December 2010 - KICTANet

Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade
by Betty Mwangi 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

Thanks and noted In the interim mini statements are available from our retail centers Rgds BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: Emmanuel Khisa To: Betty Mwangi Cc: oloo.khisa(a)gmail.com ; kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: Mon Dec 20 15:12:10 2010 Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade Hi Betty, I would imagine the issue with Mpesa (read Printouts) especially where evidence is required has been lack of a paper-based receipting system. In my previous deployments as a corporate payment method, I have encountered customers especially rural based ones who are very averse to paperless transaction and from time to time demand evidence in way of receipt. This can be overcome overtime through education that transaction code works just fine as an evidence. If a receipt can be provided it would be even better. Rgds, Emmanuel On Mon, Dec 20, 2010 at 1:39 PM, Betty Mwangi <bmwangi1(a)safaricom.co.ke> wrote: Please qualify what you mean by transaction print outs? Thanks and rgds BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: muriuki mureithi To: Betty Mwangi Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: Mon Dec 20 11:08:41 2010 Subject: RE: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade Betty Can you give us a sense of when print-out of transactions can be possible - lack of printouts reduce the aura of mpesa to informality yet the direction you are heading is increasingly formal transactions. we need a trail cheers Muriuki Mureithi What can u do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family. -Mother Teresa From: kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mureithi <mailto:kictanet-bounces%2Bmureithi> =summitstrategies.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Betty Mwangi Sent: 19 December 2010 17:25 To: mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade Preston Thanks for your mail. There was a technical fault on Tuesday and Wednesday last week that resulted in delays with SMS confirmations and in some cases no confirmation at all. However, there was a process initiated to ensure completion of all such cases and customers and agents were advised of the completion so that transactions could be processed successfully. The fault is now resolved. We apologise for the inconvenience and assure customers that their funds are safe. Indeed we are under close oversight by CBK which we welcome. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you experience any further problems. As safaricom we are committed to ensuring that we meet and respond to customer needs - indeed the platform upgrade that we performed was of huge magnitude and you shall see the benefits as we continue to respond to more of your feedback. Today you will see that we have increased the bands so that you can now send up to 140000 ksh per day (max 70000ksh per transaction) and you can now hold up to 100000ksh in your MPESA e value account - doubled from previous. We have also enabled a minimum deposit, transfer and withdrawal amount of Ksh 50 ...more to come. Thank you for your feedback and thank you for staying with the better option. Best rgds Betty Mwangi-Thuo Chief Officer - New Products Safaricom ltd BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+bmwangi1=safaricom.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke To: Betty Mwangi Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Sent: Sat Dec 18 09:38:26 2010 Subject: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade The current challenges consumers are going thru on the M-Pesa after upgrade seem not to have been shared with the consumers. Can the CEO of Safaricom explain what is going on. There are delays on money sent. I sent money and only received the message after six hours. The recepient never received any message. There are cases where the recipient does not receive a message although the money is there they cannot withdraw. Can Safaricom explain how many cases of this nature have been experienced and what are the security implications? Preston Odera Executive Director K-Ninety East Africa Limited Tel +254 20 3544352 Note: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricoms Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here <http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=954> to read the policy. ________________________________ Image removed by sender. Note: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom’s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here <http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=954> to read the policy. ________________________________ _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: oloo.khisa(a)gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/oloo.khisa%40gmail.com -- Oloo Khisa P.O. Box 24324-00100 Nairobi 0721321086/0734321086 http://ke.linkedin.com/in/olookhisa ##################################################################################### NOTE: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom�s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here to read the policy. #####################################################################################

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade
by Betty Mwangi 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

