- KICTANet - KICTANet

Nairobi BarCamp a resounding success
by Brian Longwe 23 Jun '08

23 Jun '08

It happened last Saturday at the Jacaranda. I arrived late (7pm) and so missed all the good stuff, but was able to catch up with some of the organisers and a few of the bloggers and techies who had stayed behind. Reading up on the updates on the skunkworks blog - http://skunkworks-ke.blogspot.com/2008/06/digesting-barcamp-nairobi-2008-ju… we have some huge potential and creativity in our midst. Of particular interest to me is the suggestion/proposal to bring a similar grouping together and gather views that will form the basis for a position paper targetting government. It would be even better if we can get some of Kenya's budding Venture Capital / Private Equity community in on the action so that they can begin to learn and understand more about the ICT/tech space.... -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

1 0

Strathmore University ICT Conference 2008 call for papers
by John Matogo 23 Jun '08

23 Jun '08

Dear colleagues and friends, For your information in case you had not seen it, do take note of the call for papers at this link: http://www.strathmore.edu/ictconference/2008/index.html Pass this on to others who may be interested. Regards, John Matogo Strathmore University Nairobi, KENYA ________________________________ Strathmore University provides all-round education in an atmosphere of freedom and responsibility. This email and any files transmitted with it are intended solely for use by the recipient(s) to whom it is addressed and may contain confidential information. If you have received this email in error please notify the sender immediately and permanently delete this email and/or any files attached to it from your computer. Please note that any views or opinions presented in this email are solely those of the author and do not necessarily represent those of Strathmore University. The University accepts no liability whatsoever for any loss or damages incurred, or suffered, resulting, or arising, from the use of this email and/or its attachments. The University warrants neither the integrity of the e-mail nor its freedom from errors, viruses, interception or any other form of interference.

1 0

Policy Issue Briefs: Key activities the ICANN community will be working on during the Paris meeting
by alice wanjira 22 Jun '08

22 Jun '08

Posted on ICANN's website at <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/> are /Policy Issue Briefs/ <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/> about some of the key activities the ICANN community is working on in Paris and beyond: Domain Name Monetization <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/domain-name-monetization-jun08.pdf> Internationalized Domain Names (IDNs) <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/internationalized-domain-names-jun08.pdf> New gTLDs <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/new-gtlds-jun08.pdf> WHOIS <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/whois-jun08.pdf> /Policy Issue Briefs/ <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/> are basic introductions to important areas of Internet policy development that are being addressed by the ICANN community's bottom-up, consensus based, policymaking structure. They are designed and written by ICANN Policy Staff to accommodate newcomers to ICANN, as well as ICANN issue veterans who may desire basic information on an unfamiliar issue. Translated versions of all /Issue Briefs/ will be available soon online. We would appreciate your suggestions of additional topics for future /Policy Issue Briefs <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/> -- /please send them to /policy-staff(a)icann.org <mailto:policy-staff@icann.org>. /Comments on the substance of these /Issue Briefs/ is also welcome and should be sent to the same email address. We encourage people to go beyond these brief introductions (if they are not involved in these issues) and learn more about the work of the ICANN community. To facilitate this, links to information on current Policy development activities are provided in the left side-bar of this webpage <http://www.icann.org/policy/briefs/>, and we have included in each /Issue Brief/ URLs to additional information. We also invite you to receive regular updates on ICANN policy development activities via e-mail by subscribing to the monthly / //Policy Updates <http://www.icann.org/topics/policy/>/ (previous /Updates/ <http://www.icann.org/topics/policy/> can be found at <http://www.icann.org/topics/policy/>). To subscribe, simply visit the ICANN Subscription page <http://www.icann.org/newsletter/> at <http://icann.org/newsletter/>, enter your e-mail address, and then click on /ICANN Policy Update/. Thank you for your interest and participation in ICANN policy development. Regards, Denise Michel ICANN VP, Policy policy-staff(a)icann.org <mailto:policy-staff@icann.org>

6 5

Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 13, Issue 37
by Gilda Odera 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

