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"content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, the other issue that I had concern with is filling vacancies in offices, which arise afterwards. This should be done in the same way as the original appointments. It should not be left at the discretion of the Minister. I will also bring an amendment to establish a university for each county. This is because under the Constitution, the issue of higher education is the role of the national Government. We talk about issues of equality and equity even in this Bill and we cannot realize that if we have counties that have universities and others that do not have, that is unfair. To bring fairness, my amendment would say that within a period of ten years, each county must have a university. Mr. Speaker, Sir, I will also bring an amendment that seeks, within the Fund that is already provided, especially under Clause 31, to include scholarships for needy and indigent students. This is because there are very many brilliant students who are not able to access university education because they are orphans or the parents are extremely poor. Because of the scourge of HIV/AIDS, we have seen students who are brilliant but cannot get higher education. Mr. Speaker, Sir, one of the things that the Minister should consider doing is to include as one of the roles of the council, to approve quality standards. I am not particularly incensed about this, but I would like the Minister in her response to indicate why the chancellors should be subject to vetting by Parliament. Again, I would also like her to tell us whether this is deliberate or accidental or it is a way of purging the university; that by provisions of Clause 73--- My understanding thereof is that Prof. Olive Mugenda, who has been reappointed, one year later must quit her job. That is my reading and understanding. Is that intended or accidental? She is doing a good job and I would like her to continue doing the good work that she is doing. So, I would like to know whether we are seeking an absolute reform, including staff. This is because my reading of that is that you will create new staff for universities. If lecturers are included as staff, it means that they will have, after a short while, to reapply for their jobs, especially for the persons whose contracts will end in less than a year. Again, I am also not very comfortable with the effect of the letter of interim authority that is given to universities, especially as relates to standards. This is because we give a university an interim letter of authority when we have not established the standards that we are pleased with. To me, I think we are putting the cart before the horse. If you want to establish a university, adhere to the standards that are set by the law. You can be given an interim letter, which should basically show the Government whether you are meeting the other software standards and not the hardware standards which are infrastructural. For instance, you should show whether you actually have the teaching staff that you are saying you should be having and all that, before you are given the actual charter. But where you give an interim letter and subsequently give the charter if people set up buildings and all that as standards, I really think that, that is wrong. That is why we are having low standards. Mr. Speaker, Sir, on the issue of accreditation, we have alluded to foreign universities and said that the universities that they partner with should have accreditation, but we have not provided standards for those foreign universities to be accredited within their own countries. This is because we have universities that are not accredited within their countries, but they partner with universities in Kenya. When you ask in their countries of origin, it becomes embarrassing because you will find a community level"
}