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"speaker_name": "Mr. Ochilo-Ayacko",
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"content": "Thank you, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, for giving me an opportunity to second this very important Motion. June 13, 2007 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES 1763 Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to take this opportunity to pay tribute to the Mover of this Motion. We know very well that this Motion is seeking to do two very fundamental things to this country. The first fundamental thing that this Motion seeks to do and the manner in which it seeks to do that fundamental thing is the enactment of the Information and Communication Bill. The two things that it seeks to do are, first, the establishment of the Universal Access Fund. You know very well that without funding, then this becomes hot air. So, this Motion seeks to fund Information and Communication Technology (ICT) in this country. The other very important issue that this Motion seeks to do, is to create a regulatory framework or regime upon which order in terms of information and technology will be achieved in this country. Those are very, very important objectives and if they are not realized, then the debate that will ensue from now and thereafter, will have taken place in vain. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to, first, say that if you read the Bible in the Book of Genesis, you will find that the first commandment that His Excellency God issued to humanity was \"Go ye into the world, multiply, fill it and conquer it\". The conquest of the world is not possible without information and technology. So, what basically this House seeks to do is to give a basis or to set up a foundation upon which the first commandment that is separate and away from the ones that were given to Moses, is achieved. So, we are embarking on what is called \"divine calling\". Since the Bible and the Qur'an, in terms of the Old Testament are essentially equal or similar, I believe that this Motion is very good. It is extremely good because it will enable humanity to achieve the commandment that His Excellency God issued to humanity. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to tell you that most of the mismanagement that the universe has had is because we do not have information and technology. We do not have sufficient information on how to manage our environment and resources that are bestowed or bequeathed upon us by those who preceded us. So, with the availability of information to every being that traverses or walks upon the earth, I believe that this earth will be a better place to dwell on. I also believe that human relations will be better enjoyed with the availability of information. A lot of the problems and challenges that we encounter in terms of security are because we do not all have sufficient information to surmount them. So, when a Bill of this kind or leave is granted to a Member to introduce a Bill of this kind which establishes funds to provide universal access to information; when that Bill comes to light and becomes law in this country and the fund becomes available, it will go a long way in ensuring that the lives of human beings who dwell in this geographical region called Kenya, become better people. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, we know very well that in an orderly society, there must be a regulatory regime put in place by qualified people with knowledge, information and with interest in the sector that they seek to regulate. So, a Bill that will regulate the use; a Bill that will facilitate the access; a Bill that will promote the use of information technology, is timely. It is something that this country should have put in place a long time ago. If we had put in place this Bill a long time ago, today we would be up-to-date with most of the issues that we have. I want to tell you how most of the things that we do in this country occasion misery to business people. Every person who intends to produce some wares for himself or herself is an entrepreneur in a very humble way. You will find that because of the restricted nature of information in this country and because of the want of access to information, such people are impeded and such ambitious projects initiated by such people are still-born in the village, where such ideas are generated. But with universal access, such ideas can see the light of day and can grow, just like the proverbial mustard seed that Jesus talked about in the Bible. So, Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, this is a very good Motion, and it will be very well for this country if the Government that we have, which is a modern Government, supports it and allows the hon. Member to introduce a Bill that will address most of these problems. I know very well that most of the challenges that we have, like the security challenge in this country, is because 1764 PARLIAMENTARY DEBATES June 13, 2007 our officers, who are supposed to tackle security issues, have not been exposed to information technology. For instance, the fact that something as basic and as mundane as a mobile phone can cause a security challenge to a police officer who, in his training and provision, is not given a mobile phone, is worrying. You may find that some criminals have more access to technology than our security personnel. You may find that a lot of crime is committed because people in the private world, who have access to private resources, have more technology than our Government institutions which are expected to equally respond to such challenges. So, this Bill which is seeking to give universal access to ICT will equip both the private and public sector so that our strides in terms of development match and so that both the private and public sectors are able to adhere to what is going on in the international scenario. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, I want to conclude by saying that the society is becoming a global village. What is happening in Kenya must be done in such a manner that it competes with what is being done in other areas like Europe and other continents like America. In fact, the poverty that is conquering or is fraught in Kenya can only be addressed if Kenya can match other regions in terms of ICT. Kenya cannot sit back and complain that citizens of this country do not have access to information technology and yet such citizens are supposed to compete on equal footing with citizens of the world from China, USA and Europe. When you go to such places, the excuse only attracts sympathy. It attracts what I would call tears. It does not attract or mitigate on your situation when you are conducting business. So, to equip the current Kenyans and the future Kenyans to compete as global citizens, it is imperative upon the current House and the current generation to give leave to these distinguished Members so that in the event that the Government becomes reluctant to introduce a Bill of this kind, then this House will play its role by bringing a Bill of this nature so that society can enjoy debate and services arising from information and communication technology. Mr. Temporary Deputy Speaker, Sir, with those very few remarks, I beg to second this Motion."
}