Please qualify what you mean by transaction print outs? Thanks and rgds BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: muriuki mureithi To: Betty Mwangi Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: Mon Dec 20 11:08:41 2010 Subject: RE: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade Betty Can you give us a sense of when print-out of transactions can be possible - lack of printouts reduce the aura of mpesa to informality yet the direction you are heading is increasingly formal transactions. we need a trail cheers Muriuki Mureithi What can u do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family. -Mother Teresa From: kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Betty Mwangi Sent: 19 December 2010 17:25 To: mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade Preston Thanks for your mail. There was a technical fault on Tuesday and Wednesday last week that resulted in delays with SMS confirmations and in some cases no confirmation at all. However, there was a process initiated to ensure completion of all such cases and customers and agents were advised of the completion so that transactions could be processed successfully. The fault is now resolved. We apologise for the inconvenience and assure customers that their funds are safe. Indeed we are under close oversight by CBK which we welcome. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you experience any further problems. As safaricom we are committed to ensuring that we meet and respond to customer needs - indeed the platform upgrade that we performed was of huge magnitude and you shall see the benefits as we continue to respond to more of your feedback. Today you will see that we have increased the bands so that you can now send up to 140000 ksh per day (max 70000ksh per transaction) and you can now hold up to 100000ksh in your MPESA e value account - doubled from previous. We have also enabled a minimum deposit, transfer and withdrawal amount of Ksh 50 ...more to come. Thank you for your feedback and thank you for staying with the better option. Best rgds Betty Mwangi-Thuo Chief Officer - New Products Safaricom ltd BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+bmwangi1=safaricom.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke To: Betty Mwangi Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Sent: Sat Dec 18 09:38:26 2010 Subject: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade The current challenges consumers are going thru on the M-Pesa after upgrade seem not to have been shared with the consumers. Can the CEO of Safaricom explain what is going on. There are delays on money sent. I sent money and only received the message after six hours. The recepient never received any message. There are cases where the recipient does not receive a message although the money is there they cannot withdraw. Can Safaricom explain how many cases of this nature have been experienced and what are the security implications? Preston Odera Executive Director K-Ninety East Africa Limited Tel +254 20 3544352 Note: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricoms Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here <http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=954> to read the policy. ________________________________ ##################################################################################### NOTE: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom�s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here to read the policy. #####################################################################################

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looking back - over my shoulder - 2010
by muriuki mureithi 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

Hi Listers Within a few days , 2010, will be history........ gone into our history But I believe the year was not in vain for the ICT sector in Kenya, - there are some indelible memories of actions, events , personalities, institutions that shaped the sector positively and or negatively ... Listers, let's take a moment to look back and reflect --- 1. WHAT do you think changed the ICT terrain and changed the lives of Kenyans, mainstreamed ICTs, put Kenya proudly on the global map 2. WHO was the that person/institution/corporate in your view that ICT fraternity should honour for the great deeds that changed the ICT sector and the larger national economy and perhaps global Please share your thoughts in the list within the next two days in a paragraph explaining your choice Very best regards Muriuki Mureithi What can u do to promote world peace? Go home and love your family. -Mother Teresa -------------------------------------------------------- cid:[email protected] Landmark Plaza 13th flr Argwings Kodhek Rd -Opp Nairobi Hospital P O Box 62454 - 00200 Nairobi Kenya tel + 254 20 3673925/2637177 Cell+254 701 016555 <mailto:[email protected]> info(a)summitstrategies.co.ke <http://www.summitstrategies.co.ke/> www.summitstrategies.co.ke Personal Cell +254 722 520090 <mailto:[email protected]> mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke skype; muriukimureithi

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade
by Betty Mwangi 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

