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{
    "id": 1547261,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1547261/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 794,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Seme, ODM",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. (Dr) James Nyikal",
    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Network Companies, Owners, Drivers, and Passengers) Regulations, 2022, they excluded motorcycle riders. On that basis, they were not able to engage them during the process. So, that is a big omission. You may have noticed even now, that with the implementation of the traffic laws, the motorcycle riders seem to have been left out. If you look at how they are riding in town, they do not seem to be observing traffic regulations. As much as it may be seen that we are being fair to them, there is a big danger. We are exposing them. So, if you look at accidents that they get involved in, it is because we are not enforcing the laws that protect them. Laws protect people. Sometimes the laws protect you from yourself. I was very concerned that even when they were making these regulations, they left the motorcycle riders out. So that is something we should never do. But over the period, again the Committee realised that the sector has grown and it is not only motorcycle riders, now there are three-wheeled riders, bicycles and even pedestrians who have been involved particularly in courier services. So, we then have left out a very huge aspect. If you look at courier services, I do not think there is any that is doing more volume of work than the motorcycle riders. It has now been realised that it is now the most digitised sector. Because of the digitisation, KRA has collected so much revenue of up to Ksh15 billion between 2022 and 2024. An industry that brings that much revenue should never be left out. Having looked at the Report, I support the recommendations arising from the observations and what we see ourselves. The Report says it is now upon the Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport to revise the regulations. It goes without saying that if regulations leave out a major player in the industry, they need to be revised. I support that recommendation wholeheartedly. A very important recommendation that the Committee has come up with is that when revising the regulations, the Ministry needs to do an impact assessment of what they propose. That is something we often ignore when making policy changes. The Ministry should assess the impact that the regulations will have on the industry and on the traffic in town. That is extremely important. We are now in a digitised world. Therefore, we must look at the issue of data protection. If we bring the digitised players into the regulatory framework, we must consider data protection. This will protect the people using the taxis and the operators themselves. When you use the services of these digitised industries, you give so much information that you are not sure where it will reach and what it will be used for. Many of these industries are run by people from outside. It is important the industries have local presence. It is possible for a digitised industry to run without an office in the country. That is something we must avoid. With those remarks, I support the Report."
}