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Re: [kictanet] Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless'Knowl edge Worke rs'
by wainaina.mungai＠gmail.com 13 Jun '08

13 Jun '08

Great analogy Doc, I believe we have a quick-wins operational answer (ICT Board) to the strategy question (Master Plan). The thread by Fatma also reminds us of the need to work with what we have to "get it done"...or as Prof. Nyong'o would put it, chew as we walk up the stairs ;-) Wainaina - original message - Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless'Knowl edge Workers' From: Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> Date: 12/06/2008 14:26 Bw Wainana,   I remember something like 'failing to plan, is planning to fail'. That does not mean there are no 'quick-wins' which can be implemented even as the plan is being drawn. As my software technology professor/teacher used to say: 'don't do it right the first time, but do it'. But of course he pre-supposed that if it was a large-scale software being developed, a prior 'plan' even to 'do it first time' had been drawn.   Rgrds, Shem --- On Thu, 6/12/08, wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com <wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com> wrote: From: wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com <wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] {Disarmed} Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless'Knowl edge Workers' To: shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com Cc: kictanet(a)kictanet.or.ke Date: Thursday, June 12, 2008, 3:56 AM Shem, can we have an over-arching coordinated approach to implementation without first taking a break to Master Plan? Could we change things mid-way implementation instead of going back to the planning stage again? Kenya has been planning and analysing for so long that many of us just want to see action. Paul, why wouldn't the ICT Board act as a coordination centre or a central reference point for ICT projects in Kenya? As you market ICTs, let all ICT projects (by Civil society, Private sector, government, PPP etc) be documented, easily accessed and referenced so that we encourage partnerships or complementary projects. I believe this would allow us to focus on Action/Implementation and let "The Kenyan Approach" be a learning-by-doing model. For instance, www.BungeSMS.com would be happy to find more partners from a central projects database of ICT/mgovernment projects. We are talking to a few and would be glad to complement others with a similar vision. All this can be done - in practice - rather than as per a generic umbrella plan. Regards Wainaina - original message - Subject: Re: [kictanet] {Disarmed} Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless'Knowledge Workers' From: Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> Date: 11/06/2008 21:33 Hi Paul, &nbsp; Please don't repeat the same mistake that was made with Vision 2030. From experience, involve 'people' (otherwise called 'stakeholders') from day 1. When Rwanda's first plan (NICI I: 2000-2005) was drawn, that mistake was made. NICI II (2006-2010) was prepared differently. Rather than assemble a few experts and prepare a draft, work with the stakeholders to develop the draft. You can still have a few experts to 'guide' or 'inform' the process, but for heaven's sake please let the process be stakeholder-owned from day one. &nbsp; As for the 'marketing' element, my understanding was that the person concerned did not mean to imply that it is not important - but that it should not be the core function. &nbsp; Best rgrds, Shem __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Change of Contacts
by Harry Hare 13 Jun '08

13 Jun '08

Dear All, Please take note that we (African eDevelopment Resource Centre) have moved offices to eDevelopment House, 604 Limuru Road, near the Belgian Embassy. Our new numbers are +254 (020) 3741646/7. Kindest Regards Harry African eDevelopment Resource Centre eDevelopment House 604 Limuru Road, Old Muthaiga PO Box 49475 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Cel +254 725 650044 Land +254 20 3741646/7 <http://www.africanedevelopment.org> www.africanedevelopment.org June/July 2008 Training Opportunities VSAT Feild Eng. 18-20 June Supply Chain Management 24-27 June Fibre Optic Technician 1-4 July Knowledge Management 8-11July Space is limited Book Now! P Please consider the environment before printing this e-mail

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Re: [kictanet] Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers'
by Shem Ochuodho 12 Jun '08