Preston Thanks for your mail. There was a technical fault on Tuesday and Wednesday last week that resulted in delays with SMS confirmations and in some cases no confirmation at all. However, there was a process initiated to ensure completion of all such cases and customers and agents were advised of the completion so that transactions could be processed successfully. The fault is now resolved. We apologise for the inconvenience and assure customers that their funds are safe. Indeed we are under close oversight by CBK which we welcome. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you experience any further problems. As safaricom we are committed to ensuring that we meet and respond to customer needs - indeed the platform upgrade that we performed was of huge magnitude and you shall see the benefits as we continue to respond to more of your feedback. Today you will see that we have increased the bands so that you can now send up to 140000 ksh per day (max 70000ksh per transaction) and you can now hold up to 100000ksh in your MPESA e value account - doubled from previous. We have also enabled a minimum deposit, transfer and withdrawal amount of Ksh 50 ...more to come. Thank you for your feedback and thank you for staying with the better option. Best rgds Betty Mwangi-Thuo Chief Officer - New Products Safaricom ltd BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+bmwangi1=safaricom.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke To: Betty Mwangi Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Sent: Sat Dec 18 09:38:26 2010 Subject: [kictanet] Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade The current challenges consumers are going thru on the M-Pesa after upgrade seem not to have been shared with the consumers. Can the CEO of Safaricom explain what is going on. There are delays on money sent. I sent money and only received the message after six hours. The recepient never received any message. There are cases where the recipient does not receive a message although the money is there they cannot withdraw. Can Safaricom explain how many cases of this nature have been experienced and what are the security implications? Preston Odera Executive Director K-Ninety East Africa Limited Tel +254 20 3544352 ##################################################################################### NOTE: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom�s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here to read the policy. #####################################################################################

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom data bundles
by Betty Mwangi 20 Dec '10

20 Dec '10

Joe well noted and we shall take into account as part of the improvement process Thanks for the feedback - very much appreciated Rgds Betty BlackBerry® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: Joseph Mucheru To: Betty Mwangi Cc: mucheru(a)google.com ; kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: Sat Dec 18 04:06:11 2010 Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom data bundles Betty, One more thing, data bundles are not considered cash if topped up using another postpaid line. This means every 3 months I have to send airtime to my iPad and 3G routers, airtime I never use since they are data only devices. There is usually no warning or error message. Service just stops working even though you have plenty of data bundle remaining. The line is considered inactive if you do not buy airtime in 90 days. I find it convenient to have one bill and so I use the post paid ussd *200# services to top-up my pre-paid data lines. The data bundle process for postpaid lines in devices like iPads is a nightmare if you want to take advantage of the many options & special offers and bundles. You must send requests from the device. Please rectify this as you process the other requests. It will go a long way. Thanks -- Joe Mucheru Regional Lead, Sub-Saharan Africa Google Africa On Dec 17, 2010, at 10:28 AM, Betty Mwangi <bmwangi1(a)safaricom.co.ke> wrote: Thanks Washington On your iSsue with Bonga I believe a member of my team is in touch to investigate the problem you are experiencing so that we can sort this out Rgds BlackBerryÂ® powered by Safaricom ________________________________ From: Odhiambo Washington To: Betty Mwangi Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: Fri Dec 17 09:04:18 2010 Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom data bundles On Fri, Dec 17, 2010 at 8:34 AM, Betty Mwangi < <mailto:[email protected]> bmwangi1(a)safaricom.co.ke> wrote: Robert Thanks for your comments and the inconvenience is highly regretted. I assure you you are not peculiar in any way and as a matter of fact Safaricom will be availing an on line top up service for data early in the New Year that Will assist with situations similar to yours. We assure you of our committment to continue to ensure that we meet customers needs. Hi Betty, Such a solution will be very welcome, especially in the face of the many "sonkos" brandishing iPads. At the moment the process of buying a bundle for an iPad user is hell, thanks to the microsim. That you have to face a process of powering down the iPad, removing the microsim, place on a holder, get someÂ phone to be powered down to take the "sim", load credit, buy data via sms, wait for confirmation, then follow the reverse of this process.... You just see the hassle that product will save many from! PS: In the meantime, would you be kind enough to mobilize "the team" to revive Bonga points query/redemption system? It's been down for a while. -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Damn!! Note: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom’s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here <http://www.safaricom.co.ke/index.php?id=954> to read the policy. ________________________________ <http://www.safaricom.co.ke/fileadmin/resources/downloads/SafBanner.gif> _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: <mailto:[email protected]> mucheru(a)google.com Unsubscribe or change your options at <http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mucheru%40google.com> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mucheru%40google.com ##################################################################################### NOTE: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom�s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here to read the policy. #####################################################################################

