The ICT Practitioners Bill has been at the centre of controversy for the last few weeks as it has caused justified uproar in the tech community. The unusually ambiguous bill, which will be introduced to parliament soon, seeks to force anyone working in the ICT field to register and carry a license or education certificate. The bill has already stirred commentary, with Kenyans calling it restrictive, archaic and likely to be a great hindrance to innovation in the Kenyan ICT sector.
Mbugua Njihia, C.E.O of Symbiotic Africa, leading mobile VAS company in East Africa, describes the bill as something “so utterly ridiculous that line by line it shakes those actively invested in building actual services and products to the core.” In his piece, he notes the red flags within the bill, including the broad spectrum definition of what exactly an ICT practitioner is, the creation of an all powerful ICT Practitioners Institute as well as the unclear benefits of the practitioners who register under it.
To register under the proposed institute, one must be a holder of a degree/diploma in ICT or have 3 years experience in the field or prove to be a member of ‘good moral standing.’ This clause seems to be the most limiting, and to be honest, the most ridiculous.
Sam Wakoba, writer at TechMoran.com feels that this specific clause would kill the tech ecosystem. “If this bill was to be applied in the Western World, serious practitioners like Mark Zuckerberg, Bill Gates, Steve Jobs and several others would not be qualified under the bill.” The bill further restricts those who may have pursued different degrees in university but still ventured into ICT, a demographic that is filled mostly with members of the younger generation. This also would effectively kill any sort of innovation from those who do not have access to higher education. This bill is essentially a disaster in the eyes of the tech community and is clearly not in their best interests, but seemingly in those of shadowy private stakeholders.
ICT players led by Nanjira Sambuli have put up a Google Doc to discuss the pertinent issues that arise from the bill.There is also a petition to President Uhuru Kenyatta on Change.Org asking the president to say no to the bill, because “regulations are more likely to hinder youths progress than to help the industry.” While efforts are underway to #KillTheICTBill, the stated deadline for input on the National ICT Policy is today.
