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{
    "id": 383188,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/383188/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 237,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "June 26, 2013 SENATE DEBATES 23 Sen. Orengo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Thank you very much, Madam Temporary Speaker. I am indebted to my friend, Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale for coming up with this Motion of Adjournment. Madam Temporary Speaker, whenever teachers are gathered, every political party and every political leader wants to go to where the teachers are gathered. Every politician has a desire to go before the teachers when these meetings are held in Mombasa annually by teachers, either by the leadership of the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) or secondary school heads. If you listen to what the politicians say every time they attend these meetings with teachers, it is promises and more promises. Those promises always end up quoting this Legal Notice of 1997. Hypocrites! Hypocrites! Hypocrites! Like the Bible talks about hypocrites; hypocrites are the swines of – shall I say civilization – like I said at one time? Because, you know, if you remember what teachers do to our families and communities in every village, it is not just teaching children in the classroom, but they take care of students even after the classrooms. It is high time that this matter is dealt with, once and for all. The negotiations going on have always been predicated on this Legal Notice of 1997. The issue of revocation only arises when the teachers are fighting for their rights and saying they are not going to negotiate. They are not ready for dialogue because the Legal Notice is clear. The Government of Kenya was party to that Legal Notice of 1997. In fact, if you look at the negotiations over the years, what they have been doing is that they have been saying that despite that Legal Notice of 2003 which they say was revoked by the Legal Notice of 1997. So, in effect, every successive Government has tried to give an impression to the teachers that they are trying to fulfill the obligation that the Government made to the teachers in accordance to the Legal Notice of 1997. Now, if they cannot deliver on a promise of 1997, how are they going to deliver on promises of this year, which are worth more than the promises of 1997? They should deliver on these issues that affect historical injustices. Entitlements that are of yesteryears are part of the problems of historical injustices that we need to deal with. So, Madam Temporary Speaker, I rise here knowing very much that even those who are now in power and in authority should realize the role that the trade union movements played in bringing about Independence. The role of teachers and KNUT before Independence was in mainstreaming the struggle. Even during the fight for multiparty democracy, we really relied on the teachers to bring about these changes. They were bringing these changes so that we could have a Government in place which was mindful of other people’s welfare. So, I think we are going to judge the Jubilee Government on this single issue of teachers. They cannot run away from it because they cannot give laptops to pupils if the people who are supposed to give instructions are not happy to be in the classroom. The beginning of resolving the problem is making sure that the instructor who is going to sit with the pupils in the classrooms is happy being and performing his duties in the classrooms. It is saddening that from Jomo Kenyatta to the professor of politics, Daniel arap Moi, Mzee Kibaki and the rest, in one way or another, they were teachers. The teachers have played a very critical role. Even Sen. Amos Wako, the Attorney- General emeritus taught me at one time when he was a junior teacher. Could you imagine The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}