University Students have written to the National Assembly, asking the parliament not to pass the ICT Practitioners Bill, citing numerous demerits to innovators in the country. – By Gerald Gekara
The Kenya University Students Organization (KUSO) through its Information Technology Director Dan Mwangi, particularly fingered the requirement to register as an ICT practitioner as a barrier in discouraging students from pursuing ICT courses.
The council also faulted the proposal that ICT Practitioners would need to be vetted by an ICT Council, beating the logic of the role that Universities play.
“We fail to understand why a vetting by an ICT council is necessary. Having graduated with a degree or diploma in the mentioned fields directly implies that students are qualified to practice ICT of their stated major. Enforcing this would mean that the council lacks complete faith in the set higher education system.”
The controversial bill that is set to be tabled within the coming sessions of parliament has perhaps received its widest criticism from bloggers and media personalities, after the bill proposed extreme measures to deal with misuse of information and technology.
“We have reason to believe that the bill comes directly in violation of the Kenyan Constitution, specifically Clause 33.1a which states under the Freedom of Expression section that “An individual has the right to seek, to receive and to impart Information or Ideas”.
This is not the first time the ICT Practitioners Bill has made it to the floor of the house.
It was first introduced in 2016 by Majority leader, Hon. Aden Duale, and aimed establish an ICT Practitioners Institute charged with registering and licensing ICT practitioners and approving training programmes.
Now though, the ICT Practitioners Bill 2016 is back, this time sponsored by Nominated Member of the National Assembly, Hon. Godfrey Osotsi, and with some proposed changes
The bill has called for the introduction of an ICT Council that will be incharge of planning, arranging, coordinating and overseeing professional training and development of ICT practitioners.
The Council will also maintain the register of ICT practitioners, and can remove the name of dead members, or those who have committed offenses under the Act.
Practitioners are given a one-year license (Jan to December), after which they can renew them.
