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"id": 1537729,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale",
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"legal_name": "Bonny Khalwale",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. I thank the Senator from Bomet County, albeit nominated, for allowing me to second this very important Bill that has huge implications on the success of learning in this Kenya of ours. The fact that the Bill attempts to establish a library in every county need not be overemphasized on its importance. We must hasten to add that establishing a library in each county is a good thing, however, with the wheel of time, it must yield to a better thing, for example, taking those libraries down from the county's headquarters to the sub-county, wards and eventually in every primary school. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I say this with a lot of respect. Take the examples of Kakamega and Turkana counties. If the library headquarters are in Lodwar, it serves no benefit to the children in Kibish in the north of Turkana County. Similarly, if the headquarters are in Kakamega Town, it serves no benefit to the children at Moi’s Bridge Primary School in Kakamega County because it is about 120 kilometers away. How will a child be able to come all the way just to borrow or read a book? Therefore, in Clause 4 where you are itemizing the role of county governments, I propose that we should add (f) indicating, that county governments should work towards establishment of mobile libraries to reach far-flung sub-counties, like I said in counties like Kakamega, Turkana, Baringo and Kilifi. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, having said that, it is the only Clause that I spotted in this Bill that I would want to add value to by way of further amendment. Before I conclude my contribution, allow me, to look at the Object of the Act, specifically where it is supposed to promote literacy in counties. As a young parent, I was very protective and my wife would support me. She would tell my children Sonny and Zinzi to not have too much Television (TV). These are my older children now. I truly regret that I did those things to them. I have since come to learn, that access to a TV is very educative. I do not know, whether my colleagues have ever spent time with their children, both the older and younger ones. On average, in a family with two children, the first born commands the capacity to speak over a longer period compared to the younger child. I have come to learn the reason is that the younger child finds a ready teacher in the elder brother or sister, from whom they learn all the time. When I reflected on this and I applied it and I found that the TV is actually a very good substitute for an elder sibling. Look at the issue of cartoons. As an adult, you have no interest in them so, you fail to realize how educative a cartoon series is. The children will sit following those cartoons. If one is called Tom and the other one is called Jerry, the children will tell each other; I am Tom, and you are Jerry. So, when Tom speaks, Jerry answers, and the child starts learning how to speak. In fact, I never teach my children English. They speak English and their teacher is the cartoons that play on the screen. To hell with those parents who think that TV can deny a child progression to better comprehension of the learning process. Finally, on that issue, you will remember that yesterday we were debating the important Bill on National Heritage and Museums. Supposing this Bill goes through, as I saw the expanded interest yesterday, it will sit very well with this Bill because this Bill in its objects, says it is supposed to support education and culture. 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."
}