December 2007 - KICTANet

How Secure is the ECK data?
by John Walubengo 04 Jan '08

04 Jan '08

Based on the current impasse at ECK, I cant help sharing an article I send to the media 4weeks before the elections and it never got the attention it may have deserved... walu. ~~~~~starts~~~~ How Secure is the ECK data? (Late Nov 2007) Recently, there was the verbal exchange between politicians and the Electoral Commission of Kenya (ECK) about whether or not the Voters Register was being tampered with at ECK, Headquarters Anniversary Towers. Rather than debating on who is lying and who is not, it is better to take a nationalistic and objective view by asking How Secure is the ECK data? The Voters Register and the subsequent Polling Data is, or should be categorised as a critical national resource and must be accorded the appropriate levels of protection from various threats. Any mismanagement of this data would compromise the peaceful existence of the Kenyan state as we know it today. Typical threats facing this data would arise from circumstances that can compromise the Confidentiality, Integrity Availability and Non-Repudability of the ECK data. Data or information is said to be Confidential if it is secured against un-authorised access. Indeed most of the ECK data is by nature public information such as the Voters Register but there must be some data that should be kept confidential since it may be used maliciously if placed in the wrong hands. To what extend has ECK put in place processes and systems to ensure that confidential data remains confidential? The Integrity of data is an aspect of whether the ECK data is secured against illegal changes. In other words, does ECK have systems or controls in place that can prevent, detect and correct un-authorised changes to the Voters Registers or the Polling Data? Are these controls effective and more importantly, are these controls regularly tested? Availability of data refers to its capacity to be delivered where and when it is needed by its stakeholders. You can imagine, if the voting was done, the tallying completed and then ECK was unable to announce the results because of a computer or more commonly hard-disk failure. Speculations arising from the delayed announcement of election results during those critical hours after the elections could make or break this nation irrespective of whether the delay was valid or otherwise. Non-repudability of data refers to the capacity to prove beyond reasonable doubt, the origin of data. Within the context of ECK, this may be important particularly during this year when ECK is adopting modern communication technologies to receive, relay and query their data. Assuming the Returning Officers would be sending in their Polling data via SMS, Internet, Telephone or even Fax are there systems in place to prove that indeed the incoming data is originating from the official and not impersonated sources? In the interest of the public, ECK must take the necessary precautions to protect its information from the above threats. Similarly, ECK must be seen or should demonstrate publicly that they have indeed done due diligence to provide the necessary security with respect to the safety of their data. In developed economies, the laws and regulations require that critical data of national importance must be subjected to regular Information Systems Audits along the same spirit as that of carrying out regular Financial Audits. Despite the lack of compelling legislation to do an Information Systems Audit, ECK can decide to act in the interest of the Public and engage professional Information Systems Auditors to execute an Information Systems Audit on their critical data and related processes. Such an exercise, if it has not already been done, may be the only weapon to silence the reckless politicians who will keep suspecting the integrity of the ECK data to the detriment of this nation. J. Walubengo Mr. Walubengo is a Lecturer at the Kenya College of Communications Technologies (KCCT) and a Board Member, Information Systems Audit & Control Association (ISACA). ~~~ends~~~~ ____________________________________________________________________________________ Never miss a thing. Make Yahoo your home page. http://www.yahoo.com/r/hs

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[Fwd: [At-Large] AAAA records to be added for root servers]
by alice 31 Dec '07

31 Dec '07

On 4 February 2008, IANA will add AAAA records for the IPv6 addresses of the four root servers whose operators have requested it. A technical analysis of inserting IPv6 records into the root has been done by a joint working group of ICANN's Root Server System Advisory Committee and Security and Stability Advisory Committee, a report of which can be found at http://www.icann.org/committees/security/ sac018.pdf. Network operators should take whatever steps they feel appropriate to prepare for the inclusion of AAAA records in response to root queries. More information will be posted to the IANA web site during January. Regards, Barbara Roseman IANA General OperationsManager ICANN _______________________________________________ ALAC mailing list ALAC(a)atlarge-lists.icann.org http://atlarge-lists.icann.org/mailman/listinfo/alac_atlarge-lists.icann.org At-Large Official Site: http://www.alac.icann.org ALAC Independent: http://www.icannalac.org

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An African exception and role model by Jeevan Vasagar, Monday December 31, 2007, , Guardian
by alice 31 Dec '07

