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{
    "id": 189898,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/189898/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 177,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Wathika",
    "speaker_title": "The Assistant Minister for Public Works",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 152,
        "legal_name": "Dickson Wathika Mwangi",
        "slug": "dickson-wathika"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. I beg to support the Motion. But I want you to allow me to be saddened by the revelations that the Minister made during her presentation that only 1 per cent of our youth access university education. So, from one million pupils, we get 78,000 graduates. Even after graduation, it is only 25 per cent who are absorbed in the job market. It is a sad situation that requires very urgent and serious approach to correct it. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I will propose that the Government should move with 1774 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES July 10, 2008 speed to improve the facilities that are responsible for skills training as it continues to imagine on how to expand the economy to create employment opportunities in future. So, it is important that all the facilities in this country should be improved. This is because we are sitting on a time-bomb. If that situation is true, then, I think we need to move with speed to improve the existing facilities and even increase them. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to note that an organisation like the National Youth Service (NYS) has equipment which is obsolete. Nothing is moving there and we continue to rely on this institution to train our youth in various skills. If we say 99 per cent of the youth should be skilled to fit in the job market, then it is a very serious situation that requires urgent attention. I want to congratulate the Ministry for moving with speed to put together systems that will address the problem that we have with the youth. I want to appreciate the fact that the National Youth Policy is already in operation, and that the Ministry has drawn its strategic plan from the policy. That is very important; I also want to note that resource centres have already been established in several constituencies. In particular, I want to thank the Ministry because the resource centre in Makadara Constituency is already in operation. The objective of these resource centres is to tap and appreciate the level of skills that we have in the constituencies, and be able to create and direct the youth in the creation of employment and into businesses. I want the Ministry to move into the next level. The promise was that these resource centres would tap the skills and then create employment for the youth, both locally and internationally. We want to see that happen and we want the Ministry to pay a lot of attention to that, so that even those who are not academically endowed are also able to access jobs both locally and internationally. That is why we supported the resource centres. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, regarding sports, it has been mentioned that sports nowadays create employment. Let us not only look at one aspect of sports. Let us be broad and support all disciplines, because some people can play soccer and others can go into boxing. Dr. Khalwale here supports boxing like me. So, we want to see that also. People have taken boxing to be like a bad sport. We want the Ministry to pay attention to it, because boxing is a sport like any other, and can create employment. So, kindly open up and support all disciplines, because they can help in the creation of employment."
}