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{
"id": 671077,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/671077/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "July 6, 2016 SENATE DEBATES 53 The Senate Majority Leader",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "(Sen. (Prof.) Kindiki): Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, allow me to thank the Senate Minority Leader. It is always a joy to listen to my brother Sen. Wetangula. He is a great debater and somebody with a very rich mind, except in a few instances when he is tempted to veer off from the strictures of the very high office which he holds as the opposition leader. I understand him because every time he has an opportunity he has to try and market to the country what he would provide when and if he becomes President in the year 2095. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I will address myself to five things: One, the Senate Minority Leader has reminded me of the Kenya School Equipment Scheme (KSES). I want to be on record that I also benefited from the KSES where when you reported to Standard One, you were automatically given certain basic kit for learning. Those were good days because all children were equal. Text books and pencils were distributed to all children in the public primary schools. I hope that is where we should go back to. I also want to join him in condemning this craze for fancy and useless things in our schools, especially the buses. There is a lot of pressure on our schools to buy buses. I thought I was the only one affected by that craze, but I am shocked it is happening everywhere. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, secondly, I am in full support of what the Senate Minority Leader has said about decoding the free basic education. Time has come for us to set up a criteria. Although I know he was trying to use the Floor of the House to think through what he would recommend as the manifesto of his party, I still think it is a good idea. We need to develop a basis definition of what free primary education means. We are already ahead of the time. However, that notwithstanding, it helps if all of us, both in Government and the Opposition, think of moving this debate further and creating the elements of free primary education. Thirdly, when Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale contributed earlier and I think the Senate Minority Leader also alluded to it, is the issue of education qualifications for members of the county education board and the sub-county education board. This is critical. If you want to promote education and inspire learners, you must bring the best brains into the administration and management of education. There is no part of this country that does not have learned people. Therefore, if you require people who have secondary education to serve in the sub-county education board, you are likely to get retired teachers, retired agricultural extension officers and retired clinical officers to serve in those boards and that would inspire students at least to achieve some basic qualifications. Finally, it is an issue that was raised by Sen. (Dr.) Machage on whether or not the issue of requiring the TSC to assign teachers may not interfere with devolution of early childhood education and village polytechnics, but it does not. In fact, if you look at the provisions of the Constitution, Article 237 of the role of the TSC includes assigning teachers. However, if you look at the amendment Bill, it says that the TSC will assign teachers, but the county governments will maintain the disciplinary and supervisory functions on those teachers in accordance with Article 235 of the Constitution. So, that aspect has been taken care of. In any case, when this Bill goes to the Committee, I am sure if there are any issues when they will be doing public participation, the Council of Governors (CoG) and other stakeholders will help us refine the Bill later. 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"
}