31 Dec '07

Why it matters ------------------------------------------------------------------------ *An African exception and role model**Jeevan Vasagar* *Monday December 31, 2007* *Guardian* A few years ago, Kenya's government sponsored a competition to invent a new national dress. Ministers hoped citizens would trade their buttoned-up western suits for the slashed collar and cape of the "Kenyan cloak" and forge a unified national identity in the process. Kenyans, who knew better, rejected the fancy dress en masse, preferring to get on with the more urgent business of putting food on their family's tables. The episode was a reminder of why Kenya is an African exception. In a region awash with trouble, it is an island of stability - its people renowned for pragmatism, cohesiveness and their ability to ignore their rulers' whims. By contrast, neighbouring Sudan recently ended a civil war in the south only to confront a new crisis in Darfur, Uganda has suffered years of conflict at the hands of the Lord's Resistance Army and Somalia remains a basket case. Since independence in 1963, Kenya has not been troubled by bloodshed on a comparable scale. Instead, it has acted as an honest broker in peace talks - Sudan's southern peace deal was signed in the lakeside town of Naivasha. It is a base station for aid agencies and a haven for refugees. Kakuma in northern Kenya is one of Africa's biggest refugee camps, home to some 90,000 people. Unlike Zimbabwe, its postcolonial rulers did not turn on the whites. Unlike Uganda, they did not kick out the Asians. Kenya's ethnic diversity has been an unexpected strength. Although the Kikuyu, President Mwai Kibaki's tribe, accounts for a fifth of the population and has traditionally had the loudest voice, no single ethnic group has been strong enough to tyrannise the others. There is plenty of tribal friction, as well as tensions between Christians and the Muslim minority, but this has never brewed the havoc seen elsewhere. In recent years, Kenya has been a political role model. One of former president Daniel arap Moi's few decent deeds was to leave office gracefully after losing the 2002 election. Government sleaze continues, but corruption no longer paralyses the economy as it did under Moi. Public life has opened up. The basement of Nyayo House, in the centre of the capital, Nairobi, no longer houses torture chambers. Unlike many Africans, Kenyans can laugh at their leaders. When the first lady, Lucy Kibaki, stormed into a newspaper office to complain at its coverage, she became a laughing stock as comedians donned drag and a towering frizzy wig to parody her. Kenya's economy is one of Africa's best. Its highlands are blessed with the ideal blend of sunshine and cool altitude for growing tea, coffee and flowers - it's the world's biggest exporter of tea and supplies Britain with many of its Valentine's Day roses. It has a hardworking, educated workforce, many of whom speak good English, thanks in part to its colonial heritage. Mombasa is one of Africa's finest harbours, and Nairobi is an air transport hub for the continent. Transport is crucial here; the country was forged around the British-built railway line snaking from Mombasa to Lake Victoria and Nairobi began as a railway supply depot. The economy is emerging from the paralysis induced by corruption and the lethargic quangos that stifled business under Moi. Privatisation has gathered pace under Kibaki and the country has been touted as an African tiger. But economic growth remains painfully slow and the number living below the poverty line keeps rising. Progress is critical. Nairobi is still one of the world's most unequal cities, home to lavish gated compounds with servants and swimming pools as well as Kibera, Africa's biggest slum. The country has one of the highest profiles of any in Africa. Its flourishing wildlife make it a massive tourist destination, and a substantial chunk of Africa's foreign press corps make their base there. That focus may explain why it has twice been attacked by al-Qaida - in 1998, when the US embassy in Nairobi was bombed, and in 2002, when Israeli tourists were targeted in Mombasa. The country is a key western ally in the fight against al-Qaida in Africa. If Kenya descends into anarchy, one of the continent's brightest lights will have flickered out, but the most immediate wider effect will be felt by other countries in the region, who stand to lose their most reliable neighbour. *Tough road from independence* *1961* Jomo Kenyatta is freed from prison. The independence activist was jailed by the British. *1963* Kenya gains independence from the British. Kenyatta becomes Kenya's prime minister and later president. *1978* Kenyatta dies in office and is succeeded by Daniel arap Moi. *1982* Kenya becomes one-party state. *1987* Opposition groups suppressed. International outcry over political arrests and abuse of human rights. *1991* Agreement to reintroduce a multi-party political system. *1992* Moi re-elected. *1997* Demonstrations calling for greater democratic reform. World Bank holds back on $5bn of credit. Moi wins another election. Opposition cries foul play. *1998* Attack on US embassy in Nairobi, right, kills 224, injures 4,500. *2002* 10 Kenyans and three Israelis die when a hotel in Mombasa is destroyed by a car bomb. *2002* Mwai Kibaki wins a landslide victory to end Moi's 24-year rule. *2003* International Monetary Fund begins lending to Kenya after anti-corruption measures are put in place. *2004* A draft of the new constitution is finalised, outlining limitations to parliament and reining in presidential powers. Massive crop failures and drought cause havoc. *2006* Government ministers are alleged to have received kickbacks from a mysterious company. Finance minister resigns. *· *Jeevan Vasagar was the Guardian's east Africa correspondent from 2003 to 2006. Guardian Unlimited © Guardian News and Media Limited 2007

