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{
"id": 1563843,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1563843/?format=api",
"text_counter": 251,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Orwoba",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Even just by the definition of it, someone will tell you that it is illegal because a bursary is an award or prize. A prize is something that you are given after you have done something so that you are celebrated. For example, when you win, you are given an award. It can also be a token for recognition. For example, I can be told that I did something or spoke well and, therefore, they give me a token for recognition. What is this token of recognition that we are giving our children when under the Basic Education Act, it is provided that every child has the right to free and compulsory basic education? Madam Temporary Speaker, it is on this basis that I want to discuss this Motion, which I support. Sen. Thang’wa, congratulations for being courageous enough to bring an unpopular Motion because when those legislators who are holding these ‘awards’ hear us discussing it, they get very upset because you are essentially taking away their campaign resources. I do not want to call it bursary because it is an award. That is the truth of the matter. You are taking away their campaign resources and what they use to go and convince the people at the grassroots that they are working so hard as their leaders, and hence they are giving them awards to go to school. yet under the Constitution, it is your right to go to school, to have that free compulsory education. Why would a leader then come and say, “I am recognizing you and I am giving you this token yet, we have it clearly stipulated in our Constitution?” Madam Temporary Speaker, it is on this basis that I support this Motion because, first, how did we get to a point where we are giving awards? How did we get here? Who generated this thing called bursary, where did it start from? How did we get, from a point where we had our children even getting free milk in school, to a point where now we are giving awards, we have bursary? We are saying that we are helping you so that you can be able to go and sit in a classroom and get basic education, which is your right. That is what we should be discussing. Where did the rain start beating us? Madam Temporary Speaker, as much as I celebrate and support devolution, and as much as I am actually in this House courtesy of devolution because this is the Upper House that is there to protect devolution, I would like to also say there are some funny things that came with this devolution. One of them is bursaries and the culture of bursaries because you have bursaries under the Women Representatives, Members of Parliament, Governors--- Everyone who has some level of devolved authority has somehow managed to convince the Exchequer or the people that we need bursaries, so that we can go and give children awards and tokens instead of ensuring that they have their rights to the access of free compulsory education. Madam Temporary Speaker, I also would like to highlight the fact that, obviously, based on the budgets that we have seen, as a country, we need to be honest to each other. We are unable to facilitate complete free education from nursery school all the way to university. It is time, as a country, we ask ourselves, if we are overly ambitious that we want to facilitate free education from nursery to primary to high school to university. It might not work. Perhaps, that is overly ambitious. However, is it possible then to have a conversation to say, can we at least have completely free primary education? When I talk about free, it is not where you are told it is free, however, you have to pay Kshs20 for ABCD, or however, the Board of Management together with the Parents Teachers 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."
}