March 2011 - KICTANet

Digital to Analog Conversion
by robert yawe 19 Jun '15

19 Jun '15

Hi, When the migration from analog to digital was initially raised fear was put into the public on how there would be no option but to throw away our analog TV sets and replace them with Digital. Now that digital transmission is finally here we need to look at how to make the migration as painless as possible while at the same time we do not disenfranchise any citizens. It has been mentioned that there are over 1 million TV sets in Kenya today, that means 1 million digital to analog converters will be required over the next 2-3 years. I believe this is a great opportunity for us to go into the electronic assembly business, I would like to propose that we 1st increase duty on converters from the current 35% to 250% so as to discourage the importation of the converters. Then exempt from duty and vat all assembly stations, test equipment and components for anyone who sets up a converter assembly plant, with a 3 year tax holiday. If you setup the plant more than 200 kilometers from Nairobi or Mombasa you receive an addition 2 years tax holiday. I believe this will sort out the issue of substandard converters and will also provide an opportunity for us to develop our electronic devices assembly skills. If you make a net profit of 1,000/- there is a clean 875,000,000/- to be made, close to what the government is spending on purchase of the Malili farm. This is assuming a standard device, there is still a market for those who want high end devices with recording, tuners, USB ports, etc which would mean that the returns could be much higher than projected above. So will we move away from juts being importers and retailers or do we have what it takes to do some value add? 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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KIXP Down?
by Michael Bullut 11 Aug '11

11 Aug '11

Good afternoon fellow listers, Might anybody be noting problems with the Kenya Internet Exchange Point? My colleagues working with service providers inform me they can not exchange traffic with their fellow counterparts. Warm regards, Michael Bullut. --- *Cell:* *+254 723 393 114.* *Google Talk: michael.bullut **Twitter:** @Kipsang <http://twitter.com/Kipsang/> * *Blog: http://kipsang.wordpress.com/* *E-mail:* *michael.bullut(a)gmail.com* * * *---*

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Publication of Piece on protecting the Internet from Dictators
by warigia bowman 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

Dear Friends I just want to thank you for your assistance in helping me with the piece on the Egyptian Internet Shutdown. I got a lot of press interest from it. It is going to be published in the Cairo Review here: http://cairoreview.aucegypt.edu/BowmanTF.html They have misspelled my name, but they are working on fixing it. The piece fully cited with attribution is available on my blog. www.democratizingegypt.blogspot.com Yours, Rigia On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 10:05 AM, Francis Hook <francis.hook(a)gmail.com>wrote: > In today's Business Daily is the story about the looming exit of Charles > Njoroge from CCK. > > > http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Change+of+guard+looms+at+… > > Looking at CCK's Mandate (http://www.cck.go.ke/about/what_we_do.html) and > thinking of some aspects of that story (e.g. his appraisal score) and also > looking at recent positive developments (anti-competition, lower tariffs, > MNP, converged licences, etc), when reviewing Mr Njoroge's tenure vis a vis > that mandate, what is the rationale behind his proposed removal? I > understand we cannot all be privy to the details of his appraisal but > perhaps it merits some open discussion, more so when looking ahead and > trying to read the tea leaves in terms of possible revisions/amendment of > various sector regulations. > > --- > Francis Hook > +254 733 504561 > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: warigia(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/warigia%40gmail.com > >

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Re: [kictanet] Digital Villages - F2F with Ndemo
by eonchari＠lynxbits.com 06 Apr '11

06 Apr '11

Hi Yawe, I needed clarifications on the following:. How sustainable is this project? Are there plans for government to outsource some work to the DVs, and how is this going to work? is there a continuous training program for the DVs to keep abreast with technology changes? Edwin ----- Original Message ----- From: robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.ukTo: eonchari(a)lynxbits.com Cc: kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Sent: 3/31/11 8:29 AM Subject: [kictanet] Digital Villages - F2F with Ndemo Hi All, Know that the heat has cooled down on the issue of who will be attending the session on the 6th of April with the PS Dr. Ndemo we need to move forward. To make sure that we have a fruitful interaction I would to request all those who confirmed their attendance and any other listers to send me a list of issues they would like discussed with the PS. The main agenda for the meeting will be to get a presentation by the PS on the digital village project and then to come up with a strategy on how we can provide our input to the project. We shall also need to have a volunteer for repertoire to capture the discussions and produce a report that can be shared with the larger membership. 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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Statistics on Kenya Road Accidents
by Henry Okatch 01 Apr '11

