NANDI COUNTY ASSEMBLY 1 OFFICIAL REPORT Wednesday, 8 th August 2018 The House met at 2:30 pm [The Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei Clara) in the Chair] PRAYER QUORUM Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): Clerk, ascertain if we have sufficient quorum. (The Clerk confirmed that quorum was insufficient) Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): I now direct the Serjeant-at-arms to ring the bell for ten minutes. (Quorum bell) (Clerk confirmed that quorum was sufficient) MOTION FORMULATION OF POLICY FRAMEWORK FOR THE ESTABLISHMENT OF MODERN LIBRARIES IN NANDI COUNTY Hon. Rono Emmanuel: Hon Speaker, the Hon County Assembly of Nandi, it is an honor to move a Motion on Formulation of Policy Framework for the Establishment of Modern Libraries in Nandi County. We only have one library in Nandi County ran by the Kenya Library Service, and we are aware that the Constitution 2010 empowers County Governments to have libraries, so today I wish to request this County Assembly to reflect upon the fact that we need to move and have libraries across Nandi County. Libraries as somebody says are delivery rooms for the birth of ideas, I know today very few people read--- (Hon. Swadi on a point of information)
2 Hon. Swadi: I just want information from Hon. Rono Emmanuel and also Speakers advice. I think Hon. Rono Emmanuel was moving a Motion on libraries and I can see he is trying to contribute before he moves the Motion. Is it in order Hon. Speaker? Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): Thank you Hon. Swadi. Hon. Rono Emmanuel you were to move the Motion then you give flesh to it. Hon. Rono Emmanuel: Thank you Hon. Swadi. Let me move the Motion by reading; aware that the management of public library is a devolved function, pursuant to the fourth schedule of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, further aware that the library availability services encourages reading culture, which in return raises literacy levels amongst County residents noting that there is only one public library in the County that is not well equipped, concerned that some school leavers have often drifted towards illiteracy due to non-reading culture or inaccessibility of reading materials, cognizant that vision 2030 envisages reduction with the view to elimination of illiteracy through accessible quality educational learning, this County Assembly urges the County Government through the department of education to prepare and forward to this County Assembly for approval a policy framework for the establishment of modern public libraries, fully equipped and modernize the existing public library. Hon Speaker, I wish to say this, the man who does not read has no power over the man who cannot read, they are all the same and as the Motion says, there is serious illiteracy because people don t read. I had said before Hon. Swadi guided me very well, I said a library is the delivery room of ideas. We lack ideas today because people don t read. Somebody said that if you want to hide anything from a Kenyan, you hide it in a book, reason being of all the demonstrations that have taken place in Nairobi, people loot bars, electronic shops, but libraries are very safe. I was reading an article last night, in Norway if you publish a book, the Government buys a thousand books from you, and distributes them in the libraries. The richest man in the world, he was once rich but he has been overthrown, the man who helps to run many foundations and he has given 54% of his wealth that is Bill Gates. He reads 50 books in a year and that is his goal. He is one of the wealthiest man in the world. I was asking myself if the richest man in the world Bill Gates reads 50 books in the world, how many books should I read, and how many books should the poorest people in Nandi County read? There is a big difference between people who read and people who don t read. In fact if you release the statistics, the top ten wealthiest countries in the world have the highest number of people who read number of publications and such like things. So as I stand here, I say that, a library is a paradise, we need to keep our children off the destructive social media and the only thing is to encourage them to read at our homes mine included. The most expensive thing in our home is the idiot box that is the TV. A TV of Kshs 50,000 but there are no books. Parents should be encouraged to have libraries at home, as much as we want to have public libraries in major towns, parents should have libraries at home, and then how do you encourage your children to read? By reading yourself.
