December 2011 - KICTANet

Maasai Mara Cisco Knowledge Centre
by Dennis Kioko 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

This has been shared on Twitter, Very impressive, you would think is within Nairobi CBD http://yfrog.com/mgpvvfj -- with Regards: blog.denniskioko.com <http://www.denniskioko.com/>

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Congratulations to KENET
by John Matogo 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

Dear all, Join me in congratulating the KENET team for topping the CIO 100 list. (See http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/-/539550/1282462/-/item/0… ) Their efforts have truly transformed our higher educational institutions. I was fortunate to participate in an e-readiness survey of our universities in 2006 and again in 2008, I can confirm that the change witnessed between the period was phenomenal. This initiative ignited a demand for better ICT facilities by students and staff at universities. I believe universities communities are the largest Internet bandwidth consumers in the country now. Kudos too go to all the other institutions that have been recognized. Best -- Regards, JM

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The Word for Your Soul
by Lizette Kraft 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

Here is the word of God for today that I felt was so appropriate to the way many of us who feel so strongly about what's going on in our country. Let us pray with one voice, for our God is still and always will be in Control. He gave us hope and we must believe that all things are possible in Him. It is for us to do what is right in His sight that will lift us up in our situations. The word of God is power in itself. *Verse: Luke 21:28* *Look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption (deliverance) is drawing near.* *- Sometimes things can get us down. - Perhaps we think that things will never change. - The issue is that things do change. - We must look up and expect it to happen.* *PRAYER: Lord, I look to You. You are my deliverer and You will make a way for me. I will not be discouraged but I will lift up my head and trust You. Amen. *-- Be blessed. Lizette Lizette Kraft P.O. Box 18488, 00500 Nairobi, Kenya Cell: 0722-800362

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WARNING: Dangerous Bypass
by Odhiambo Washington 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

There was a story about robberies along the Southern Bypass recently. Some alleged that it was a copy/paste story. Today I have seen the attached story in the press. It would be nice for people to contend with jams than take this bypass in its current state. -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler. Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pacifying Angry Bashir
by Cleophas Barmasai 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