01 Apr '11

Hello Anyone knows where I can get recent statistics on road accidents in Kenya especially regarding PSV's Personal Vehicles et al. The current statistics are based on articles written by different individuals with conflicting statistics Ohh by the way the Kenya Police website does not have the statistics on traffic accidents online but they have one on Crime (Which is a good thing) Anybody who knows where I can get this info especially from government agencies. PS the Ministry of Roads website is not working -- Warm Regards Henry Cell +254721899572 _______________________________________________________________________________ *Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, It knows it must run faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up, it knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. It doesn't matter whether you are a gazelle or a lion. When the sun comes up, you better start running. - In "The World is Flat" by Thomas L. Friedman*

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And for April Fools they had to touch a sore wound...
by Collins Areba 01 Apr '11

01 Apr '11

Inspectors from the International Atomic Energy Agency, who have been in the country for a week, on Thursday approved Kenya’s application for its first nuclear power station. The 35,000MW facility is to be built at a cost of Sh950 billion on a 200-acre plot in the Athi Plains, about 50km from Nairobi, and is expected to satisfy all of Kenya’s energy needs until 2040. http://www.nation.co.ke/News/UN+clears+Kenya+nuclear+energy+project+/-/1056… -- *“The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy”* ~ Alex Carey ~ Tel No: 0x2af23696

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International remittances straight to your M-PESA account
by Andrea Bohnstedt 31 Mar '11

31 Mar '11

Hey all, Safaricom have entered a co-operation with Western Union so that remittances can be sent straight to M-PESA accounts. I haven't seen the fee structure yet (probably the usual Western Union fees), but still - great to see that Safaricom seem to have cracked the international transfers. Another global first for Kenya, I think. Here's the press release: http://www.ratio-magazine.com/201103313887/Corporate-Press-Releases/Kenya-P… -- Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt> Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com Find/post East Africa careers<http://www.ratio-magazine.com/careers/index.php> Find/post conferences, workshops, trainings, other business events<http://www.ratio-magazine.com/businessevents/index.php>

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Digital Africa
by Andrea Bohnstedt 31 Mar '11

31 Mar '11

Quite Kenya-focused, but that's not surprising since the author, Economist correspondent Jonathan Ledgard, lives in Nairobi. Beautifully written sweeping look at (mostly) mobile Africa: http://moreintelligentlife.com/content/ideas/jm-ledgard/digital-africa?page… Enjoy! Andrea -- Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt> Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com Find/post East Africa careers<http://www.ratio-magazine.com/careers/index.php> Find/post conferences, workshops, trainings, other business events<http://www.ratio-magazine.com/businessevents/index.php>

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Re: [kictanet] Local hosting - reiterated
by robert yawe 31 Mar '11

