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"id": 213198,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/213198/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Mr. Sambu",
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"speaker": {
"id": 137,
"legal_name": "Alfred B. Wekesa Sambu",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me the first chance to support this Motion. Employment is crucial for any nation. A nation whose people do not have jobs is headed for disaster. A nation whose young people, specifically, are not kept busy will find itself in problems; when young people are idle. Therefore, the Government must find ways, like what this Motion of hon. Jimmy Angwenyi is stating, of creating jobs. This Government, or any other government in future, when we have a lot of young people and middle-aged people who are idle, who have no jobs and who have no way of earning their living, is a very serious matter. So, I want to say that the Government should look at statements like this Motion, ideas which have been made by others, and ideas which Members are now going to make in this Motion, and take them in, analyse them. Why is it that countries in the Eastern parts of Asia, I do not want to mention specific countries, but they are all known---When we all attained Independence with them, in the late 1950s and early 1960s, their employment rates were very high but today you find they are countries which are exporting goods all over the world. You find that their currencies are so strong, because they are earning foreign exchange and they have no shortage of foreign exchange and, therefore, they can import, if it is petroleum, because that is what each country will need if it does not produce its own--- It is because they listened to policies from people. Individuals do not formulate policies. So, I want to state, in supporting this Motion, my own views about what the Government should do. One, whereas I support funding of youth groups - but you are funding a group - a group cannot have the same ideas, or the same energies. My idea is that we should fund the youth individually. We should say that any youth who has completed training in a youth polytechnic and has done Government Trade Test, and has a certificate to show that he or she is a tailer, then that youth should be given a sewing machine and some start-up capital for buying tailoring materials. I have done it myself. I have tried it in my constituency. Once in a while, when I have a little money, I buy a sewing machine, the East Asia type, not from the western countries, which inflate prices. You get a sewing machine for Kshs4,000, buy it and give it to a youth, whether a man or young lady. Give her another Kshs5,000, not in cash, but give her materials for making uniforms for others. She will get a shed and start her tailoring shop there. You will have created employment. If it is a carpenter, give him or her some carpentry materials. That person will be employed. You will be able to follow them up so that they can repay the money. So, support leavers of youth polytechnics and technical institutions. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we still import labour. We see people like Indians specifically, I have to say. I cannot mince my words. They come here and within a few years, they come and work for another company. In a few years, they will be driving a car when our own youths, with better qualifications from technical institutes and universities, are still unemployed. I would ask this Government to fund our youths directly. We are sitting on a time bomb. If we do not start doing what we are saying--- Those with technical skills should be given equipment and a little start up capital. Those who do not have skills, but have the physical strength, can do bodaboda business. Buy them bicycles, so that they can start doing their own jobs. If they want, buy them the mkokotenis or hand carts in towns. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I come from a rural, farming constituency. Why can we not help the unemployed youth and women in the constituency? We should give them seeds of fast-growing vegetables or fruits so that they can turn it over quickly, for example, maize which we can harvest two or three times in a year. Fund them directly, but not by giving them cash, but by giving them materials to use, seeds and farming equipment. Let them be given on individual basis. That will help to keep those people busy. If somebody has been given seeds to grow cabbages and tomatoes on a little plot of 50 by 20 metres, that will keep that person busy. We should encourage July 18, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 2597 the Horticultural Crops Development Authority (HCDA) to go--- There are many areas in North Rift, South Rift and western Kenya where HCDA is unknown and yet, it is supposed to encourage intensive farming. What I am saying is that there is room for creating employment through intensive farming. We should not always rely on extensive farming like maize and wheat which take several months. Once it is planted, it does not need any care on a daily basis. If we have vegetables and fast-growing fruits, we will employ many people. That will keep them busy. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, even in pastoralist areas, we could supply them with animals instead of giving them money. Those people will be kept busy with their dairy animals. They will also be earning a living. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in fishing areas, give five or six youths a small boat with a net. Get them employed on a daily basis. If we wait for these big ideas, we will not get anywhere. Again, we start local processing in rural areas. I know some areas near my constituency where youths came together, they were supported by the church where I was working at one time and we started groups that processed milk into yoghurt and mala . You will find people employed. But, in Kenya, we are told, \"here is a project,\"people are taken to hotels for seminars and seminars and seminars! We spend millions of shillings organising those seminars. This Government must watch out on the issue of taking its people to seminars. Let us invest on people directly so that we can see the productivity. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to say that the Government must start by changing policy. Invest on the skills and then give them capital, so that they can start working for themselves. Self employment should be the mode of employing people. Finally, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion says the Government should employ 250,000 people. As far as education sector is concerned, we are told that the Government will employ 11,000 teachers only. How many primary schools are in this country? Nearly in every primary school, the pupil to teacher ratio is so high; it may be 100:1! Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the Government should employ even untrained Form Four or university leavers so as to increase the number of teachers in our schools. Even if we will not pay them much, they will help in teaching our children. Although we have implemented Free Primary Education Programme, it is not the effective. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those few remarks, I want to support."
}