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{
    "id": 197197,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/197197/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 85,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Mr. Chepkitony",
    "speaker_title": "The Member for Keiyo North",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13,
        "legal_name": "Lucas Kipkosgei Chepkitony",
        "slug": "lucas-chepkitony"
    },
    "content": " Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you for giving me an opportunity to contribute to this Motion on the Presidential Address. From the outset, I would like to thank my people of Keiyo North for electing me to Parliament to serve for another term. I would also like to congratulate all hon. Members who were elected to the Tenth Parliament. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the President's Address touched on all aspects of our development. I must congratulate the President for the good Address that he gave. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker Sir, I would like to start with the issue of education. I would like to congratulate the Government for, at least, trying to support the free secondary education programme. However, secondary education is not free as such. The Government only caters tuition fees to the tune of Kshs10,600 per year. Therefore, use of the word \"free\" is not correct. It should be termed \"subsidized secondary education\". The Government only pays about a third of the school fees. Nevertheless, it is a good beginning. I hope it will be made free as promised in various parties manifestos. Many parties, particularly the ODM, to which I belong, promised it free secondary education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Ministry of Education has not come forward to state its position regarding secondary school bursaries. My constituency is one of the areas where many parents are unable to educate their children in secondary schools. They are poor and unable to pay school fees. They, therefore, have been relying on the bursary money from the Ministry of Education that was being dispersed through the Constituency Bursary Committees (CBC). I would have liked the Minister, if he was here, to clarify the position of these bursaries. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, another issue with regard to education is the Kenya National Education Council which has messed up examinations in this country. First of all, there was massive cheating in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) done last year. Even schools in the rural villages had leaked examination papers of the KCSE, prior to the examinations. You wonder how these examination leakage was spread all over the country. One also wonders what those people who man the examination papers were doing. This is not the first time! It has been happening in the past few years. One wonders why there is cheating and why it cannot be stopped. I would like to call for a total overhaul of the staff working at the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). I hope that the Minister will take action. There was not only cheating but this was followed by examination results which had been interfered with. The Council issued different sets of results which showed just how confused the Council is. The Minister should take action to ensure that we have new people in the Council who can maintain the integrity of examinations in this country. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, finally, I would like to appeal to the Ministry to extend bursaries to university students who are on self-sponsored programmes in various universities. We have quite a number. All these students do not come from rich families. Some of them come from poor families. They are only trying to achieve what they can. The fact that they 348 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES March 20, 2008 take up self-sponsored programmes does not mean that they are from rich families. That does not add up. These are students who are struggling to achieve university education and they need the support of the Government. I hope that the Coalition Government will come to their support. Agriculture is a very important part of our economy. It contributes overt 60 per cent to the national GDP. This sector should be given the attention it deserves. Currently, farmers who are growing cereals which are important in terms of food security do not seem to have any support."
}