Hi, Did I miss an email giving details of where to access the Master Plan or has it not been availed? Kind regards, Gilda Odera Managing Director Skyweb Technologies Ltd Tel: 254-20-2711446/2711760 Fax: 254-20-2713934 URL:www.skyweb.co.ke ----- Original Message ----- From: <kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> To: "Gilda Odera" <godera(a)skyweb.co.ke> Sent: Friday, June 20, 2008 12:00 PM Subject: kictanet Digest, Vol 13, Issue 37 > Send kictanet mailing list submissions to > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > kictanet-owner(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Re: Kenya's new registry system (wesley kiriinya) > 2. Re: ICT Master Plan debate (pwere(a)cascadegl.com) > 3. Policy Issue Briefs: Key activities the ICANN community will > be working on during the Paris meeting (alice wanjira) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 19 Jun 2008 07:26:46 -0700 (PDT) > From: wesley kiriinya <kiriinya2000(a)yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Kenya's new registry system > To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Message-ID: <575580.74948.qm(a)web34701.mail.mud.yahoo.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" > > Security was 1 of the items I talked about. There is a thin line between > security being used as a wrong excuse not to implement a system and where > it's a real concern. > > Anyway if all appropriate measures have been taken then it's OK. As I > said, I appreciate that effort by the Gvmnt. > > --- On Thu, 6/19/08, Brian Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> wrote: > From: Brian Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Kenya's new registry system > To: kiriinya2000(a)yahoo.com > Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Date: Thursday, June 19, 2008, 11:48 AM > > I would like to balance this discussion by pointing out a historical > fact..... > > Due to "security" concerns our country was held back from a liberalised > telecoms industry for years. > > There were a lot of misplaced fears which originated from blanket > generalisations of new technology and a fear of loss of control by the > powers that be. > > > When I set up KIXP at the end of 2000, it was shut down within two weeks > because Telkom Kenya insinuated that it presented a national security > risk. It took us one whole year to educate, enlighten and lobby almost > every component of the Executive in order to get KIXP re-opened. > > > Today it is considered a 'national resource' and KRA even wants to have it > gazetted so that it can receive 24-hour physical security since it plays > such an integral part of Kenya's economy. > > I am not saying that we should blind ourselves to the consideration of > security concerns, just that it is very easy to further delays innovation > and development with hyped up discussions about security (or more > appropriately insecurity). > > > best, > > Brian > > -- > Brian Munyao Longwe > e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com > cell: + 254 722 518 744 > blog : zinjlog.blogspot.com > > > On Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 11:40 PM, Judy Okite <judyokite(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Gentlemen, > > all your arguments are in place.....unfortunately we do not have a cyber > crime law in place nor a data privacy law...(subject to be > corrected)....so before we go very far.....we need to make Kenyans > understand.... > > > > 1. What is personal/private data?....very few understand that and why it > may need to be protected... > > 2. what are the implications of the data,that this, system will hold, in > the hands of a third party?...from here...we can ask for a document for > public scrutiny.....what security measures...are in place...etc > > > > > Kind Regards, > > > On Wed, Jun 11, 2008 at 1:06 PM, <tyrus(a)icsit.jkuat.ac.ke> wrote: > > > Wesley, > > I totally agree with you on this point. > > > > Its one thing to set up a system where you will have citizens access their > > details and its another entirely different thing to ensure its security is > > not compromised. Even as these guys come up with this revolutionary > > system, am sure they have security in mind and even more importantly have > > taken the necessary steps to ensuring that its not compromised. What I > > always have qualms with as you are well aware of in skunkworks, is the > > reluctance by the developers or system operators to provide room for > > Independent Penetration Testing. Granted this is not a panacea for > > hack-proofing the system but will make the system devoid of common > > vulnerabilities like what we saw in the ipo website. > > > > In America, identity theft has occurred even on their secure servers alike > > but if you look at the frequency, its relatively low since tests are > > carried out on the system very often and when loop holes are discovered > > relevant authorities are informed. > > > > > > Its a very novel idea the Government is pursuing but even as we speak > > there are notable Govt bodies whose IT infrastructure's security is very > > sketchy. If there was a dedicated body in the ICT Board to dedicatedly > > look into security issues regarding IT growth and implementation, I guess > > there would be standards set even when putting a very basic implementation > > like a web-site. > > > > Regards, > > > > "fyodor" > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: judyokite(a)gmail.com > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/judyokite%40gmail.com > > > > > > > -- > > 'Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter. > ' > Martin Luther King, Jr. > > _______________________________________________ > > kictanet mailing list > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > > This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: kiriinya2000(a)yahoo.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/kiriinya2000%40yahoo.c… > > > >

