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{
    "id": 1128526,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1128526/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 793,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kipipiri, JP",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Amos Kimunya",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 174,
        "legal_name": "Amos Muhinga Kimunya",
        "slug": "amos-kimunya"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am delighted this evening because when I moved this Bill and it was seconded, there was only one Member who had indicated an interest to contribute. Gradually, the numbers grew and for the last three hours, we have been discussing this Bill which shows the interest that this House has had in this Bill. There is general concurrence and consensus that KIRDI and research institutions are important and they should be empowered to do what they should be doing. Apart from the legal empowerment, we also need to give them financial empowerment. I am encouraged as we go forward on this. We will be soon looking at the Budget cycle and I hope Members will push for more funding for these research institutions. A lot has been said about what has been happening in Kenya in terms of development and innovations that have been taking place in the following sectors, namely: Jua Kali, cloth, manufacturing and the Information Technology (IT). I believe we are all coalescing together towards bringing all these into a formal way of working such that KIRDI does its development and the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI) will help in preservation of those innovations. This will ensure that we do not have a situation like in a case where kikoi, a coastal lesso, which is a Kenyan word is registered out there. We hope that by now using KIRDI with renewed power, we can move be able to preserve those innovations. I have really nothing much to respond to; there was really no points of disagreement. Perhaps for the record, because I seem to know this better than a number of people, there is a story that goes around that M-Pesa was invented by an individual and it was then taken by Safaricom. The truth of the matter is that M-Pesa evolved out of what used to be called Sambaza credit programme. You could buy credit and share with a friend, which still happens to date. It soon became clear that there was a lot of credit sharing. Safaricom looked at what was happening, especially with people in the UK. People would buy the credit cards in Kenya, go with them to the UK and spread the same to other people in Kenya. The natural question then became: Why can’t we create a product so that instead of people sharing airtime, which is then sold for money, they directly send money? A lot of work was done around the idea. Vodafone was involved. The British Department for International Development was also involved. Then came M-Pesa. Naturally, every time something like that happens, people are bound to say, I am the one who invented it and it was taken away from me. You may have seen something on social media about a supposed Kenyan appearing on America’s Got Talent, singing one Mugithi song, which we know is obviously a photo-shop. But the person is doing rounds and becoming a hero. You can tell, if you connect all the words and the sequence…"
}