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{
    "id": 1055640,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1055640/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 198,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Tharaka, DP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. George Gitonga",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13491,
        "legal_name": "George Gitonga Murugara",
        "slug": "george-gitonga-murugara"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. Allow me to support the proposed amendment Bill because it touches on one of the best areas of life in our country especially when it comes to telecommunications, a vital aspect that we need to develop. There cannot be any meaningful development without telecommunications being streamlined. This Bill is timeous. We know for sure communications service providers are trying to cover the whole country so that we can make communication feasible. For this, I commend them despite the fact that there are balances between some service providers and others. What we should be aiming at is a near perfect market competition, where providers have almost equal shares in the market. The net effect of that would be that the prices would stabilise and it would become most economical so that most Kenyans can afford the services. We know for sure that the main object of the service providers is communication. However, we also know that the providers have used other clauses possibly in their memoranda of association, to do other businesses. Most of the businesses may not be regulated. The net effect is that they have a free hand to do what they want at the expense of innocent Kenyans, who do not have any other option, but to use the services because they have to communicate. This is why we have been told that some have moved to money transfer like banks. They have also moved to lending which is not controlled. Which lending is not controlled or regulated by the law? This is what Parliament should be looking into in terms of whether a provider of services can deviate and move to areas that are covered by other Acts of Parliament away from that which governs that provider. Those service providers are governed by the Kenya Information and Communications Act (KICA) while money transfers and money lending may be under the Banking Act and other banking laws. That notwithstanding, it is important to implore on the service providers to also move to the countryside; the rural areas where telecommunication is needed as early as yesterday. We have swats of rural areas that are not covered by the network and it is important that we bring this amendment into force as I will allude to. Regulations mean that we will have revenue when licenses are issued and that revenue would be important for development. But we must caution our Government against heavy taxations which would negate every gain we will have made by passing this law because possibly, there is easy money that would be realized from taxing such services. Let us move to the Fund. This Fund which was established under Section 84(J), did not have proper objects. The proposed amendment in Clause 5 of the Bill provides to set out the objects of the Fund. Amongst them is to emphasise Subsection 2(c) which says that there has to be advancement of availability of all telecommunication services to all consumers including those in low income and rural areas. While we would implore the providers to provide masts so that people are able to communicate in the rural areas, let it become the function of the Commission. The Commission is getting money from Kenyans so that it can discharge its duties to move into the countryside and ensure that we have the services at the core, right at the grassroots where citizens need them. I have to give an example with my constituency, which in my estimation, I do not have any statistics to back this, but about 50 per cent is covered by network while another 50 per cent is not covered. I have always emphasised to the providers that my locations, namely, Maragwa and Gituma and many other areas do not have network in respect to the services required. The net effect is that if the service provider does not provide masts or network, it will be upon the The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}