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"id": 1563802,
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"speaker_name": "Sen. (Prof.) Kamar",
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"legal_name": "Margaret Jepkoech Kamar",
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"content": "Thank you, Madam Temporary Speaker, for the opportunity to support this wonderful Motion. I want to congratulate Sen. Karungo Thang’wa for giving us this piece of Motion. As I thank him, we realize that we have not unpacked the Constitution of Kenya. The Constitution is the masterpiece of the law in this country and we need to unpack it slowly by slowly. Today, Sen. Thang’wa has dealt with Article 53(1)(b). We still have other things such as, rights of the children, that have not been touched. When we talk of the right to basic nutrition, shelter and healthcare, how do we monitor and measure it? I am saying this because all these are related and are tied. If we can free parents from paying school fees in primary schools, that is when parents can give their children good nutrition. Right now, we are attacking the limited resources that the parents have to pay school fees. While we are doing that, we should be aware that as a country, we have obligations that are internationally binding in nature and we should ensure that we comply with them. I just want to read one that came from UNESCO, where I used to attend. In 1999, I attended as a representative of Moi University, when discussions on free education were being done. Kenya is a signatory to these international conventions. The right to primary education at that time was free of charge. It was established by an international instrument, notably the UNESCO Convention Against Discrimination in Education, Articles 13 and 14. With that establishment, Kenya signed. It was discussed in 1999 and it was signed in the year 2000. Then what happened in Kenya? In the year 2003, Kenya became one of the five countries in sub-Saharan Africa to attempt to give free education. So, in 2003, free and compulsory primary education was introduced. The Senator for Kakamega County has stated how it started. Kenya was celebrated alongside Malawi, Uganda and Tanzania in 2004, because they had made a huge step forward, and as I said, unless we implement that, the other rights of the children will be watered down. On (c), (d) and (e), only parents who are free from paying school fees can give their children balanced food, because they have to prioritise. When children come home and cry that they are at home when their friends are in school, it will force their parents to pay school fees and feed them less. That is why when we look at this Motion, let us look at it in light of the other Motions and let us unpack this Constitution properly. I support this Motion because it is what we should have continued to pursue. The conventions as established and signed by Kenya still talk of the right to free primary education. In fact, in 2001, in UNESCO, it was very clear that we were going towards 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."
}