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{
    "id": 1089318,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1089318/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 218,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. M. Kajwang’",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13162,
        "legal_name": "Moses Otieno Kajwang'",
        "slug": "moses-otieno-kajwang"
    },
    "content": "How can small boys grow so big and make so much money in a span of five years? That is the nature of that world. In two years’ time, you can move from a millionaire to a billionaire if you have an idea that can sell. That is the environment and ecosystem we want to build. In my county, I have come across some young men and women who have established what we call DayHub. They have done it without support from the county or national Government. It is just a group of ICT enthusiasts who have come together to share and create a space. If we were assertive as the Senate because we have offices in each county, we could have created and converted our offices into innovation hubs. Sometimes all you need is good Wi-Fi, tea and an open-door policy and young boys and girls will come to the compound. While browsing, they will be sharing ideas and coming up with great ideas. In Kisumu County, we have some young men and women working on LakeHub. They are attempting to come up with technology-based solutions to some of the challenges we face in the lake region and the blue economy that is dominant in that region. Back in Nairobi City County, Strathmore University is doing an excellent job. Many of the incubators we have been privately driven as well as self-initiative. Madam Temporary Speaker, Sen. Sakaja is trying to ensure there is clarity in the legal framework for establishment of incubators and for support of incubators. We are talking about the establishment of an innovation agency and a registrar of startups. These are very good ideas, but I also want to agree with the rest of my colleagues who have spoken that sometimes you do not have to over-regulate. If we did not have this Bill and had a Government that was committed to innovation and completion of the Konza Technopolis; committed to the pursuit of Vision 2030 because innovation was one of the key components; committed to getting proper policy advice through the National Economic and Social Council (MESC); then perhaps things would be happening. We would be having startups and incubators coming up all over this country that it might not even have been necessary to come up with this piece of legislation. However, it has to start from somewhere. I support that we have this kind of Bill. There is a problem in the startup world and I will be very blunt. There is a racist dimension when it comes to funding for startups in Kenya. It is something we must look at straight in the face and find out what is happening. When startups go to approach venture capital funds, which are unfortunately are mostly foreign, the Sakajas, Otienos and Onyangos normally do not go very far. These are conversations that we get from the young people. The young people tell us that the minute that a face that looks a little bit Caucasian even if it came from Ukraine or Bulgaria, all of a sudden the startup becomes successful. If you look at the profile of the startups that have managed to raise millions of shillings in terms of support for their ventures and you will see what I am talking about. There is the aspect of ownership of a startup that is in here. I have seen analysts say that there is a disconnect between this Bill and the National ICT Policy of 2020 that has set the threshold for local ownership in ICT based enterprises to 30 per cent."
}