12 Jun '08

Joseph,   Apologies for a late acknowledgement of your mail.   Well put. I guess the greatest desire for people like Nyong'o, Juma, etc, is to see those dear things they espouse done - not necessarily by them, but done nonetheless. Let's hope that some of the actions being floated in these spaces will some day (sooner or later) see the light of day.   Best rgrds, Shem --- On Tue, 6/10/08, joseph ngome <ngomejp(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: From: joseph ngome <ngomejp(a)yahoo.co.uk> Subject: Re: Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers' To: "New Vision List" <newvisionkenya(a)yahoogroups.com>, kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke, kaziafrika(a)googlegroups.com Date: Tuesday, June 10, 2008, 7:10 AM Dear Dr. Ochuodho,   I have read your stuff on the ICT titled: " Where is the Voice of the Kenyan ICT Professional?"and found it more informative and enriching. It really shows our shortcomings as a country in the modern society. In a nutshell, it exposes alot in our bedrooms.   One thing that I must appreciate is the reaction from the PS  Ministry of Information and Communications, Dr Bitange Ndemo.To me, his action by bothering to respond to  stakeholders' sentiments indicates that somebody may be caring in one way or another.   I would like to remind you of a story I was told that I am still not sure whether it is real or not. That Prof. Peter Anyang Nyongo crafted a vision for one of the Asian countries (either Malasia of Indonesia) and he is so much averred personality in that country such that one of the streets in that country's city is named after him.   However, as we are launching  our vision for 2030 Prof.Nyongo, who is special in some countries is a backbencher in his home country. So the biblical say that a messiah is never recognised in his home, village, country etc  is true?.   That is exactly the fate of Prof. Calestous Juma, Dr David Otuoma, Eng. John Kamau and Dr. Shem Ochuodho, The list is endless!       Best Regards,     Joseph         JOSEPH P. NGOME Coordinator, Health & Environment Media Network (HEMNet) P.O BOX 1896-40100 Kisumu, KENYA. Telephone-254-57-2023007 Cell phone-254-733-902-531, 254-710-143-948. Email: ngomejp(a)yahoo.co.uk --- On Sun, 8/6/08, Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers' To: "New Vision List" <newvisionkenya(a)yahoogroups.com>, kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke Date: Sunday, 8 June, 2008, 9:33 AM Lucy,   That's precisely the problem: we are not distinguishing 'Professionals' from 'Stakeholders'. We are all 'Medical Stakeholders', but we are certainly not all 'Medical Professionals'. ... I am reactivating my Kictanet account, just in case.   Bw PS, glad to see you active online. But we need not be defensive on this. I am up to date with the sites you mention. I think our main problem at present is neither a policy nor strategy; they may require updating, but those you/the Govt already has. What is needed most urgently is a comprehensive implementation plan/blueprint/master plan. There are a whole lot of good projects being implemented, but they appear haphazard. They are not part of a 'bigger whole'. A senior official of one of the major ICT associations who might for whatever reason prefers anonymity contends: 'we are busy marketing ICT''.   It would be unfortunate to sweep some of these issues under the carpet.   Back to my original posting: I think there are fundamental issues raised, that would be nice to address (just to mention a few):-   1. Has Vision 2030 been sufficiently debated by Kenyans for it to be launched? 2. Was 51% sale of Telkom Kenya justified under the circumstances? 3. Does Kenya consider its unique 'human capital' a competitive advantage, and if so, are we considering developing a 'Human Capacity Development & Utilization Plan'? 4. Are we working towards 'Professionalizing' ICT?   Best rgrds, Shem  --- On Sat, 6/7/08, Lucy Kimani <LKIMANI(a)YAHOO.COM> wrote: From: Lucy Kimani <LKIMANI(a)YAHOO.COM> Subject: Re: [shemochuodhoforparliament2007] Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers' To: shemochuodhoforparliament2007(a)yahoogroups.com, "New Vision List" <newvisionkenya(a)yahoogroups.com> Date: Saturday, June 7, 2008, 11:28 AM Shem,   The ICT community is very active and far from being "voiceless" I was sure I had seen your contribution on kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists. kictanet. or.ke http://lists. kictanet. or.ke/mailman/ listinfo/ kictanet if not, I suggest you get onto the list because thats where all the ICT Professionals/ Stakeholders discuss everything ICT Sample discussion,, ,, ------------ --------- ------- Original Message ------------ --------- ------- Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fibre Optic From:    bitange@jambo. co.ke Date:    Wed, November 28, 2007 9:28 am Cc:      "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists. kictanet. or.ke> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -------- Dear Yawe, I am sorry for assuming that you were aware of the National Optic Fibre Broadband network that is being built by Sagem, Huaweii and ZTE.  The project will be finished by August next year.  The Digital Village project will benefit from this network that is to link all District HQs.  The netwotk shall be run by the operators and hopefully take control of it if they see a business case in it.  Otherwise this was basically the Government wide area network.  We are now hoping that operators would come up with the last mile solutions. Phase two of our plans is to partner with the private sector to build data centers and disaster recovery centers.  