Jane, I concur on a number of issues you raise. It almost feels like those bashing a number of other African leaders are dancing to some Western tune. Why should Kenya media be the ones at the at the forefront of this? We know fighting our own neighbours will affect us directly. Cleophas On 12/6/11, Info <info(a)amwik.org> wrote: > My two cent contribution to this discussion is that one, we should be open > minded and receive divergent issues without resulting to making demeaning > statements about the contributors. Everybody is entitled to their points of > view as articulated in our constitution. No body’s arguments is the winning > one and this forum is supposed to be a “market of ideas” which we can all > contribute to with decorum. > > > > The other thing and this is my perspective is that Africa must start to > define what democracy is all about without looking to the west because as > Winston Churchill observed, democracy was seen as a good option just because > other forms of leadership had been tested and weaknesses emerged while the > concept of democracy was largely new and untested during his times > (historians can correct me on this). I have a very strong reservation to > what the west want to prescribe to all and sundry with little respect that > other contexts and structures had been in existence and working. Just > because they may have had inherent weakness do not however subjugate them. > In fact, the reasons why our leaders are in problems is because they have > tried to ape western leadership principles without a thorough understanding > of them and their contexts, and of course there is the pressure to conform. > My take is that unless we change our strategies, we will continue to fail > miserably. > > > > When western powers invade other countries that is viewed as acceptable yet > when African states try to assist their fellow “continent” mates like what > Kenya and the other African troops is doing in Somali, it is demonized. I > strongly believe that circumstances presented Kenya with an opportunity to > assist the Somali govt and not purely because our tourists were attacked. > Whether the operation will be successful or not, only time will time but at > least what’s critical is that efforts have been made whether belatedly or > otherwise. > > > > What also troubles me is the way the West will push in their cronies to > power in Africa just to ensure that their strategic interests are taken care > off with no respect of what the citizens really want. Yet we applause for > being democratic! For those have lived abroad, truth be told that there is > just a pretext of respect for human rights especially for minorities and > other marginalized communities. Even the citizenry struggle to make ends > meet as life is so expensive. > > > > Coming to the media, a lot is expected and the media should be balanced in > presenting the different narratives, being critical of what’s happening > locally but also what is happening abroad. Its unfortunate that the western > media see nothing good from Africa and when I look at our local media, it > appears to most of the time be giving credence to that. Of course our > training is western oriented but am challenging ourselves to stretch > ourselves a little more and be contextual and relevant in our approach. > > > > As a I have mentioned earlier, let’s keep this discussion healthy and lively > and maybe from some of the ideas shared here, it could actually > inform/influence our thinking and work positively. > > > > Jane > > > > From: kictanet-bounces+info=amwik.org(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > [mailto:kictanet-bounces+info=amwik.org@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of > David Makali > Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 3:11 PM > To: info(a)amwik.org > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry > Bashir > > > > why is it presumed that when africans think alike with the westerners, or > publish views similar to western media, then we are aping them or we have > read and been influenced by them? isn't that self demeaning? and how did > you, ndemo, know of the Banyamulenge atrocities you allude to except > through the same media which you shamefully quote as gospel truth? And isn't > Jean Pierre Mbemba charged at the ICC for the atrocities in eastern Congo? > > > > Even more, the conclusions you extrapolate from the Financial Times on why > Tshisekedi has no foreign backing is a reversal of the writer's argument: > the fact that western powers want to back leaders who can first turn around > their countries to be peaceful and economically prosperous, but also > manipulable to enable them exploit their potential. But to say they do not > back Tshisekedi merely because he is his own man, even though it is apparent > he is not that popular, is a little overstretched. > > > > my arguments against appeasing Sudan are basic but founded on very clear > facts. What you are advocating in your winded argument is that the rule of > law should be suspended to mollify a dictator in the interest of trade. > Well, a lot can be said about that, and history is rich with examples of > people who sit pretty and enjoy the oppression of others as long as it > benefits them or does not affect their comfort. > > > > by the same twisted logic, we should not be in somalia? why? we followed the > cue of the international community and stood by as the the country > degenerated into a banana republic. now we have rushed in because some > tourists were kidnapped. the dividends of this adventure will become > apparent in March when a supplementary budget is tabled in the House but was > it worth going into Somalia if we are spending over Sh200m a week to keep > 3000 troops there? I would love to have you pronounce your opinion on that. > > > > the fundamental issue at hand with Sudan should not be lost with futile > rationalisation. a court was confronted with a case seeking the arrest of > Bashir if he ever sets foot in Kenya. the facts of the law were laid before > him. what was he expected to do? according to the wise men in govt, ndemo > included, he should have ruled otherwise or somehow found a reason to avoid > the verdict he made. so why are we wasting time talking about an independent > judiciary? yuck! > > > > if that is what machuhi calls "partisan" and "populist emotions" of > journalists then he is welcome to propagate his views. but i doubt they will > be more than the usual conformist and self preservation arguments - "bend > and let it pass" - that never changed the world. > > > > repeat: am totally ashamed at the humiliation we as a country are being > subjected to by sudan's ultimatums. > > david > > > > _______________ > > "If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, > I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster." > — Isaac Asimo, Columbian Author and Scientist > _______________ > > > > PO Box 3234 > 00200 Nairobi, Kenya > cell: +254 722 517 540 > > _____ > > From: samuel ochanji <sochanji(a)yahoo.com> > To: dmakali(a)yahoo.com > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 11:21 AM > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry > Bashir > > Daktari, I completely agree with you on this. Our media does not set the > agenda on global events/issues and give a Kenyan or an African perspective > on these issues. Instead it simply regurgitates whatever the global media > provides us with.Anything from CNN or New York Times is the default position > of the Kenyan media. > > > > _____ > > From: "bitange(a)jambo.co.ke" <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > To: sochanji(a)yahoo.com > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 6:48 AM > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry > Bashir > > Grace, > Our media too needs to set the agenda right. Much of what David wrote was > heavily influenced from what he read in foreign media. Earlier I made a > comparison between what happened in Daffur and in Congo. In 2003 some 5 > million people died in the Congo. You may recall the Banyamulenge > atrocities inside Congo but in spite the fact that there were indictable > people by ICC, the issue was brushed under the carpet. > > Congo is a mineral rich country with a government that hadly know what is > going on in their country. Some people want it that way. Below see a quote > from the Financial Times and see why I made that conclusion. > > "Given the muted response to the evolving fiasco in Congo, there is > much less international appetite for outrage, or even for an accurate > count. Western countries are less enchanted with Mr Kabila than they > were in 2006, when he won a UN-supervised election, promising to bring > peace and economic recovery. He has done neither. > > But unlike Mr Ouattara in Ivory Coast, Mr Tshisekedi does not enjoy > significant backing from anyone outside the Congo. > > He is his own man. That is one reason a large number of Congolese > persist in believing that he might turn things round. At 78, he is > representative of a generation of opposition leaders who dedicated > decades to the fight against dictatorship. Most, including Mr Gbagbo > have proved disastrous in government." > > > You cannot be your own man in Africa if you need the support of Western > countries. This is a worrying statement and confirms that our media has > largely failed in setting the African agenda and begin to influence the rest > of the world. > > Virtually all mineral rich African countries are at war from the west to > central and eastern Africa. Is is a coincident? > > > Ndemo. > > > > Sent from my BlackBerry® > > -----Original Message----- > From: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com> > Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.keDate: Mon, > 5 Dec 2011 17:30:12 > To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac > ifying Angry Bashir > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > 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. > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/sochanji%40yahoo.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > 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. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/dmakali%40yahoo.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > 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. > > -- Sent from my mobile device Sincerely, Cleophas Barmasai "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age..." (Titus 2:11,12, NKJV)

