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{
    "id": 414868,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/414868/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 268,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Sakaja",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13131,
        "legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
        "slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
    },
    "content": "(d) are protected from harmful cultural practices and exploitation.” This is a Bill - and I would like Members to be aware - that actually concerns county governments. It would be the first Private Members’ Bill in this House that will have to go to the Senate. That is because we must be able to commit the county governments to give those procurement opportunities to the young people. In the local context, that is where the real action is. We want young people to be able to participate in procurement at the county level. I think the case for the youth is well known by all our Members. Young people in this country - and the Constitution defines the youth as between 18 years and 35 years - make up 54 per cent of this country. It is sad that 70 per cent of the youth have no jobs and have no access to Government procurement opportunities. Even the 30 per cent, who are economically active in one way or the other, have no access to Government procurement opportunities. I think we all know the danger of having a huge number of young people in this country who are hopeless, jobless and who are disillusioned. There are a lot of challenges facing the young people in this country, and I am glad that in the 11th Parliament, the Young Parliamentarian Association which has been revived has 47 Members who are keen on ensuring that issues of young people are going to be addressed. This is just one of those Bills that are coming to address issues of young people. We want to assure the young people and we want them to know that they are actually represented in this House and in the Senate. That is because, part of the issues they are facing really, apart from the joblessness, is even a poor transition rate within our schools. This is something that I have discussed with the Chair of the Committee on Education, Research and Technology and other policy makers. Every year, more than 300,000 young people drop out at Class Eight. In 2005, 1.3 million children joined Class I. By the time they go to Class Eight, there were only 800,000. From there, only 600,000 have received opportunities to go to secondary school. I think we must be alive to the fact that this is a very dangerous trend in our country. It is a poor excuse for lack of investment in education. If all the students who did Kenya Certificate of Primary Education got 400 marks, the ones who got 399 would be told that they are too stupid to go to Form I because we have not invested in secondary schools."
}