[kictanet] The Securities laws amendment bill 2014 and it's impact on ICT

[Mwendwa Kivuva]

On 11 December 2014 at 13:38, Ngigi Waithaka <ngigi at at.co.ke> wrote:
> Now, my contribution to this:
> 1. Anything that takes away our current civil liberties as enshrined in our
> constitution is a no-no. We cannot let the terrorists win nor water down our
> hard fought freedoms.

Its true, once our freedoms are eroded, it will be uphill reclaiming
them again. Remember what the country went through to repeal section
2A and usher in multiparty democracy?

>
> 2. Anything that touches on mass-surveilance e.g across the board wiretaps
> for civillians without an authorization from the courts is a no-no. This is
> taking us back to Special Branch days where private conversations used to
> make good fodder for intelligence. Also, where the ruling party is
> synonymous with the Government this will ultimately be used to settle
> political scores.
>

True. The challenge is we need very well structured accountability,
and transparency for such a law to work, but I am afraid our security
organs lack this.

> 3. There better be a really good definition of exactly who a terrorist is.
> History has shown how almost every hero known today was once labelled a
> terrorist. So if we want to detain someone past the current maximum times
> coz of terrorism,  then there better be a really good reason otherwise
> before too long these same laws might be used to fight the opposition.
>
> 4. Checks and balances. If the goverment wants extra power then the power
> ought to be checked by say an equivalent to Public Accounts Commiitee (PAC)
> for security, headed by a member of the opposition.
>
> How about we strengthen our anti-corruption and governance laws and I bet we
> would have a much better chance of fighting terrorism.

And maybe have concerted effort of training our kids from kindergarten
on patriotism, and the evils corruption can plunge a great country.
Start change from within.

>
> Waithaka Ngigi
>
> Alliance Technologies
> Nairobi, Kenya



______________________
Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya

"There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk
on higher ground in that lifetime." - Maxwell Anderson