Members of Parliament have vowed to shoot down the Bill seeking to charge Kenyans for WhatsApp and Facebook groups.

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 Through the National Assembly’s Committee on Information Communication Technology (ICT), the lawmakers have said that the proposals are not only ill-timed but also ill-intended. 

According to the bill, all administrators of Facebook and WhatsApp groups are expected to get a license from the Communication Authority of Kenya (CA).

 The bill, which has been fronted by Malava Member of Parliament Malulu Injendi, wants the administrators to pay some fees before they can be licensed. The lawmaker wants the groups regulated to ensure they do not share unwanted information in a bid to curb cases of crime.

“The Commission may on application in a prescribed manner and upon payment of a prescribed fee, grant a license authorising any person to establish a social media platform for purposes of communication,” it reads in part, as quoted by Citizen Digital.

ICT committee chair William Kisang has said that the Bill cannot be implemented, adding that the lawmaker should revisit before presenting it on the floor of the house for debate. 

He also noted that the Bill is unrealistic considering the fact that it doesn’t take care of the real needs of Kenyans in any way.