31 Mar '11

Hi, Lets keep this response as a final digression from the main issue, we do no have iron ore neither aluminium therefore we shall need to import the basic raw material for making cabinets we would rather concentrate on developing microchips and have them fabricated else where. The Chinese produce millions of units a year which allows them to enjoy economies of scale, therefore before we can achieve such production capacity the casing business will have been overtaken. So we need to concentrate on the intellectual element of technology and leave the hardware business to those already entrenched. Now can we please revert back to the issue at hand, how can we provide cost effective hosting for the myriad of developers out here? Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 ________________________________ From: Collins Areba <arebacollins(a)gmail.com> To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Thu, 31 March, 2011 10:25:31 Subject: Re: [kictanet] Local hosting - reiterated There is no way we can deliver a casing in nairobi for less than the Chinese fellow. interesting conclusion... why not? @robert, let me prepare an appropriate response for this... but i believe you are grossly in error on this. Other sectors could actually be more pivotal than IT. Food for instance, imagine if we were the best brains yet could not produce food, Inflation would hit the roof and our intellectual products would amount to null. On Thu, Mar 31, 2011 at 10:18 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi Collins, > > >As much as you disagree with me you need to appreciate that with cloud computing >and smart phones we would be moving backwards if we tried to go into casing >manufacture and PCB boards as the incumbents have got the process done to a >science. There is no way we can deliver a casing in nairobi for less than the >Chinese fellow. > > >My issue is that we have graduates out there who cannot get to their full >potential because of a lack of a technological infrastructure. What I am >requesting the government it to think out of the box, we are better placed to >provide the world with intellectual products and should work in that direction. > > >On the issue of power to me it it neither her nor there we have a sank cost in >as far as the generating capacity is concerned so unless we can immediately get >a cheaper source that will enable us to continue meeting the loan repayments for >the existing capacity and still offer a lower cost to the consumer then we can >turn off the dams and geothermal stations but until then we need to live with >what we have. > > Still on the issue of cost of power can you give me an example of a manufacturing company that actually closed shop as a result of this? Cost of production, biggest component. looking up the list of companies that actually relocated to Misri and even Ethiopia... > >I do not understand the production of sufurias or jikos but I do understand >technology and from where I am sitting unless we develop the technology >infrastructure we shall never even come close to meeting the vision 2030 >objectives. > > > > Robert Yawe >KAY System Technologies Ltd >Phoenix House, 6th Floor >P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 >Kenya > > >Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 > > > > > ________________________________ >From: Collins Areba <arebacollins(a)gmail.com> >To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> >Sent: Wed, 30 March, 2011 8:40:26 > >Subject: Re: [kictanet] Local hosting - reiterated > > >@robert, with all respect, you seem to look at every other industry as inferior >compared to information technology. I beg to differ: > > Here are my reasons: > >The Industry is reliant on electronic gadgets imported from China and south >Korea, these components will increasingly become a significant expenditure not >only by Kenya but also by the other nations in the region. > > >Thanks to technology, CNC (Computer numerical control machining) and CAD / CAM, >the technology gap between Kenya and China is easily narrowed. This means that >technically if we wanted to start manufacturing PCBs, all we would need are the >equipment, standard layout designs and raw materials. Then we can innovate and >improve on existing ones. > > >This would fly in the face of your thinkin but actually, after roads GOK should >be looking at Energy. (If you ask me it should have looked at energy first). Why >Kenyan electricity is 5 times more expensive than china's is a matter for >another discussion but Kenya should aspire to have the cheapest electricity in >the continent. (Green or not green notwithstanding, cheap first, then maybe >green). > > >On the Jua kali sheds, what GOK needs is to have extension officers to now work >on getting those boyt and girls hammering 220L barrels into pans and jikos into >better fabrication technologies to improve productivity. I believe that granted, >these willbe the centers that will start manufacturing components. a shed in >Nairobi could be doing computer cases, another in coast could be doing monitors, >another could be doing power supplies...e..t.c. > > > > > >On Wed, Mar 30, 2011 at 7:54 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > >This says a lot about the governments lip service on vision 2030, the setting up >of special economic zones and jua kali sheds is so industrial revolution >thinking. >> >> >>With