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{
    "id": 826440,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/826440/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 230,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Cecily Mbarire",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13166,
        "legal_name": "David Ole Sankok",
        "slug": "david-ole-sankok"
    },
    "content": "In point, I want to mention the issue of the two-thirds gender rule that we bought in the last Parliament. We had two attempts which both failed. I never saw my party call us or call Members to urge us to support that Bill yet one of the purposes is representation of marginalised groups like women, persons with disabilities and ethnic minorities. I hope going forward, we, as Members of Parliament, can push political parties to support the very purposes for which the Fund was started. We have critical issues around women, youth and persons with disability. Right now, the Government is putting together what they are calling Biashara Fund, where all the Funds that have been there like the Women Enterprise Fund, the Youth Enterprise Fund and the Uwezo Fund, are put together into one big unit called the Biashara Fund. There are concerns that we would like to deal with. They are concerns of whether this Fund is going to become an impediment to women, youth and persons with disabilities in terms of accessing it. Part of the reason the funds were established was to ensure that the money is accessible in an easy way to these groups. So, I want to have a situation where we are called to discuss it from the political parties. It cannot be that the only time political parties come to us is when matters political come here. They wake up and call us when we start talking about constitutional review. We want to be called even on matters that are affecting our people and matters that are affecting special interest groups, so that we can take care of them in this House. Going forward, I hope we are also going to see political parties putting their money in programmes that empower youth and women in terms of political participation. We want training on leadership at the grassroots level for women and youth who will be taking up positions as MCAs, Members of Parliament and whatever it is, at the grassroots level. The role is right now mainly played by NGOs. Since we have our own money and we have control over it, let us see that happening. I hope women and the youth in this Parliament, because we have a critical mass of young parliamentarians and people living with disabilities, will begin to push political parties to play their role with this Fund. They are not doing it. I believe it is time we woke them up and insisted to see real activities towards this critical sector. With those few remarks, I beg to support."
}