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Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pacifying Angry Bashir
by Grace Githaiga 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

Hey Listers This article may have nothing to do with ICTs but it dovetails into all concerns raised on the list today namely the need for: A value system Change of attitude, Divine intervention. Ndio hakuna maji, wala stima, wala gas, wala daktari. Pia swala la Bashir should concern us. Rgds Grace http://www.the-star.co.ke/opinions/david-makali/52460-why-it-is-wrong-to-pa… Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pacifying Angry Bashir Monday, 05 December 2011 00:06 BY DAVID MAKALI Sudanese President and genocide suspect Gen Omar al Bashir has scored a major diplomatic coup over Kenya. His threats of retaliation against the High Court’s arrest order that made Kenya’s executive arm squirm and whimper may go down as Kenya’s biggest diplomatic fiasco. Gen Bashir has been walking around with an arrest warrant on his head for the past five years. He has defied international law and tried to rope the continent’s fading club of dictators to his rebellion against the international criminal justice system. The hapless African Union has been browbeaten into accusing the ICC of being a racist, partisan and quasi-judicial process targeting the continent for humiliation. But those arguments fall flat for lack of alternatives and because their proponents are not credible. Its most vocal advocates have such appalling human rights records at home that nobody will listen to them. To avoid the prospect of the sad ending that his peers in the north have met, Gen Bashir has promptly promised not to seek re-election when his term expires in three years. But with every passing day and peers being routed by popular revolutions, his continued stewardship of the Sudan is even more shaky and untenable. Thanks to regional geopolitical considerations, the world continues to soft-pedal on Gen Bashir. But soon as the fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the newly independent South Sudan is sewn up, he will have little room to rant and terrify pacifist neighbours like Kenya. Mr Bashir needs to ask Mr Laurent Gbagbo, now at The Hague, what happened to him. That Kenya’s ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs could fly to Khartoum to appease the Sudanese President was a bizarre display of our impotence as a sovereign state. Who between Kenya and Sudan stood to lose the most from a fall-out? Is Kenya the underdog or why is the Kenya government so beholden to Bashir when in fact the world is on Kenya’s side? Bashir could as well go ahead and bar all aircraft from Kenya from landing in Khartoum, expel the Kenyan members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan and all Kenyans studying or working in Sudan. He can withdraw all Sudanese investments and sever all trade ties. Costly as these actions may be, Kenya’s rush to pacify Bashir was astonishing. It had the option of sitting back to let Bashir further isolate himself and provide the impetus required to further push him to account for the dead and suffering thousands of Sudanese. Instead Kenya squandered an opportunity to provide exemplary African leadership in the quest for global justice by recapitulating and thinking small. The government has no business appealing the decision of the court on behalf of Bashir. Kenyan taxpayers money should not be expended to advance injustice or to frustrate the rule of law. President Kibaki and all his ministers are bound by the national values and principles of governance enunciated in Section 10 of our constitution, to wit, all their actions must advance the rule of law and democracy. Kenya need not fret and cower from Bashir’s tantrums because it is not the first time such a diplomatic row has occurred between countries. In February 2009, Uganda’s Red Pepper published a series of articles claiming that President Muammar Gaddafi had exhibited an unusual fondness of Best Kamigisha, then 42-year-old widowed queen of Toro, one of Uganda’s five traditional kingdoms. The paper alleged that the two were romantically involved and the pretty queen had been holidaying in Tripoli, and accompanying Gaddafi on foreign trips as he paid reciprocal visit to Uganda. The tabloid persisted in its love allegations but the government initially left it to the Libyan authorities to act and the ambassador in Kampala sued the rabid tabloid for defamation, demanding $1 billion (Sh89.8 billion) in damages. The government however jumped into the fray after Gaddafi complained to Museveni. The prosecutor moved to charge the editors with criminal defamation of a foreign dignitary with intent to disturb peace and friendship between Uganda and Libya. That intervention was unnecessary in a purely civil matter but Kenya’s actions show it would be inclined to borrow a leaf from Kampala. In another similar incident, a French court indicted nine (military) aides of President Paul Kagame for the 1994 Genocide in November 2006. Kagame characteristically leaped at the French government, cutting off diplomatic ties and recalling his envoy but a deal was soon struck that restored full diplomatic ties with President Sarkozy visiting Rwanda and Kagame reciprocating the gesture last year. That did not deter German