Entry Instance

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

{
    "id": 721888,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/721888/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 89,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. Barua",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 1529,
        "legal_name": "Ejidius Njogu Barua",
        "slug": "ejidius-njogu-barua"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker, for giving me this opportunity to make contribution to this Statute Law (Miscellaneous Amendments) (No. 2) Bill. At the outset, I would like to say that I support these amendments. I will make reference to only a few of them to support my case. The first observation that I would like to make on this Bill is that there are changes in the terminologies. Those changes are actually meant for the Acts to conform to the new Constitution, which is quite in order. An example is changing the word from “Minister” to “Cabinet Secretary.” That is what the new Constitution dictates. There are other few amendments I would like to speak to. The first one is on the National Employment Act that intends to include the interests of other people who are beyond the youth age bracket to be considered by the Authority. This amendment should not be viewed as if it is trying to remove the original focus and main attention of the youth. The spirit of this amendment is to ensure that every Kenyan is catered for. I would like to observe that some people who are actually beyond the age bracket of the youth have struggled to get employment until they are well over 35 years. A particular case in this is teachers who have trained for a long time. They have Teachers Service Commission (TSC) numbers. They have been working in private institutions awaiting absorption by the Government. Because of availability of few opportunities, most of them have gone beyond the age of 35 and it is my submission that they should not be ignored. That is why I support this amendment so that the interest of those teachers is included. Teachers who are above 35 or 40 years and who are looking for jobs need the attention of this Government. Hence, I support that amendment. The other amendment that I would like to talk about is on the copyright laws. The amendment seeks for structural compensation to producers and performers in line with the international norms. Artists from other parts of the world, especially the western world, are very well remunerated. They are rich and they benefit from their innovation and sweat. We have seen a trend in Kenya whereby musicians and even some innovators are very popular. They produce very good music which is pirated all over and, hence, they die paupers. It is only right for people who produce songs which are enjoyed by other Kenyans to benefit from the innovation. It is for that reason that I support this amendment. Musicians, producers and performers should benefit from their innovation. The final observation is the one on the inclusion of camel and goat milk into the definition of “milk”. I think this is long overdue. Camel and goat milk is nutritious and has been enjoyed by many communities in this country. What I wish the Bill should also capture is handling of milk by hawkers. Hawkers who handle milk from one region to another should conform to some certain hygienic standards, so that the health of Kenyans is not compromised. As it is now, we see people hawking milk from one region to the other without taking into consideration any hygienic standards. As I support this Bill, I want to note that I have heard many contributors talk about gaming. A few decades ago, the issue of gaming was never there. There has never been a time when our young men and women would take to gaming as a first call of making money. This thing reflects the culture that we Kenyans are adopting. Some Kenyans have completely given up. They should be given hope. The opportunities for making a livelihood should actually be expanded. As we talk about gaming - which I really do not support – I would like to ask Kenyans to look at ways in which we can put each and every Kenyan in the economic net. With those few remarks, I thank you. I support this timely Bill. 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."
}