technology the entire country becomes an special economic zone whose only >>infrastructure requirements are data centres and high speed broadband (wired or >>otherwise) all of which are much cheaper to install than 4 lane highways and >>11,000 kilo volt power sub-stations, or could it be the issue of 10%. >> >> >>Kazi kwa vijani needs to look beyond the standard 8 drop out to the university >>graduate who already has the skills and is only looking for an enabling >>environment. >> >> >>Dr. Ndemo, I propose you call your counterpart in the Ministry of >>Industrialisation and which ever other ministry is involved in the jua kali shed >>project and insist to be given 1 shed in every constituency then take the cash >>equivalent and set-up a hosting and collocation centre. >> >> >>All it requires is 1000 square feet of space in your offices (digitise your >>files and move the physical ones to Kabartonjo). From your offices get at least >>a 1 gigabit link to KIXP and as you are next to Oranges Telephone House which >>sits on a node of the Secom marine cable you can tap in for the international >>bandwidth. >> >> >>The other link you require is to KeNET (http://www.kenet.or.ke) the education >>network hub, which I believe is currently asleep so that the location can be >>accessed across all universities. This is critical as we know what happened >>when the developers of google and facebook went through when trying to host >>within their campuses. >> >> >>If you leave the issue of hosting and collocation to market forces and private >>enterprise then our young developers and doomed to languish in poverty like our >>great artists. This is the 1968 of technology time to setup an ICDC and KNTC >>type entities for the technology industry which you can then float like >>safaricom and kenya power after the market has matured. >> >> >>>From where I sit not even Safaricom or Airtel have the resources or willpower to >>salvage this situation. >> Robert Yawe >>KAY System Technologies Ltd >>Phoenix House, 6th Floor >>P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 >>Kenya >> >> >>Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 >> >> >> >> >> ________________________________ From: Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi(a)gmail.com> >>To: robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk >>Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >>Sent: Tue, 29 March, 2011 17:57:58 >>Subject: Re: [kictanet] Local hosting - reiterated >> >> >>Developers and Local Hosting providers have for long been involved in the >>"chicken before the egg" situation where hosting firms say that demand has to >>increase for prices to come down, they have to justify investment. Developers >>meanwhile want prices to come down before they host locally, with some of them >>barely having budgets. >> >> >> >>At the same time, local hosting firms have to learn to offer world class cutting >>edge platforms and interfaces to their users if they are going to adopt them. >> >> >>At the same time, it aids when those providing this services go into technical >>details, like the type of databases offered, supported scripting languages >>rather than just tell us 2 databases, developers need that information. >> >> >>Rememeber there is tough competition from the likes of Amazon who have a robust >>cloud infrastructure which is free for low usage >>(http://aws.amazon.com/ec2/pricing/) >> >> >>As a case study, a local developer has done a popular application , AroundMe >>(Nokia Ovi store - http://store.ovi.com/content/103911#/content/103911/reviews) >>which has been downloaded more than 10,000 times and with 30,000 searches. The >>app uses the Google App Engine (https://appengine.google.com/) cloud platform, >>also free to a certain usage . To now the app is still operating on the free >>limit (http://aroundmenow.appspot.com/) >> >>_______________________________________________ >>kictanet mailing list >>kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >>This message was sent to: arebacollins(a)gmail.com >>Unsubscribe or change your options at >>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/arebacollins%40gmail.c… >> >> > > >-- > >“The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of >great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of >corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting >corporate power against democracy” > >~ Alex Carey ~ >Tel No: 0x2af23696 > > -- “The twentieth century has been characterized by three developments of great political importance: the growth of democracy, the growth of corporate power, and the growth of corporate propaganda as a means of protecting corporate power against democracy” ~ Alex Carey ~ Tel No: 0x2af23696

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ANOTHER LEAD
by charles nduati 31 Mar '11

31 Mar '11

Hi Listers, Kindly help this young graduate Catherine who has just finished diploma in IT at .who knows, she might become another IT chic Many thanks in advance Charles CHARLES N. NDUATI GENERAL MANAGER JKUAT ENTERPRISES LTD JOMO KENYATTA UNIVERSITY OF AGRICULTURE AND TECHNOLOGY JUJA MAIN CAMPUS, THIKA P. O. BOX 79324-00200 NAIROBI, KENYA TEL: 254-067-52420 OR 254-067-52711 FAX: 254-067-52438 MOBILE:254-722728815 EMIAL:charlesnduati2002@yahoo.co.uk,cnduati@gmail.com,bm@jkuates.jkuat.ac.ke www.jkuat.ac.ke

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