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{
    "id": 460088,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/460088/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 237,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Omulele",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2145,
        "legal_name": "Christopher Omulele",
        "slug": "christopher-omulele"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker for giving me this opportunity to speak to this Motion. I will start straightaway from the Constitution of this country which is our primary law. It provides under Article 53(1) that every child has a right to free and compulsory basic education. This Article is further buttressed by Article 55 which states that the State shall take measures including affirmative action programmes to ensure that the youth have access to relevant education and training. In my opinion, this is a Motion that is fairly and squarely within the provisions of our Constitution. This is the duty that the State has. We as Parliament have a duty to our children to ensure that they have access to this basic education. This cannot be overstated. This is because we all know that the only gift that we may give to our children which is enduring is education. You may be wealthy or rich and bequeath your children with earthly wealth, but without proper education for them to manage that wealth, all of it is just useless. I stand here today to support this Motion because we all know what this FPE Programme has done to our children. We have seen an increase in the enrolment in basic education in this country, as the Motion clearly states, from 5.9 million to 8.7 million; and this is going up. Our children in the villages all over the country today can have some basic understanding of the workings of State. This is important for a nation that is aspiring to become a developed nation. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the sum of Kshs1,020 that the nation has been providing for this particular programme is insufficient. We all know why. It is because we have inflation and the sum in itself cannot really buy more than one or two books. This is the sum of money provided for the education of a child for an entire year. If we provide Kshs3,060 we really will not have reached the very minimum that we should provide for these children, but we shall only be making an effort towards achieving that. With Kshs3,060 we are saying that every child will be having Kshs1,020 per term. This is really a drop in the ocean, but is a step in the right direction. In supporting this Motion, I would like to take cognizance of the good work the CDF has done in the education sector in this country. I know I cannot be contradicted if I said that the construction of physical infrastructure in our schools is being undertaken through the CDF money. Sooner than later, we shall be looking at the matter of whether or not to increase the CDF allocation; we shall be asking and urging that the allocation of CDF be increased. If both programmes move together, we shall be able to provide physical amenities for our children to learn in a good environment. We will also provide them with educational materials through this programme so that they can attain reasonable education. 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."
}