This will ensure cheaper local hosting capability.  The biggest challenge is going to be local content. On the Government side, by June next year we should have tons of content online.  We need to pass the Freedom of Information Bill for the public to benefit from most of GoK data. We shall still need the international Fibre optic for research to both ends, that is, the rest of the world and our own research.  We cannot develop on a cocoon. I hope I have responded to your questions.  If you are not satisfied, please let me know. Asante sana. Bitange Ndemo. Shem, you have a lot of catching up to do my friend, so here are some good starting point:   http://www.informat ion.go.ke/   For Kenya's National Policy please see: http://www.informat ion.go.ke/ docs/ICT% 20Policy. pdf   Hey we even have a strategy: http://www.informat ion.go.ke/ docs/Kenya% 20ICT%20Strategy .pdf   Actually, there were a couple of ICT bills already tabled last year, and what was in fact missing was the Ministry of Finance to complete the picture by amending the "Banking" Act which is way out dated and doesnt recognize electronic transactions hence the lack of a "Payment" Gateway -- Great opportunity for anyone ready to go as soon as they amend the Banking Act!  So I dont understand why the Accountant Bill when the Banking act is the one that needs immediate attention!  Until there is E-Commerce in full swing in Kenya, Kenyans will still look at the internet as a luxury and not a necessity limiting the subscriber base to just a few while it should be for everybody!   There is also the Kenya ICT Board actively involved in selling Kenya as the next Call Center/BPO Outsourcing Centre   http://www.ict. go.ke/inner. php?cat=news Also, David Otwuoma is now in Kenya and actively involved in the ICT arena Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho@ yahoo.com> wrote: An edited version of the article below appeared in today's edition of the Standard.   Rgrds, Shem   ------ Where is the Voice of the Kenyan ICT Professional? -----   WHERE IS THE VOICE OF THE KENYAN ICT PROFESSIONAL? I am a worried man; worried for my country! That the world has become a global village is no longer a myth; it is a reality. The once alluded to ‘knowledge economy’ is at last here with us. It is not any wonder that Google is today one of the world’s most sought after company; neither is it that in Kenya, the ‘communications’ sector is one of the fastest growing, even in the midst of a global recession. That information and communications technology (ICT) will from henceforth drive world economies is already abundantly clear. Kenya – and Africa, generally - is not being left behind either. Yet I am very concerned with the conspicuous muteness of the Kenyan ICT expert. I was delighted to read that the Finance Minister, himself a Professional Accountant, was presenting before Parliament an “Accountants’ Bill”. Lucky them! But who will stand up for the ‘Informaticians’ ? That the Government of Kenya has identified the Knowledge Economy and ICTs in particular as a pillar for our strategic socio-economic growth could not be more evident than it is in the Draft Vision 2030. ICT has been identified therein as one of the six priority focus sectors for Kenya’s transition to mid-income status. Yet without a clear strategy to develop, harness and utilize the ICT human capital, this prioritization remains a mere fallacy. If nobody in Government is going to stick their necks out for the profession, then where are the professionals themselves? Is it any wonder that this is perhaps the only profession where anyone and everyone can be ‘an expert’ overnight? In a local Internet discussion group recently someone queried whether it was possible for anyone to be ‘a professional accountant’ without being ‘qualified’. The discussion emerged from an earlier posting calling upon ‘a qualified, professional accountant’. The query was understandably raised by a Medical Practitioner, coming from a profession where one cannot be ‘an expert’ without being ‘qualified and professional’ . Why is it that in ICT, one can be an expert without being ‘qualified’? And what constitutes qualification? If this is the sector to drive our future and competitiveness, is it not time we did something about it? That Safaricom, only an eight-year old company, has become the most profitable company in East Africa should not surprise anyone. The sale of Government’s shares in the company is now behind us, the controversies with it notwithstanding. But then again why did the Government have to do it? And for me, Mobitelea wasn’t even the greatest problem with the IPO. There was an equally, if not more fundamental concern. As the Americans would say, ‘why fix it if it ain’t broken?’. I happen to be a firm believer in competition, liberalization and commercialization – only cautiously so for privatization. Privatization in the telecom sector in Africa has not presented a glossy picture. One only needs to look at the cases of the botched initial privatization of incumbents in Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana and the Gambia – just to mention a few. Yet during the Safaricom IPO saga, I only heard the voices of the politicians. Where were the voices of the professionals? As if that was not enough, we one day wake up in 2008 to learn that a whooping 51% (controlling majority) of Telkom Kenya has been sold! And an estimated 18,000-strong workforce has been reduced to 3,000. Why did we have to do this? If it was to raise capital, why do we read in the papers that Treasury is still being asked to plough more resources into Telkom? Often, one reason given for staff retrenchment