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NOVATECH Investment Forum
by alice 30 Dec '07

30 Dec '07

Dear colleagues and friends, I am pleased to inform you that the NOVATECH investment forum organisers would like key East African countries to submit information on potential ICT projects. In this context the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), would like you to submit the following information on potential ICT projects from your country for consideration: - Country Name - Project title - Sub-sectors involved - Project contents/components/description - Project amount/budget (or in the range of) - Project status (i.e. project idea, at tender stage, on-going etc.) May I take this opportunity to wish you a Happy New Year 2008. Thank you. Makane Faye United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (ECA) P.O. Box 3001 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia Telephone :+251 11 5514534 Email: mfaye(a)uneca.org <mailto:mfaye@uneca.org>

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Nation Website "Live" Votes Reporting
by Alex Gakuru 28 Dec '07

28 Dec '07

Hi, Did you know Nation website has updated vote counts? Have a look at http://politics.nationmedia.com/ Nifty! Somebody should tell them to announce this on radio For consumers convenience! Best, Alex

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[Fwd: Kenyan Elections]
by alice 25 Dec '07

25 Dec '07

Hi all Interesting article on Kenyan elections on the Washington post best alice

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Best Wishes for Christmas and New year
by alice 25 Dec '07

25 Dec '07

(Apologies for cross posting) Dear all Wishing everyone and their families a very happy Christmas and New Year. Thank you for your contribution, time and efforts in making this virtual space a platform for information sharing and support. KICTANet lists moderators Walu and alice

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Horizons Story Today
by Vincent Ngundi 25 Dec '07

25 Dec '07

This makes an interesting reading. I guess the way forward is to setup an IPv6 task force to chart the way forward for Kenya. KENIC, in conjunction with AfriNIC, is planning to host an IPv6 workshop in June 2008. Our target is to train 150 engineers on IPv6 deployment. We shall announce registration for the same in due course. Regards, -Vincent >> [Daily Nation] >> Horizons Magazine >> 20 December, 2007 >> By REDEMPTOR ATIENO >> >> INTERNET: Connectivity capacity nears exhaustion >> The country must upgrade to a new platform before current >> capacity is >> exhausted >> >> In about two year time, aspiring internet users will be unable >> to get connected or publish new websites. >> >> Further it will not be possible to new cyber cafes, let alone >> the many government-fronted digital villages targeting rural areas >> throughout the country. Critical Internet addresses that uniquely >> identify users and resolves the location where a website is >> located on >> the internet will be exhausted, worldwide. >> >> According to the chairman of ICT Consumers Association of >> Kenya, >> Alex Gakuru, "The country will have depleted capacity for new >> internet >> connectivity unless internet infrastructure are upgraded to what is >> called Internet Protocol version six (or IPv6) because the world's >> current IPv4 will be exhausted." >> >> It will be too expensive, he says, and chaotic for the country >> to continue using the current IPv4 and the Government needs to >> address >> this problem urgently. "ISPs only need to upgrade their systems at no >> cost to consumers assuring room for more expression, choice, and >> opportunity. Consumers should not be charged because ISP equipment >> only need reconfiguration since most are already IPv6 compliant >> anyway." >> >> The ICAK chairman notes that the issue has been given the >> publicity and priority it deserves, yet it will be too expensive for >> the country to continue using IPv4 designed for the1977 Internet and >> acknowledges the Kenya Network Information Centre-KeNIC's leadership >> is best suited to ensure the smoothest transition to IPv6. >> >> Gakuru observes that with the worldwide increased connection of >> internet-enabled mobile devices, such as GSM and WiFi phones more >> hosts are making inroads into the internet each requiring an IP >> address in order to connect and thereby causing a faster depletion of >> IP addresses. >> >> An IP address is a unique number address that every computing >> device connected to the internet is assigned. IP addresses are >> used to >> route traffic on the internet and can be seen as the backbone of the >> internet. >> >> He explained that " the current IPv4 system can accommodate up >> to for billion IP addresses but with the current world population at >> six billion, then the internet cannot be for everyone. He says this >> upgrade should be prioritised. >> --ends--- -- KeNIC - The Kenya Network Information Center http://www.kenic.or.ke

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Eligible NGOs in Africa to apply
by Rebecca Wanjiku 22 Dec '07

