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{
    "id": 331635,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/331635/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 353,
    "type": "other",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "it is that each university had to have its own law. We had to create an Act for each university. So among our statutes books, we have so many statutes scattered all over to cover for each university. We have the University of Nairobi Act, the Kenyatta University Act, the Moi University Act, the Jomo Kenyatta University Act, the Egerton University Act, The Maseno University Act and the Masinde Muliro University Act. With this Bill now, we will achieve what we have tried to do in other sectors, including the agricultural sector. I was very pleased when Dr. Kosgei indicated to this House that we will take all those pieces of legislation touching on different things all under the agricultural sector and consolidate them. By passing this Bill we are also achieving that. We will have one Act of Parliament that will coordinate affairs of all our universities, both public and private. This would go a long way in improving the management of these universities. It is a Bill that is timely and that has also brought about new developments in the management of our universities. We have had a problem of technical colleges being taken over and turned into universities. It is one thing that has caused great concern to many of us, as leaders, because we have had very good technical colleges being taken over. With this proposed law, we have a very clear legal basis now for creation of technical universities. Under Clause 25, it is very clear that only national polytechnics will from now on be upgraded into technical universities. So, there is a clear procedure and so not just every college will be taken over and lose the technical aspect of training that will also make this nation have the necessary technical manpower for the realization of our Vision 2030. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I am also very pleased to see that the Bill addressed some of the concerns that were there in the past before the advent of multipartyism. We had a culture that tended to suffocate academic freedom in all our institutions of higher learning. We remember days when at the universities, you had to look around and look at someone’s haircut and mind what you said or what you did. Now for the first time, this Bill is putting it into law the requirement of having academic freedom in our universities; freedom of thought, freedom of expression and opinion. It is, indeed, a serious advancement for future freedoms. Under Clauses 40 and 41, we are encouraging our young people at our universities as they undergo the learning also to engage in the governance of our institutions. It is now mandatory under Clause 40 of the proposed Bill for each university to have a student association. This is where we will encourage democratic participation of students in the leadership and governance of the university. We also have an alumni where these universities can continue being part of the university community and part of the family to continue to contribute towards the development of that particular institution. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, the other wonderful development that is completely new is the manner in which those who will lead our institutions of higher learning will be appointed. It is and it has been part of what we have been trying to do in bringing about constitutional review in this country, to remove as much powers as possible from the President and do away with the concentration of powers in the presidency which created an imperial presidency where the president had to lobby over all institutions. Graduations had to wait for the possibility of a chance being found in the busy diaries of the President because he was the chancellor of all the universities. Now"
}