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{
"id": 1262181,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1262181/?format=api",
"text_counter": 266,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Crystal Asige",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": null,
"content": "the seeds of prosperity ensuring a brighter future for all our young people and their innovations. The Executive has pronounced itself as committed to seeing that this Start-Up Bill is enacted recognising that Africa's youth need the digital skills, access to technology and markets that are essential if they are to thrive in this increasingly digitised economy. The Executive has further recognised that this is how Kenya through her brilliant innovators can unlock her remarkable capacity for innovation for enterprise and even for excellent leadership. It is useful to also note that a number of countries have enacted their own legislative frameworks for startups. In Tunisia and Senegal, for example, the policies are part of their broader government strategies to position their countries as innovation hubs by leveraging the emerging tech scene to improve development. Tunisia Startup Act provides for among other things, state salaries for up to three founders of a company during the first year of operations. Also, generous tax breaks, startup grants, fast-tracking of licenses for registration documents and increase state support to cover patent licenses. Senegal's policies include three tax-free years for startups, training for youth and feeble entrepreneurs and a startup registration platform easily accessible on a government website. In India, the government launched, the Start-Up Action Plan (SAP), as they call it. Its objective is to address abstract aspects of this startup ecosystem and as a support framework for innovative entrepreneurs. India's motivation behind the SAP was to fast-track the spread of the startup movement from the tech sector to other sectors, including social, manufacturing, agriculture, education, and healthcare. Further, they targeted to move their concentration from Tier 1 cities like Mumbai and into Tier 2 and 3 considered as semi-urban and rural areas. To this end, India's action plan contained three areas for empowering startups. (1) Hand Holding and simplification. (2) Funding support and incentives (3) Incubation and academia partnerships. Mr. Speaker, Sir, based on the foregoing, the necessity and urgency for enacting this startup Bill cannot be gain said. Once enacted, it will provide a framework to encourage growth and sustainable, tech development, entrepreneurship, employment, and a more favourable environment for innovation. It will also attract Kenyan talents to diverse avenues of funding amongst other provisions. Aside from the Bill providing for the registration of startups, it also includes admission into incubation programmes. Further, it outlines obligations of incubators to support startups, with credit guarantee schemes, training and capacity building, application for grants, revocation of patents, fiscal incentives, and gross objectives. These provisions are important to help startups, but also to avoid abuse of the system by fraudulent persons trying to circumvent statutory obligations such as taxes and levies. The framework provided by this Bill will enable startups to grow, to thrive and encourage innovation, investment and of course government support. It also"
}