3 If you don t read there is no way your children can read, having been a teacher of English myself, with a long-term experience, if you want your children to improve in any language there is only one shortcut, let them read, one man says readers are leaders. Hon. Members we are leaders. How much do we read? So I besiege you Hon. Members that we encourage the reading culture. We have one library opposite the County Referral Hospital, next to the ACK Church, we need that library to be upgraded and have variety of books. I have seen Kenya National Library Service, they have camel libraries in Northern Kenya where camels move from one place to another because they know for us to transform this society people must read. Finally, a library is not a luxury, we need our people to do research, we cannot do research without libraries, some of us are pursuing further studies, maybe PhD or Masters degrees; we need libraries. We need a well-stocked library in Kapsabet and we need a library in Mosoriot, Nandi Hills, Maraba, Kobujoi and other places. Hon Members I besiege you to support this Motion so that we can have fully equipped libraries if not this financial year, next financial year or we can look for funding so that we can establish our public libraries. Thank you Hon. Speaker, I request Hon. Nyauntu to second. (Hon. Nyauntu bowed to second) (Question proposed) Hon. Maiyo Charles: Thank you Hon. Speaker for allowing me to air my views concerning this Motion. I want to thank the mover of this Motion for he has given us highlights on development of public libraries. In essence, if we want our society to read we need libraries and if we want our society to improve we need libraries. This is a source of information, there is no other way to get information but through reading. Those of us who have been in institutions of learning, it is very important, we always encourage children or people to read, where do they get information? Where do they get books if there are no libraries? At times we tell the children to go and look for newspapers. Where do they get the newspapers? They are supposed to go and read in the libraries. I do support this Motion so that we can have libraries in every Sub-County and I encourage that to go down even up to Ward level so that we can have people who are reading. Research is of essence in the County, if we want people to get knowledge and initiate projects, there is need for them to read. There is need for us to read especially those of us who are here, you cannot enact legislations without reading. How can you know that this law is supposed to be enacted this way if we do not read? So I think that we need to read. In fact I encourage this County Assembly to have a library for us in the new building so that we can be reading. So, it is very important that we have libraries in every Sub-County so that we can read. Thank you very much I support. Hon. Kipkemboi: Asante sana Mheshimiwa Spika kwa nafasi ambayo umenipa. Yangu ni kuunga mkono kwa sababu leo nimefurahi kuwa wasomi wameerevuka.
4 (Laughter) Hii ni kwa sababu, kila mara hoja wanazoleta Bungeni haziambatani na viwango vya masomo yao. Nashukuru Mheshimiwa kutoka wadi ya Ol Lesoss kwa kuleta wazo la kuwaelimisha watoto wetu. (Hon. Maiyo Teresa on a point of enquiry) Hon. Maiyo Teresa: Hon. Speaker, thank you. I am shocked that the Hon. Member alludes that those who have gone to school have all this time been bringing issues that are not worth, can he substantiate? Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): Hon. Maiyo Teresa before Hon. Kipkemboi does that, I think he just said that Hon. Rono Emmanuel has just brought a Motion in line to what he had been doing before he came to this House so I believe he has not accused anyone. Hon. Maiyo Teresa: Hon. Speaker, no he has just said wameerevuka I do not know unless I am the only one who is not getting that vocabulary. Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): I think that is just choice of words. Hon. Kipkemboi: Mhe. Spika, nilifikiri Mhe. Teresa ameelewa. Wajua Mhe. Rono Emmanuel ni mwalimu na leo ameleta hoja inayoeenda sambamba na shahada yake na hiyo ni kuerevuka kwa sababu wakati mwingine alikuwa analeta hoja inayogusia mambo ya barabara ilhali hana ujuzi wowote kuhusu hayo. Ninaelewa sana maswala inayohusu magari na barabara na wiki iliyopita nilileta hoja kuhusu pikipiki kwa sababu nina ujuzi kwenye maswala ya magari na hiyo ni kueerevuka. Kueerevuka ni kuwa mjuaji--- (Loud consultations) Ningependa kumfahamisha Mhe. Maiyo Teresa kuwa yeye ni mwanakamati wa Kamati ya elimu na hiyo ndiyo Kamati inayofaa kuweka makadirio ya fedha kwa mpangilio ya miaka mitano la sivyo hoja hii haiwezi kutusaidia. Inafaa iwe katika mipango yetu. Katika hiyo mipangilio ya miaka mitano ambayo tutajadili kesho, jambo hili liwe ndani na itengewe fedha ili iweze kutekelezwa. Kamati ya Elimu ndio Kamati inayosimamia swala hili na inafaa tutenge fedha ili tusiombe fedha. Sisi huomba tu wakati tunatilia mkazo sheria hivyo basi tunaleta ombi katika Bunge hii kuwa tunapendekeza waziri wa idara fulani aweke sheria fulani au tunamtaka waziri fulani ampe uhamisho wa kazi mtu fulani lakini kwa yale ambayo tuna uwezo wa kutenga fedha, tunafanya hivyo kisha tunaunga mkono. Hili ni jambo la maana sana huenda sikusema vizuri lakini Mhe. Rono Emmanuel amefikiria jambo la maana kwa sababu katika Wadi ninayowakilisha nina changamoto ya kununua vitabu. Wakati watoto wanajiunga na kidato cha kwanza, wazazi wengi huja kwangu kunisihi niwanunulie angalau hata kitabu kimoja lakini ingalikuwa vitabu vya serikali vipo wanafunzi wangalienda pale kujadiliana wanavitumia kisha wakimalizia wanavirudisha. Katika Wadi ya Kapsabet hamna
5 Maktaba lakini najua katika Wadi ya Chemundu/Kapngetuny kuna maktaba karibu na Nandi Stores na imetusaidia kwa sababu watoto wetu wanaenda pale kusoma na inawasaidia wajue kusoma na kuongea lugha ya Kiingereza. Inafaa tukumbuke kuwa vile vitabu tutakavyonunua vinafaa kuambatana na wakati wa sasa kwa sababu vipo vitabu ambavyo vimepitwa na wakati. Tufuatilie kwa sababu mfumo wa masomo hubadilika kila wakati. Ninaunga mkono hoja hii sana na ikiwa inaweza kuwekwa katika bajeti, mpangilio wa huu mwaka au katika ule wa miaka mitano, iwekwe. Tuunge mkono ili tuhakikishe kuwa imetekelezwa. Asante sana Mhe. Spika. Hon. Kiplagat: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I also rise to support the Motion brought by Hon. Rono Emmanuel. I want to thank him for bringing such important Motion for our society. As he has put it, it is very important to improve literacy because you find that we are going in the wrong direction when it comes to reading culture especially in this era of social media. Our people are no longer reading books they are on Facebook, Twitter WhatsApp and the rest. This Motion has come at the right time, we should fix this issue in the CIDP such that it is captured and in the next financial year, it will be included in the budget. We can probably start by building one in each Sub-County before we go to every Ward. I want to support Hon. Rono Emmanuel, sometimes we get donors who are willing to donate books but we do not have libraries. I once requested for donation of books from an NGO called Run for Life and they were ready to give us some books but the only challenge was that we did not have libraries so I ended up giving it to the neighboring primary and secondary schools, the books were worth lots of money. By ensuring that the County build libraries and equips those libraries, we can also support equipping the libraries through reaching out stakeholders, donors and even the National Government because nowadays libraries of primary and secondary schools are being equipped by the National Government. So what about the common mwananchi who wants to read? Hon. Speaker, I think we should capture this in the CIDP and I want to thank Hon. Rono Emmanuel who is the Chair of Education, Research and Vocational Training Committee and encourage him to ensure that in the CIDP we are working on, this issue on libraries is captured because I think it was not addressed. Thank you I do support. Hon. Muge Cynthia: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I rise in total support of the said Motion on libraries because we are all aware that libraries promote progressive knowledge. I was sitting here and imagining how I was fighting with my cousin today who got four straight Es and I could not