February 2013 - KICTANet

Kenya's MoDe Wins GLOBAL Entrepreneurs Competition
by Marie-Ann Kinyanjui 08 Feb '13

08 Feb '13

Great news for Kenya! http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate-News/Kenyan-microcredit-firm-w… Rgds, Kui

1 0

Upcoming Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance Events in the Middle East and Africa
by Alice Munyua 08 Feb '13

08 Feb '13

https://www.icann.org/en/news/announcements/announcement-07feb13-en.htm Upcoming Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance Events in the Middle East and Africa 7 February 2013 ICANN will participate with the regional IG community in two important events in March 2013. These events will be attended by regional leaders from government, the private sector and civil society. The first event, as part of the Arab IGF initiative, will be in Dubai, UAE from 3-5 March. The second event, as part of the African Strategic Engagement initiative, will be in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 6-8 March. ICANN invites you to join regional leaders and Internet Governance experts from all over the world at these two events. The Arab Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance meeting will be held at the Radisson Royal Hotel in Dubai on 3-5 March 2013. The meeting is hosted by the Telecom Regulatory Authority of UAE as part of the Arab IGF Open Consultations and in partnership with ICANN and RIPE NCC, the Regional Internet Registry for Europe and the Middle East. Please see this link for on-line registration: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/viewform?formkey=dHpucVl1MjM1OUVRLXFvQX… The African Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance meeting will be held at the UNECA Conference Center in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia from 6-8 March 2013 and is organized in partnership with African IGF, AfriNIC, AFTLD, ISOC Africa, and the ATU. These open public meetings are aimed at fostering engagement among Internet organizations and all stakeholder groups in the Arab and the African world. They offer the opportunity to share best practices of successful multi-stakeholder models and discuss means to enhance effective participation in global Internet Governance fora. * Arab Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance Meeting Proposed Agenda <http://meetings.icann.org/meetings/armig-mar12/proposed-agenda-07feb13-en.p…>[PDF, 251 KB] * African Multi-stakeholder Internet Governance Meeting Proposed Agenda and Outline <http://meetings.icann.org/meetings/afmig-mar12/proposed-agenda-outline-07fe…>[PDF, 123 KB] * Information Note for Participants from UNECA <http://meetings.icann.org/meetings/afmig-mar12/dns-africa-participants-note…>[PDF, 304 KB] Glen de Saint Géry GNSO Secretariat gnso.secretariat(a)gnso.icann.org <mailto:[email protected]> http://gnso.icann.org

1 0

Fwd: Uchaguzi launch at Intercontinental Hotel
by Andrea Bohnstedt 08 Feb '13

08 Feb '13

This looks like a press invite, but contact details at the bottom if anyone wants to find out more. Apologies if this has been circulated already. Have a lovely weekend, Andrea ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Press Ushahidi <comms(a)ushahidi.com> Date: 8 February 2013 15:04 Subject: Uchaguzi launch at Intercontinental Hotel To: Comms(a)ushahidi.com *The launch is at Intercontinental hotel.* THE UCHAGUZI PLATFORM OFFICIAL LAUNCH The Uchaguzi partnership wishes to invite you for an official launch to be held at the Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi on Monday 11th February 2013 from 7:30 am. Uchaguzi is a joint initiative of Ushahidi, Hivos, Creco, Umati, and SODNET, seeking to deliver unprecedented collaboration between election observers and citizen’s to monitor the March 4 general elections in near-real time. The goal is to extend the common practice of traditional election observation by seeking to engage citizens in election monitoring as citizens can be a valuable source of information for election observers to verify and amplify to the respective electoral authorities or security personnel in case of violence. Three key components of Uchaguzi are: Crowd: this is the main focus of Uchaguzi and the source of most of the reports. We want people to send us any information on the election/electoral process that they feel is significant Verification: the process of evaluating information and determining how credible it is Response: Getting verified information to organizations and individuals who can intervene positively and monitoring that response to measure its effectiveness. The methodology has evolved and builds on the concept of trusted sources and unverified sources. The goal is to both the traditional election monitors and citizen science included on Uchaguzi. This combines Ushahidi’s roots of “what do you see, what do you hear” (citizen data) with the trusted expertise of election monitors who have field experience. What: Uchaguzi Partnership official launch When: February 11th, 7.30 am Where: Intercontinental Hotel, Nairobi For More information Contact: Rebecca Wanjiku (+254 720 318 925) Rebecca(a)wanjiku.co.ke -- Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt> Publisher www.ratio-magazine.com www.africa-assets.com

