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{
    "id": 402573,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/402573/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 203,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Hon. (Eng.) Rege",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 135,
        "legal_name": "James Kwanya Rege",
        "slug": "james-rege"
    },
    "content": "Thank you, hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker. I am not only an old Member but I was also the Chairman of the Committee. Thank you very much for giving me the opportunity to support this Bill and my colleagues who have spoken in its favour. First of all, this Bill was brought to us after it was thoroughly dealt with by the Ministry, stakeholders and the Chairman of the Commission for the Implementation of the Constitution (CIC). It was brought to us to make the few changes that we made. First of all, on the complaints that were made, Article 35(5) was actually meant to be for the Media Council. How come that now the Communication Commission of Kenya (CCK) is hijacking the process to have control over the media? What I want to explain is simply that technology increases every now and again. During this time, there is convergence of media globally. Today you can receive television programmes via internet protocol video streaming. The Media Council will not be able to monitor such transmissions simply because they do not have the capability to do so. That is why we decided to also bring in the CCK or the future Kenya Communications Authority (KCA). So, we did not have a problem with it. Nonetheless, the Media Council is also right to claim that they also have to be enjoined in the provisions under Clause 34(5) in that the content is surely for the Media Council to control, and not for the CCK. Therefore, in that regard, we have no problem with the Media Council being given that aspect to control. Most of Clause 34(5) is really for the future CCK because they have the tools. The CCK had bought in equipment worth Kshs1 billion – a vehicle that drives around to monitor frequencies and the power of frequencies as they are transmitted. They must do that to also safeguard transmission stations. Sometimes a media house could be transmitting on top of another media house’s frequency. So, it is up to the CCK to control that kind of thing. Hon. Temporary Deputy Speaker, I received a call from a gentleman in Kericho, who was trying to complain. I asked him what the problem was. He said: “James, you cannot put an engineer in the tribunal. What is he going to help us with?” It occurred to me that he did not understand what the tribunal will be doing. The tribunal is for the ICT sector. The tribunal will be controlling the telecommunications, the ICT, including the internet protocols, the media, et cetera . Therefore, we have to have, in the tribunal, members from all sectors. Previously, we used to have only three members in the tribunal. This time round, even the Media Council has been made part of the tribunal. Therefore, the Media Council cannot complain that they are being short-changed in terms of membership in the tribunal. We need the media as much as they need us. There is absolutely no reason as to why the media should complain that the National Assembly is trying to gag them. Doing so is not in our interest. We want our country to have solid media and ICT regulations, 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."
}