convince her to sit somewhere and read and she even mentioned that probably if she could go to a library because she did not carry book A, B, C and D may be things would have been different. I could not allow her to go to another student s home because I know the kind of fishy business that can go on there. So it would be a better idea if we have sufficient libraries so that it can reduce loitering and going to friends houses in the name of reading yet there are other fishy businesses that go on there so I really support this. Having a library is not only important in giving knowledge but also passing information. You can find Government documents in the library. There are youths at home who claim that they normally get no information on advertisements on job opportunities thus they will make time to access the information in the libraries and having the libraries close to the users will reduce the rates of saying we cannot get to the library because of transport issues. I
6 support this Motion because it is really important in the society. Thank you Hon. Speaker, I support. (Applause) Hon. Murrey: Thank you very much Hon. Speaker, I support this Motion. We know that information is power and when one is given access to information he or she will gain power automatically in form of improvement in technology, advanced technologies have been able to do so because of access to information. So if these libraries are going to be taken or rather devolved to Sub-Counties and even to the Wards, it will help greatly. The other thing which we are going to gain from this is that the youth who go to places but do not have anything to add value into their lives in those places will be motivated to go to these libraries and probably carry out some research on whichever field of knowledge they want. We know that an idle mind is a devil s workshop so if these youths and any other person in the society is going to engage in research and reading various books, it may result in reduction of immorality in the society and any other criminal activities which we normally see happening in our society. Hon. Speaker, this is a very important Motion, in addition we know that when we come up with libraries, we will also have to look for those who are going to work there so it is going to increase employment rate in our County and most of our youth who have knowledge in library activities will get employed. This is a very important Motion and I do support, thank you. Hon. Maiyo Teresa: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I rise to support this Motion and I would like to thank Hon. Rono Emmanuel, Chair of Education, Research and Vocational Training Committee for coming up with this Motion, indeed it is long overdue. Honestly I believe that this is what we need in the entire world. Library, reading, getting knowledge and information and even for pleasure and learning new vocabulary. When you look around, the only library that one can do any meaningful research in this region is that of Moi University in Eldoret town. We need serious libraries in our towns. If possible it should be one per Sub County to start with because the other time we ve been complaining about deterioration of culture, issues to do with bodaboda, endangering of boy child and such ills in our society that include a lot of idleness and increase in crime. If we can have such a facility, I am sure it s going to help educate, engage and even avoid these sort of idleness in our community. Like some of the Members like the County Budget and Appropriations Committee Chair and Hon. Kipkemboi have said, we should ensure that the entire issue of libraries in our Sub Counties is hurriedly put into the CIDP so that it can be implemented. We will be able to have our young population accessing internet facilities learn. I am amazed at the rate that I am losing my vocabulary because of lack of reading since I stopped going to school. Thus, let us encourage our youth, the people in our Wards and even in every meeting that we go whether in churches or any other meetings that we attend to read. Let us encourage the entire population to read not only the young population but all of us should go back to the books. I support. Thank you.
