March 2012 - KICTANet

Media Round Table
by George Nyabuga 23 Mar '12

23 Mar '12

Dear friends, The School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Nairobi, the Media Focus on Africa Foundation, the Media Institute, and the Kenya Editors Guild are pleased to invite you to participate in a Media Round Table to be held on Tuesday 27th March 2012, between 12 and 2pm, at the Alliance Francaise. The topic will be: Media and Ethnicity: The Role of the Media in Tackling Ethnicity During Elections. The panelists will be Dr Mzalendo Kibunjia, Chair, National Cohesion and Integration Commission, Alex Chamwada, Associate Editor, Royal Media (Citizen TV), Dr Karambu Ringera, Founder and President, International Peace Initiative, and Christine Nguku, Chair, Alternative Media Network. The event is open to members of the public to enhance public participation and understanding of the role of the media in Kenya. Former newspaper editor, regular media commentator and consultant Kwamchetsi Makokha will moderate the discussions. This is part of a series of monthly round table meetings held on the last Tuesday of every month. The remit of the Monthly Media Round Tables is to deeply examine, in conversations with various organisations and people like academics/scholars, media practitioners/journalists, civil society, policy makers, media stakeholders, politicians, and ordinary Kenyans, the role of the media in Kenya. The event will be open to members of the public. Entry is FREE. We look forward to your participation. Dr George Nyabuga Associate Director School of Journalism & Mass Communication University of Nairobi Education Building Harry Thuku Road PO Box 30197 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254(0)20 318262 Fax: +254(0)20 2229168 Mobile: +254 (0)72151 6573 Email: gnyabuga(a)uonbi.ac.ke, gnyabuga(a)yahoo.co.uk www.uonbi.ac.ke ----------------------------------------- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI IS ISO CERTIFIED The University of Nairobi is committed to providing quality services to all its clients. The University will monitor and review its quality performance from time to time through an effective implementation of the Quality Management System based on ISO 9001:2008 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Media Misleading Citizens?
by Barrack Otieno 22 Mar '12

22 Mar '12

Listers, I just saw this on the wall of a popular media house and i am appalled by the misinformation, why can't our dear journalists do more research before publishing info, i see why Prof Nyong'o was so agitated during the Interview on Citizen TV, this is really dangerous? below is the text.. The Communications Commission of Kenya could have access to your personal internet content by July this year, if a plan they have set in motion succeeds. The CCK has signed a 32.6 million shilling deal with the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) to install a system that will monitor all incoming and outgoing internet content in Kenya, and has already requested local internet service providers and telecommunications institutions to install it. Do you think this is right? Hope the concerned will react on time. -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno http://www.otienobarrack.me.ke/

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140Friday. . . who is an MNC?
by robert yawe 22 Mar '12

