GAZETTE NOTICE NO. 1401 THE COMPETITION ACT (No. 12 of 2010) 

DIGITAL LENDING MARKET INQUIRY/SECTOR STUDY PURSUANT to the provisions of section 18 (5) of the Competition Act, 2010 ("the Act") it is notified for general information that in exercise of the powers conferred by section 18 (1) (a) of the Act, the Competition Authority intends to carry out a sector study into the regulated and unregulated digital credit markets in Kenya under financial support from Innovations for Poverty Action (IPA). Financial Sector Deepening (FSD-Kenya) and IPA will also extend technical support to this study. 

The main objective of the study is to identify and address potential consumer protection concerns in the regulated and unregulated digital credit markets. The specific objectives of the study will include—  

  (a) Provide evidence regarding the size and nature of the digital credit market. 

(b) Identify potential consumer protection risks and consumer outcomes within Kenya's digital credit sector. 

(c) Increase transparency and comprehensiveness of product information and terms and conditions. 

(d) Address probable fraud in digital financial services. 

(e) Improve consumer redress for digital credit products. (/) Increase consumer control over personal information to expand choice and competition; and 

(g) Inform the development of policies to ensure adequate consumer protection across regulated and unregulated lenders and equal protection of all Kenyan consumers. 

In Conducting the study, the Authority — 

(a) Shall hold such number of meetings in such places and at such times as it may consider necessary for the proper discharge of its functions; 

(b) Will receive views from members of the public and receive oral and written submissions from any person with relevant information; and Any party from whom the Authority may require information from in furtherance of the study will be under an obligation to provide the information in and failure to do so shall be an offence under section 18 (6) of the Competition Act, 2010. 

Members of the Public with relevant information may also submit oral or written submissions to the Secretariat within twenty-one (21) days of publication of this notice. 

The secretariat of the study shall be based at the Authority's offices located at Kenya Railways Staff Retirement Benefit Scheme Block D, 1st Floor, Haile Selassie Avenue, P. 0 Box 36265-00200, Nairobi. E-mail: info@cak.go.ke,Tel: +254-20-2628233. WANG'OMBE KARIUKI, Director-General.