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{
    "id": 406903,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/406903/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 232,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Chelule",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13126,
        "legal_name": "Liza Chelule",
        "slug": "liza-chelule"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker Sir, for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this Motion. I also support this Motion because the said Fund, the Kshs6 billion that was promised by our President and the Deputy President during the campaigns period, was a pledge. I take this opportunity to congratulate our two principals for fulfilling their pledge to the people of this country. We all know the kind of poverty that is at the community level. We know that 70 per cent of our country’s population lives below the poverty level. There is no way we can empower these people except through such Funds. I do not want to concur with some Senators who are suggesting that these will not help in solving anything. People on the ground are suffering. If an individual on the ground is given up to Kshs3,000, he or she will make something out of it. The Kshs50,000 is not little money. We have people who are really suffering. I do not want to instill a belief that the money will not come back to the Government because it is a revolving Fund. We still have the Youth Enterprise Development Fund and the Women Enterprise Development Fund. I am a witness of what women have done with that Fund. Most of them have refunded the amounts they had borrowed and have borrowed other amounts. All they need is training and sensitization on how to use the money. 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 The people on the ground are waiting for this money. They know that the money will be released in January next year. Most of the youth and women are prepared to take it. Most of the youth and women have registered and taken all the steps that are required to have this money. They are ready to have it. I request fellow Senators to use encouraging language to our youth. What do you do with so many youth who are just idling at home doing nothing and who are getting nothing at the end of the month? It is a high time that we sensitized the community about the money that the Government has set aside for them. This is a revolving Fund that will be given to particular people. After a certain period, the same money will be used to empower a sister or brother of the same person. I support the amendments by the National Assembly. A six months grace period is enough for any group to prepare and see that they benefit from the Fund. The two year repayment period is good time for anybody who is serious. The Senator from Meru suggested something good. However, we are talking about the community. This is not about the first, second or the third class. We are talking about communities that are suffering; a community that if a youth group was given Kshs100,000, to start business, the profit would assist them and at the end of the day, they would repay and make some profit that can assist their people at home. People are suffering. When I say this, I know what they are going through. They are going through problems at home because of poverty. I believe that this money will benefit them. I am happy that a committee will sit tomorrow to look at these regulations. Probably, we should consider giving individual loans because it is easier to follow a loan that has been taken by an individual rather than a group. This can still be applied the way it is done in the women and the youth funds. The rate of 1 per cent is not even interest. This is the administrative fee and money that will be used by people who will be at the secretariat level. I am happy that the money will be managed through two structures, at the national and at the sub-county level. The sub-county is the most important part because this is where people are waiting for this money. I support this Fund because I know it will benefit people. I cannot say that people will not pay it back for sure. However, people need to have proper training in entrepreneurship and sensitization which will make them understand that this is a revolving fund. It should move from one person to another. We need to make them understand that concept. I request fellow leaders to use any channel to sensitize the people, be it radio or anything that you come across. However, this is the money that will be given to your brother; sister and even assist other people. I stand here being one of those people who want to do something about this between now and January. People are waiting for this money. I would like to request fellow Senators, if there is anything that we need to do; we do it before going on recess. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}