22 Mar '12

Hi, I would like to congratulate the entire Seven Seas Family lead by Mike Macharia on winning the project in Zambia. http://www.times.co.zm/?p=1478 http://www.telecompaper.com/news/kenyas-seven-seas-wins-kes-4648-mln-zambia… It is my hope that Seven Seas being a MNC will make sure that there is skills and knowledge transfer to their partner organisation in the project. This project is a realisation that by us being open to foreigners doing business in Kenya we open greater opportunities in the region for Kenyan companies. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 ________________________________ From: Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke> To: 'robert yawe' <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions' <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Friday, 9 March 2012, 17:19 Subject: RE: [kictanet] 140Friday. . . and I wept Robert Some of us are great supporters of your thought processes and the voice of divergence and reason many a times… However, my brother this time I would like to be the first to disagree with you. KEPSA is a good forum and grouping that can be used to further sector growth and dialogue with the govt and public sector. But to rubbish a gathering that has taken time out to deliberate issues of importance in our sector is to take the role of criticism to a level that belittles all of us and makes us look foolish – Which I think isn’t your intention. If KEPSA is such a strong solution provider how come the sector is still not in synch as we would like. Everyone has a right to air his/her views and to purport that KEPSA is the solution for all our ills is to revert back to the MAMA NA BABA days of old which we all are glad to have left behind. I say that we have all contributed in our own little ways to improve and expand the democratic space and let’s make use of it in a progressive manner. The use of Twitter and other social media platforms (including I daresay this mailing list) can only improve our connections and ability to articulate our views and belittling them doesn’t really serve any purpose. I think sometimes we wallow too much in criticizing the view that multi-nationals, foreign companies etc are only here to skim off the top..Be that as it may, what we can do is take on the good and discard the bad. The very fact that we are only so happily using all the western tools at our disposal (the internet et al) and at the same time doing our best not to conform to certain standards then complain that we are losing out is a mockery of progress. Robert, lastly I would hate for you to say a month/quarter from now that ‘I told you so’ that this ‘independent group’ never happened. I challenge you my brother to also provide solutions. Be part of the group, and impart your wise counsel that the industry can move forward in the right direction. My five cents… Ali Hussein|Managing Partner Telemedia Africa Azania Technology Group Chaka Court, Argwings Kodhek Road P O Box 14556-00100 +254 773/713 601113 Nairobi, Kenya Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo "You generally hear that what a man doesn't know doesn't hurt him, but in business what a man doesn't know does hurt.". - E. St. Elmo Lewis, member, Advertising Hall of Fame From:kictanet-bounces+info=alyhussein.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+info=alyhussein.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of robert yawe Sent: Friday, March 09, 2012 4:51 PM To: info(a)alyhussein.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] 140Friday. . . and I wept Hi, I took time to attend the 140Friday session and at the end I wept first because as I sat there I realised that this was yet another talk shop activity in full swing but most importantly was the rubbishing of the late Evelyn Rono's efforts to give the sector a voice through KEPSA. Evelyn spent many hours lobbying for the ICT sector within the government an effort that has come to nought as we, yet again, scatter off into our various selfish corners. If all those tributes we kept sending around after she past away were genuine then lets honour her by continuing from where she left off instead of going off in a tangent. It was suggested by Dr. Ndemo and echoed by Mr. Kokubo that a team be formed to prepare a white paper on the issues that arose during the session, it was suggested that this would be best handled through the ICT Sector of KEPSA just for one of the panel to wrongly imply that KEPSA was an association for manufacturers (that organisation is called KAM who are also members of KEPSA). Dan Awendo of Investeq indicated that what is ailing us as an industry is the one man show syndrome and the leopard hunting mentality. If we can not within us form a body that can speak in one voice then all the efforts are a waste of time and resources. I will repeat what I raised a while back when I was not able to get a platform from which to take over the governorship of the ICT sector at KEPSA from Evelyn because the Computer Society of Kenya who I assumed would propose me had lapsed their membership. Unless we as an industry can speak in one voice and become a constituency then we shall continue to wallow in the miasma of deceit that was the session we had today, together we stand divided we fall. Twitter town hall meetings will not resolve what ails the industry it is only if we learn to come together that we can make an impact. KEPSA swings a sledge hammer on behalf of any of its sectors, it recommends who seats on government committees that require private sector participation and finally it has the machinery to draft and push through legislation. Forming small little talk shops will not make any progress and I read an ulterior motive to the proposal by Mr. Kokubo to form an "independent" group to prepare the white paper. He is very well aware that such a group will never see the day of light but if it was under the umbrella of KEPSA well that will be another issue. 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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Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] Media Misleading Citizens?-One Man Security?
by Brian Munyao Longwe 22 Mar '12

22 Mar '12

The askari at your gate is a personal choice and can be defined as the implementation of a concept called "Defense in depth" which basically means that you opt not to rely on one security measure alone. This concept is optional and discretionary, for example, I don't have an askari at my gate because I am generally happy about the other measures that have been put in place by Govt, municipality and the neighborhood committee. National security (the sole premise of Government) in this day and age guards against a myriad of actors such as violent non-state actors (this category includes terrorists), narcotic cartels, multinational corporations (believe it or not) and like it or not, non-governmental organisations. Wkipedia quite accurately cites: Measures taken to ensure national security include: - using diplomacy <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Diplomacy> to rally allies and isolate threats - marshalling economic power to facilitate or compel cooperation - maintaining effective armed forces<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armed_forces> - implementing civil defense <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Civil_defense> and emergency preparedness<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Emergency_preparedness> measures (including anti-terrorism legislation<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anti-terrorism_legislation> ) - ensuring the resilience and redundancy of critical infrastructure<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critical_infrastructure> - using intelligence services<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Intelligence_service> to detect and defeat or avoid threats and espionage<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Espionage>, and to protect classified information<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classified_information> - using counterintelligence<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Counterintelligence> services or secret police <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Secret_police> to protect the nation from internal threats I think we should let our government do it's job and engage to the extent that we ensure that our civil liberties are protected. Regards, Brian On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 10:14 AM, McTim <dogwallah(a)gmail.com> wrote: > not really. > > How can we agree that "preservation of security is the role of state > organs" when it is patently obvious that most properties in the > country need private guards? > > rgds, > > McTim > > On 3/22/12, Brian Munyao Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > On Thu, Mar 22, 2012 at 9:48 AM, McTim <dogwallah(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > >> On 3/22/12, John Kariuki <ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: > >> > Listers, > >> > If we agree that preservation of security is the role of state organs > >> > >> I think this is disproven by the fact that almost every property in KE > >> has at least one private askari! > >> > > > > I hope that was said tongue-in-cheek... > > > > -- > > Brian Munyao Longwe > > e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com > > cell: +254715964281 > > blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com > > meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com > > > > "Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand > > for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything." > > > > > -- > Cheers, > > McTim > "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A > route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel > -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: +254715964281 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com "Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."

