REPUBLIC OF KENYA

Press Briefing By Government Spokesperson

Mr. Eric Kiraithe
August 18, 2016.
Good afternoon,
Karibuni sana and thank you all for coming. It is good to be
back at these briefings after a brief hiatus.
I plan to cover three issues today: the ongoing Olympics, the
upcoming TICAD conference, and the ICT Practitioners Bill
currently in Parliament.
Let me begin with the Olympics: First, we are extremely proud
of the phenomenal performance of Team Kenya thus far. They
are proving to be a formidable force at the Olympics having
already secured 4 gold medals and 3 silver medals. All our

Olympians trained hard and have competed clean in these

games. Their drive, determination and discipline is now paying
off. We could not be prouder of them, and we join all Kenyans
in

celebrating

our

athletes

and

extending

special

congratulations to our gold medalists: David Rudisha, Faith

Chepngetich

Kipyegon,

Conseslus

Kipruto

and

Jemima

Sumgongthe first Kenyan winner of the Marathonand our

silver medalists: Hyvin Chepkemboi, Vivian Cheruiyot and Paul
Kipngetich Tanui. We will continue to cheer on our incredible
team as we look forward to greater accomplishments and more
medals to come.
That said, we are aware of the concerns that Kenyans have
raised on the matter of Olympic kits, accreditation and the
overall mismanagement of our Olympic team. Regarding the
kits, the Deputy President and CS Wario met with Nike a few
days ago to discuss the contracting and delivery of kits by the
National Olympic Committee of Kenya in conjunction with
Nike. At the meeting, it was agreed that Nike will share the
kitting contract directly with the National Government in order
to foster accountability and transparency. The Ministry of
Sports has also met members of the Parliamentary Committee
of Labour and Social Welfare, who are in Rio, to discuss the
management of Team Kenya. The parliamentary committee
will proceed to investigate allegations of mismanagement.

On accreditation, the Ministry of Sports has asked NOCK to

provide the entire list of athletes and officials accredited for the
Rio games. The list will be shared with the aforementioned
Parliamentary committee. Again, the Ministry, Parliamentary
Committee and the Office of the Attorney General have agreed
that investigations be immediately launched into the handling
and management of our team in Rio.
The mishaps of this Olympic season have been a disservice to
our athletes and to the legacy they have built over the years.
We are fully committed to ensuring they never happen again.
We will keep you informed as investigations proceed. We
remain proud of our athletes for putting their best foot forward
despite the challenges they have faced.
Allow me to speak on the TICAD conference coming up. TICAD
has played a key role in promoting high level policy dialogue
on Africas development since its inception in 1993. To date,
there have been five TICAD conferences and the upcoming
conference, which will take place between the 27th and 28th of
this month, will be the first one to be hosted on African soil.
The conference promises to be one of the biggest Kenya has
ever held and as a country we are doubly proud to be the first

African country to host the TICAD conference and to be hosting

a conference of such critical significance.
In fact, at the moment, conference tourism is the largest and
fastest growing segment of the modern tourism sector. Kenya
continues to broaden its conference tourism strategy by
creating a niche market revolving around service provision to
business

travellers

attending

conferences,

workshops,

seminars and conventions. The concept has seen a 100.8%

growth since 2013 with an increase of international delegates
from 35,663 to 71,620.
We are eagerly expecting our delegates and have taken every
step to ensure that they are comfortably accommodated and
every precaution has been taken to assure their safety. As they
make their way to Kenya we say;

We expect to host close to 40 Heads of State and 4000

delegates from the 26th
to the 28th
of August. During their stay,
some roads will be closed and we ask Kenyans to bear with us,
as we accommodate our dignitaries and guests in the true
spirit of Kenyan hospitality. Precise details on road closure will
be provided by the relevant authorities.
Finally, allow me to speak on the Information Communication

Technology Practitioners Bill (2016) which is in Parliament. I

will keep my comments brief because I believe numerous
stakeholders, including the Minister for ICT, have spoken
elaborately on this matter. I know that many ordinary Kenyans
have also voiced their views in relation to this issueespecially
on social mediaand I want them to know that their
contributions have not been overlooked. Ultimately, the bottom
line, and our continued position as Government, is that this bill,
as it is currently constituted, is archaic and poses a threat to the
ICT industry. The Cabinet Secretary of ICT Mr. Mucheru is
therefore currently engaged in extensive talks with relevant
stakeholders in a bid to broker a tenable way forward. In
Parliament, The National Assembly Committee on Energy and
ICT is handling the issue, and they have extended the public
participation period to allow for consensus building. I therefore
urge members of the public to submit their views to that body,
and we trust that as all stakeholders come together, the
collaboration will yield a credible and viable solution. As
Government, we will continue to keep the media informed of
developments around this issue as they unfold.
That is it from me today. Thank you once again for coming. I
now open the floor to your questions.