June 2011 - KICTANet

Re: [kictanet] MINNING ENGINEERS AND GEOLOGISTS NEEDED
by charles nduati 29 Jun '11

29 Jun '11

Hi listers, I am telling as many of whinning there are others seeing only opportunities send me any experienced minning engineer and geologists you know urgently charles On Wed, 29 Jun 2011 08:38 EEST robert yawe wrote: >Hi, > >I currently have a blog hosted at Safaricom Business that is developed using >WordPress, over the past 6 or so months I have been trying to upgrade my >WordPress to version 3.1.3 without success. > >Today I received an email from Safaricom Business that they are unable to >support the newer versions of WordPress so if anyone out there is planning to >host any WP blogs on Safaricom Business please be advised that their servers >have limitations in what they can host so make sure you get a confirmation of >what they can do before recommending the service to your clients. > >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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Safaricom hosting service wanting
by robert yawe 29 Jun '11

29 Jun '11

Hi, I currently have a blog hosted at Safaricom Business that is developed using WordPress, over the past 6 or so months I have been trying to upgrade my WordPress to version 3.1.3 without success. Today I received an email from Safaricom Business that they are unable to support the newer versions of WordPress so if anyone out there is planning to host any WP blogs on Safaricom Business please be advised that their servers have limitations in what they can host so make sure you get a confirmation of what they can do before recommending the service to your clients. 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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Effects of lower calling rates
by robert yawe 28 Jun '11

28 Jun '11

Hi, It is with sadness that I make this post, the effects of lower calling rates on Safaricom are beginning to show. When an organisation known for its attention to detail, releasing a brochure to the public with such glaring errors is truly a reason for concern. http://quadrantshift.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/safaricom-brochure-er… 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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Storm Clouds are brewing
by robert yawe 28 Jun '11

28 Jun '11

Hi, The message below was sent out by SwiftGlobal about a failure at their data centre which gives a clear sign that we are not ready for public clouds as the current ones seem to have turned into storm clouds and are beating down hard. Dear Customer, This is to notify you that there will has been a power problem since Monday 27/6/2011 late afternoon at ILH (Town) which is our redundant site. This involved a total shutdown on power last evening as they replaced a contactor which got burnt during the day's power fluctuations. The generator was also not working to allow these electrical works to be completed. During this exercise there was service interruption to all clients and services terminated at this Location i.e (co-located server, webserver). This also causing slow internet speeds due to an overload on servers at the main site. We continue to experience this interruption as they are still working on the power issue. We regret the inconvenience this has caused you. Kindly bear with us as this crucial exercise is carried out we will keep you updated. For any further queries, please feel free to contact our support desk on 6921000 or write to support(a)swiftglobal.co.ke The message clearly indicates that swift have no long run power backup and are also dependent on a shared backup generator. A data centre must been able to operate for at least 6 hours with no external power. What is also more interesting is that the statement and sequence of events listed by SwiftGlobal are very similar to those of KRA when there systems went down a few weeks ago. Could this mean that apart from me there is no one else in the country with the local expertise to design a industry standard data centre? 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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National ICT Policy
by Solomon Mburu Kamau 28 Jun '11

28 Jun '11

Listers, Just wondering do we have a National ICT Policy either in the draft or completed form? This is because, IMHO, for a country like Kenya to achieve economic growth based on application of ICT to supplement the traditional aspects of development, then a National ICT policy should come in handy to aid in pointing out the various points and roles that the various players should take. How for instance, are we to achieve Vision 2030, if a national policy on ICT does not exist? Regards, Mburu

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Research Award Grants
by Edith Adera 28 Jun '11

28 Jun '11

Listers, FYI - for those interested in small research grants on climate change and development (ICTs are included as one of the themes). Edith ________________ Edith Ofwona Adera Senior Program Specialist Climate Change & Water Program International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca<http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/>

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Re: [kictanet] A true innovation?
by stanley_murage＠yahoo.com 27 Jun '11

