HTTP 200 OK
Allow: GET, PUT, PATCH, DELETE, HEAD, OPTIONS
Content-Type: application/json
Vary: Accept
{
"id": 721898,
"url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/721898/?format=api",
"text_counter": 99,
"type": "speech",
"speaker_name": "Hon. Sakaja",
"speaker_title": "",
"speaker": {
"id": 13131,
"legal_name": "Johnson Arthur Sakaja",
"slug": "johnson-arthur-sakaja"
},
"content": "Thank you, Hon. Speaker. I would like to support the Bill. The intentions are noble. The statutes that are being amended need to be cleaned up in that way, from the Betting, Lotteries and Gaming Act. Of course, we are still waiting for more substantive amendments to this Act, so as to protect the many young people who are caught up in this yet also allow free enterprise in this country and betting. It is a balance that must be reached. The amendments are, as the name suggests, miscellaneous because they are just clarifying the role of the Chairman of the Board vis-à-vis the Director of Betting. It is good to have clarity. I know there has been some friction because of lack of clarity between those two roles. It is the same case to the Dairy Industry Act. It is interesting that the definition of “milk” was not inclusive of goat and camel milk. I know, for example, my colleague, Engineer here, would really take offence when goat and camel milk, especially camel milk, is not covered under the dairy industry. It is extremely special. He says it is part of the marginalisation that they have been taken through over the years. Also, I would like to support the amendment to the Clinical Officers Act as well as the Copyright Act. The amendments herein just bring consequential changes to terminologies arising out of the enactment of the Constitution. At this point, I would like to point out that the Constitution, which we keep calling the new Constitution is no longer new. It is now in its seventh year. In the first two years, we would have expected the Kenya Law Reform Commission or the Office of the Attorney-General to have done a scan of all the statutes in this country and to make sure they comply with the Constitution. The old terminologies and references that are no longer in existence, like “Minister” or “Provincial Commissioner” should have been dealt with a long time ago. Seven years down the line, I think it shows some degree of ineptitude or incompetence on someone’s part. We cannot keep seeing amendments, seven years down the line, of terminologies. I think this House has better use of its time to deal with substantive issues arising from legislation that has already been passed. On the Copyright Act, structured compensation is an issue that we have really fought for in terms of compensation of performers and producers of sound recording. Last year, we had these musicians and artists complaining because they have not been getting the value or worth of their work. We have very many media houses like television and radio stations, that do not pay our Kenyan musicians royalties for the work they do. On top of that, the collective management organisations (CMOs) that collect the royalties on behalf of the musicians and performing artists have also not been remitting the royalties in good time to the musicians. Ideally, our musicians should be some of the best paid people in this country. You will be shocked to know that, for instance, in Safaricom, the amount of money made through Skiza Tunes is much more than the money made from voice calls, but our musicians are still impoverished. If you look at the structural breakdown of how much they earn when you buy a tune, for example from one of my favourite musicians Christina Shusho, you will be surprised to find that out of Kshs1, she is probably getting only 5 per cent of that entire amount. So, there is still need for more substantive amendments. I will bring more substantive amendments to the Copyright Act. We gave time to the Committee led by Hon. Jamleck to go through this, but it has taken far too long. Our musicians and artists are still suffering. So, more substantive amendments will be brought to the Copyright Act. I know they are having forums on the issue."
}