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{
"id": 1626225,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/1626225/?format=api",
"text_counter": 197,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Sen. Wakili Sigei",
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"speaker": null,
"content": "because without any fine or penalty, no one will see any reason to be deterred from conducting activities like gambling without a license. Earlier on, I wanted to inform Sen. Cherarkey, as I take the opportunity to correct the misrepresentation, that the amount that one can bet on, is not one Shilling. In fact, the Committee enhanced the amount to Kshs20 as a means of ensuring that whoever participates in gambling must be someone who is obviously of age. If you reduce it to one Shilling, every other person, including young children, can access that amount and gamble with it. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the timelines that the Bill provides for advertisements by the media houses, the watershed moment is between 10.00 p.m. and 5.00 a.m. That serves the purpose that Sen. Cherarkey and the rest of my colleagues said, that we regulate because if we do not do it, it will still go on. We are living in a global society such that, although we would want to discourage as much as possible our young ones because of the mental effects of gambling and the consequences that comes with it, we cannot run away from the fact that this is a global thing that other regimes have attempted to regulate, but have not been able to. This is an opportunity that we have gotten. Although we have not got the right situation in terms of regulations as Members would have desired, this is an attempt that, going forward, we have enacted a law that will give us a platform to continuously improve that law. This is so that, at the end of the day, we will be able to speak to a regulated activity, which will enhance the support we are talking about. It will also discourage Kenyans and everyone else from undertaking such vices. However, for those who have already been put into this, not necessarily residents within Kenya, but those outside the country, are online but are Kenyans, we must also speak to them and support them in a manner that this law is trying to do. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, we are legislating for posterity. We are not legislating merely because we have to do so; such that, even if we are not supporting gambling, there must be a law in place. That is exactly what we are saying, that notwithstanding our differences and challenges with this activity, we must have a law in place. As I reply, I urge the hon. Members of this House to support it. For those improvements that we have talked about that we need to make, we have a room to amend the law and in the process of amending the law, we can also go beyond the law and create an environment that will help Kenyans. That is, the ones gambling, those who have been addicted and those who have been affected by gambling activities in order to get an understanding of how they can exit the vice. Rather than saying we do not want the law and yet, gambling exists, it cuts across and it cannot be ignored."
}