27 Jun '11

I have enjoyed with interest the debate on KBSM adopting information technology in their operations. It would be good to state that they have been working on an e-ticketing and fleet management system since early last year. It is now in its pilot stage. Hopefully soon, it should be operational, initially together with the old system until complete phase out. Proper customization of technology and business methods, now and in future , are the two major constraints. S.K.Murage ----- Reply message ----- From: "robert yawe" <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Date: Mon, Jun 27, 2011 09:11 Subject: [kictanet] A true innovation? To: <stanley_murage(a)yahoo.com> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Barrack, The reason I am trying to put across is that KBMS retains their old faithful system because there is no alternative being offered. This means that there is an untapped opportunity. On the issue of issuing tickets at least KBMS receives 80-90% of the moneys due to it, the other operators have absolutely no record keeping or collection system which would mean that the owners will be lucky to receive more than 50% of the takings. A lack of monitoring in any business is a sure recipe for failure, I have seen this even in technology environments like cyber cafes where billing systems do not capture revenue from printing and CD writing. In the ISP business many did not implement integrated billing systems allowing their staff to run virtual organisations. They never realised where the lick was even after firing half the staff and still continue to haemorrhage. I again reiterate, we need to apply technology and not just peddle technology for its own sake. Regards PS. Technology is love and love shall overcome all - Creator of the Plasma Display screen. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 ________________________________ From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or..ke> Sent: Fri, 24 June, 2011 18:48:59 Subject: Re: [kictanet] A true innovation? Bobby, I agree with you ,however I also think increased efficiencies are bound to benefit the sector and the public as a whole, I am not pouring cold water on the legacy systems at KBS but a change is as good as a rest, I mentioned TPG since I found it to be a very modern and efficient way of managing transport, furthermore the buses are managed and owned by the county, of interest is the fact that the system is almost similar to the megarider that KBMS had implemented but which flopped, ever noticed how some of those conductors avoid issuing tickets when they know the inspectors are not around, this is what is killing the companies if only we can propose a system that minimizes the interaction between humans and money. On 6/24/11, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > Hi Barrack, > > You are doing exactly what I said we should avoid as techies, we need to > take > our clients from what the know to where we want them to go if you get to > the destination too quickly there will be resistance. > > As a developing Nation we need to create jobs, Smart Bus tried the smart > card > issue but it failed as we are not yet disciplined enough to be left > unsupervised. City Council of Nairobi has been unable to replace the > parking > attendants even with Kisia at the helm, we need to appreciate that there is > more > to labour intensive applications can just a lack of technology. > > > The Kenya Bus system goes beyond just the ticketing machine, any changes > will > need to be effected from the backend towards the front end which is the > bus/matatu/boda boda. > > Virtual City have shown how a previously manual process can be automated > without > getting rid of staff but by empowering them to become more productive. > > Regards > > Robert Yawe > KAY System Technologies Ltd > Phoenix House, 6th Floor > P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 > Kenya > > > Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 > > > > > ________________________________ > From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> > To: robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo..co.uk> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or..ke> > Sent: Fri, 24 June, 2011 9:21:43 > Subject: Re: [kictanet] A true innovation? > > Bobby, > > I think the problem could be bigger than ticketing but the whole management > set > up. I found www.tpg.ch to be quite efficient because of centralised > management. > You pay for the card monthly or weekly and your details are stored in a > magnetic strip card, the buses have no conductors but the company has > contracted > special Police who jump into the bus at random and will slap a hefty fine > (instant justice) on anyone found in the bus without a valid ticket or card. > The > buses of course also have the automatic ticket dispensers where you drop in > a > coin or slot your card, considering that the buses are managed by the county > it > might be a model worth studying despite the fact that we are likely to > experience resistance from those manning the transport sector which is > already a > mess and reverses all the gains we make as a nation due to the > inefficiencies. > > Best Regards > > > On Fri, Jun 24, 2011 at 8:28 AM, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > > Phares, >> >> >>I would like to disagree with you on the point of cost of the device, the >>problem with most of us technical people is that we are unable to sell the >> true >>benefits of a the solution we offer as we look at the solution from a >> technical >>point than a business point. >> >> >>We need to be able to sell the business solution not the technology at >> which >>point the US$ 2,000/- will be looked at an asset acquisition that by >> definition >>will improve the bottom line. A quick one could be why not make the ticket >> >>larger and then sell advertising space on it, I know I get bored when >> travelling >>as the average trip takes at least 15 minutes. >> >> >>The reason that ticketing device is strong at the core of KBMC's system is >>because it delivers all we need to do to offer an upgrade that retains the >>current functionality and then moves them forward from there. >> >> >>I have had the opportunity to see what Kenya Business Management Company >> does >>with the data collected from those perceived archaic tickets dispensers >> coupled >>with the route records filled by the conductor at predefined locations and >> it is >>a marvel. >> >> >>Watch Kenya Bus Management Company has we phase out the 14 sitters, and it >> is a >>target market that any forward thinking developer should look into. >> >> >>City Hopper did not take on an efficient ticketing system and neither a >> route >>planning application because not even Thuo appreciated those metal gadgets >> in >>all the time he was MD of Kenya Bus. >> >>Robert Yawe >>KAY System Technologies Ltd >>Phoenix House, 6th Floor >>P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 >>Kenya >> >> >>Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 >> >> >> >> >> > ________________________________ > From: Phares Kariuki <pkariuki(a)gmail.com> >>To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> >>Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >>Sent: Fri, 24 June, 2011 8:10:20 >>Subject: Re: [kictanet] A true innovation? >> >> >>Speaking from personal experience, the problem with the ticketing machines >> is >>one of management on the part of the bus company owners... There have been >>attempts to get rugged ticketing devices (the sort that farmers choice etc >> use >>when on the road) but they are not keen on them... One rugged device is >> around >>2,000 USD. For 10 of them, you would need to invest in what would otherwise >> be a >>down-payment for a bus... Additionally the additional cost with regards to >> human >>resource and other ICT infrastructure is not considered worth it, by the >> bus >>companies... It's an unfortunate situation, given the obvious benefits a >> tech >>based system would have. The sad thing is all 3 major bus companies have >>basically reached a stagnation point with regards to operational >> efficiency and >>have barely increased their fleetsize in the last five years (proof is the >> fact >>that new bus companies, City Shuttle et al are coming into the space). >> >> >> >>On Thu, Jun 23, 2011 at 12:58 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> >> wrote: >> >>Hi Listers, >>> >>> >>>A few days ago an was in a Kenya Bus and got a deja vu moment as I looked >>> at the >>>conductor standing in front of me dispensing his ticket. >>> >>> >>>http://quadrantshift.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kbs-ticket-machine.jpg. >>> >>> >>>The moment tool me back to 1978 and I a sitting in a number 29 bus coming >>> from >>>Eastleigh, where I went to school (now you can understand my lack >>>of etiquette at times) to Buru Buru where we lived. >>> >>> >>> >>>To date the machine remains the same with what seems to be a very basic >>>activity, dispensing tickets. Which would explain why it remains the same >>> no >>>fancy additions or features, but what many of you might not know is that >>> it >>>seats at the heart of a very elaborate system. >>> >>> >>>This easily overlooked device gives Kenya Bus Management Company the >>> wealth of >>>information that keeps them ahead of the pack and kept them operational >>> event >>>after all the groups of raiders who have owned the company over the past >>> 20 or >>>so years, lose of their garage in Eastleigh, lose of the monopoly in >>> Nairobi and >>>Mombasa, lose of the sole use of the Bus Terminal in Nairobi. >>> >>> >>>Now that little gadget that we all take for granted as we start new >>> transport >>>organisations is what has kept them going.. There is a product ready to be >>> >>>transitioned to the 21st century if only we stopped looking for >>> opportunities >>>for innovation in all the wrong places. >>> >>> >>>A true innovation. >>> >>> >>>Regards >>> >>> >>>PS. I am a sower, I leave harvesting to others. >>> Robert Yawe >>>KAY System Technologies Ltd >>>Phoenix House, 6th Floor >>>P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 >>>Kenya >>> >>> >>>Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 >>> >>> >>>_______________________________________________ >>>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/pkariuki%40gmail.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. >>> >> >> >>-- >>With Regards, >> >>Phares Kariuki >> >>| T: +254 720 406 093 | E: pkariuki(a)gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype: >>kariukiphares | B: http://www.kaboro.com/ | >> >>_______________________________________________ >>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/otieno.barrack%40gmail… >> >>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. >> > > > -- > Barrack O. Otieno > Afriregister Ltd (Kenya) > www.afriregister.bi, www.afriregister.com > ICANN accredited registrar > +254721325277 > +254-20-2498789 > Skype: barrack.otieno > -- Sent from my mobile device Barrack O. Otieno Afriregister Ltd (Kenya) www.afrire <http://www.afriregister.com>gister.bi, www.afriregister.com<http://www.afriergister.com> <http://www..afriregister.com>ICANN accredited registrar +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno

