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"id": 208565,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/208565/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Nderitu",
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"speaker": {
"id": 231,
"legal_name": "Alfred Mwangi Nderitu",
"slug": "alfred-nderitu"
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"content": "Thank you very much, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir. First and foremost, I tend to think that this Motion ought to have been brought to this House when this Government took over and started to provide Free Primary Education (FPE). I tend to think that primary education refers to where we have got the young ones who go to nursery schools and pre- units. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am not going to be naive. I know that these teachers are being trained. It is only that they are trained and thrown out in the bush. So, they have no forum or anywhere to teach. Majority of these institutions are run by county councils, which are, today, in a deplorable state. The councils, under the Local Government Authority Act, are neither performing nor providing what they are supposed to provide because of various interests. I do not think we need to belabour on this Motion the way hon. Angwenyi and some of us have done. I think we need to amend, straightaway, the Education Act so that by next year when we will be dealing with the Supplementary Estimates, and I can see Waziri is here, we have funds included so 3206 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES August 15, 2007 that this programme can start on 1st January, 2008. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I know that, professionally, you are an Engineer. The first thing you were taught in college was foundation. This is the key thing in any movement, building and so on. If we do not provide a good foundation for our children, this country is going to lose. If this country intends to make money in terms of collection of taxes, then we should have very many people who are educated and who can come out to do businesses so that the Government can get funds. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, really, the issue is not where the funds will come from, but whether the Government is willing to start this programme or not. As far as I am concerned, these funds are there. Today, nobody will convince me that there will be no money to pay teachers or facilitate this programme. Actually, when hon. Angwenyi was doing his mathematics, I was also doing mine. For instance, Kshs30,000 multiply by Kshs15,000 is Kshs450 million. These institutions do not need only Kshs4.5 billion, we need to provide them with toys for children to play with. We want our children to learn how to fly kites when they are young. Therefore, for us to enable our children get the same facilities, we need over Kshs10 billion. I believe a child in Marsabit should have the same facilities as a child in Nairobi; Westlands, Langata, Moyale, Kisumu, Mwea or elsewhere. I urge the Government to come up with a programme for childhood centres. These centres should not be left to individual primary schools to provide equipment. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, a majority of our primary schools do not have toilets. The Government is now assisting most of them to put up toilets. We want to mould our children to be good citizens of this country at that tender age. If we do so, we will reduce the cases of thuggery. At that age, we will bring up mature children knowing that stealing is wrong. Corruption will end because these children will be the real models of this country and they will love their country. Tribalism will also come to an end because these children will be nurtured together. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when you go to a primary school, you will only find five toilets which are meant to serve more than 1,000 children. You can imagine what happens at break time. There are no toilets for girls. This Motion should have come immediately in 2003 when the Government introduced Free Primary Education Programme (FPEP) in the country. It is the one that would have laid down foundation for our children. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, crying over funds which were lost in the past, will not take us nowhere. Nobody can convince me that the Government cannot do so. Under the able leadership of hon. President Mwai Kibaki and the Minister for Education, I know this is possible. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, through the Chair, I am urging my good friend, the Minister for Education to consider including this programme in the Supplementary Budget of his Ministry. This is not an issue of tuition. We want the Ministry to move a further notch ahead to make sure that this programme starts as per constituency. We should have officers on the ground, paid well by the Government and trained to handle and teach our children good manners. This should be done before they even join Standard One. These would be children who know that this country belong to them. Right now, these institutions have been left to families, single mothers, fathers; some of whom do not care, and teachers who are never paid. Those who are paid Kshs2,000 per month are very lucky. There are some who go for six months without even a penny. How do you expect such a child-care person to survive if she or he is not able to provide meals? You can imagine! What kind of children are we expecting to join Standard One. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, all of us must own this programme. The Non- Governmental Organisations (NGOs) and corporate sector should come up and own this programme. I am urging corporate entities that rather than the massive programmes of shows they are coming up with, at least, join hands with the Government and come up with a programme of August 15, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 3207 laying down a firm foundation for our children. The Government should initiate this. For example, the East African Breweries Ltd. would not go very far if this country does not have people who own it and have progressive minds. Safaricom are proud of earning more than Kshs18 billion a year, why can they not set aside Kshs1 billion to help our children in pre-primary schools? With those few remarks, I beg to support"
}