Interpol from arresting one of the indicted aides, Rose Kabuye, then Rwanda’s protocol chief against whom warrants had been issued for actions that allegedly triggered the genocide. German police handed her to the French court for trial but she was released after France dropped the charges and undertook to initiate fresh investigations. These incidents only demonstrate that in a democracy, institutions such as courts and the media must be left to perform their function. They must not be interpreted to represent the executive, nor should they mirror the thinking of the political leadership of the day. But that logic is alien to tyrants who believe courts are an extension of the political state and must convey the will of the government of the day. That’s is the case in Sudan where judges, like Kenya of yore, must always second-guess the executive. In that context, one can see the foundation of Bashir’s baseless fury. Baseless because it betrays his lack of understanding of more functional democratic societies like ours. The Kenya constitution clearly stipulates that “the general rules of international law shall form part of the law of Kenya” and further, that “any treaty or convention ratified by Kenya (such as the Rome Statute) shall form part of the law of Kenya law (2)”. The same Constitution also mandates every citizen to defend it (sect 3) and grants any Kenyan, singly or organized as a group, company, civil society or community based organization, the right to institute measures to enforce the constitution in the public interest (Chapter 17). Seeing how the constitution and international law which we have domesticated was being violated, law-abiding citizens organized as the International Commission of Jurists took the initiative of ensuring justice is done for the citizens of Sudan by seeking the arrest of one Omar al Bashir, who happens to be the President of the great African republic of Sudan. High Court Judge Nicholas Ombija obliged. As long as the Court’s order, which according to Wetangula is incapable of obedience, stands, any good intentioned Kenyan can carry out a citizen arrest of Mr Bashir. The government’s paranoid response also raises fundamental questions about our foreign policy. Ideally, diplomatic relations are forged between countries represented by leaders who come and go as Bashir surely will. It is assumed that such leaders are popular (elected) which is not always the case. And as the Libyan example has recently shown, it is the people who are sovereign: the fatal rout of Gaddafi has not deterred Kenya and other African countries from relating with the Libyan people. Bashir’s tyrannical posture only lends credence to the obvious need to democratize the Sudan. Kenya’s rightful policy should be support to the people of Sudan, not necessarily its contested leadership, which Mr Wetangula and the Kenya government have elected to suck up to. It is not the business of the Kenya government to protect suspects wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity. Government officials who took an oath to protect the constitution cannot abdicate that responsibility without inviting sanctions from Kenyans. If the Attorney General and the Minister for Internal Security cannot execute the court order when Gen Bashir ever steps on Kenyan soil, they will be liable for contempt of court proceedings and other measures to remove them from office. It is unfortunate that the government should be speaking out of turn with our new Supreme Law and the reality of the new Kenya. It should tone down its panicky diplomatic rhetoric and refer the matter to the Attorney General to pen a polite notes verbates to el Bashir regretting that there is nothing that can be done about the court order and advice him to turn up at The Hague to clear his name or avoid visiting us. The new Kenyan Constitution is no respecter of persons, even foreign presidents. And that should be our rightful foreign policy — to promote human rights and rule of law globally. Bashir’s warrant of arrest is a standing testimony of the international community’s determination to ensure the rule of law and justice for all. Bashir seized power in a military coup and progressively morphed into a civilian President but he is still a runaway despot. Claims of brutal suppression of the fundamental freedoms of Darfurians and other western Sudanese require due legal process. That is not to say he should be convicted without trial or hanged unfairly. But he must accede to one simple request — appear before the ICC and confront those charges. His streak of defiance and hostility is the stuff of a man scared of justice. Kenya should not acquiesce to his threats and intimidation or bend its laws to shield him from justice. Until the warrants are lifted, Kenya is obligated to arrest and hand him over to the ICC. It cannot hide behind the resolution of the African Union not to cooperate with the ICC because that does not supercede our constitution. Nor should considerations such as the delicate Sudan peace process and our own appointment with the ICC interfere with the rule of law. The government’s cowardly actions are demeaning of our statehood and injurious to our pride as an aspiring democracy and champion of rule of law on the continent. I am very ashamed of my government. Makali is a journalist media consultant. --

