Thanks. This is a real issue in 2018. Think about not just regulators ill-quipped to deal with the new Business Models and hyper-growth mentality of the new type of entrepreneur and investor that’s makes them take a long term view to market dominance. 

As we bash the Safaricom’s and the Amazon’s of this world on their ‘anti-competitive’ behavior we have to look at the overall big picture. I’ve always advocated for a light touch sort of Regulation. Oversight and letting the players in the multiple industries they play in know that they need to be careful they don’t precipitate Market Failure because if they do then the heavy hand of regulation will hit them. This is key.

Take the case of Google and the EU. Fined for uncompetitive behavior. We can see some similarities in the Google case to Safaricom’s behavior in the country. My take:-

Safaricom is becoming more a Platform Player now not because of accusations of Dominance but because of the reality on the ground and the competitiveness of Frenemies like Equity and Barclays. A little nudge here and there from the regulators and a dash of competition there goes a long way in keeping companies on the straight and narrow. The Telco sector and the financial services sector have become so intertwined that we need a new type of Regulator. And a new Terms of Reference. Encourage, Encourage and Encourage. What we are seeing unfortunately is knee jerk behavior that if not checked will kill the very spirit and entrepreneurial drive that made Nairobi Ground Zero of Innovation not just in Africa but the World. For the first time an African country is attracting startups from Europe and the US to set up shop here. 

A new dispensation and a new way of doing business for both governments and industry is required. 

Thank you Ali. This is a great read. Thinking of Safcom and Equity as am going through it.


Regards,
Boniface Machuki

---

From: Ali Hussein via kictanet
Sent: ‎7/‎24/‎2018 4:47 PM
To: machukib@gmail.com
Cc: Ali Hussein
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Regulator seeks power to license retail mobile cashagents

For those wanting to understand more regarding Regulators' and Old School Business Models conundrom in this age of Platforms and New Business Models this is a great read.

Amazon's Anti-Trust Paradox 

Regards

Ali Hussein

Principal

AHK & Associates

 

Tel: +254 713 601113

Twitter: @AliHKassim

Skype: abu-jomo

LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim

13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing,

Chiromo Road, Westlands,

Nairobi, Kenya.

Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with.

On Tue, Jul 24, 2018 at 2:25 PM, Ali Hussein <ali@hussein.me.ke> wrote:

​This is over reaching.. Not everything needs to be resolved by Regulation... ​

Ali Hussein

Principal

AHK & Associates

 

Tel: +254 713 601113

Twitter: @AliHKassim

Skype: abu-jomo

LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim

13th Floor , Delta Towers, Oracle Wing,

Chiromo Road, Westlands,

Nairobi, Kenya.

Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the organizations that I work with.

On Tue, Jul 24, 2018 at 11:50 AM, Victor Kapiyo via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

The Communications Authority (CA), is seeking powers to license all mobile money agents as part of new measures targeting market dominance in the telecommunications sector. Francis Wangusi, the CA director general told parliament Monday that the registration seeks to make the agents neutral so that they can serve the telecoms operators. “The agents are going to be licensed to check misuse of information provided by mobile operators,” Mr Wangusi told the National Assembly’s committee on ICT. Leading telecoms operator, Safaricom, has 160,000 agents for its M-Pesa platform, Airtel money has 30,000 while Telkom’s T-Kash has 7,000.

https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/news/Regulator-seeks-power-license-mobile-cash-agents/539546-4678402-yl67ycz/index.html 

We look forward to review the regulations. 

Victor Kapiyo

Partner | Lawmark Partners LLP

Suite No. 8, Centro House, Westlands, Nairobi | Web: www.lawmark.co.ke 

====================================================
“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” Zig Ziglar

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KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.