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{
    "id": 1089244,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1089244/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 144,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Were",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13183,
        "legal_name": "Petronila Were Lokorio",
        "slug": "petronila-were-lokorio"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker. I also rise to support the Startup Bill by Sen. Sakaja. I wish to emphasize that this Bill is very important and timely. It had suffered the sibling rivalry between the Senate and the National Assembly. I am happy that now it is back and we need to hurry it up so that it can be useful to our people. Last week, we visited the Konza Technopolis with the Senate Committee on Information, Communication and Technology (ICT). The people running the Technopolis know about this Bill and they are eager to see it passed as an Act because it will help them in their programmes and plans. They have already set up a data centre that is already operational and earning them money. They are waiting for this Startup Bill to engage many young people. They have around 15 whom they have engaged to innovate certain ideas. They are waiting for this Bill to guide them because it will provide some sort of order and direction in the innovations, especially those in the technology industry. Madam Deputy Speaker, initially when this Bill came here, it impressed many countries in Africa because it is the first in the continent. The first time it came to this House, for example, Nigeria came for it. They went ahead and started theirs based on their earlier one that Sen. Sakaja had brought and it is now in operation. So, that is the importance of this Bill. We are moving in the Fourth Revolution which is basically ICT. With that revolution, we require a guiding law. This Bill provides a framework that will encourage more growth and sustainable technological development and also protect many innovators through the suggested certification. As you have already heard, there has been abuse against young innovators. Madam Deputy Speaker, there are many who are misused, exploited and not paid properly. For example, it is said that the person who invented M-Pesa was a young Kenyan boy who we do not know anything about. However, if this Bill was there and if we had a registrar of startups who admits the startups into an incubation programme. If we had a registrar who provides certification and incentives for startups, the young person who invented M-Pesa would be the person we would have been celebrating today and not another person who took on the honours and who is now celebrated for the innovation of M-Pesa. This Bill will also provide an environment to have more opportunities for employment. Unemployment or under employment is now one of the biggest threats to"
}