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{
    "id": 788568,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/788568/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 109,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Ms.) Mbarire",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 78,
        "legal_name": "Cecily Mutitu Mbarire",
        "slug": "cecily-mbarire"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I rise to support this Motion. Let me first congratulate the Mover of the Motion, Hon. Faith Wairimu Gitau, for Nyandarua County. It is a Motion whose time has come. It is very thoughtful and positive of her to think about not just the youth of her county, but the youth of this entire nation. It is true that the population of those below 35 years is about 75 per cent. It is important for us to know that the actual definition of a youth according to the laws of Kenya is one between 18 and 35 years. So, 35 per cent of this age bracket is factual. The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) puts the unemployment rate at 12.1 per cent, which may sound very low and unrealistic but it is in relation to the available labour force in the country. Universities and tertiary institutions churn out a big number of young people every year. These people need jobs. As Members of Parliament, we all know that our offices are like employment agencies. You are like an employment agency for the youth in your constituency. Many times when you sit in your office to meet your constituents, at least a half of the people you meet are young people seeking for jobs. Therefore, any effort to make it easier for these young people to get jobs should be embraced by this House. That is why this Motion is important and of great importance to the young people as they seek for jobs. The requirements we have placed across the employment radar for high level Government officers, Members of Parliament and other jobseekers are the same. We all seek for tax compliance certificates, certificates of good conduct, Higher Education Loans Board (HELB) clearance certificates, Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) clearance certificates and credit reference bureau clearance certificates. While those important documents are easily accessible by those of us who are in high offices, it is extremely difficult for young people who have no money to acquire them. We know that the Government has tried to take services closer to the people through the creation of Huduma Centres but, again, the requirement for young people to pay for those services is becoming a big hindrance. Many times, I have had to pay for many young people in this country – especially from my former constituency – so that they could acquire these certificates. Many of them cannot even afford certificates of good conduct. Therefore, waving this fee for youths aged between 18 and 35 years will go a long way in making it easier for them to acquire the jobs they require. Once in employment, you can begin to seek for the other certificates as required. One would wonder why you would need an EACC clearance certificate and a credit reference bureau certificate from a young man who has never worked. These are requirements that hinder young people, especially those from very poor backgrounds, from accessing employment. It is important to begin looking at it and ensure that they are able to get fair playing ground in order to get employment, whether it is in public or private sector. I rest my case and urge this House to pass this Motion. It is important that we all continue to think about young people, and on the issue of unemployment going forward. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}