is better reward for those who remain behind. One would have thought that by reducing the workforce from 18,000 to 3,000, at the very least those who survive would get a minimum of a 200% pay increase. We are now told the Union had to struggle just to get a 20% increment. Did we first analyze the likely impacts of some of these actions, and mitigate sufficiently against them? What an innovative way to stem unemployment and reduce poverty! If the Americans or Chinese owned anything close to 51% stake in France Telecom, I would not be half as worried. Some countries love their subjects – not so much Kenya. Yet if there is anything Kenya beats most other African countries, it is her enviable human capital. It is not surprising that our own Prof. Calestous Juma is today a pillar for Science & Technology Policy in the developing world. Neither was I surprised while in the US mid last year that one Prof. Wilson Endege was reputed to ‘have cracked the DNA code’, whatever that means! And while on a visit to Brussels as part of a Parliamentary Committee touring nuclear reactor plants, at one stage the tour was suspended to allow a UN Inspector – one David Otwoma (based in Vienna, Austria) to inspect the facility! Equally, one would have been forgiven for marvelling on realization that once when a major national microwave backbone system broke down, and after several experts from some developed countries had failed to fix it, one Engr. John Kamau was brought in from the US to fix it. Similarly, it is not unusual to work into Doha Airport, Qatar, and find that the string of a dozen or so ‘black’ people serving on the check-in counters for a leading global airline (not KQ, in this case) are all Kenyan! The list is endless. In spite of this competitive advantage, I am stunned that we do not have a Human Capacity Development Plan. Human capital should be considered Kenya’s gold and oil, since we do not have either! Some African countries long recognized the importance of human capital, and have fairly comprehensive national human capacity development plans. One even has a whole, unique Ministry of Capacity Building. Unless we can nurture, harness and harvest to the best abilities of all our professionals and actors in the knowledge economy – accountants, doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, informaticians, agriculturalists, economists, interpreters, etc – our competitiveness is doomed. Microsoft calls it ‘Unlimited Potential’: we must ask ourselves to what extent are we using and getting the most out of our ‘knowledge workers’? From experiences from other emerging economies, they alone can be the propeller for Kenya’s accession to mid-income economy status. However, to give credit where it is due, am delighted that Kenya which since independence has ridden like a rudderless ship, is at last launching a ‘National Vision – Vision 2030’.  Vision, more than anything else, spells out the virtues we espouse, and points to the horizon where we would want to be in the years to come. If you asked me, I would rate the Vision evenly with the Constitution; some may even argue that it is more important than the Constitution. I now gather we are about to launch the Vision – yet I don’t believe Kenyans have adequately debated it. A Vision needs to be owned by the people. Walking along the down-streets of some of the smaller Rwandan towns, it is not unusual to see a small kiosk labelled ‘Vision 2020’. What it means is that the Vision is engraved in the hearts and souls of the people. Why are we rushing to launch a Vision that Kenyans do not own? In the hope that I would find at least something going right with the ‘king sector’, I picked a newspaper the other day, and noticed an advert for a major Government ICT/automation project. I enquired with a friend whose company I thought quite fitted the bill if they had applied. What struck me most – and still bothers me a lot – was his stark reply: ‘I no longer bid for government tenders. From day one, it is already known who the tender is meant for.’ That worries me a lot – especially for the sector in whose our future and the future of our children will so heavily depend. For a moment I asked: ‘you mean as a society we have decayed so much?’. When ‘professionals’ lose so much faith in a system, then something is terribly wrong! Yet like almost everywhere else, the single most major consumer of ICT services and products is Government. How then do we expect our nascent ICT companies and professionals to thrive – and drive the sector that we expect to deliver us to Jerusalem? I must say that there are a few interesting and laudable things that the Government is doing on the ICT scene. However, they are few and far between. Besides, even in those, the voice of the ICT professional is drowned. Pray, tell me! When did the rain start beating the ICT profession? Dr Shem Ochuodho, Advisor on ICT Private Sector Development, Ethiopia, and Former Member of Parliament   --- end article --- Visit Your Group Yahoo! Finance It's Now Personal Guides, news, advice & more. Real Food Group Share recipes, restaurant ratings and favorite meals. 10 Day Club on Yahoo! Groups Share the benefits of a high fiber diet. . __,_._,___ Sent from Yahoo! Mail. A Smarter Email --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ YOU ARE IN KAZI AFRIKA GROUP UNSUBSCRIBE: kaziafrika-unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com www.kaziafrika.com www.wananchiforums.com MPESA (for Adverts): 0726 034 530 FOR A VERY PEACEFUL KENYA -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~--- __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around http://mail.yahoo.com