3 2

ICT Master Plan debate
by Wainaina Mungai 20 Jun '08

20 Jun '08

>From submissions so far; 1. There is a draft Master plan with a summary in circulation. 2. There is a general feeling that ICT projects are being implemented in a disjointed manner. 3. The Ministry of Info&Comm. under Dr. Ndemo's leadership, has made commendable progress in the ICT arena. 4. Alot of work remains to be done, including the finalisation of a comprehensive Master Plan through a consultative process and honest positions by all stakeholders. 5. The failure of Parliament to pass ICT-related Bills should be a concern for all stakeholders (esp. the Media who had complaints about the cross-ownership clause) and not an opportunity to shoot the messenger. 6. We have come a long way from the days of fighting (with policymakers/govt) for an National ICT Policy and must now shift gears to a complemetary approach. That is the respectful way to go about this debate as alluded to by Lucy. 7. Now, could the Ministry/PS kindly circulate electronic versions of draft documents for a more informed discussion on this list? That should put some flesh on this skeleton we have so far overworked. Good day, Wainaina -- Made in Kenya Network P. O. Box 72031 - 00200 Nairobi. Kenya Tel: +254-20-3590451 Cel: +254-722-811171 Cel: +254-735-370840 www.madeinkenya.org www.bungesms.com www.pamonet.org

4 3

Re: [kictanet] Kenya's new registry system
by tyrus＠icsit.jkuat.ac.ke 19 Jun '08

19 Jun '08

Wesley, I totally agree with you on this point. Its one thing to set up a system where you will have citizens access their details and its another entirely different thing to ensure its security is not compromised. Even as these guys come up with this revolutionary system, am sure they have security in mind and even more importantly have taken the necessary steps to ensuring that its not compromised. What I always have qualms with as you are well aware of in skunkworks, is the reluctance by the developers or system operators to provide room for Independent Penetration Testing. Granted this is not a panacea for hack-proofing the system but will make the system devoid of common vulnerabilities like what we saw in the ipo website. In America, identity theft has occurred even on their secure servers alike but if you look at the frequency, its relatively low since tests are carried out on the system very often and when loop holes are discovered relevant authorities are informed. Its a very novel idea the Government is pursuing but even as we speak there are notable Govt bodies whose IT infrastructure's security is very sketchy. If there was a dedicated body in the ICT Board to dedicatedly look into security issues regarding IT growth and implementation, I guess there would be standards set even when putting a very basic implementation like a web-site. Regards, "fyodor"

4 3

FW: [www.eThinkTankTz.org] ICT BACKBONE: A solution in search of a problem or is it just a white elephant?
by Harry Hare 19 Jun '08