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eGovernment Coordination in Counties.
by Muchiri Nyaggah 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

Listers. With the country set to move into a county government model, I'm wondering whether there's a framework in place (or in development) to ensure that the use of ICT in those governments is harmonized and that e-Government remains coordinated. My concerns are mostly about: 1. The level of autonomy county governments will have in regard to choice of platforms for e-Government. For instance, will they be allowed to choose their own health information system to manage healthcare delivery or disparate systems for the collection and management of local taxes? 2. The likelihood that different county governments may adopt varying standards for data formats, operating systems etc making inter-operability at the Government-to-Government (G2G) level difficult. 3. How the transition will affect human resource capacity to support existing systems such as those electronic medical records systems running in some hospitals and whether there's a way of mitigating the risk of systems with no local (county) support. Kind regards, *Muchiri* Nyaggah Principal Partner @muchiri +254 722 506400 Semacraft.com

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ONLINE PERSONAL BRANDING THIS FESTIVE SEASON
by David Wambua 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

PERSONAL BRANDING ONLINE   Brand yourself with a .me.ke domain name this festive season Dear Listers, Did you know that the use of .me.ke domain name can provide a unique identity for you on the Internet space, hence giving you personal branding advantage and by extension a competitive edge in the market compared to generic names ? Are you also aware that the use of .me.ke domain name has the effect of improving your personal image and creates greater opportunities for business, provides distinct and fast access on the Internet due to the .KE identity , uniqueness and above all protecting your name space on the internet When people go to search for you, what comes up? If you don't have a .me.ke domain name or haven’t built a website for yourself, then other people will control your brand. You need to create a website under your full name (e.g paul(a)kamau.me.ke) so that you know what people will find when they search for you and you will be proud of it. You would be surprised by how many people will search for your name as a way to learn more about your business or vocation. This is therefore an opportunity to give people multiple ways to learn about you. Your personal website should promote and link back to your business website and should have links to your social network profiles, a professional headshot, press links, articles you’ve written, a bio and depict you as an expert in your field. This way, your online presence will have all the assets your customers or peers need.   Key Benefits DISTINCT: You will get a domain name that is distinct UNIQUE: You will get a customized email address PERSONAL website  This offer runs from 9th December to 31st December 2011 all at a discounted price of Kshs. 999/-.VAT Incl. Please contact our Marketing and Communications Manager Mr. Dick Waswa for more information on how to brand yourself this festive season on admin(a)kenic.or.ke. Regards, ............................. David I. Wambua [W] www.kenic.or.ke dot KE for Every Name in Kenya! -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)

