3076 THE KENYA GAZETTE 5. Provide a means for effective consumer redress and restoration of data, rights, property and privileges. 6. Ensure and facilitate the freedom to form consumer and other relevant groups or organisations, and provide the opportunity for such organisations to present their views government and decision-making processes affecting them. 7. Create a monitoring and regulatory capacity to maintain consumer protection policies in a rapidly changing environment. 7th August, 2020 2. Facilitate equitable access to public services, knowledge and information for development and self-actualisation. 3. Promote public participation in development by all citizens. 4. Promote Kiswahili, the national language of Kenya. 5. Promote the equitable treatment of Kiswahili and English, the official languages of Kenya. 8. Create, maintain and evolve standards for the safety and quality of consumer goods and services. 6. Promote and develop the use of community languages, Kenyan Sign Language, Braille and other communication formats and technologies accessible to persons with disabilities. 9. Ensure equitable nationwide access to goods and services of general utility, and to develop appropriate incentives and support for nationwide access. 7. Generate substantial wealth by harnessing Kenya’s multilingualism and the creation of innovative linguistic technologies with a reach beyond Kenya’s borders. 10. Develop, review, maintain or strengthen, as appropriate, mechanisms for the exchange of information on national and regional policies and measures in the field of consumer protection. 8. Help Kenya to become the African media giant by creatively using her linguistic facility in broadcasting. 11. Develop and strengthen information regarding products which have been banned, withdrawn or severely restricted in other jurisdictions in order protect our citizens adequately against the harmful effects of such products. Environmental Protection The Government of Kenya has made a special commitment to environmental protection and environmental sustainability. ICTs are fundamental in all areas of society today, including in caring for the environment and providing assistance in the wake of natural disasters. The rapid evolution of new technologies generates a large amount of e-waste, which can be either totally or partially recycled or reused. As Kenya begins to mass produce devices and ICT infrastructure, the issue of environmental protection becomes particularly important, as such, the government undertakes to prudently regulate the disposal of e-waste, promote the use of ICT to mitigate the impact of climate change and broaden the use of technologies for natural disaster and emergency monitoring, prevention, mitigation and response. Specifically, among other measures, the government will: 1. Promote the use of ICT to monitor and protect the environment. The government will design, develop and deploy an environmental early warning system. 2. Enhance climate change modelling, adaptation, mitigation, monitoring, and response through the appropriate use of relevant ICTs. 3. Encourage the development of energy efficient facilities which minimise negative environmental impact. 4. The Government will ensure that ICT players and consumers minimise the effect of infrastructure, appliances, machines, devices and tools on the environment. 5. Develop comprehensive policies on electric and electronic waste management, based on a positive relationship with stakeholders and the development of mechanisms of coordination between the public, private and decentralised sectors and civil society. The government will develop an inventory of e-waste production, collection and recycling in the country and work to identify and eliminate the main bottlenecks in the recycling chain. 6. The Government will provide incentives for the adoption of best practices to encourage reduction of carbon footprint, efficient energy management, e-waste recycling, afforestation and recycling of ICT products. water tower restoration, 7. Provide incentives for investors and innovators who develop ICT waste disposal and recycling facilities that meet agreed global safety and environment standards. 8. Promote cooperation and policy making in the region for the use of ICT in natural disasters, and for prevention of and response to climate change and emergencies, based on common standards and best practices, since natural disasters transcend the national sphere. Language Policy Language is a key component in ensuring access to information, fostering national unity and economic growth. To this end, the Government will: 1. Promote national unity Kenya’s linguistic heritage. through the proper management of 9. Initiate and sustain language communities. dialogue on multilingualism with all In support of this language policy, the government will: 1. Expound the language policy in a separate policy statement. 2. Draft legislation necessary for the full implementation of the policy. Open Source Software: Efficient use of public resources is a key consideration in government expenditure and procurement. The Government of Kenya encourages the use of and already uses open source software and systems for many purposes, this policy formalises the position of the government on open source software. Where an open source alternative exists to proprietary software, the government shall choose the open source solution. All commissioned software development by the government shall be delivered with the source code and made publicly available for use by any government agency that needs similar or close functionality. The government will maintain and publish a guide for use by government agencies listing solutions available, and publishing the source code of all government procured software. Regional Integration of the ICT Ecosystem As a member state of the East African Community (EAC) and a signatory to the East African Common Market Protocol, the Government is committed to implement policies and programmes to promote regional integration. The Government will remain proactive in exploring new areas of collaboration with EAC member states on ICT policy and regulatory issues and related matters that serve to advance the objectives of the EAC Common Market Protocol for the benefit of the citizens of the East African region. Specifically but not exclusively, this policy mandates that the government: 1. Secure cross border broadband connectivity to enhance cross border trade in goods and services. 2. Promote high speed broadband connectivity between the Capital and major cities of the East African Community, COMESA and Africa to facilitate electronic transactions between the African Union Member States. 3. Harmonise ICT policy, legal and regulatory frameworks with the other East African Community member states. 4. Ensure universal, fair and open access to reliable and affordable broadband infrastructure by all citizens and for other EAC member states that are landlocked; and 5. Promote Inclusion of ICTs as components of all on-going and upcoming regional projects. Policy, Legal and Regulatory Framework In order to fully implement this policy it is will be necessary to review the legal, institutional and regulatory framework to align with this policy. The Government will: 1. Ensure policy, legal, regulatory and institutional framework is reviewed and amended to enable implementation of the policy. 2. Ensure the legislation provides for the creation of institutions that will implement the requirements of this policy.