19 Jun '08

Dear Colleagues, As we await our own FON, there could be some lessons from this experience. One year after the commissioning of the government funded terrestrial fibre optic network in Tanzania, the network has remained relatively idle. Some basic business fundamentals could have been ignored or assumed. Read on. Harry From: eThinkTankTz(a)yahoogroups.com [mailto:eThinkTankTz@yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of Rama Mwikalo Sent: 17 June 2008 00:36 To: ethinktanktz(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [www.eThinkTankTz.org] ICT BACKBONE: A solution in search of a problem or is it just a white elephant? National ICT Optical Fiber Backbone: Is this a solution in search of a problem or just a white elephant? It is a sad indictment of the current state of the ICT backbone infrastructure when a newly commissioned ultra-modern optical fiber system is sitting idle with absolutely no customers; zero. This may sound like an exaggeration but it is not a very big one! Apart from the standard internal and management traffic required to keep the system chugging and humming along, there are practically no paying customers to speak of on the system. The old adage, some may say myth, that says “if you build it, they will come” was probably taken too literally by the companies that decided to invest their hard-earned T-shillings in the ICT optical fiber infrastructure. The system has been idle ever since it was officially commissioned little over a year ago, according to Charles Makakala – a member and regular contributor to the Tanzania e-Think Tank online discussion group. All we can say is that whatever business plan was used to justify this investment, it was not a plan for spiking the ball on the 20 yard - to use an American football metaphor. By all accounts, what has been implemented is an ultra-modern state of the art transmission system based on the latest high capacity DWDM (Dense Wave Division Multiplexing) fiber optics technology. According to Mr Makakala, the system has been deployed across nine regional traffic hubs including some smaller towns, and it has an estimated transport capacity of nearly 4 Gigabit per second. Just so we all know, this represents enough bandwidth to carry up to 400 times the current voice traffic generated by all major mobile phone operators namely, Vodacom, Celtel, Tigo and Zantel. It would have been hilarious if it weren’t downright cruel for these well-meaning folks to have invested so much to achieve so little. This is undoubtedly an important national venture and the service is desperately needed for the development of our country, so what went wrong? No one could have expected – not by any stretch of imagination – that in a country that still requires more ICT investment – not less – there would be a glut of data transmission bandwidth sitting idle and begging for customers but there are no takers. In the meantime, Tanzanians of all shapes and stripes are burdened with one of the highest and out-of-reach telecommunication service tariffs in Africa. Needless to say, there is a huge disconnect; it makes very little sense and clearly deserves a detailed examination and analysis. Considering the way things have turned out, perhaps we should begin by speculating or asking what was the business plan that was used to justify the implementation the optical fiber infrastructure that has been deployed and commissioned? Who were the targeted customers and were they consulted to determine what it would take to get them on board as paying customers? These are basic market research questions… If the ICT backbone was built hoping “customers will come”, well we should not be surprised now that the chickens are coming home to roost and the outcome is so dramatically different from the investors expectations not to mention prayers. Some of the basic and fundamental market research and analysis questions that should have been asked are: § Who are likely to be the major customers for the optical fiber super-highway and where are they geographically located? § What are they planning to use the optical fiber bandwidth for? § How much aggregate bandwidth is need and, more importantly, where is that bandwidth needed? § What special interfaces are needed by the customers? § What kind of problems are these “potential customers” currently experiencing that the optical fiber infrastructure would be ideally suited to solve? § How much are they expecting and willing to pay for the bandwidth in order to subscribe to the new service? § What other competing technologies are available and how much are they paying today? We can delve a little deeper into some of these questions a little later to try to come up with possible answers that may be helpful feedback into the next ICT infrastructure project whether privately or publicly funded. As a way of illustrations, I am planning to use broadband internet access, mobile phone and triple-play which are considered to be the “killer applications” (to employ an overused term) for the national fiber infrastructure. I will also say a few words about the appropriateness (or lack thereof) of assigning the management of a government funded ICT optical fiber backbone to TTCL. Since I am not employed by any of these companies I can afford not to take sides in the proverbial “mwamba ngoma” tradition. I get chills down my spine when I hear that the mobile phone companies are among the targeted customers for this government funded initiative in which TTCL is the designated operator. Last time I checked, TTCL was still competing against the very customers it is supposed to serve! God help us should, in the unlikely event, the system encounter a catastrophic failure, a possibility that cannot be ruled out; would TTCL be expected to give top priority to its own mobile phone customers over its competitors or are they likely to be fair and even-handed? And so we bear witness to the specter of the least successful mobile phone service provider trying to bail out its more successful competitors! It takes two leaps of faith to believe that TTCL will be even-handed and quite frankly, I am not at all surprised why the targeted customers appear to be dragging their feet. The business model needs to be revisited. And as I said earlier, I intend to address this issue and others in a follow up contribution. Rama Mwikalo Technology Consultant Silicon Valley, California, USA (512) 947-7668 __._,_.___ Messages <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/message/12519;_ylc=X3oDMTM2M2Jxb…> in this topic (1) <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJxaGluNTQ5BF9TAz…> Reply (via web post) | Start <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlNGdpOTllBF9TAz…> a new topic Messages <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/messages;_ylc=X3oDMTJlZWg3cnRjBF…> | Files <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/files;_ylc=X3oDMTJmMDV1dmwzBF9TA…> | Photos <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/photos;_ylc=X3oDMTJlb3Iwb3YzBF9T…> | Links <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/links;_ylc=X3oDMTJmbDQ1dDRkBF9TA…> | Database <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/database;_ylc=X3oDMTJjazhsczJlBF…> | Polls <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/polls;_ylc=X3oDMTJmdnNxamJyBF9TA…> | Members <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJlNWdhYm0yBF9…> | Calendar <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/calendar;_ylc=X3oDMTJkNDlsZ2s4BF…> Anyone who would like to join eThinkTankTz is welcome to do so by sending a blank email to: eThinkTankTz-subscribe(a)yahoogroups.com MARKETPLACE _____ You <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13r3ednhb/M=624381.12730922.13032918.10835568/D…> rock! Blockbuster wants to give you a complimentary trial of - Blockbuster <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13r3ednhb/M=624381.12730922.13032918.10835568/D…> Total Access. <https://media.adrevolver.com/adrevolver/trace?adpath=11959> <http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkNW1hNzBzBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzIyO…> Yahoo! Groups Change <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/join;_ylc=X3oDMTJmZW0xYzU2BF9TAz…> settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch <mailto:eThinkTankTz-digest@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email%20Delivery:%20Digest> delivery to Daily Digest | Switch <mailto:eThinkTankTz-traditional@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change%20Delivery%20Format:%20Traditional> format to Traditional Visit <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz;_ylc=X3oDMTJkdjNzYzZkBF9TAzk3MzU…> Your Group | Yahoo! Groups <http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> Terms of Use | Unsubscribe <mailto:eThinkTankTz-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=> Recent Activity · 5 New <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJmamg2dWZvBF9…> Members Visit <http://groups.yahoo.com/group/eThinkTankTz;_ylc=X3oDMTJlMHMwOGJ1BF9TAzk3MzU…> Your Group Y! Messenger Want <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13ovl3rqm/M=493064.12016274.12445679.8674578/D=…> a quick chat? Chat over IM with group members. Yahoo! Groups Real <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13o5s2mtl/M=493064.12016243.13036160.8674578/D=…> Food Group Share recipes and favorite meals. Y! Groups blog The <http://us.ard.yahoo.com/SIG=13o389nv8/M=493064.12016258.12582637.8674578/D=…> place to go to stay informed on Groups news! . <http://geo.yahoo.com/serv?s=97359714/grpId=2293854/grpspId=1705110266/msgId…> __,_._,___

