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{
    "id": 964536,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/964536/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 334,
    "type": "speech",
    "speaker_name": "Lugari, ANC",
    "speaker_title": "Hon. Ayub Angatia",
    "speaker": {
        "id": 2153,
        "legal_name": "Ayub Savula Angatia",
        "slug": "ayub-savula-angatia"
    },
    "content": " Thank you, Hon. Deputy Speaker, for giving me opportunity to also comment on the Gaming Bill. I know much has been said. I want to start by saying that I welcome the Bill. It establishes systems and functions that will enable the gaming industry to be regulated effectively. The gaming industry has been run haphazardly because of lack of regulation mechanisms. The gaming industry has also had problems with institutions like the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) because of lack of clear regulations. We have an Act on how KRA should collect taxes on such gaming activities, but we do not have a clear authority on how the establishment of the gaming industry should operate. For example, one of the betting companies went to the Tax Appeals Tribunal and they have a lot of tussles with KRA. The Tribunal has given them a verdict. The KRA has appealed because they are operating haphazardly. There are laws governing the tax regime under the Gaming Act, but there are no clear systems on how the gaming industry should operate. I support the establishment of an authority. The authority will have the mandate under the operation of a board to appoint qualified people to manage that industry. There is no industry in this world that can be run effectively without having a legal board that can create functions, systems and even look at ways of improving areas where there are weaknesses in the sector. The Bill also proposes how the appointment of the board will be done. We want qualified Kenyans to be appointed to the board. Here, I insist that we should give opportunity to the youth who are crying for job opportunities. In this country, we have a culture where when any authority is created, the people you bring in as board members and board chairs are archaic. Even in the recent appointments done by the national Government, we do not see the face of the youth. We want to see the face of the youth in the gaming industry. The youth should regulate and control themselves because the majority of participants in the gaming industry are the youth. Let us give opportunity to youths who are qualified to sit on the board of the proposed Gaming Authority, so that they can control their own sector. Many youths in the villages are idle to the extent that they either do boda boda riding or they start gaming. However, they are qualified for these jobs. I have a youth in my village who holds a Master’s Degree, but is doing nothing apart from staying on his phone, gambling from morning to evening, because of lack of a job opportunity. I recommend such youths should sit on the proposed board. Because of frustrations, the youth engage in gaming from morning to evening, without engaging in any proper way of earning a living. You cannot earn a living from gaming. During the last general election, the same youth referred to me as ‘sure bet’ because I was going to recapture my seat. He was doing that because he was idle. He only knows words like ‘sure bet’ because he is idle. In gaming, sure bet is when you are sure of winning a bet. The proposed board will have powers to conduct business and affairs of the gaming industry. This is a clear-cut provision. We are making this institution very professional. If you make institutions professional, you discourage bogus individuals from invading the sector and misusing the unemployed youth who want to earn a living from an organised industry. This is an industry like the matatu industry. The matatu industry became so chaotic that the late Hon. Michuki, who was the Minister responsible for transport then, had to find ways and means of The electronic version of the Official Hansard Report is for information purposes only. Acertified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor."
}