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"speaker_name": "Mr. G.G. Kariuki",
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"content": "Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this Motion is long overdue and I am standing here to support it. But just supporting the Motion is not enough. The Motion is concentrating on building more universities in the so-called marginalised areas. We should not refer to any place as marginalised because nobody has marginalised any person except the way this country is geographically. It can be said that these are the areas which have economically been forgotten by the system from the time of Independence. Some areas have been forgotten and they have now been baptised \"marginalised areas.\" It is also said that the people are marginalised. As you asked a question, and I was listening, the continued use of the word \"marginalization\" is giving some people a way of avoiding reality. Geographically, there are some May 23, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1555 people in this country who are in the most unfortunate areas. They cannot afford whatever they want to do like any other people in the country because of where they come from. So, the economic planners in this country need to understand and to know that there is no way Turkanas or Pokots--- The Government should come up with a crash programme to make sure that those people are given an opportunity to develop like other people. If we start boarding schools in those areas, we will transform those areas and make those people equal to others by providing them with facilities. We used to have harambees. Harambee was just a way of making the people who have to continue having. That is because they had enough to give out in harambees. If you have a harambee meeting in an area like Kericho and another one in Pokot, you will see the difference. The people in Kericho will build that school in two or three days. But the Pokots will struggle for another five years, before they manage to put up a building. So, let us be open and clear in our minds. Are we being fair to the so called marginalised areas? Can we claim to be free from diseases or ignorance when we have so many people affected by those vices? Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, even if you put up universities in the areas that are recommended here, those facilities will still be enjoyed by students from other areas. That is because we are not suggesting that the requirement of admission in a university in North Eastern Province would be lower than that of the University of Nairobi. If it is going to be the same, then I want to submit that all those facilities will be occupied by students from advanced areas. They will continue to be advanced. So, the basic thing to do is to improve primary education and facilitate the teachers, students and parents. That is where the problems starts. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, after doing that, we have to be very concerned about secondary school development. Unless you do that, you cannot expect students just to come from areas where facilities are almost nil and compete with students who come from well do to families. It can never happen! That is a way of creating a \"class system\" in a country like ours. Some people will be so rich, some people will be so educated and others will remains as their servants. When we attained our Independence, some people who were still poor continued to serve people who grabbed the opportunity of the Independence. They employed them as askaris or soldiers to protect their wealth. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this matter will continue. It continues even today. So, the important thing here is to improve primary school education. When we say that education is a basic right, it is obvious that a fellow who has never gone to school and a fellow who has gone to school have a great difference. We must, therefore, categorise education as one of the most important human rights. I feel that education needs to be given its due consideration. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, if you go to Pokot or Laikipia West - we neighbour with Pokot - you will see that harsh conditions are affecting teachers, students and parents. What do you expect from there? Teachers have no toilets. They have no facilities and yet, we expect them to teach our children. Children go to school today and, after three days, they do not come back. They stay for another five days and come back when they get food from their families. What is important here is to attract students to schools by providing all the facilities that are humanely required. I have in mind the Schools Feeding Programme. You have to feed children from those poor families. You have to provide teachers with facilities. You have to give teachers security to stay in those areas.This is a matter that needs a Sessional Paper or an Act of Parliament which will force the Government to do what we think ought to be done. Time spent in passing Motions in this House, is very badly spent. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, in the next Parliament, some of us need to come up with a Motion that will seek the permission to introduce a Bill that will compel the entire system to deal with this situation once and for all. We have continued urging the Government to do so in the last 43 years. 1556 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES May 23, 2007 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, maybe 43 years ago, you were just about to be born. Up to now, we are still urging the Government to do so. When will this House exercise its power? Sometimes when I look at ourselves talking about weaknesses in the Government and what we cannot do, yet we have the facilities. It is as if we are deceiving the public that we are here for them. We are not here for them! It should better be known that we are here for ourselves. Today, we have attended the sitting of the House. We do not do anything for the people yet we have the powers to move this nation forward. We can move and transform this nation without fear. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we have the opportunity of having a very tolerant President. We should take advantage of this situation before we get a dictator in the next few years. We should bring in what we want to do for the betterment of our people. The public proprietors talked about education and we are very happy. We argue in Parliament. What do we do in Parliament? Just talking! As I am doing now. This Motion is very important. The hon. Member needs to bring in a Bill that will specifically deal with the marginalised areas and poor people. I am very sure that this Parliament will pass that kind of Bill. If we keep on talking about poverty and poverty index--- All these things are done by people from developed areas. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}