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{
    "id": 441656,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/441656/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 368,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Gichigi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1909,
        "legal_name": "Samuel Kamunye Gichigi",
        "slug": "samuel-kamunye-gichigi"
    },
    "content": "I rise to support this Motion. Yes, time is now for us to make sure that we claim this country’s right on that particular station. If initially the agreement was contributing, for instance, the land and the Italians were supposed to build the station and bring the equipment and that we were to be equal partners - the way agreements have been framed in the past - then I think we have been sleeping on our rights. I have heard my colleagues lambast the Italians, but all the leaders and Governments that we have had since Independence have played second fiddle to the colonial powers. We have let them ride on us. We decided that we will become just tools to the western world. Fifty years later, when our relationship becomes sour, we are almost turning to be “crying babies” on this issue. We need to move on. However, it is also important that we do not move on and become tools of any other colonialist. It is important that we put our feet down. We should not get that institution from the Italians and hand it over to other Italians by a different description. I sit in the Committee on Labour and Social Welfare. It has come to my notice that this country has no direction when it comes to what we train our people in. How many people, for example, have we trained since Independence in space technology? How many people are experts in electronic technology? Who looks at the training needs of this country currently, in terms of the labour market, tomorrow in terms of the needs and ten years later? Who is there to tell our primary, secondary schools and colleges what courses they should offer to our young people? Are we very comfortable that our universities are just churning out the so-called graduates into the labour market without a clue of what the economy is demanding in terms of manpower? I have looked at this Report and it is, indeed, a tragedy. God has blessed this country with so many resources. We, as indicated, sit on the Equator and have a lengthy patch along the coast. But what are we doing with it? We just get excited when we go through a road and find a marking saying: “You are now passing the Equator.” That matter ends there. This Report is telling us that, that is a resource that we must take advantage of scientifically, in addition to the tourism advantages that it might offer to us. Our leaders have been negligent in the past. It is our duty now to demand that we have an arm’s length relationship with any person that we sign an agreement with. We have lost great opportunities in the past. As some people have indicated here, we were with Singapore, Malaysia, India, Brazil and others at one point in terms of economic and technological developments. But now, we are importers of even mundane and simple gizmos. We could cry in this House and even keep--- It is important that when we prepare the budget, we ask ourselves where the future of this country is. Even this Budget that we are going to pass, we need to ask whether or not it is going to support posterity. Could it be that we are just using the money and burdening posterity with bigger and bigger debts? As a Member mentioned here, the truth of the matter is that some money normally changes hands so that the colonialists can take advantage of our resources. Majority of Kenyans do not get a penny out of it. This is similar to what has been happening to aids and loans. Some few fellows utilize that money and probably ship it back to where it came from. The poor Kenyans - myself included - continue to pay those debts. It is, therefore, high time the education sector sat down with the people in charge of labour and tell us what we need to do to have space technologists in the future. We need to know The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}