1 0

Web Index
by Adam Peake 07 Feb '13

07 Feb '13

Web Index <http://thewebindex.org/data/all/webindex/> measures a country's use of the Internet. Kenya ranks 42. The Index's produced by the World Wide Web Foundation, described as "the world’s first multi-dimensional measure of the Web’s growth, utility and impact on people and nations." See <http://thewebindex.org/about/the-web-index/> for explanation of methodology, etc. Kenya country page <http://thewebindex.org/data/all/country/KEN> Probably a bit arbitrary as these global indexes often seem to be. But point is for next year to be ranked higher. Adam

1 0

Fighting for Internet Freedom: Dubai and Beyond
by Gideon 07 Feb '13

07 Feb '13

Dear Listers, Here is a video on Fighting for Internet Freedom: Dubai and Beyond Communications and Technology . <http://energycommerce.house.gov/subcommittees/communications-and-technology> 2123 Rayburn Background Documents and Information: http://energycommerce.house.gov/hearing/fighting-for-internet-freedom-dubai… http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=Z_rC2ZJaiAQ#! *Hearing Notice<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-201302…> * Background Memo<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-201302…> H.R. ___, Discussion Draft on Internet Governance<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/BILLS-113pih-Interne…> *Note: This hearing will be held jointly with the Committee on Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade and the Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations* Opening Statements: Communications and Technology Subcommittee Chairman Greg Walden<http://energycommerce.house.gov/sites/republicans.energycommerce.house.gov/…> Witnesses: Commissioner Robert McDowell - Federal Communications Commission - Witness Testimony<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-Wstate…> (Truth in Testimony and CV<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-TTF-Mc…> ) Ambassador David A. Gross - Former U.S. Coordinator for International Communications and Information Policy - U.S. Department of State - Witness Testimony<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-Wstate…>(Truth in Testimony and CV<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-TTF-Gr…> ) Ms. Sally Shipman Wentworth - Senior Manager, Public Policy - Internet Society - Witness Testimony<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-Wstate…>(Truth in Testimony and CV<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-TTF-Sh…> ) Mr. Harold Feld - Senior Vice President - Public Knowledge - Witness Testimony<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-Wstate…>(Truth in Testimony and CV<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-TTF-Fe…> ) Dr. Bitange Ndemo - Permanent Secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Information and Communications; and - A Director of the Communications Commission of Kenya. - Witness Testimony<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-Wstate…>(Truth in Testimony and CV<http://docs.house.gov/meetings/IF/IF16/20130205/100221/HHRG-113-IF16-TTF-Nd…> ) Congress: 113th <http://energycommerce.house.gov/congress/113th> Regards, Gideon Rop, DotConnectAfrica

