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"id": 218224,
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"speaker_name": "Mr. Rotino",
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"legal_name": "Phillip Ruto Rotino",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to be able to contribute to this very important Motion. I want to thank hon. Dr. Naomi Shaban for bringing this Motion. Some of us who come from marginalised areas, feel so privileged when a Motion like this is before this House. We are really pleading with the Ministry to, at least, consider these marginalised districts. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the teaching facilities in those marginalised districts are in a very sorry state. However, when students from those areas get opportunities to study in the national schools, they perform much better than those students who come from schools with better facilities. That is why this Motion is very important because we are really pleading with the Ministry to take deliberate action and provide better facilities to these marginalised areas. We would like to develop at the same pace with the rest of Kenyans. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the fighting that takes place in those districts does not occur just because people like fighting. It is because the facilities that they have are not adequate enough. Most of those who have engaged themselves in this cattle theft are students who are dropouts from primary schools. Some dropout in Standard Eight. Some of them are secondary 1750 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 13, 2007 school dropouts. This is because they could not afford secondary school fees. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, as much as the Ministry will say they have availed bursary funds, in my own constituency, I have more than 600 children who are in secondary school. What can I do with a bursary of Kshs800,000 per year? What is that compared to that number of children? Most of those children come from very poor families. What should we do? The Government must have a deliberate policy to be able to add additional funds in terms of the bursary funds we get, so that those 27 Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) districts benefit. The Ministry should give a special allocation for this cause. I know the Ministry has really struggled. We give them credit for what they have done. There was additional money that came to ASAL secondary schools in those districts. However, as much as they are trying, they should be able to increase that amount of money. We want those children from disadvantaged background be able to get opportunities to attain the required grades. For example, for a student to be admitted to a teachers training college, he must attain a minimum grade of C plain. To get an Assistant Chief with a C plus--- If you want to advertise for such a position, there are areas that you will not get someone who has even gone to Standard Eight. It is not because they are willing to remain that way, but there are no extra facilities. In some areas, there are no primary or secondary schools. We are forced to use the Constituencies Development Fund (CDF) money to build boarding schools in those areas so that we are able to retain the children in those particular schools. We, therefore, request the Ministry to consider building boarding primary schools and equipping them in those areas. As much as they are saying that there are centres of excellency in secondary schools, let us also have centres of excellency in primary schools. This will ensure that we have boarding schools where we can take all our children whose parents are nomads. This will enable us to retain them in one place. The CDF money will not be enough because we have vast areas and we have to build these facilities. So, in supporting this Motion, I want to plead with the Ministry to consider seriously, at least, availing facilities to those areas. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, let me touch on the issue of the universities. I do not want to talk so much about the universities. We are concentrating universities in some particular areas instead of opening up constituent colleges in areas like North Eastern Province, to offer relevant courses, like, rangelands management. If we open up constituent colleges in those areas, this will bring the facilities closer to students or schools and make the students to go for higher education. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, many of our students are going to Uganda for studies. We should ask ourselves why. One is because facilities there are accessible; they are near the people. For the marginalised communities, the Government of Uganda has addressed their plight and tried to bring them up to the standards of the other areas. Let us try and look at the country on an equal level. There are no better Kenyans or second-class Kenyans. All Kenyans are equal! The Government should give them equal treatment like any other Kenyans. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, so, if we have to fight insecurity in this country, one of the things that we have to give the marginalised areas is education. One way of doing it is by providing special funds, like bursaries, to educate them. A special fund should be created in the Ministry to give them bursaries for secondary schools. This will discourage them from engaging in other illegal activities. If we leave them like that--- Let us forget about employment for the moment. We should give them the necessary tools to be like other Kenyans. I, therefore, wish to support this Motion and ask the Ministry to implement it. They should not just shelve it and accept it like it is any other Motion. We want to see the Minister doing this in the Budget. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}