HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 1582629,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1582629/?format=api",
"text_counter": 615,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Chesumei, UDA",
"speaker_title": "Hon. Paul Biego",
"speaker": null,
"content": "The NG-CDF is open to local primary, secondary and tertiary institutions. It, therefore, accommodates a wide span of education beneficiaries, including post-graduate students. If we lose this Fund, we would have lost an entire population in need of that funding. I also like the Fund because it addresses historical and systemic wrongs such as regional disparities. In many quarters, the NG-CDF has been praised for incorporating the poverty index, especially in the allocation of a portion of the funds, and it has a significant impact on our society. Every part of this country, from Samburu to Kilifi, Nandi, Busia and Kigumo, enjoys the NG-CDF. As my colleagues have said, I cannot imagine a situation where, when you want to build your constituency, or when your people have asked you for a school, renovations or laboratories during public participation, you would have to queue at the offices of Cabinet Secretaries or even at high-level executive offices for services to be delivered. We would be going back to the old days. Our ranking Member, Hon. Moroto, recalled that during President Moi’s tenure, they used to line up every Thursday. Do we really want to go back to those olden days? Hon. Temporary Speaker, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) found that Kenya is a nation with huge disparities, especially in service accessibility, quality and efficiency. The NG-CDF, being a public Fund, plays a crucial role in addressing some of those disparities. I am a member of the Special Funds Account Committee, which oversees around 82 Funds. I can confirm that the structures in NG-CDF cannot be matched by any other Fund. Therefore, I support that we should not lose this kind of Fund. I am also cognisant of the fact that many Members of this House would not be here were it not for the NG-CDF. Many Members and citizens are beneficiaries of those bursaries, and it would be very irresponsible for anyone to try to scrap this particular Fund. I am afraid that if this Fund is scrapped, the dreams of many people, especially parents who expect their children to come and make a difference, may not be realised. In my constituency, I initiated Chesumei Elimu Bora Initiative, which addresses most of the issues I encountered during my campaign. There were many fundraisers for very small amounts, as low as Ksh15,000, which was the fee charged by day secondary schools. I spoke to principals and we reached a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU). In the Committee’s wisdom, we allocated funds such that each parent with a child in a day school only has to pay Ksh1,500 per term. As a result, schools that were experiencing a very low admission rate have experienced an increase in enrolment. We are currently subsidising fees for about 9,500 students whose parents only have to pay Ksh1,500. Where will all those students be placed if bursaries are abolished? It is a pity. All said and done, because I see time is not on my side, I regret that we are unable to conclusively debate these matters because of the demonstrations."
}