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{
    "id": 942265,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/942265/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 93,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Makueni, WDM-K",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Daniel Maanzo",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2197,
        "legal_name": "Daniel Kitonga Maanzo",
        "slug": "daniel-kitonga-maanzo"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker for giving me an opportunity to contribute on this important Motion. Policy informs the making of law. Our Constitution, in Article 55, is clear that this matter of training young people is mandatory. Therefore, at some point, we should graduate this Motion into law, so that we have equilibrium to ensure that those who do not make it to university, and who may be endowed with talent in technology, can access training and become useful in many aspects of life. One of the challenges is that we are bringing in a lot of manufactured goods from countries like Malaysia. For instance, we import furniture, which we can make locally, partly because we do not have trained technicians who are sufficiently refined to make high quality furniture items although we have a number of them. If you look at displays at carpentry workshops across the country, more so at the Prisons Industries, you will realise that talent in Kenya is enormous. If we train more people and change the mindset amongst our youths regarding education - that not everybody needs to go through university education in preparation for a white-collar job - many Kenyans will acquire technological skills, especially where we have to use skills such as masonry, construction, wood work and pottery. There is much which can be done when people are trained. Even making statutes needs thorough training, but not many young Kenyans know that it is a well-paying job. Painting and fine art are equally well-paying. These are areas where people can receive training and become self-employed. This will also encourage formation of companies which can go into manufacturing since the Government is very keen on this. Our thinking has been shaped differently and I think through this Motion, we will change the way Kenyans think. My good friend, Hon. Munene, was my classmate in university. He can work together with other lawyers to come up with an amendment to the current Education Act, so that this matter is made a by-law and compulsory as required by the Constitution. The word used is ‘shall’, which means it should be mandatory. Australia was built by people who had skills in construction and many other areas before they got lawyers and other professionals. The first people to go to Australia were jail birds of the British Government who had acquired some skills. When they landed in Australia, it was very easy for them to build their country. I believe if that happened in Australia, it can also happen in The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}