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{
    "id": 1506174,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1506174/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 500,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Buuri, UDA",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Mugambi Rindikiri",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "It is true that no child should be disadvantaged. We need to re-look at the 18-year age cap in our laws. In America, I know one can enrol into the army at the age of 16 years. We have to be given the reason why we insisted that one can only be determined as a Kenyan citizen at the age of 18 years. However, that is not the issue. In totality, funding for university education is the issue here— not only by the Higher Education Loans Board (HELB). One of the problems we have with the new model of funding education is that some children have no identity cards. Therefore, they are not in the system. Some cannot provide identity card numbers when asked to. There is no reason somebody who is ready should not be given a loan. I think this is more of an administrative matter. I think we need to have a document for somebody who finishes his or her ‘A’ level studies. We used to use leaving certificates. The question is whether a leaving certificate is a legal document that a student can use to apply for higher education loans. I think it should be. We have parents and guardians on top of that. They can become points of reference. In any case, your parents sign your documents even if you are more than 18 years old. Strictly speaking, there is no reason why a 17-year old child who qualifies for higher education should be denied access to a loan that funds his or her education. I thank Hon. Joyce Kamene for this. It may look simple but it will address a question that would be asked by a majority of our parents out there. We cannot blame them. My children went to the university aged 17 years. Lucky enough, they had passports and the privilege of using them. However, how many children have passports? We need to correct that misnomer. A child with a passport can use it yet one without an identity card misses service. How many children have passports? Advantaged people like Members of Parliament (MPs) can push for passports for their children. It discriminates children from poor families. I support the amendment Bill. It needs to be executed as quickly as possible. We will have a big pool of children wanting to join universities by next year."
}