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Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers'
by Shem Ochuodho 12 Jun '08

12 Jun '08

  Sorry for cross-posts. --- On Sun, 6/8/08, Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers' To: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Sunday, June 8, 2008, 5:04 AM Lucy,   That's precisely the problem: we are not distinguishing 'Professionals' from 'Stakeholders'. We are all 'Medical Stakeholders', but we are certainly not all 'Medical Professionals'. ... I am reactivating my Kictanet account, just in case.   Bw PS, glad to see you active online. But we need not be defensive on this. I am up to date with the sites you mention. I think our main problem at present is neither a policy nor strategy; they may require updating, but those you/the Govt already has. What is needed most urgently is a comprehensive implementation plan/blueprint/master plan. There are a whole lot of good projects being implemented, but they appear haphazard. They are not part of a 'coherent bigger whole'. A senior official of one of the major ICT associations who might for whatever reason prefer anonymity contends: 'we are busy marketing ICT''.   It would be unfortunate to sweep some of these issues under the carpet.   Back to my original posting: I think there are fundamental issues raised, that would be nice to address (just to mention a few):-   1. Has Vision 2030 been sufficiently debated by Kenyans for it to be launched? 2. Was 51% sale of Telkom Kenya justified under the circumstances? 3. Does Kenya consider its unique 'human capital' a competitive advantage, and if so, are we considering developing a 'Human Capacity Development & Utilization Plan'? 4. Are we working towards 'Professionalizing' ICT?   Best rgrds,Shem  --- On Sat, 6/7/08, Lucy Kimani <LKIMANI(a)YAHOO.COM> wrote: From: Lucy Kimani <LKIMANI(a)YAHOO.COM> Subject: [NewVisionKenya] Re: [shemochuodhoforparliament2007] Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers' To: shemochuodhoforparliament2007(a)yahoogroups.com, "New Vision List" <newvisionkenya(a)yahoogroups.com> Date: Saturday, June 7, 2008, 11:28 AM Shem,   The ICT community is very active and far from being "voiceless" I was sure I had seen your contribution on kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists. kictanet. or.ke http://lists. kictanet. or.ke/mailman/ listinfo/ kictanet if not, I suggest you get onto the list because thats where all the ICT Professionals/ Stakeholders discuss everything ICT Sample discussion,, ,, ------------ --------- ------- Original Message ------------ --------- ------- Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fibre Optic From:    bitange@jambo. co.ke Date:    Wed, November 28, 2007 9:28 am Cc:      "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists. kictanet. or.ke> ------------ --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- -------- Dear Yawe, I am sorry for assuming that you were aware of the National Optic Fibre Broadband network that is being built by Sagem, Huaweii and ZTE.  The project will be finished by August next year.  The Digital Village project will benefit from this network that is to link all District HQs.  The netwotk shall be run by the operators and hopefully take control of it if they see a business case in it.  Otherwise this was basically the Government wide area network.  We are now hoping that operators would come up with the last mile solutions. Phase two of our plans is to partner with the private sector to build data centers and disaster recovery centers.  This will ensure cheaper local hosting capability.  The biggest challenge is going to be local content. On the Government side, by June next year we should have tons of content online.  We need to pass the Freedom of Information Bill for the public to benefit from most of GoK data. We shall still need the international Fibre optic for research to both ends, that is, the rest of the world and our own research.  We cannot develop on a cocoon. I hope I have responded to your questions.  If you are not satisfied, please let me know. Asante sana. Bitange Ndemo. Shem, you have a lot of catching up to do my friend, so here are some good starting point:   http://www.informat ion.go.ke/   For Kenya's National Policy please see: http://www.informat ion.go.ke/ docs/ICT% 20Policy. pdf   Hey we even have a strategy: http://www.informat ion.go.ke/ docs/Kenya% 20ICT%20Strategy .pdf   Actually, there were a couple of ICT bills already tabled last year, and what was in fact missing was the Ministry of Finance to complete the picture by amending the "Banking" Act which is way out dated and doesnt recognize electronic transactions hence the lack of a "Payment" Gateway -- Great opportunity for anyone ready to go as soon as they amend the Banking Act!  So I dont understand why the Accountant Bill when the Banking act is the one that needs immediate attention!  Until there is E-Commerce in full swing in Kenya, Kenyans will still look at the internet as a luxury and not a necessity limiting the subscriber base to just a few while it should be for everybody!   There is also the Kenya ICT Board actively involved in selling Kenya as the next Call Center/BPO Outsourcing Centre   http://www.ict. go.ke/inner. php?cat=news Also, David Otwuoma is now in Kenya and actively involved in the ICT arena Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho@ yahoo.com> wrote: An edited version of the article below appeared in today's edition of the Standard.   Rgrds, Shem   ------ Where is the Voice of the Kenyan ICT Professional? -----   WHERE IS THE VOICE OF THE KENYAN ICT PROFESSIONAL? I am a worried man; worried for my country! That the world has become a global village is no longer a myth; it is a reality. The once alluded to ‘knowledge economy’ is at last here with us. It is not any wonder that Google is today one of the world’s most sought after company; neither is it that in Kenya, the ‘communications’ sector is one of the fastest growing, even in the midst of a global recession. That information and communications technology (ICT) will from henceforth drive world economies is already abundantly clear. Kenya – and Africa, generally - is not being left behind either. Yet I am very concerned with the conspicuous muteness of the Kenyan ICT expert. I was delighted to read that the Finance Minister, himself a Professional Accountant, was presenting before Parliament an “Accountants’ Bill”. Lucky them! But who will stand up for the ‘Informaticians’ ? That the Government of Kenya has identified the Knowledge Economy and ICTs in particular as a pillar for our strategic socio-economic growth could not be more evident than it is in the Draft Vision 2030. ICT has been identified therein as one of the six priority focus sectors for Kenya’s transition to mid-income status. Yet without a clear strategy to develop, harness and utilize the ICT human capital, this prioritization remains a mere fallacy. If nobody in Government is going to stick their necks out for the profession, then where are the professionals themselves? Is it any wonder that this is perhaps the only profession where anyone and everyone can be ‘an