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A chip off the old block!
by robert yawe 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

I would like to be clear that I have no malice or ill intentions towards Safaricom, just that they set very high standards initially and therefore changed the expectations of their clients. All that I am is a creation of Safaricom and when my existence is threatened I have no option other than to scream, yell and kick. With the move of my last remaining domains to Safaricom I have all my eggs in one basket which makes me very edgy when someone threatens to drop the basket. A month ago I gave up on Telkom/Orange/Jambo in as far as their domain and mail hosting services are concerned and decided to move over to Safaricom. The migration was a nightmare, in this case the source of the problem was Safaricom and not the other fellows as would usually be the case. I finally had the migration done after 2 or so weeks and escalating e-mails short of my namesake. A month ago I got a notification for renewal of my domain from KENIC and I proceeded to request Safaricom to send me the procedure, I finally received that today after my domain has been suspended for 1 an entire week. The interesting part being that the person who responded was actually referring to an email I sent 2 months ago concerning the transfer of the domain. The most interesting issue that has go me raving is the following message (classic Telkom/Orange)' ______________ Dear Robert, Please make Transfer payment equivalent to the domain renewal fee in addition to the renewal fee Kindly send us a scanned copy of the receipt for this to be effected. Payment is made at A Safaricom Retail outlet against the respective item codes below, There are various types of domains as below with different costs as indicated. _______________ Please see highlighted text, for a company that has been feted as a leading implementer of technology this message speaks volumes. Such instructions are standard with Telkom/Orange and also KPLC (pay then report upstairs to notify reconnection department) but I did not think I would actually see day that Safaricom would get to that level and only hope into will not permeate to the voice service This is a sign of disintegration at a time when integration is called for, Safaricom has a major task ahead as it tries to breakdown the silos that are developing before they become fully entrenched and become a culture. Many times we blame individuals for situations when the main problem is with the systems in force. Is this a case of one step forward, two steps back? "You are better having me on the inside pissing out than on the outside pissing inwards" - Anonymous Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Safaricom & Product Control
by robert yawe 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

Want to know where I will be during the Jamhuri Day celebrations? http://quadrantshift.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mast-climber.jpg This is not for the fun or thrill of being 100 feet off the ground on a swaying pool but to buy data bundles for monitoring devices mounted at the top various masts. Around the same time last year, or was it the year before, I raised an issue on this list about how Safaricom keeps launching and killing features without notification to those using the service, the bone of contention then was the ability to buy bundles from the credit on one phone to another. The feature was reactivated and worked brilliantly until sometime 3 months ago when I noticed that it was down and I had to use the out of bundle rates for my remote monitoring equipment. It took Safaricom 2 months to actually realise that the service was not working and this only after making me jump through hops with instructions like remove SIM card then stand on one foot as you slide it back in, remove modem then reboot the computer (the device is 100 feet of the ground on a mast), reinstall software (my devices run linux & other proprietary operating systems but I would never mention that to customer service and more recently that my post paid service limit had been exhausted. Over the years we complained about Telkom's (17,000 staff at one point) inefficiency and also the government (500,000 employees) but from the deteriorating service levels from Safaricom (3,500 employees) I believe our problem as members of the "nyele ngumu" race is being incapable of scaling, Safaricom was lean and mean now with its increasing size and staff count as it tries to scale the cracks are starting to show. My advice to Safaricom, please improve on your level of documentation as relates to features and functionalities you decide to bring to market. Your business analysts need a better helicopter (no relation to a certain church) view if you are to reduce the number of half baked products you keep spewing out. Back to the issue at hand, should I expect this feature to be reactivated or not, I need this information by the end of the week so that I know if I am leaving the Safaricom SIM cards plugged in up on the various masts I will be climbing over this long weekend or should I just drop them off? Have a wonderful Jamhuri Day Celebration on solid ground and remember the Alcoblow should be out this weekend. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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