HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, POST, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"count": 1608389,
"next": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=api&page=151959",
"previous": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/?format=api&page=151957",
"results": [
{
"id": 1537772,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537772/?format=api",
"text_counter": 270,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Sen. Osotsi. I can confirm that though you have made reference to your colleagues, you are within the time that the Standing Orders allow you to contribute to the Bill. That is the law and we have got to comply with it. I will allow Sen. Mo Faya to contribute."
},
{
"id": 1537773,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537773/?format=api",
"text_counter": 271,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Gataya Mo Fire",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you for your indulgence, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Sen. Osotsi has taken all the time parading his skills on ICT, but the provision in the Standing Orders allow him to be engaged as much. I start by congratulating Sen. Joyce Korir, our Parliamentary Service Commissioner, for bringing up this very important Bill which is long overdue. I do not know why it has taken all this time because the essence of devolution is supposed to come up with many other aspects, such as libraries. I do not know why governors should wait for a Bill to be formulated in the Senate for them to start a library. Libraries are very critical. I remember that during our time, these were some of the good things we used to enjoy, though they were very scarce during that time. We developed some serious culture out of those libraries because we learned a lot. Some of us could not afford to get those reading materials from our backyard, but we really benefited from libraries across the board. As many contributors have just alluded to, currently, we have some serious challenges because of technology. As a society, we have diverted from the reading culture. Kenya is at the lowest peak of the reading culture. They are too much embroiled in politics. The political literature is very vibrant in our current culture and way of life. Therefore, many people rush into getting to know what is in the Kenyan politics and the context, and so forth. If you look at our generation today, our young people are too involved in TikTok and so many other technological media that are just developing. You rarely find a young man talking about the current writers. We used to talk about Ngugi wa Thiongó, David Gian Mailu and Chinua Achebe. Those things are not there anymore, which tells you that the reading culture in this country is at its lowest. Once we develop this Bill with the devolved libraries in counties, you would expect the committee formulated in this Bill to encourage our young people and any other person of interest to develop that reading culture. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
},
{
"id": 1537774,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537774/?format=api",
"text_counter": 272,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Gataya Mo Fire",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "We might be interested in ensuring that we have libraries, but we do not expect to have libraries that are not equipped. We expect libraries with relevant materials that are in tandem with society's current happenings. This is the only way we can grow. Passing this Bill, which will be an Act of Parliament, is not enough. We must also follow up to see whether this arrangement is duplicated in all counties. Then, we will be some serious custodians of our literature and culture. Today, we are losing our mother tongue. Children today can rarely communicate through their mother tongue. This is serious and should be addressed, especially when we put these libraries into place. I do not want to take much of your time. I know one of my colleagues wants to contribute and we are almost out of time. I congratulate Sen. Joyce Korir for coming up with this brilliant idea; well-researched and something that needs a few amendments here and there, so that we can have a nice document that is supposed to be sent to the counties. I support."
},
{
"id": 1537775,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537775/?format=api",
"text_counter": 273,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Sen. Gataya Mo Fire. Sen. Shakilla Abdalla, proceed."
},
{
"id": 1537776,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537776/?format=api",
"text_counter": 274,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Shakila Abdalla",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 380,
"legal_name": "Shakila Abdalla",
"slug": "shakila-abdalla"
},
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, for this opportunity. I also want to congratulate Sen. Joyce for this important Bill. When I talk of libraries, I am thinking of grassroots areas where technology is not accessible. These are places where people use small mobiles. Parents in these areas cannot give their children smartphones to access books from their phones. Libraries should be in every school. I know there are some schools that have no libraries, but we need libraries in every school because that will encourage and promote the English Language, which is used in all the lessons they are learning. You realise that most students, at the grassroots level, fail because they are not conversant with English. This is because their exams and learning are done in English. If they have libraries in schools, this will improve their English Language. Secondly, I want to encourage mobile libraries because we cannot have libraries in every ward and every county at the moment. However, if we have one county library, then we can have a few mobile libraries, which can be moved from ward to ward. We need to think of mobile libraries. This can work in areas where technology has not been reached, as well as areas that have no libraries. You will realize there are constituencies with no libraries at all. Mobile libraries will help our students, youth, and people who like to read. We need to encourage these mobile libraries to be for children at the Early Childhood Development Centres level so that they master the English language, which they require. In Nairobi, Mombasa and all these big towns and cities, children are good at English; they can speak English at the ECD level. However, you realize that other poor schools have no libraries, and the teachers are not competent, which means they are failures. How do you expect a teacher who got a D and or C to teach good English to a student? These libraries would help our ECD Centres and primary and secondary schools. As we implement the counties' libraries, we should have libraries in all the schools, and more so at the grassroots level, where there are no smartphones and no electricity. We need mobile libraries in those areas. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only.A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Director, Hansard and Audio Services,Senate."
},
{
"id": 1537777,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537777/?format=api",
"text_counter": 275,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Shakila Abdalla",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 380,
"legal_name": "Shakila Abdalla",
"slug": "shakila-abdalla"
},
"content": "With those few remarks, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I support this Bill. With a few amendments, the proposals would work well in all areas. Thank you."
},
{
"id": 1537778,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537778/?format=api",
"text_counter": 276,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Hon. Members, there being no other Senator interested in contributing to this Bill, I will ask Sen. Joyce to reply."
},
{
"id": 1537779,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537779/?format=api",
"text_counter": 277,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Korir",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir. Allow me to thank the following Hon. Members who have made good suggestions on this Bill. Sen. (Dr.) Khalwale has been the seconder. He has discussed the issues of mobile libraries, which Sen. Shakilla has echoed. This is a good suggestion that we need to consider. A number of areas within our counties cannot get these libraries. Even if we are going to establish the libraries, as per the request by Sen. (Prof) Kamar, we will still not have libraries within the various wards in the country because of the resources. Mobile libraries will play a key role in ensuring that Kenyans have access to libraries. Sen. Omogeni talked about the appointment of the committees being done through either a selection panel or the Public Service Board. He also talked about Clauses 9(2), where he spoke about the removal of the committee and suggested that it be given a fair hearing but not decided by the governor. I also want to thank Sen. (Prof.) Kamar. She has talked about the establishment of these libraries, at least in every ward. It would have been good for us to have a library in every ward, but because of the resources, the issue of mobile libraries within the counties will at least play the role that the Bill is aiming to play. There is also the issue of developing the languages, which she pushed forward, and I agree with that. I thank Sen. Kinyua and Sen. Osotsi, who have also spoken about issues of technology. I also thank Sen. Shakilla Abdalla and Sen. Gataya Mo Fire. Despite the fact that they have talked about the digital platform, there are a number of issues that are also affecting it because a number of them might not have the gadgets and even the internet to access them across the country. I beg to reply."
},
{
"id": 1537780,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537780/?format=api",
"text_counter": 278,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
"speaker_title": "The Temporary Speaker",
"speaker": null,
"content": " Thank you, Senator Joyce. You may need to request the Chair to defer the putting of the question. Proceed."
},
{
"id": 1537781,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1537781/?format=api",
"text_counter": 279,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Korir",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, pursuant to the Standing Order No.66(3), I request that the putting of the question on this Bill be deferred to a later date."
}
]
}