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APC is hiring: Project coordinator, “Internet rights are human rights”
by Alice Munyua 19 Dec '10

19 Dec '10

Please pass on to anyone you think might be interested.. -------- Original Message -------- APC is hiring: Project coordinator, “Internet rights are human rights” The successful candidate will join the APC policy programme to lead APC’s human rights and internet rights work through coordination of our “Internet rights are human rights” project. The candidate will have a strong background in the human rights and internet policy fields and have significant expertise in advocacy, capacity building and strategic communications. This is a full-time senior project manager position key to APC as we seek to strengthen our position internationally in the area of human rights in the context of the internet and information and communication policy. The project coordinator will: A) Coordinate the overall implementation of the project “Internet rights are human rights: Monitoring and defending freedom of expression and association on the internet”. Deliverables include: - in-depth research and analysis of the trends, violations and impacts on freedom of expression on the internet at national levels; - development of various information products, awareness raising and global and national policy advocacy in specialised spaces and processes; - building capacity and support for rights defenders (particulary women's human rights defenders); - building sustainable networks of human rights defence advocates; - designing and implementing a campaign that promote understanding of 'internet rights' as human rights and the importance of the internet as a tool for furthering human rights B) Manage and supervise contracts with project partners. C) Manage and supervise the “Internet rights are human rights” project team. D) Provide strategic vision and leadership for developing and implementing APC´s human rights and internet rights advocacy and campaigning, capacity building, networking and partnership building, and communication strategies in partnership with APC team. E) Represent the APC and build strategic partnerships in the field. This includes frequent international travel. F) Participate actively in the APC staff team and with members. The person we are looking for will have: - Extensive knowledge of human rights and internet policy and regulations - Sound academic qualifications in a related area - Experience in policy advocacy work in this area - Enthusiasm for networking and be an inclusive network builder - The ability to plan and think strategically - Experience in project management (at least three years) including people and budget management - Experience and background in civil society networking  - Knowledge and contacts with human rights organisations, human rights defenders, democracy activists and internet rights activists is an advantage  Other requirements: - Excellent English writing and oral communication skills, including public speaking experience - Good writing skills and experience in writing reports  - Able to work in a team and under pressure - Able to work independently and to manage people mainly via online communications - Willing to travel frequently  - Competent computer and internet skills and experience in working in an online environment - Ability to communicate in Spanish and/or French is a distinct advantage   Remuneration and duration of contract: This is a full time contract for an initial twelve-month period (renewable depending on performance and availability of funding). Remuneration is based on APC’s salary scale for the position for a high-level project manager. Short-listed candidates will receive specific information on the salary range on request. Location: The incumbent can work from anywhere in the world provided they have excellent internet access. APC provides an equipment allowance but require staff to use their own computers. Extensive international and regional travel will be required. APC is a truly virtual organisation and does not have a physical headquarters. We do our work online. For this position we particularly encourage candidates from the global South. How to apply:  Please send a CV and a covering letter in English that illustrates your interest in the position. You should include the following information: - Your experience with human rights and/or internet rights  - Your experience in advocacy and capacity building - Your experience in networking and partnership building - Your experience in designing, developing and leading campaigns targeting diverse constituencies - Your background in project management and team coordination, specifically in an international and/or online context - Your experience or expectations around building the capacity of activists for whom sometimes the subject area will be relatively new - Your experience around building interaction between human rights actors and actors involved in the access and use of internet for social justice and development - Your ICT policy experience - Your computer skills  - Where you live - Languages you speak and write - Other information you think might be of importance to our assessment of your application - Three references: names, relationship, contact details; at least one of these should be related to project or campaign that you have managed.   Please send this information via email with ‘Internet rights are human rights project coordinator’ in the subject line to: jobs(a)apc.org <mailto:[email protected]> by January 14 2011. Please note only short-listed candidates will be contacted.