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My take on the CCK "spying" saga: A small step for Government but a leap for Kenya
by Brian Munyao Longwe 21 Mar '12

21 Mar '12

My take on the CCK "spying" saga: A small step for Government but a leap for Kenya http://zinjlog.blogspot.com/2012/03/small-step-for-government-but-leap-for.… Today a story broken by the Daily Nation had the sensational headline "CCK Sparks Row with Fresh Bid to Spy on Internet Users<http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/CCK+sparks+row+with+fresh…>". The story has triggered a very lively debate both in conventional broadcast as well as online media. While many feel threatened about the alleged invasion of their privacy, some of the more clued up are welcoming this development. The 'row' alluded to by the author the DN article seems to be attributed to some telecoms service providers reactions towards letters received from the CCK requiring them to cooperate in the installation of internet traffic monitoring equipment which the article refers to as "Network Early Warning System (NEWS)". Apparently CCK has clearly stated that the system will support the country's ability to detect and facilitate response to possible cyber threats. Kenya as a country has had her fair share of threats, both online or in the form of cyber-threats as well as in real life. The most significant of these was the bombing of the US embassy in Nairobi which took place on August 8th 1998 (a day before my wedding!) and resulted in the deaths of hundreds of people. The bombing, which took place simultaneously with a similar attack in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania was attributed to Al-Qaeda, the fundamentalist terrorist group associated with Osama bin Laden. The 1998 incident cast a spotlight on Kenya's low level of preparedness to deal with major disasters and also raised a lot of questions about our ability as a country to gather intelligence and act on it. A grenade blast which killed two<http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/3117817.stm> and and led to the near capture of one of the most wanted Al-Qaeda terrorists at a cybercafe in Mombasa in 2003 in an operation carried out jointly betweenKenyan and CIA operatives<http://www.armytimes.com/news/2011/11/army-years-of-work-led-to-al-qaida-ta…> was a result of close coordination between security agencies as well as the use of "high tech gear, low tech human intelligence and courage". Part of the high tech gear involved in this operation allowed the security officers to track and monitor "patterns" of online communication that allowed them to close in on the terrorists. In this incident and a few other similar ones it has always been reported that the "Kenyan authorities used information provided by" [foreign nation], why can't we have our own capability to gather such information? Especially when it seems that the terrorists use online technologies for much of their planning. It is therefore my opinion that the move by Kenya to improve her ability to detect and facilitate response to cyber-threats is a small step for the Government but a huge leap for the country. This exercise, coupled with the impending setup of the Kenya Computer Incident Response Team Coordination Centre (KE-CIRT/CC) with support from the ITU<http://www.cck.go.ke/news/2012/KE-CIRT_signing.html> will go a long way towards enhancing the Government's obligation to protect her citizens. -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: +254715964281 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com "Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."

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Google Israel chief to head Africa region? How now?
by Brian Munyao Longwe 21 Mar '12

21 Mar '12

I don't like the sound of this: http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?<http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000734754> did=1000734754<http://www.globes.co.il/serveen/globes/docview.asp?did=1000734754> :( Brian -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: +254715964281 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com "Give us clear vision that we may know where to stand and what to stand for, because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything."

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Khan Academy - for a more differentiated take
by Andrea Bohnstedt 20 Mar '12

20 Mar '12

Hey all, Just found this piece on the Khan Academy with a more in-depth look on how their approach changed, plus a bunch of useful links: http://blog.mrmeyer.com/?p=13296 Have a fab day, 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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I AM FREE NOW...
by Josphat Kabinga 20 Mar '12

20 Mar '12

<p>Make More Money: How to Supercharge Your Income<br><a href="http://zuconojy.00sports.com/seryni.html">http://zuconojy.00sports.com/seryni.html</a></p>

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Status of IPv6 deployment in Kenya
by Paul M 20 Mar '12

20 Mar '12

Take a look at this page. Gives revealing but dismal statistics over the state of IPv6 in Kenya. http://www.vyncke.org/ipv6status/detailed.php?country=ke -- :-) Paul M

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Save the Date: AfPIF 3 set for August 22 - 24, 2012
by Michuki Mwangi 20 Mar '12

20 Mar '12

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