22 Dec '07

Dear all -- Sorry for Spam - For those interested please apply directly - contacts are below The Africa-America Institute (AAI) is pleased to announce the next deadline for scholarship applications for the Transformational Leadership Program (TLP). AAI is partnering with The Coca-Cola Africa Foundation (TCCAF) on TLP to enhance capacity of professional management skills and leadership in Africa. Please feel free to share this scholarship opportunity with any interested and qualified individuals. This multiyear program offers both non-degree professional development and business degree training programs to African managers in Africa-based NGOs working in the fields of health, education, environment and entrepreneurship. The program involves three training providers with excellent track records in their respective fields: Emory University's Goizueta Business School (Atlanta, USA), The Aresty Institute of Executive Education at The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, USA) and the United States International University ( Nairobi, Kenya). AAI invites the managers of eligible NGOs in Africa to apply for a TLP scholarship for a Master's of Business Administration (MBA) at the Goizueta Business School at Emory University in Atlanta, GA by January 21, 2008. Please download the following program and application information with which you can apply for a TLP scholarship to Goizueta Business School: TLP Scholarship Program Description TLP NGO Profile Form TLP Scholarship Application Packet Goizueta Business School MBA Program Details The general eligibility criteria are: Applicants must be residents of an African country. Applicants must have significant professional work experience (e.g. 5-15 years) working in NGOs. NGOs must be doing work in the critical areas of health, education, environment or entrepreneurship in Africa. NGOs must submit a current profile form to AAI for approval. Applicants must be proficient in English. Applicants must agree to return to their countries immediately upon completion of their training program and abide by the 2-year Home Residency requirement for US-based training, requiring them to remain in their home country for a period of two years after the completion of the program. Placement will be limited and we expect the application process to be competitive. Applicants should expect to receive a decision regarding their application within four weeks after the application deadline. For additional information you may contact: Tahnia Charles-Belle Program Officer, AHET Email: tcharlesbelle(a)aaionline.org Tel: +1 (212) 949-5666 -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The Africa-America Institute | 420 Lexington Avenue, Suite 1706 | New York, NY 10170 Tel: +1 (212) 949-5666 | Fax: +1 (212) 682-6174 | Email: aainy(a)aaionline.org | Web: www.aaionline.org The mission of The Africa-America is to promote enlightened engagement between Africa and America through education, training, and dialogue. If you are having trouble viewing this email, please click here or copy and past the following url into your web brower: http://www.aaionline.org/NewsAndEvents/174.aspx _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann -- Best Regards, Becky 254 720318925 beckyit.blogspot.com ____________________________________________________________________________________ Looking for last minute shopping deals? Find them fast with Yahoo! Search. http://tools.search.yahoo.com/newsearch/category.php?category=shopping

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Convergence of views on access at international internet forum
by Wanjira, Alice Munyua 20 Dec '07

20 Dec '07

PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE DISSEMINATION Convergence of views on access at international internet forum RIO DE JANEIRO, 14 November, 2007 The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) recognises that access is the single most important element in any attempt to put in place a governance of the internet. A broad range of suggestions for making access to the internet a reality for the five billion unconnected people were put forward by governments, industry and non-profits currently taking part in the second Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. There seems to be a high degree of convergence of views on how to improve access. The growth of mobile telephony in developing countries has shown that the competitive model can deliver services to vulnerable populations, including the poor, says Willie Currie, manager of the policy programme at APC. Many groups attending the IGF in Rio agree that what is needed, is for the principles of competition to be consistently and evenly applied to all areas of the telecom sector. Access to international and terrestrial backbone infrastructure, they say, depends on this commitment. However, we need to recognise that there are contexts in which the competitive model falls short of delivering the internet, adds Currie. When market forces alone do not suffice, collaborative models are needed to extend access to under-served areas. Since a competitive model needs to coexist with a collaborative one for access to become a reality, APC advocates for incentives to be put in place. Instead of hindering, information and communication technology (ICT) policy should stimulate the participation of diverse network operators and providers in service delivery. Talking from the IGF venue in Brazil, APC insists that the timing for promoting ICTs as a development tool has never been more appropriate. This is particularly true at the level of rural and local access. For a universal, affordable and equitable access to materialise, ICT regulation and policy need to be integrated to local development strategies. APC privileges a multi-sector model where different types of infrastructures are bundled. When laying down roads, the government can install water pipes and lay electricity along with fibre-optic ICT cabling, illustrates Willie Currie. This approach, IGF participants noted, reduces costs of infrastructure and contributes to a more effective use of scarce development resources. The APC network has been involved in global, regional and national ICT policy processes since 2000, with a focus on human rights and social inclusion in the information society and on promoting digital inclusion. On the eve of the 2007 edition of the IGF, APC organised a one-day event on equitable access. For more information Frédéric Dubois, Information coordinator, frederic(a)apc.org +1 514 660 0664 http://rights.apc.org ======================================= APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. _______________________________________________ apc.forum mailing list apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.

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