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{
    "id": 933603,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/933603/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 393,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Sen. Chebeni",
    "speaker_title": "",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 13187,
        "legal_name": "Mercy Chebeni",
        "slug": "mercy-chebeni"
    },
    "content": "impact on the ease of doing business in the counties. We have issues to do with timelines, public participation on whether the stakeholders are involved and issues which results to uncertainty and unpredictability of the environment. Madam Temporary Speaker, therefore, this Bill seeks to establish uniform procedures for licensing to ensure certainty in the process and ultimately encourage private sector players to do business in the counties. Allow me now to highlight some of the salient provisions of the Bill. At the outset, the Bill proposes to set out general duties for licensing authorities which include; providing for mechanisms for simultaneous applications for more than one license which is in Clause 4, preventing multiple licensing procedures, ensuring that applicants are given adequate opportunities to make representations on an application for a license and adhering to timelines. Madam Temporary Speaker, one of the challenges which business people face is to do with timelines. Someone can apply for a business permit or a license and they are not so sure when they will get it. Therefore, this Bill seeks to establish adequate timeliness for that. The Bill provides for the duties of county governments in the exercise of the power to issue licenses. These duties include protecting the rights of consumers in the respective counties, supporting the regulation of developing markets, ensuring that the quality of goods produced and services delivered is of a high standard and effectively administering control over persons engaged in types of activities that may pose a risk to the general public and, lastly, to ensure that licensing fees imposed are not prohibitive. Madam Temporary Speaker, sometimes you find that we do not have public participation when it comes to fees imposed in terms of licensing. This Bill further provides that public participation is established so that people can also comment on the licensing fees that will be imposed on them for the applicable procedures in the process of licensing by county governments. Madam Temporary Speaker, the Bill further provides for the applicable procedures in the process of licensing by county governments. These procedures include a requirement for county governments to put in place a single application process with respect to an application for more than one licence. The county government is also required to make a determination on an application for a license within 20 days of the application. In the absence of such determination, the application will be deemed to have been allowed. The Bill provides that upon an application being made, the county government may grant a license unconditionally, subject to conditions authorised by the relevant licensing legislation or refuse the application. In any event, the licensing authority will be required, in Clause 15, to inform the applicant of the decision within seven days. Further, licensing authorities are required to maintain a register of all licences issued, indicating the pertinent particulars of the licence holder and the nature of the licence. Madam Temporary Speaker, in Clause 23, the Bill strictly says that there is need to maintain a register for all the licenses issued. This will allow us to understand what kind of businesses are undertaken in the county governments and also to know who the licence holder is and the nature of their licences. The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposesonly. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate."
}