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    "id": 426031,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/426031/?format=api",
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    "content": "schools to release these certificates. To date, the Professor has ignored or refused to even acknowledge my letter. I even went further and wrote to the Attorney General of this country, asking him to draw the attention of the Cabinet to the law. To date, again, even the Attorney General has not acknowledged my letter. Madam Temporary Speaker, the next step that I took was to seek a Statement from the Chair of the Committee on Education. A Statement was brought by the former Chairman, Sen. Mutahi Kagwe, and the Senate rejected it and asked him to bring another Statement. As of today, we have not received any answer to the questions that we asked. Therefore, I felt obliged to bring this matter to the Floor of the House, so that this Senate can send a strong signal to the national Government, particularly, the Cabinet Secretary for Education, that he is breaking the law by withholding certificates of students who did their examinations seven years ago. Madam Temporary Speaker, you know very well that no one would allow his or her certificate to be held for seven years if he was able to pay the amount that he or she owes. These students were allowed to continue by the heads of schools, did their examinations and most of them passed very well, because it is known that children from poor parents pass very well. But because of the fees balances which they could not pay, the heads of schools have taken those certificates as security, which is illegal. Therefore, I urge this House to send a very strong message. Madam Temporary Speaker, I am pleased that Sen. Karaba was today elected as the Chair for the Committee on Education, and he was with me when we were fighting for the original Motion to release the certificates. He was then the Chair. What a coincidence that today, the Chair that we dealt with this issue at that time is now also the Chair! So, I am very confident. Knowing the Senate Majority Leader here, being my very good neighbour across the river, I am sure that this matter is not going to end here; failure to which, I will do exactly what I did in 2007. I will go to the High Court of Kenya to seek orders for the Government to release the certificates, but is it worth that? Madam Temporary Speaker, since we have an able Chair, an equally able Senate Majority Leader and a very effective Senate, I am very confident that this matter will be resolved. This is a matter affecting about 500,000 former students of secondary schools of this Republic who are waiting to get their certificates. They cannot seek or access employment in the Army or wherever, because their certificates are held. Therefore, they are condemned to permanent poverty by a Government that professes to be pro-poor. How can you say that you are giving poor people cash transfers of Kshs2,000 each and ignore orphans who did examinations seven years ago and keep their certificates? I hope that this matter will be resolved once and for all and the poor students whose certificates are being held illegally are released forthwith. Madam Temporary Speaker, I beg to move and request Sen. Obure from Kisii County to second my Motion."
}