1 0

Re: [kictanet] COFEK: Formalin in Milk
by Dorcas Muthoni 06 Feb '13

06 Feb '13

Dear Stephen, I feel sorry about your reply below to me. To be very honest with you, a lot of Kenyan consumers would respect you (person and COFEK at large) more if you focused on dealing with such issues and not passing the buck to consumers who send you alerts. I am actually very amazed that you refer to my consumer alert as a "hear-say". Stephen, i really do wish COFEK the best. I am afraid, if you not have a credible consumer protection strategy, COFEK may indirectly/directly lead to consumer sabotage. NB: I have never communicated with COFEK on Facebook but only on email and addressed to yourself. Muthoni On Tue, Feb 5, 2013 at 5:48 PM, stephen Mutoro <smutoro(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > I am sure we did reply to you. My office says that there was a reply and > especially on our Facebook page. Sorry if we didn't. But I am sure you will > appreciate that we can only do as much as our capacity can allow > considering we have no own laboratory; we are not funded by the taxpayer > and that we cannot act on hear-says. I wish you appreciated that this was > immediately on our website and lots of sensitization achieved > http://www.cofek.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1124:mi…, such issues are continuous as we held a Consumer Dialogue Forum on > food additive at InterContinental on September 12 and that issue was in my > remarks. The Chief Public Health Officer Dr Ombacho discounted the fears > and pledged investigations. Hope it suffices. Regards > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni(a)gmail.com> > *To:* smutoro(a)yahoo.com > *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > *Sent:* Tuesday, February 5, 2013 3:42 PM > *Subject:* [kictanet] COFEK: Formalin in Milk > > I know milk has nothing to do with ICT but i shared this concern with > COFEK and they ignored it. Which consumers or issues do COFEK prefer to > deal with? Just asking for those saying they act for the public...... > > *See more below.. > * > > *Summary*: > > ======================================================================================================= > Dear Stephen, > > I have attended several presentations that have indicated that many milk > processing companies in Kenya are using formalin to preserve milk sold to > consumers. > > Formalin is a chemical normally used to preserve dead bodies. Formalin has > many negative impacts on human health. If it becomes part of food, it turns > into formic acid in human body and increases acidity level. More intake of > formalin can cause breathing problems, coma and even death. > > US Environment Protection Agency and International Agency for Research on > Cancer count formalin as one of the cancer-causing agents. > > Can COFEK try and investigate this. > > With so many deaths being reported from cancer and every urban dweller > entirely dependent on milk from the shops right from early childhood, we > are very exposed if this is actually true. > > Stephen, please advice if you shall investigate this further and protect > the consumer. > > I am sure you are also consuming these products every day. > > Regards, > Muthoni > > > ======================================================================================================= > > > ---------- Forwarded message ---------- > From: *Dorcas Muthoni* <dmuthoni(a)gmail.com> > Date: Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 3:24 PM > Subject: Re: Formalin in Milk > To: hotline(a)cofek.co.ke > Cc: jack juma <jack(a)cofek.co.ke>, Theresia Watowa <theresia(a)cofek.co.ke> > > > Sorry, what else do you want to know? This last line is not clear. > > > On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 9:50 AM, Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) < > hotline(a)cofek.co.ke> wrote: > > ** > Ok but can we know who you please > Sent from my BlackBerry® > ------------------------------ > *From: * Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni(a)gmail.com> > *Date: *Fri, 7 Sep 2012 09:39:53 +0300 > *To: *<hotline(a)cofek.co.ke> > *Cc: *jack juma<jack(a)cofek.co.ke>; Theresia Watowa<theresia(a)cofek.co.ke> > *Subject: *Re: Formalin in Milk > > Stephen, > > I don't have evidence but Kenya Accreditation Service (KENAS) and KEBS > should be able to provide accountability because the milk producers are all > showing the KEBS logo for quality. > > I am a layman in this, just very concerned about because presentations are > coming from health and nutrition experts talking about this. > > Please try and see what you can do for the consumer. > > Many thanks, > Muthoni > > On Fri, Sep 7, 2012 at 9:30 AM, Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) < > hotline(a)cofek.co.ke> wrote: > > ** > It is being acted upon although you never provided any facts and > supporting evidence > Sent from my BlackBerry® > ------------------------------ > *From: * Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni(a)gmail.com> > *Date: *Fri, 7 Sep 2012 09:27:10 +0300 > *To: *<hotline(a)cofek.co.ke> > *Cc: *<stephen(a)cofek.co.ke> > *Subject: *Re: Formalin in Milk > > Dear Stephen, > > I thought COFEK would acknowledge receipt if this email and say whether is > an area you will look into or not. > > Regards, > Muthoni > > On Fri, Aug 31, 2012 at 12:33 PM, Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni(a)gmail.com>wrote: > > Dear Stephen, > > I have attended several presentations that have indicated that many milk > processing companies in Kenya are using formalin to preserve milk sold to > consumers. > > Formalin is a chemical normally used to preserve dead bodies. Formalin has > many negative impacts on human health. If it becomes part of food, it turns > into formic acid in human body and increases acidity level. More intake of > formalin can cause breathing problems, coma and even death. > > US Environment Protection Agency and International Agency for Research on > Cancer count formalin as one of the cancer-causing agents. > > Can COFEK try and investigate this. > > With so many deaths being reported from cancer and every urban dweller > entirely dependent on milk from the shops right from early childhood, we > are very exposed if this is actually true. > > Stephen, please advice if you shall investigate this further and protect > the consumer. > > I am sure you are also consuming these products every day. > > Regards, > Muthoni > > > > > -- > Muthoni > > My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ > -------------------------------------------- > Mahatma Gandhi once said:- > > First they ignore you, > Then they laugh at you, > Then they fight you, > AND THEN YOU WIN!!! > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/smutoro%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. > > -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

