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"id": 1545428,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. Methu",
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"id": 13581,
"legal_name": "Methu John Muhia",
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"content": "of Masalani in your county. This has made business very easy. It is this digital transformation and stories like this that we are sharing at the 9th Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU) in Hanoi. Mr. Temporary Speaker, sir, the Conference encompassed three primary sessions - Digital Transformation, Innovation and Startups, and Promoting Respect for Cultural Diversity in Support of Sustainable Development. Nearly 500 delegates, including 300 international delegates from 70 IPU member states and international organizations gathered together, making it the biggest one since the conception of the Global Conference of Young Parliamentarians. The three primary thematic discussions received lively participation from the international delegates with the Digital Transformation Session featuring about 30 presentations on the Innovation and Startups, and 40 on the Promoting Respect for Cultural Diversity in Support of Sustainable Development. It is important that I inform the Senate that, among these 30 presentations that were made, one was from the delegation from Kenya, which I was honoured to present. Kenya is a powerhouse, especially on matters of digital transformation in our region and continent. We were able to actually encourage the other Parliaments to ensure that they carry home part of the presentations that were being made, including the one that we made for Kenya. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I was honoured to lead that particular delegation that comprised of our colleague, Sen. Crystal Asige and another colleague, a brilliant young advocate, a Member of Parliament who is courageous and has proved time and again that she fits the bill, Hon. Jane Njeri Maina, Member of Parliament from Kirinyaga County. During the Conference, members of the Kenyan delegation were actively involved in the deliberations that greatly enriched the resolutions. In my contribution during the General Assembly as the leader of the delegation, I highlighted Kenya's achievements thus far on our digital transformation and emphasized the generational responsibility of young legislators, urging them to ensure that they allocate resources to align with the declarations made during discussions. Hon. Temporary Speaker, Sir, this is a very critical departure that we got from Hanoi, that, even as we speak about digital transformation, resources will always follow functions. We are the people who are tasked with budgeting national resources, and we cannot just keep saying that we want to empower our young people, but do not allocate as much resources that will match this particular clarion calls that we keep making. More specifically to us, who have been given opportunities to serve as young Members of Parliament, both from the National Assembly and from the Senate, we must endeavour to convince our colleagues that even as we budget money for roads, water and capital projects, they are important. However, we can only achieve that to the extent that we want to, this digital transformation and digital economy that we keep talking about, if we invest as much money. If we speak about the online jobs that are being done by our young people, if we do not ensure that they have easy access to internet, we will be saying on one hand, but not providing the requisite opportunities and tools of trade so that they can achieve and benefit from this particular scope of source of employment. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and AudioServices, Senate."
}