7 Hon. Morogo: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I also stand to support the Motion. This Motion has come at the right time because I know most of the readers at present have put little time in reading. As Hon. Members, I know you have little time also for reading. I think if libraries are put in place, in our County and especially in the headquarters which is Kapsabet, we will be able to read. I know the Hon. Member of Kapsabet Ward will take us far because he is very interested in even trying to find out the new things especially in learning. I congratulate him again because he is a faster learner and it encourages even the community at large to see to it that at least anything new should be acquired. We can be libraries if we have something worth mentioning about us as Hon. Members. It is not only reading but also setting example in something that you have interest in then at least you will not be forgotten. I thank Hon. Rono Emmanuel who is also the Chair Education, Research and Vocational Training Committee and his team. I know education is something that can take us far. So, if libraries are put across the County, as well put by the Hon. Member of County Budget and Appropriations Committee that it should be put in the CIDP, this will make it possible for implementation to be effected. As Hon. Teresa Maiyo has said, even as a faster learner, she has lost a lot since she stopped reading. But I hope as a teacher you should be faster in trying to read so that other people outside can learn from you. I stand to support this Motion and it will assist us a lot. The moment it will be implemented, I know as Hon. Members, we should be taking time to see that there is an encouragement to the youth, to the adults and any interested person so that we find three quarters of the people interested in learning and they get something from the materials. I support. Hon. Rono Emmanuel: Thank you Hon. Speaker. I wish to thank Members for their contributions and support of the Motion. The first MP for Tinderet and Nandi i.e. Hon. Jean Marie Seroney was a great friend of Shikuku of course he died much earlier than Shikuku who when he was interviewed several years ago, he said he was comparing the 10 th Parliament and I can t remember very well and when he was with Seroney, he said they would spend so much time in the library up to three in the morning and when they went to plenary they would debate well. As Hon. Maiyo Charles has said, I think to the designers and architects of the new County Assembly, we must have a library. I wish to thank Hon. Kipkemboi who said that we have been bringing Motions that are not related to areas of our expertise but when we are MCAs I think we are at liberty to bring any Motion of interest to the people of Nandi. Hon. Kiplagat has identified that in our CIDP we don t have the issue of libraries and I will apologize for that oversight but we are lucky we still have three days. We must ensure that we have this in the CIDP. Hon. Murrey has said that this will create employment. If we start with six libraries that is one per Sub County, how many people are we going to employ? We can start with one per Sub County. Finally, somebody called Job Martin said a leader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The man who never reads lives only once. This is a fact. The fact that I have a small shelf in my House but I have so many books in my ipad here, so when I get time I read a page or two and you get to know you know nothing when you don t read. I realized that in my House, children are obsessed with gadgets and when I am there I encourage them to read. Like they say, the child who reads and the
8 child who watches TV now, there will be a big difference in ten years. The one watching TV now will watch the child who reads in TV. True or false? Finally, of course TV and maybe mobile phone has taken over as Hon. Maiyo Teresa is living in fear that her language is going to die because she spends most of her time like most of us on her mobile phone or television. Someone says I find TV very educative. Every time someone turns on the set, I go into the other room and read a book. That is what Hon. Teresa Maiyo should do. Reading gives us freedom. Fredrick Douglas, a black man, an African American says once you learn to read you will be forever free. There is no freedom that comes from somebody. If you can read, you will liberate yourself. Our Country and our County cannot be liberated if our children cannot read. Hon. Kipkemboi, having been a teacher of English I can tell you, I have seen there is a big difference between a child who sat for KCSE in 2018 and the one who sat in 2006. The difference is reading. There is no reading culture and it must start here. Thank you very much and we must implement this one. QUORUM (Hon. Muge Cynthia on a point of order) Hon. Muge Cynthia: Hon. Speaker, I am not sure if we have quorum. Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): Clerk, confirm if quorum is sufficient. (The Clerk confirmed that quorum was insufficient) I will then defer the putting of question of this Motion until--- Hon. Rono Emmanuel: Hon. Speaker, we just need one Member. Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): Hon. Rono, it s just right that we defer this because after 3.00pm it might be difficult to get that one person that we need but since you have given your right of reply its better we defer to tomorrow first thing. (Hon. Kipkemboi on a point of clarification) Hon. Kipkemboi: Kulingana na Kanuni za Bunge, inafaa kengele ipigwe kwa dakika kumi kisha tano. Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): Thank you Hon. Kipkemboi although your concerns have been taken care of by the presence of the two Members. (Question put an agreed to) ADJOURNMENT
9 Temporary Speaker (Hon. Chepkemei): Hon. Members, there being no other business to discuss, the House stands adjourned to the next session. (The House rose at 2:13pm)