4 4

[NewVisionKenya] Re: Voiceless 'Knowledge Workers'
by aki 19 Jun '08

19 Jun '08

If I may add a comment regarding Kenya technology and evolution. Corrections are welcome. Very briefly : In general terms, we have to understand that the Technology liberation ( liberalization ) just started very recently eg less than 6-8 years ago. In reality lack of liberalization and other factors were responsible for the backwardness of modernization of systems and ICT culture. I believe as a country we are still in infancy and slowly crawling out of that shell. In less than 6-8 years, we have seen tremendous growth in the technology sectors with a pro-IT development, pro-competitve approach by its players and planners. While the approach towards unified goals may seem different, it is important that we give a chance to the current visions and plans to achieve long term goals. Kenya has the talent, resources and we should push very hard to ensure the visions are implemented beyond discussions. My hope is that within the next 10 years or so, we will be a technology/infrastructure/systems achievement and an icon to others. With Rgds, Aki.

2 2

Kenya Budget Brief
by alice wanjira 18 Jun '08

18 Jun '08

Dear all FYI Kenya budget brief best alice

1 0

Kenya Budget Brief
by alice wanjira 18 Jun '08

18 Jun '08

Dear all Attached budget brief prepared by Githongo and Company ( Acountants and Auditors) for * *

1 0