Entry Instance

HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept

{
    "id": 555652,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/555652/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 54,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. F. K. Wanyonyi",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2065,
        "legal_name": "Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi",
        "slug": "ferdinard-kevin-wanyonyi"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, for protecting me. Some students join university at a very tender age. As the Bill suggests, the applicants should do it under the guidance of their parents or guardians. I know of cases where students join university at the age of 17. As you know, identity cards are very difficult to get in this country. Therefore, some students do not get IDs until they are 23 years old. Again, this must be flexible. We should amend the Bill so that the applicants can apply either through their parents or guardians. As has been mentioned by my colleague here, universities have become many. Therefore, I propose that in the Third Reading, we enhance the cash flow at the HELB. We should increase it. Given the fact that sometimes repayment takes such a long time, we should enhance the cash flow at the HELB so that most students can benefit. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, the next point I want to make relates to penalising students after completing their university studies. Jobs are hard to get. For example, teachers who graduated in 2007 have not been employed. Getting a job in this country is problem. Some of these teachers have to go to Uganda and other countries to get jobs. Therefore, HELB should give enough grace period to those who have completed university so that they can repay the loans. It can give, maybe, four years because the economy is not doing well. Lastly, the HELB loans should not only be restricted to university students. Students in medical training colleges and other colleges should also benefit from the same. Very few students join universities, and those who join public universities are very few. We should enhance funding for the HELB so that it can cover students who join other colleges like the teacher training colleges, medical training colleges and polytechnics. I support this amendment by my brother, Hon. Irungu. I look forward to having this included in the Third Reading. I support."
}