Dr. Valerian Kilemi Mwiria

All parliamentary appearances

Entries 511 to 520 of 862.

• 13 Jun 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, when we talk about those things, the bottom-line is leadership and governance. Even leaders of North Eastern Province, parts of Rift Valley and Coast Province should not just complain to Government for ignoring them for all those years. I think part of the problem has been of their own making. They were supporting the Government that did not bother about them. They supported leadership that did not have an interest in those communities for more than 40 years. So, it is up to them now and their respective communities to promote the type of leadership ... view
• 23 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) I am aware that there are about 11,000 Kenyan students, as per 2006 records, who are pursuing university education in Uganda, due to a number of reasons. This is by no means an exodus, since most of our university students are still accommodated locally. (b) I am also aware that some universities have not been accredited by the Uganda National Council for Higher Education. Our Commission for Higher Education, however, does not do inspection of universities in Uganda, with regard to whether or not they are prepared to mount good academic programmes. ... view
• 23 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we should not be so alarmed because there is no evidence that the 11,000 students are in Uganda because they had qualified to join our universities, but they could not get admission. That is why I said that they have a right of reason. Some students have joined some universities without qualifying. So, we should not be so surprised. view
• 23 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, in terms of public universities, I think we are doing better than Uganda. Uganda has only four public universities, while we have seven. Recently, we made an announcement about other university colleges that we are opening. They include Kilifi University College, under Kenyatta University; Kisii University College, under Egerton University; Kimathi University College, under the Jomo Kenyatta University College of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT); Chuka University College, under Egerton University; Kenya Science Teachers College as a campus of the Moi University; Kabianga Farmers Training College as a campus of Moi University, Taita-Taveta Teachers College as a campus ... view
• 23 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, if you go to India, you will find that universities are even cheaper than our public universities. There are issues about quality here. It depends on what you like to offer. You must also ask questions about the quality of that education that is so cheap before you begin to say that it is cheaper. Here, we are already beginning to say that we will open day universities and we will not tie admissions to bed space because students can come in as day scholars. We are providing loans to needy students and we hope to expand ... view
• 23 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I have already explained that we are doing something. I already read a list of the new colleges that are being opened as well as new campuses. I also indicated that we are trying to restructure the Commission for Higher Education so that it is quicker in terms of evaluating and accrediting new institutions. That process is in place. We would like to May 23, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1575 be much faster than has been the case. However, I would like to assure hon. Members that we are already headed in that direction. In the next year ... view
• 23 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I cannot table the qualifications of the 11,000 students here. However, I would like to say that there are many students who are in Uganda for whom we do not have any records. They make their own private arrangements. However, I can assure you, on the basis of experience, we know there are many students who go to Uganda because they are looking for a second chance because they did not make it to go to our public universities. Therefore, they go through A-Level and eventually opt to join Ugandan universities. There are many students who go ... view
• 15 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, I beg to reply. (a) Yes, I am aware that the University of Nairobi has notified students who have not paid their fees arrears that they would be de-registered if they do not clear the arrears. (b) All the students listed are the Module II (Parallel Degree Programme) students who are aware of all the costs availed to them before registration. In other words, it is explained to them before they register. The policy of the University Senate is that if you do not pay fees, then you do not get the support that you would require ... view
• 15 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, we appreciate that there are difficulties and that there are many students from poor families who qualify to join the public universities, but are forced to go to the Parallel Degree Programme because of the cut-off points. We have been negotiating and exploring possibilities of finding more resources for such students, especially if we can expand the money that is available through HELB. However, we are also discussing with some commercial banks to see if we can help them. The problem is one of limitation of resources. I wish we could resolve this so that we can ... view
• 15 May 2007 in National Assembly: Mr. Speaker, Sir, they remain public universities. I would like to remind the May 15, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1297 hon. Member that even outside Kenya, if you go to other countries, there are always opportunities where students pay much more than the others who are not on scholarships. So, what we are doing in Kenya is asking students who can afford to pay fees for that education so that many of those who cannot are supported by the Government. It is a way of the universities raising some money to get along. We do appreciate, of course, that, unfortunately, quite ... view