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US screening new gTLD applicants against US laws
by Alice Munyua 19 Dec '10

19 Dec '10

Dear all, More concerns from the Africa ICANN community on the new gTLD guidebook. best alice ---------------------- Dear AfrICANN's Please read Khaled Fattal's honourable submission at http://forum.icann.org/lists/5gtld-guide/pdfIIMoPfVdQj.pdf and see what an important and disturbing development the "final" new gTLD Draft Applicant Guidebook gives us. I must admit that while I was bogged down to the ccNSO and its council's business in Cartagena, this important matter escaped my attention. What is Africa's response to the DAG full granting the US government a right to screen new gTLD applicants against the US (probably more supreme) laws? I really think we can expect non-US people starting to push for alternative DNS root seeing the current DNS is US' and US' alone! So if you're not a US applicant and are from a country the US government considers to be terrorist, then forget about getting your new gTLD! This is what this exactly mean, While I've been usually reserved regarding the ITU advances towards the DNS, if ICANN continues to be a US govt entity as it is doing right now (even when ICANN is supposed to move away from this reality through the Affirmation), then who can blame the ITU or even other "Internet rebels" (or should we not call them "Internet freedom fighters") who have come up with alternative DNSes! I hope subscribers to this list will make their governments aware of this important matter (I believe some already have done so) and that our governments and the AU will not disappoint in withstanding the US monopoly of the currently dominant DNS. It must be fair to expect African governments to express their position even before the ICANN board meets GAC in February 2011. And I hope we won't hear another view that ICANN needs to first build our capacity before we can respond to this straight-forward nonsense from the ICANN DAG. Regards, *Vika Mpisane* ZADNA +27 11 275 0082

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Safaricom Challenges on M-Pesa after Upgrade
by Preston Odera 18 Dec '10

18 Dec '10

The current challenges consumers are going thru on the M-Pesa after upgrade seem not to have been shared with the consumers. Can the CEO of Safaricom explain what is going on. There are delays on money sent. I sent money and only received the message after six hours. The recepient never received any message. There are cases where the recipient does not receive a message although the money is there they cannot withdraw. Can Safaricom explain how many cases of this nature have been experienced and what are the security implications? Preston Odera Executive Director K-Ninety East Africa Limited Tel +254 20 3544352

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Safaricom data bundles
by robert yawe 17 Dec '10

17 Dec '10

Hi, I am like many of you a peculiar Kenyan in that I can quickly find 10 new ways to use a product that the provider/manufacture could never have though about. When Safaricom introduced the monthly data bundles I quickly took advantage of the service to roll out remote data capture terminals as I had a new that the 999/- unlimited monthly bundle would meet my requirements without any problems and at a predictable cost. So after rolling out the device somewhere in the middle of nowhere, its a security device so I will not give you the GPS coordinates, where no man need go again. I loaded the initial 999/- and off went the device, little did I know that the place that no man needed to go would need to be visited at least once a month. Why, because safaricom's unlimited monthly bundle cannot be purchased remotely, one needs to physically get to the sim card, my device is credit card sized and runs some proprietary software. I appreciate the fact that I am doing with the service what Safaricom did not think could or even would be done. I have talked to the customer service persons, they are now more script driven than before, and all I got was ". . the 450 service cannot be activated from another line, please put the sim card in a phone and send a sms message to 450 with the bundle size, thank you for calling Safaricom and have a good day". This what I had asked for in a call centre operator but suddenly my needs have now surpassed the standard script can Safaricom please implement an escalation procedure in the script so that when peculiar Kenyans like myself call with peculiar requirements we can get assistance. For now there goes my weekend as I need to travel to the top of a hill somewhere in Kenya, report to the local police station to avoid being shot down, climb up a 12 meter mast, remove a sim card, insert it into my phone, send an sms to 450, remove the sim card, place it back into the device, climb down the mast then drive back to Nairobi. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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BBC Article on Kenya Outsourcing
by Paul Kukubo 17 Dec '10

