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{
    "id": 526744,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/526744/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 245,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Eng.) Gumbo",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 24,
        "legal_name": "Nicholas Gumbo",
        "slug": "nicholas-gumbo"
    },
    "content": "groaning under the weight ofunbearable school fees in our public schools. This is a matter that this House must pronounce itself on. Hon. Speaker, education is a social equaliser. It is a neutraliser. That is why no country can hope to succeed in this world without directing their resources at ensuring a highly educated and informed citizenry. I, therefore, find it contradictory and ironical that while our Constitution under Article 53(b) guarantees every Kenyan child the right to free and compulsory basic education, a number of our public schools as we speak today charge over Kshs 100,000 per year. This is beyond the reach of most Kenyans. What makes this sad is that every so often we hear the Ministry of Education engaging in what I would call a meaningless ritual called issuance of the school fees guidelines. It is a pity that our Cabinet Secretary Jacob Kaimenyi and the Permanent Secretary, Mr. Kipsang seem to be mere captives in this matter. Sometimes it bothers me when I listen to these two speak on the issue of school fees in our public schools because to me they sound more like the original authors of the book of “Lamentations” in the Bible. Parliament cannot afford to be an indifferent bystander as our children are unable to go to school because of high school fees. For those of us who have been following the media, you have heard of the case of the young man from Likuyani in Kakamega called Benjamin Wanjala who is offering to sell his kidney to be able to afford school fees. There is the case of the 15 year old girl, Regina Wairimu from Nyeri County. She is repeating Class Eight for the third time because she cannot afford school fees. There is the case of the brilliant Yvonne Akinyi from Kisumu County who may miss her chance in Lugulu Girls High School because of her family’s deprivation. I am just trying to say that these are contemporary issues that as the HBC gets down to business we should be alive to them."
}