expert’ overnight? In a local Internet discussion group recently someone queried whether it was possible for anyone to be ‘a professional accountant’ without being ‘qualified’. The discussion emerged from an earlier posting calling upon ‘a qualified, professional accountant’. The query was understandably raised by a Medical Practitioner, coming from a profession where one cannot be ‘an expert’ without being ‘qualified and professional’ . Why is it that in ICT, one can be an expert without being ‘qualified’? And what constitutes qualification? If this is the sector to drive our future and competitiveness, is it not time we did something about it? That Safaricom, only an eight-year old company, has become the most profitable company in East Africa should not surprise anyone. The sale of Government’s shares in the company is now behind us, the controversies with it notwithstanding. But then again why did the Government have to do it? And for me, Mobitelea wasn’t even the greatest problem with the IPO. There was an equally, if not more fundamental concern. As the Americans would say, ‘why fix it if it ain’t broken?’. I happen to be a firm believer in competition, liberalization and commercialization – only cautiously so for privatization. Privatization in the telecom sector in Africa has not presented a glossy picture. One only needs to look at the cases of the botched initial privatization of incumbents in Zambia, Tanzania, Ghana and the Gambia – just to mention a few. Yet during the Safaricom IPO saga, I only heard the voices of the politicians. Where were the voices of the professionals? As if that was not enough, we one day wake up in 2008 to learn that a whooping 51% (controlling majority) of Telkom Kenya has been sold! And an estimated 18,000-strong workforce has been reduced to 3,000. Why did we have to do this? If it was to raise capital, why do we read in the papers that Treasury is still being asked to plough more resources into Telkom? Often, one reason given for staff retrenchment is better reward for those who remain behind. One would have thought that by reducing the workforce from 18,000 to 3,000, at the very least those who survive would get a minimum of a 200% pay increase. We are now told the Union had to struggle just to get a 20% increment. Did we first analyze the likely impacts of some of these actions, and mitigate sufficiently against them? What an innovative way to stem unemployment and reduce poverty! If the Americans or Chinese owned anything close to 51% stake in France Telecom, I would not be half as worried. Some countries love their subjects – not so much Kenya. Yet if there is anything Kenya beats most other African countries, it is her enviable human capital. It is not surprising that our own Prof. Calestous Juma is today a pillar for Science & Technology Policy in the developing world. Neither was I surprised while in the US mid last year that one Prof. Wilson Endege was reputed to ‘have cracked the DNA code’, whatever that means! And while on a visit to Brussels as part of a Parliamentary Committee touring nuclear reactor plants, at one stage the tour was suspended to allow a UN Inspector – one David Otwoma (based in Vienna, Austria) to inspect the facility! Equally, one would have been forgiven for marvelling on realization that once when a major national microwave backbone system broke down, and after several experts from some developed countries had failed to fix it, one Engr. John Kamau was brought in from the US to fix it. Similarly, it is not unusual to work into Doha Airport, Qatar, and find that the string of a dozen or so ‘black’ people serving on the check-in counters for a leading global airline (not KQ, in this case) are all Kenyan! The list is endless. In spite of this competitive advantage, I am stunned that we do not have a Human Capacity Development Plan. Human capital should be considered Kenya’s gold and oil, since we do not have either! Some African countries long recognized the importance of human capital, and have fairly comprehensive national human capacity development plans. One even has a whole, unique Ministry of Capacity Building. Unless we can nurture, harness and harvest to the best abilities of all our professionals and actors in the knowledge economy – accountants, doctors, lawyers, engineers, scientists, informaticians, agriculturalists, economists, interpreters, etc – our competitiveness is doomed. Microsoft calls it ‘Unlimited Potential’: we must ask ourselves to what extent are we using and getting the most out of our ‘knowledge workers’? From experiences from other emerging economies, they alone can be the propeller for Kenya’s accession to mid-income economy status. However, to give credit where it is due, am delighted that Kenya which since independence has ridden like a rudderless ship, is at last launching a ‘National Vision – Vision 2030’.  Vision, more than anything else, spells out the virtues we espouse, and points to the horizon where we would want to be in the years to come. If you asked me, I would rate the Vision evenly with the Constitution; some may even argue that it is more important than the Constitution. I now gather we are about to launch the Vision – yet I don’t believe Kenyans have adequately debated it. A Vision needs to be owned by the people. Walking along the down-streets of some of the smaller Rwandan towns, it is not unusual to see a small kiosk labelled ‘Vision 2020’. What it means is that the Vision is engraved in the hearts and souls of the people. Why are we rushing to launch a Vision that Kenyans do not own? In the hope that I would find at least something going right with the ‘king sector’, I picked a newspaper the other day, and noticed an advert for a major Government ICT/automation project. I enquired with a friend whose company I thought quite fitted the bill if they had applied. What struck me most – and still bothers me a lot – was his stark reply: ‘I no longer bid for government tenders. From day one, it is already known who the tender is meant for.’ That worries me a lot – especially for the sector in whose our future and the future of our children will so heavily depend. For a moment I asked: ‘you mean as a society we have decayed so much?’. When ‘professionals’ lose so much faith in a system, then something is terribly wrong! Yet like almost everywhere else, the single most major consumer of ICT services and products is Government. How then do we expect our nascent ICT companies and professionals to thrive – and drive the sector that we expect to deliver us to Jerusalem? I must say that there are a few interesting and laudable things that the Government is doing on the ICT scene. However, they are few and far between. Besides, even in those, the voice of the ICT professional is drowned. Pray, tell me! When did the rain start beating the ICT profession? Dr Shem Ochuodho, Advisor on ICT Private Sector Development, Ethiopia, and Former Member of Parliament   --- end article --- Visit Your Group Yahoo! News Kevin Sites Get coverage of world crises. Special K Group on Yahoo! Groups Join the challenge and lose weight. Best of Y! Groups Check it out and nominate your group to be featured. . __,_._,___