17 Dec '10

Listers <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/> http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-12004815 <http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/>[image: BBC News]OLOGY<http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/> 16 December 2010 Last updated at 23:40 GMT Kenya's ambitions for an outsourced futureBy Jonathan FildesTechnology reporter, BBC News Stare out of the office windows at Park Towers and - if you are lucky - you may spot a zebra or a giraffe. The sleek, glass building on the edge of Nairobi National park belongs to Horizon Contact Centers, one of a handful of emerging Kenyan firms that hope to grab a large slice of the global outsourcing market and establish the country as a leading provider of the call centres and back offices of the world. Inside, there is little time for safaris. The sleek offices are packed with rows and rows of blue cubicles staffed by young graduates, all calmly talking into headsets and typing into identical PCs. The rhythmical conversations are polite and familiar to anyone who has called a customer support line or has picked up a cold call from an insurance firm. "Kenya is very well known for its runners and wildlife, but when people talk about IT services there is a question mark," says Sanjay Sikka, chief executive of the year-and-a-half-old firm. Now that is all set to change, he says. Net effect Four years ago, the Kenyan government unveiled its Vision 2030 plan to develop the country<http://www.nesc.go.ke/News&Events/KenyaVision2030Intro.htm> . Central to its goals were the use of technology and a desire to emulate the success of countries such as India, South Africa and the Philippines. "It is not about taking India's business away from them," explains Paul Kukubo of the government's ICT board, in charge of promoting Kenya as an outsourcing destination for foreign firms. "The market is so big globally that the issue isn't about competition. The source markets - the US and the UK - are still looking for high quality, low cost destinations to do business." Until recently, Kenya was not in a position to go after the business. Its digital infrastructure - and particularly its satellite communications links with other countries - was prohibitively expensive for firms that rely on instant communication. That changed in 2009, when the first of three undersea internet cables arrived in the country. "I travel around the world trying to make the case for international investment in outsourcing," says Mr Kukubo. "Before the cables came it wasn't even a discussion. Now we have seen a huge interest with companies saying 'you have the basic ingredients'." Mr Sikka, who's firm initially used a grant from the World Bank to help pay for the expensive satellite links, agrees. "It's had a huge impact on cost," he says. "It's made Kenya competitive with the rest of the world." Perception problem Down the road from Horizon's sleek headquarters is Kencall, Kenya's first outsourcing firm, started in 2005. Before the cables arrived it had to use voice compression technology to ensure that customers did not pick up on the lags in conversations as the calls were beamed thousands of miles up via the satellite "When you calculate that distance to go up to that satellite and back down again at the speed of light, it would mean that for a word to be heard in England it would take about 6-700 milliseconds," says its founder Nik Nesbitt. "That delay makes calls horrible." Now, there is no need for the technology. This has brought other benefits, says Mr Nesbitt. "Our bandwidth costs have dropped about 90%. However, the part that is most exciting to us is that we are able to go out and get higher value more attractive work because we have the fibre optic capability, which pays us more." He says the cables "offer a perception of reliability" to potential customers. "Previously, the satellites offered that reliability, but not the perception," he says. But reliable cheap bandwidth is not the only selling points for Kenya, says Mr Sikka. He highlights the country's "abundant talent pool" and its "neutral accent". "India invests a lot in so-called accent neutralisation, where the agents are taken through a course," says Mr Sikka, himself a veteran of the Indian outsourcing scene. Kenya, he says, does not have that problem. It's a mantra repeated by everyone pushing Kenya as an outsourcing destination. Mr Sikka also emphasises the population's "cultural affinity" with countries such as the US and the UK. "Cultural affinity to the UK is very important," he says. "It is very important to show an empathy and understanding of the culture. It can't be someone calling up from an alien world with no understanding about what it means to live there." He says young Kenyans consume the same TV shows and music