Why ICT Bill will scare investors away from Kenya: Sector players voice concerns

Stakeholders in the ICT sector have sent a warning to the government over the proposals in the ICT Bill of 2024. 

The Bill proposes that a person who intends to provide ICT services to any entity shall apply to the ICT authority for accreditation. 

The proposal has faced multiple rejections in the past, most recently in 2022 when former President Uhuru Kenyatta  declined to approve it, after it sailed through Parliament, due to industry concerns, including fears that it would restrict innovation by excluding certain IT professionals, trainees, and aspiring youth from entering the sector.

According to some of the stakeholders who spoke to Citizen TV, the move to have the ICT authority accredit players before they deliver services will scare away investors. 

The sector players are also reading malice in the proposal, noting that the move by the government could lead to an overlap.

"It will definitely scare away investors who see Kenya to be a growing tech hub who know Kenya to have flexible regulations where they can come and set up their businesses and encourage innovation among us... More barriers mean let me go where it's easiest," said Agri Bora ICT Product Manager Phylian Karinge. 

"We have then a regulatory overlap in the ICT sector where we have the KIA Act which establishes the regulator which is the Communication Authority," Ben Roberts, Group Chief Technology Officer at Liquid Telecom, added. 

The stakeholders insist that any amendment to the ICT regulation should be geared towards addressing specific challenges. 

While noting that there is no magic bullet for the sector, they called on the government to give ICT players flexibility in their operations. Further, the ICT authority has been urged to focus on its key mandate instead of heaping more responsibilities on itself.

"The ICT authority really needs to focus because when you want to do everything you end up doing absolutely nothing," said Software Engineer David Lemaiyan. 

"Kenya is really one of the biggest tech hubs of Africa and at the apex of AI revolution where innovation is at the heart of what we are doing. Yes, we want to streamline standards but it's so important that we are careful to have flexible regulation that doesn’t stifle the innovation that is happening," Karinge added. 

The ICT stakeholders will continue with their push on all platforms including on X, that has now become the space for civic engagement.