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International investors choose South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya as top 3 in 2011
by Harry Hare 27 Jun '11

27 Jun '11

Friday, 24 June 2011 11:33 Linda Larbie International investors choose South Africa, Nigeria and Kenya as the best African countries on the continent for investment in 2011. A survey conducted by Africa Business Panel <http://www.africabusinesspanel.com/> among 800 business professionals involved with Africa shows that these 3 countries were earmarked as the continent¹s favourites when it comes to international investment. Ghana, Angola, Tanzania, Rwanda, Botswana, Uganda and Mozambique are the runners up and complete the top ten countries for investment out of 53 economies on the African continent. http://www.africabusinesscommunities.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=a rticle&id=948&catid=1 ==== Just a few years ago investor were running away from Kenya, now we are up there againthat is why I love this country. Have a feel good weekend. Harry

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A true innovation?
by robert yawe 27 Jun '11

27 Jun '11

Hi Listers, A few days ago an was in a Kenya Bus and got a deja vu moment as I looked at the conductor standing in front of me dispensing his ticket. http://quadrantshift.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/kbs-ticket-machine.jpg. The moment tool me back to 1978 and I a sitting in a number 29 bus coming from Eastleigh, where I went to school (now you can understand my lack of etiquette at times) to Buru Buru where we lived. To date the machine remains the same with what seems to be a very basic activity, dispensing tickets. Which would explain why it remains the same no fancy additions or features, but what many of you might not know is that it seats at the heart of a very elaborate system. This easily overlooked device gives Kenya Bus Management Company the wealth of information that keeps them ahead of the pack and kept them operational event after all the groups of raiders who have owned the company over the past 20 or so years, lose of their garage in Eastleigh, lose of the monopoly in Nairobi and Mombasa, lose of the sole use of the Bus Terminal in Nairobi. Now that little gadget that we all take for granted as we start new transport organisations is what has kept them going. There is a product ready to be transitioned to the 21st century if only we stopped looking for opportunities for innovation in all the wrong places. A true innovation. Regards PS. I am a sower, I leave harvesting to others. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Price Wars
by Phares Kariuki 27 Jun '11

27 Jun '11

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