1 0

Press Release: President Obama's Message to the People of Kenya - February 5, 2013...
by Michael Bullut 06 Feb '13

06 Feb '13

Greetings Listers, I know many of us have watched President Obama's message on YouTube but please find attached the Press Release from the U.S. Embassy. Warm regards, Michael Bullut. --- *Cell:* *+254 723 393 114. **Skype Name:* *Michael Bullut.* ***Twitter:** @Kipsang <http://twitter.com/Kipsang/> * *Blog: http://www.kipsang.com/* *E-mail:* *main(a)kipsang.com* * * *---*

2 1

PS Ndemo Testifying remotely to US Congress
by Paul M 06 Feb '13

06 Feb '13

Bwana PS, kudos to a very strong testimony in the presence of members of the US House Energy and Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and Technology . Here is the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z_rC2ZJaiAQ#!

5 4

Re: [kictanet] [ISOC_KE] Citizen Saga, is it an oxymoron?
by Walubengo J 06 Feb '13

06 Feb '13

Barrack, It is abit difficult to excuse Royal Media on this one...they did hoard frequencies and in any case they are not denying this. As for serving the under-served or marginalized areas, they are indeed welcome to do so but they would still need Regulatory approval. Yes, the Universal Service Fund/Commission may not be operationalized but that is not a sufficient excuse - the lawyers would say the END never justifies the MEANS. MPESA analogy may not fit here since MPESA was and its derivatives will continue to be ahead of the (technology) laws as always - but in this case, the frequency spectrum management and laws are almost as old as the Telegram (1890s) and were incorporated into Kenyan law as early as the 1998 Kenya Communication Act. (15 years ago) Finally, as I posted earlier, I support the CCK action and the reasons advanced by Wambua/CCK - but still concur with the MD of Royal Media when he says and i quote, "the timing of the action was quite curious" - when all variables* are considered (last portion my words). walu. *variables include Layer8 issues e.g Politics which is normal in all societies; that National Politics does affect businesses/technologies/etc/ and we should not try too hard to ran away from this fact because it is not automatically/always a bad thing. If for example, it took some political (mis?)calculation to give the Regulator some confidence to swing into action in order to save our Presidential Candidates and the general Kenyan airspace from calamity - then that's a good thing if you asked me. CCK should simply keep the tempo and extend that spirit to the many others who maybe sitting on frequencies that were irregularly acquired when these variables* were initially favourable to them. ________________________________ From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>; isoc(a)orion.my.co.ke Sent: Wednesday, February 6, 2013 9:16 AM Subject: [ISOC_KE] Citizen Saga, is it an oxymoron? Listers, Politics aside , i have been following the recent developements where CCK shut down a couple of transmitters for one of the leading broadcasters, on the flipside the said broadcaster has played a crucial role in ensuring the unreached masses are informed and educated something akin to Universal Access, i stand to be corrected but i think CCK has failed miserably in implementing Universal Access (i stand to be corrected on this list). What the said broadcaster did can only be compared to how Mpesa was implemented a case where the law delays or drags its feet or is implemented selectively. My question however is what is the role of the frequency spectrum in so far as socio - economic developement is concerned and what is the criteria for allocating the same? is there special consideration for underserved areas? No politicking please -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno http://www.otienobarrack.me.ke/ _______________________________________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)orion.my.co.ke http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/isoc