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Re: [kictanet] {Disarmed} Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless'Knowl edge Workers'
by wainaina.mungai＠gmail.com 12 Jun '08

12 Jun '08

Shem, can we have an over-arching coordinated approach to implementation without first taking a break to Master Plan? Could we change things mid-way implementation instead of going back to the planning stage again? Kenya has been planning and analysing for so long that many of us just want to see action. Paul, why wouldn't the ICT Board act as a coordination centre or a central reference point for ICT projects in Kenya? As you market ICTs, let all ICT projects (by Civil society, Private sector, government, PPP etc) be documented, easily accessed and referenced so that we encourage partnerships or complementary projects. I believe this would allow us to focus on Action/Implementation and let "The Kenyan Approach" be a learning-by-doing model. For instance, www.BungeSMS.com would be happy to find more partners from a central projects database of ICT/mgovernment projects. We are talking to a few and would be glad to complement others with a similar vision. All this can be done - in practice - rather than as per a generic umbrella plan. Regards Wainaina - original message - Subject: Re: [kictanet] {Disarmed} Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless'Knowledge Workers' From: Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> Date: 11/06/2008 21:33 Hi Paul,   Please don't repeat the same mistake that was made with Vision 2030. From experience, involve 'people' (otherwise called 'stakeholders') from day 1. When Rwanda's first plan (NICI I: 2000-2005) was drawn, that mistake was made. NICI II (2006-2010) was prepared differently. Rather than assemble a few experts and prepare a draft, work with the stakeholders to develop the draft. You can still have a few experts to 'guide' or 'inform' the process, but for heaven's sake please let the process be stakeholder-owned from day one.   As for the 'marketing' element, my understanding was that the person concerned did not mean to imply that it is not important - but that it should not be the core function.   Best rgrds, Shem --- On Wed, 6/11/08, Paul Kukubo <pkukubo(a)ict.go.ke> wrote: From: Paul Kukubo <pkukubo(a)ict.go.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] {Disarmed} Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless'Knowledge Workers' To: shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com Cc: "New Vision List" <newvisionkenya(a)yahoogroups.com>, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wednesday, June 11, 2008, 12:37 PM Shem The ICT board will very soon subjecting the draft strategic plan to stakeholder review. This might be one intervention point and your direct participation as a key player in the ICT space will be highly appreciated. ICT as a sector and as an enabler of other sector. One comment you did make in an ealier post is worth revisiting. The issue of marketing ICTs. (You did indicate that you were quoting someone). The board sees marketing of ICTs as one very important activity. This debate we are having here is being widened through the ICT board's Public Panels and Open Forums. Soon we will be going country wide listening to people as they express what they understand about ICT and exposing them to ICT opportunities. There are different audiences/markets for our programs. The most interesting task for us has been how to spread ICTs to the mass market and still retain our relevance among hardcore ICT stakeholders (those like yourself whose counsel we seek). Most Kenyans are not yet part of this debate. This is the divide our programs seek to bridge. Paul Kukubo Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Celtel Kenya -----Original Message----- From: Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com> Date: Wed, 11 Jun 2008 07:49:49 To:pkukubo@ict.go.ke Cc:New Vision List <newvisionkenya(a)yahoogroups.com>,KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] {Disarmed} Fw: Re: [NewVisionKenya] Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers' Bw PS,   Once again allow me to say it is commendable to see you being 'responsive' online.   On ICT development, I don't think what we are complaining of is 'inaction'; No. There are lots of good 'projects' happening. Our/My concern is that they are not coherent, or rather there is no overarching 'comprehensive' or 'integrated' plan portraying the 'bigger picture' than individual projects or initiatives do. Examples of African countries with such comprehensive Masterplans include Rwanda, Tunisia and Mozambique. If we have (such) a master plan, I am not aware, and I would be more than delighted to see it. Otherwise, good strategies like that for the BPO's, the E-Govt Strategy, etc, should only be sub-components of the 'Masterplan'.   As for lacking entrepreneurs, am not sure I entirely agree, either. Once again allow me to contend that Kenya has got some of the most 'enterprising' human resources. What they lack are opportunities and an enabling environment. I know some strides have been made, but we still have a long way to go. Just for instance, Tanzania gives up to 15% advantage to local firms when they bid for Govt projects (or so am told). Unless Kenyan rules have changed, I don't think such a provision exists. But that's just one area for improving the environment. There are several others, some specific to ICT, others of a more general nature. Developing a 'Masterplan' would create an opportunity for sufficient engagement with diverse 'Stakeholders' (including 'Professionals' and 'Entrepreneurs') that would unearth more comprehensively areas of improvement that the ICT private sector requires to fly.   Finally, I don't think Govt can run away from building, creating and utilizing capacity. Of course it doesn't do it alone; it does it in collaboration with other players. But it is incumbent, as a starting point, upon Govt to come up with a comprehensive 'Human Capacity Development and Utilization Plan'. And rumour has it one could be in the offing; if that is true, that would be great. If the rumour is not true, then something needs to be done about it.   My 2 cents worth.   Warmest rgrds, Shem _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/wainaina%40madeinkenya…