as their counterparts in the US and the UK, and they follow the same sports teams. The legacy of the British schooling system in Kenya is also an advantage, he says. "The main thing when you are talking on the phone is getting into the customer's shoes." Price point Kenya is not just targeting call centre work. Horizon offers data processing. Nearby, in a conspicuous four-storey red building, Ken-Tech data offers other services such as image tagging. For example, the firm does processing work for an unnamed smartphone application that allows users to take a picture of a product to find the best prices online. The pictures are sent to a team of people in their offices, who analyse the images and tag them with descriptive words that can be used to find the best prices on the web. "The results are sent back to the phone within 30 seconds," says Lakshmanan Manickam, general manager of the firm, and another person who has moved from India to kick-start the industry. This work requires a "highly-skilled workforce", he says, who are able to describe objects accurately. The firm also creates content for websites and audits transcriptions and translations for US companies. He says it is much easier - and cheaper - to set up these projects in Kenya; factors that will make it "the next outsourcing destination". But not everyone is so optimistic about Kenya's chances. "I'm more conservative about what it can do," says Erik Hersman, an entrepreneur and a major figure in the local technology start-up community. "If you are just trying to bid against your Indian counterparts, I think it is a hard thing to do, particularly when they have so much experience." He believes that rather than offering similar services to other countries, Kenya needs to find its own niche if it is to be successful. "I think it is a little bit more of a difficult space than people make it out to be." In addition, he says, the country should not try to compete with other countries on price. 'Lone voice' It is a view echoed by Mark Hillary, author of Who Moved my Job. "If your basic offering is, 'it is cheaper to work here than India', than that is a pretty poor sales pitch," he says. Instead, he says, firms and government should look at the kinds of graduates that are coming out of the country's universities and offer services based on their skills. This has worked for countries such as Bangladesh, he says, which has developed a concentration of animation firms. He says Kenya's historical ties with the UK, which means it has similar accountancy and legal systems, offers opportunities for outsourcing firms. However, Mr Hillary says his studies conducted with the United Nations suggest the country may face other challenges. "We found the biggest inhibitor was people's sense of corruption," he says. "But, it's more about the perception of doing business than the reality." A spate of violence following the disputed 2007 presidential elections also damaged the country's reputation. But the government's Mr Kukubo remains optimistic. "One has to be candid about these things," he says. "[The 2007 violence] was one of those things that was incidental and rare in Kenya's history. "Out of that crisis was born a new Kenya, really. Bad as it may have been, I think we learnt out lessons." In the next year, he says, there will be an "explosion of interest" from firms wanting to set up in Kenya. It has already invested in a new business park on the Mombasa Road, a stone's throw from Kencall, Horizon and Ken-Tech data. The 500,000sq ft (46,450sq m) of empty office space, primed for an influx of local and India firms, is an indication of its conviction. And it is a validation for Kencall's Mr Nesbitt. "When we started Kencall, we were really a voice in the wilderness talking about outsourcing. I think everyone sat there with one raised eyebrow waiting to see what could happen. "But people have now begun to see that this can actually work in Kenya." [image: BBC] BBC © MMX The BBC is not responsible for the content of external sites. Read more. <http://www.bbc.co.uk/help/web/links/> Paul Kukubo Chief Executive Officer, Kenya ICT Board PO Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya 12th Floor, Teleposta Towers Koinange Street Tel +254 20 2089061, +254 20 2211960 Fax: +254 20 2211962 website: www.ict.go.ke local content project: www.tandaa.co.ke, www.facebook.com/tandaakenya twitter:@tandaaKENYA BPO Project: www. doitinkenya.co.ke Digital Villages Project: www.pasha.co.ke personal contacts _______________ Cell: + 254 717 180001 skype: kukubopaul googletalk: pkukubo personal blog: www.paulkukubo.co.ke personal twitter: @pkukubo ____________________ Vision: Kenya becomes a top ten global ICT hub Mission: To champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment

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