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"id": 711839,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/711839/?format=api",
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"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. F.K. Wanyonyi",
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"speaker": {
"id": 2065,
"legal_name": "Ferdinard Kevin Wanyonyi",
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"content": "leadership. I am sure each one of us who runs NG-CDF is experiencing the same pains that my brother has just mentioned. Education is a social parameter through which you can see the achievement made in a society. It is not something new. Universal primary education is traced back when some of us in this House were not born, almost 1948, when it was declared by the United Nations a basic right for everybody to get educated. I just want to outline the importance of the FPE that in 1948, the UN declared that education is a basic right for each child. Again, I am made to understand that in 1962, the UN General Assembly acknowledged literacy as the main obstacle in most countries for socio-economic growth of any country in the Third World. Kenya is one of them. Therefore, it is very important that education in one’s life is taken seriously. We all remember that the NARC Government in 2003 declared that every child is free to go to school. As outlined by my colleague, that meant that regardless of the age, anybody can get education. We have seen even people as old as 80 years going to school and I think one of them was the oldest pupil in the world. You just go to any primary school regardless of ethnic background or tribe, as long as you put on the uniform, you start learning. That is an achievement of the NARC Government. Therefore, education was made free for everybody. Thirdly, I am also aware that because of the importance of this particular sector, many world organisations have brought aid to our country. For example, I am made to understand that the World Bank, has put in as much as Kshs3.7 billion into the education sector. The International Development Agency of the British Government also put in Kshs1.6 billion in the education sector. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) gave Kshs1.2 billion and UNESCO has put in Kshs250 million in the same sector. This was meant to assist in the purchase of text books for primary schools and maintain school facilities as mentioned. Part of the money was meant to buy instructional materials and assist in cases where schools had to pay teachers’ salaries. Therefore, the Government of Kenya has spent so much money in this sector, particularly in primary schools. In my constituency, through the NG-CDF, we give so much money to primary schools. As mentioned by the Mover of the Motion, in 2003, each child was to get about Kshs1,020 per year, which was increased to about Kshs1,420 per child. Today, that is what a child is entitled to. That is the money going to primary schools. Therefore, the Government spends a lot of money in this sector, but it goes to waste. Look at these figures: In the 2015/2016 Financial Year, we spent Kshs335 billion on education, which is more than what we spent the previous year. Therefore, this Motion is meant to see how we can suffocate this wastage in primary schools. As mentioned, we have cases where heads of schools have misappropriated funds. I have nothing personal against any primary school head teacher, but this is on record. Some of them are doing a very good and commendable job, but you go to a primary school and as mentioned in the anti-corruption report that my brother was reading, they flout procurement procedures in schools. That is common knowledge. If you go to a primary school and ask to see how they have done their procurement, you will find that there is nothing. It is fraud. It is not the right way to do things. Others hide 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."
}