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{
    "id": 675423,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/675423/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 324,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Wakhungu",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1889,
        "legal_name": "Chrisantus Wamalwa Wakhungu",
        "slug": "chrisantus-wamalwa-wakhungu"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am happy the Leader of the Majority Party has acknowledged that prayers are important and, indeed, we should allow prayers to continue in schools. Some are mission schools that are sponsored by churches and other religious organisations. We believe in prayer. Mathew Chapter Seven in the Bible says that if you seek, you will get. I am a prayerful person. I do not see why the CS should wake up and say that we should not allow prayers to continue because they lead to cheating. We want him to table any empirical study which shows that there is a positive correlation between prayers and cheating as far as examinations are concerned. We know the responsibility for examinations lies with the Kenya National Examinations Council. It is responsible for the setting of examinations, marking and safe custody of those examinations. I am happy with the measures that have been put in place. The secretariat that was there before has gone. Prof. Magoha is now the Chairman of the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC). I trust that with Prof. Magoha leading that institution, the issue of cheating in exams will be something of the past. In terms of regulations or policy-making, the key stakeholders must be involved. We have seen the Kenya Union of Post-Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), the Kenya National Union of Teachers (KNUT) and the Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) complaining. We want to ask the Cabinet Secretary, Dr. Matiang’i, whether he consulted the stakeholders on the pronouncements he has been making or these are just sideshows. Article 118 of the Constitution is very clear in terms of participatory and involvement of stakeholders as far as making of laws is concerned. This is worrying. That is why we are asking questions. Does the burning of schools have anything to do with the pronouncements of the CS? We want an answer to that question. Secondly, is there an issue with the management of these schools? Where are the principals? It has always been desired that principals must stay within the school compound to provide leadership. When students have grievances, are they given room to air them? These are the questions we are asking. It is high time respective principals tell us what is going on. In terms of security in schools, we call upon the CS for Interior and Co-ordination of National Government and the police, who enforce security to tell us who are responsible when it comes to burning of schools. Are they the students or outsiders? If they are outsiders, how do they get entry into these schools? These schools have watchmen. We are asking difficult questions that need answers. 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."
}