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{
    "id": 838608,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/838608/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 275,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Nominated, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Ms.) Cecily Mbarire",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 78,
        "legal_name": "Cecily Mutitu Mbarire",
        "slug": "cecily-mbarire"
    },
    "content": "the youth of this country? What is it that is being done that has worked and what has not worked and what do we do about it? There is no need of reinventing the wheel as far as I am concerned. We need first to know where we have gone wrong with what we have so that we know what needs to be done to make it better. We have a very good programme called the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) that helps in access to Government tenders by youth, women and persons with disability. The biggest spender in any nation is Government. Thirty per cent of AGPO is supposed to go to that category. Where have we gone wrong with AGPO? Why is it not working to the point that out of the earmarked Kshs200 billion that is supposed to support those central groups that I have mentioned, they are doing less than Kshs40 billion a year? Who is monitoring that? What is the role of the Committee on Finance where AGPO fails to ensure that they monitor how AGPO is working? Is somebody strategically ensuring that this money does not go to the youth and the women so that it continues to go to the same people over and over again? Are there certain obstacles that are still on the way of those young people or the women and others so that they are unable to fully take advantage of this very good programme? These are the questions we must begin to ask ourselves because we will come here every term, pass very good things about the youth, but very little is happening out there. Within AGPO, what stops you, the Member of Parliament with your NG-CDF, from giving certain tenders to young youth-owned companies? Today, if we asked Members of Parliament here who have NG-CDF and even Affirmative Action Fund, how many of them have gone out of their way, consciously, to make sure they give tenders to youth-owned companies, I am sure less than 5 per cent will say that they have done it. So, the challenge starts with all of us. It cannot be always pointing a finger at other people to do it. It must also start with us seated here. So, I want us to go beyond lip service into real action. While this Motion is well intended by Mheshimiwa, we must now make it happen. We must walk the talk. We must lead by example. Start with your NG-CDF or Affirmative Action Fund and then let us hold Government accountable to make sure that the programmes they have in place help the people they are intended to help. Let us see what went wrong with the youth fund and what is happening with AGPO. From there, we are sure we will do the right thing. With those many remarks, I support, but I say let us go beyond talking. Let us act."
}