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{
    "id": 469740,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/469740/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 81,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. (Dr.) Machage",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 179,
        "legal_name": "Wilfred Gisuka Machage",
        "slug": "wilfred-machage"
    },
    "content": "Mr. Speaker, Sir, at times, it is painful to address historical injustices. At times, it is not easy for the beneficiaries to accept that that happened. This House must be explicit and we must be open not because we condemn certain communities in this country, but because we condemn what happened in the contexture of history. Of the 22 purported public universities, 14 chartered private universities and 12 universities with intention to be given authority, I do not need to go to the statistics Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale has given to show where these universities are positioned. The last debater had a point; put universities where the need arises. But was this used to establish these universities? All I remember is that communities have to bow to the Head of State to have a university positioned in their place. You should pledge your loyalty. How long did it take to establish Mombasa University? Look at the changing of Western Kenya College of Arts and Applied Science (WECO) to a fully fledged university, how many years and kneeling did it take to establish that university? These are things that can be statistically proven. If you look at the list that was printed two weeks ago of people who qualified to be interviewed by the Public Service Commission for the positions of Principal Secretaries, it tells you. Migori County had only one candidate. There was no candidate from Suba, Kuria and not to mention the other six constituencies of my county. This is just an example I have given. Is it because the people from this region did not meet the threshold of the requirements? This is not true. Be that as it may, skewed the establishment of universities in this country is evident and obvious. We should accept the truth. We should have a university in every county because every county has a resource. Mr. Speaker, Sir, every former province has a resource that a university can identify itself with. We know that some of these institutions were established because of the skewed laying of the railway and the establishment of towns. So, there are more factors on the establishment of universities as a result of skewed allocation of resources, not only to schools and colleges but even to health services. If you have a mortality rate of 180 per 1,000 children dying in Homa Bay compared to 36 per 1,000 in Thika where do you expect to get professionals from when everybody dies in the first five years or the first one year of life? I will be coming up with another Motion on the establishment of Level Five Hospitals in every county because that is what is now required. It is required of us, as Senators of this country, to identify the truth and act on it. We should not be ashamed to say the truth. So, let us not hide and bury our heads in sand; that you see, you can have education from another university where you do not come from. We are not saying that those universities that will be established in the counties should only concentrate on educating the children from those counties; they will be universal. These are established to accept a certain quota of students from other regions into universities. We see these students in a very calculated move right from Independence. At Independence, I think we had the best professionals in this country from Nyanza and Western provinces. However, is that the situation now? This was a calculated move and I am worried. If you look at the trend of the Ministers whom we now call Cabinet Secretaries and where they come from, you will be worried. If this is the trend 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."
}