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KENIC waives IPv6 annual fees
by Rebecca Wanjiku 11 Jun '08

11 Jun '08

KENIC waives IPv6 annual fees http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/06/10/kenic-waives-ipv6-annual… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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Kenya's new registry system
by wesley kiriinya 11 Jun '08

11 Jun '08

I got this from yesterday's Daily Nation on the web. Please read: http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=1&am… I appreciate the problems this is trying to solve. My issues are: 1. Security and confidentiallity: Hackers LOVE these sort of systems. Personal Information of about 35 million Kenyans will be sitting on a server somewhere. And the public being able to access their information remotely. Some Pentagon computers (U.S Pentagon) have been hacked, and it's claimed it was done from China. There is also a country in Asia whose IT systems were crippled from an attack coz it's said they took down a statue that had a significant meaning for another country. This system needs the attention of National Security which I assume has a bunch of IT gurus. 2. Consultations: I'm not sure whether the wider ICT community has been consulted on this. If not then I'm worried that the gvmnt would take up such a project without at least letting as many Kenyans as possible know since it's their biometric and other personal information that might be stored in the system. From what I have read the decision seems to have already been made. 3. Integration with other systems: I've read that KEBS is reconstituting TCs (Technical Committees) and I think one of the TCs deals with exchange of information between systems. I'm guessing that at some point in the future this system might be intergrated with e.g. financial institutions. Will it integrate with already existing infrastructure and what happens when IT infrastructure changes? If this base/foundation has not been set up then how will the system stand. It's not difficult to see various IT conflicts that may arise in the years to come. Kenya should take its time to create standards (and use them!) which will determine what is accepted/rejected. For anyone who develops software on a medium to large scale you know the value of a proper architecture and design before actually programming the system ( and programming is usually less than 20% of total software development time). BTW: If you mix point 1 and 3 above then issues become even more comlplex. I think this is an interesting project and I'm not saying the particular system from that consortium has problems. I think there should be a proper document with technical details about this, and it should be released to the public for scrutiny. The document should details everything about the system and how it aims to solves the problems it's claiming to solve. Is there a country with this sort of system? If this newspaper article is all the public info available then one can't answer the question because one doesn't know exactly what the system will do and how it will do it.

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Schools adopt social business model to push IT
by Rebecca Wanjiku 11 Jun '08

11 Jun '08

Schools adopt social business model to push IT   http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/06/09/schools-adopt-social-bus… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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Strathmore student wins Kenya Facebook challenge
by Rebecca Wanjiku 11 Jun '08

11 Jun '08

Strathmore student wins Kenya Facebook challenge   http://www.computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/06/09/strathmore-student-wins-… Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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Another lost side-mirror
by John Walubengo 11 Jun '08

11 Jun '08

Yesterday evening (6.30pm) i parked just outside the Hilton and lost my second side mirror within the year. Fine, i didnt tip the security guard but it was because he wasnt in site... Anyway, just wondering, with all this 'Butterfly' cameras and now 'HOTSPOTS' hovering above the City, why cant the Police take advantage of them and beef up security? I dont think we need to wait for the year 2030 or another multi-billion donor funded project for this to happen. I suspect there is still a HUGE disconnect between regular (r-)Government and electronic (e-)Government. May you have a safer evening tonite. walu.

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