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{
    "id": 384139,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/384139/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 146,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Mwakulegwa",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 101,
        "legal_name": "Danson Mwazo Mwakulegwa",
        "slug": "danson-mwazo"
    },
    "content": "Madam Temporary Speaker, thank you for giving me this opportunity to contribute to this important Motion. We have heard from different speakers that before 2008, there was a law enacted by the Tenth Parliament. In that Bill, we have been told that the telephone mobile providers were to share infrastructure. We have also been told here that there is abundant infrastructure in place, especially that which was owned by Telkom Kenya all over the country. I support by saying we reactivate what was passed in 2008. The Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) should force the service providers to share the infrastructure which is abundantly available. What is happening today is that Safaricom has refused to share because of competitive advantage. They have the infrastructure and, therefore, sharing with the other players will allow the competition to catch up with them. And because the Act is already there, we would request the CCK to enforce it so that all service providers share a common infrastructure and, maybe, be build more according to their usage. If Safaricom uses more, then they should pay more. Then YU and the other service providers will now get an opportunity to penetrate and provide communication throughout the country. Secondly, I would suggest that because the CCK charges the service providers a fee. That fee should be used to create more penetration in the country. We need to revisit it and maybe this Motion could be referred to the Committee on Energy, Roads and Transportation for them to look at how best they can interrogate it while investigating CCK and the Ministry as to what happened to the 2008 Act. They may find how much has been implemented and how much has not been implemented. They can report back to the House so that we decide how to implement their recommendations. Madam Temporary Speaker, one of the barriers to creating more penetration of networks is the cost involved in putting up infrastructure. As one of the Senators said, it requires Kshs25 billion to create a booster or a mast. Therefore, we are asking for investigations to be carried out by the Committee because the previously Telkom owned masts or boosters are there, but it could be that they were using a different frequency. Today the FM frequency is cheaper than the former AM frequency. If this is investigated, the Committee could come back to us with specific recommendations because the Telkom boosters are already there, but they are not being utilized. Maybe they are outdated and need modernization. Therefore, the Committee would be able to bring to the House specific recommendations that could either enrich and enhance this Motion or reactivate what was passed by the Tenth Parliament, so that we can get a way forward to getting a 100 per cent telephone penetration by the year 2017. I support the amended Motion. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}