to happen in schools. The principal or headmaster was everything. Our parents did not know how much money used to be sent per a child. The same situation is still practical in some of our areas, especially those that had been marginalised for many years. I am afraid that even if we centralise or consolidate the bursaries, corrupt principals will still take advantage of the ignorance of parents who do not know what goes on. Rogue principals and headmasters will still take advantage of parents and send their children home The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
}