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{
    "id": 686456,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/686456/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 202,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. J.K. Chege",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2129,
        "legal_name": "John Kiragu Chege",
        "slug": "john-kiragu-chege"
    },
    "content": "Hon. Deputy Speaker, for universities to succeed in quality teaching, they require technicians who are well-trained. Over the years, we have killed some of those very important institutions and converted them to universities. In a serious country that needs to grow, we must remember that we require all skills so that we can move ahead. There is one bigger problem. In Nairobi, we have brought some colleges to Koinange Street. If you take a young person from high school to a university along Koinange Street, what culture are you instilling in this young one? Universities that are established outside Nairobi do not need to bring their constituent colleges to Nairobi. They can grow wherever they are. The students can follow them there. Students will go to those universities seeking certain cultures of those universities. Overseas, there are certain towns that grow around universities. It is important that if it is Egerton University or Moi University, they do not have to come to Nairobi. People will go to Moi University to seek education. We have to decongest Nairobi. When you see the number of young people moving up and down in the evening, it worries everybody. We have so much space out there. We need to grow Kenya all over; not just Nairobi. The issue of bringing students here and competing for space is something that we need to address. There is nothing as important as research for a university. If this country has to compete with other countries, we must ensure that we invest in research. Recently, I went to a world conference on material testing. I was shocked. None of our universities were there presenting a paper. In Africa, there were about 10 out of about 3,000 papers. If we were to compete with the rest of the world, we must be seen at academia platforms. If it is an issue of making this country a supermarket for other people to sell us products, then we are doomed. I believe that we have brains in this country, but we need to make sure that we utilise them. Let us not misuse our bright kids. This country is very interesting and nowadays, they are demanding that cashiers in banks should have post-graduate degrees. There is a machine that is used to count money and so, what would be the use of a post-graduate degree at a cashier’s desk? That is pure misuse of brains in this country. We must develop this country so that we create more opportunities for people to be engaged fruitfully for the education they have worked so hard for. You find our young engineers looking for jobs but after accessing them, you realise that they are brilliant, but the teaching they received was not right. They might not have been given enough time, neither were they supported with what is necessary for them to become professional engineers. They end up making decisions to be accountants or something else. We should safeguard our youth so that when they choose a career, they are supported so that they can support the development of this country. I support this Bill."
}