2 1

Fwd: Financial Times - Kenya: turning radio links into broadband for the countryside
by Andrea Bohnstedt 06 Feb '13

06 Feb '13

>From the lovely Ms Manson/FT. Apologies if anyone has sent the article round already. Have a fab day, Andrea ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Katrina Manson Date: 6 February 2013 10:16 Subject: Financial Times - Kenya: turning radio links into broadband for the countryside Kenya: turning radio links into broadband for the countryside from beyondbrics: on.ft.com/14P77Oi Feb 5, 2013 3:24pm by Katrina Manson Pupils at a school on the green slopes of Mount Kenya no longer have eyes for the blackboard. Instead they are transfixed by a $500 tablet. Belinda, 19, touches the screen gingerly and is amazed to discover an icon that allows her to film herself within seconds of her first touch of a computer. So speedy is the take-up of tech know-how in Kenya’s first “white space” rural broadband pilot scheme, its backers hope the idea could one day be copied throughout the continent. “It’s absolutely mind-blowing, it’s like turning garbage into gold,” says Pete Henderson chairman of Indigo Telecom, describing white space technology. Together with Microsoft and the Kenyan government, the British telecoms group is running the trial, with a view to scaling up nationwide. “It can work in hard-to-reach areas where it is not economically viable for mobile phones — we are trying to reach the ‘not-spots’.” The innovative technology works by teaming old with new — converting analogue radio waves from unused radio and television spectrum (termed “white space”) into broadband and delivering it at cheap prices. It draws on work from fellow Indigo Telecom teammate Malcolm Brew, a can-do man who heaves up a radio mast behind the school. He helped trial ‘white space’ last year among the most remote of not-spots — the mountainous Isle of Bute on the west Scottish coast. In line with guidance from UK regulator Ofcom, Kenya too has decided to offer the white space spectrum for free rather than auction it. “We want to be able to guarantee every citizen at least 1MB broadband for free, as Finland, Singapore are doing,” says Bitange Ndemo, permanent secretary at Kenya’s ministry of information and communications. Ndemo believes the pilot may help provide a solution for African countries that have for years struggled with the “last mile” of connectivity. While Kenya has access to four undersea cables that deliver hi-speed broadband, getting it beyond cities and towns has proved much harder. Despite being one of Africa’s most technologically innovative countries, and continental headquarters for companies including IBM and Google, 66 per cent of Kenyans still have no internet access. Those who do mostly go online via mobile phones. Kenya’s dominant mobile phone operator Safaricom says white space “does theoretically pose a [competitive] challenge”, but argues “the threat is more long-term and not one of an immediate disruptive nature.” The group is proceeding with its own plans to roll out rural internet access via mobile phones. It says white space would likely play a more “complementary role” given the technology offers small bandwidths that can’t support high speeds in urban areas. Henderson says his team can deliver internet for a tenth the price of mobile phone companies thanks mostly to a cheap network of radio masts with great range. They can be powered by solar or wind power rather than costly diesel, avoiding the need for expensive security to protect fuel from theft. The team will need to hit on a commercial model that charges some of the country’s poorest people affordable rates if it is to make a profit within two years as Henderson predicts. He says 6,000 masts could connect the whole country. They also need to make sure the technology does not interfere with existing broadcast signals, and speed up Kenya’s own switchover from analogue television to digital, which was due for completion at the end of last year but has been delayed, to free up more spectrum. As children in schools around Mount Kenya begin to learn to swipe and press screens rather than cradle chalk, Henderson is in no doubt about the potential impact.

1 0