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{
    "id": 1524208,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1524208/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 145,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Kitutu Masaba, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Clive Gisairo",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": " Hon. Speaker, pursuant to Standing Order 44(2)(c), I rise to request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation regarding the policy applied by Safaricom PLC on the transmission of political messages. In recent months, numerous users of various Premium Rate Services Providers (PRSP) and customers whose applications for sender identifications (IDs) are whitelisted as pre- approved entities have been experiencing blocking of transmission of political messages. This raises significant concerns about transparency and fairness of the criteria used by Safaricom PLC to determine messages deemed acceptable and those which are not. Political messaging is a vital aspect of our democratic process, allowing candidates to communicate on their platforms and engage with voters. By blocking certain political messages, Safaricom PLC may inadvertently favour specific political entities over others, which could cause an imbalance in the political landscape. The lack of clear guidelines and communication from Safaricom regarding this policy, undermines democratic engagement and the free flow of information. It is against this background that I request for a Statement from the Chairperson of the Departmental Committee on Communication, Information and Innovation on the following: 1. Report on whether the policy by Safaricom PLC, if any, regarding transmission of political messages aligns with the constitutional provisions and laws safeguarding freedom of speech, and communication and consumer rights of access to information. 2. Steps taken by Safaricom PLC to ensure that the process for blocking sender IDs, particularly in the political context, is impartial and free from bias. 3. The policy framework and administrative mechanisms for affected parties to seek redress or appeal, including seeking refund for the whitelisted sender IDs. 4. The criteria for approving or blocking transmission of political bulk messages and the safeguards put in place by Safaricom PLC to prevent the message- blocking system from being exploited for political gain or to suppress certain viewpoints. 5. A report on whether Safaricom PLC allows inter-network termination of messages to other networks, particularly Airtel, and if not, the interventions 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."
}