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Re: [kictanet] "Talk to Safaricom" Responses to Day 4 Questions
by Stephen Chege 20 Feb '17

20 Feb '17

Dear all Below are the responses to Day 4 Questions. Only a few questions were asked on that day. regards Steve Talk-2-Safaricom, Day 4 of 6 (Thursday):-Infrastructure & Universal Access Guideline: Safaricom continues to expand its network beyond urban areas. What has been your experience of Safaricom services in semi-urban and rural areas of Kenya? a) Rural area:-Voice quality, InternetAccess(bandwidth), Mobile Money (MPESA) b) Safaricom contributes to the Universal Service Fund to extend communications to underserved areas- how has this impacted your rural communities c) The government has the National Optical Fiber Infrastructure, to what extend does Safcom use/not use it and why?d) To provide services to under-served areas, the Universal Service Fund has been provision with Safaricom being the largest contributor, how effective is this fund? It's a mix of questions and experiences. Floor is open till midnite today on this one. Lets hear you views. Questions+Comments from Discussions: Barrack Otieno Hi Walu, 1. What is Safaricoms policy on Infrastructure sharing?, my question regards Community ISP's that may want to piggy back on its masts. What are the charges and guidelines? Thanks Barrack, this is a very good question. Safaricom supports infrastructure sharing and we have been hosting (and being hosted) on our competitors infrastructure since we began operations in 1999. Currently we share our towers, BTS rooms, power, fibre and other network elements with our competitors and other organisations. Safaricom shares infrastructure with Airtel, Telkom Kenya, Multichoice, KWS, KBC, Wananchi, JTL, PANG, Liquid Telecom, Access Kenya and many more. Having said that we believe that all licensees have the obligation of investing and building their networks as required under their licence conditions. Going back to your question – yes, we’d be able to host community ISPs depending on what elements they want to share which would also determine the cost. This would also be contingent on the ISPs compliance to statutory licences and regulations. Rosemary Koech My query is in regards to the quality of data and voice the quality heavily deteriorates just past major towns and cities. Is there a plan to ensure better service delivery? Rosemary, we keep this issue top of mind. As you would expect, urban centres tend to have more density when it comes to network coverage to cater for the higher population numbers, however your experience should not be any worse once you leave the major town or city as our coverage is designed to seamlessly cover the majority of the land mass. It would be good if you could share locations for us to review. We have contracted independent consultants P3 to continuously monitor our network performance and take random drive tests to ensure that we continue to connect our customers. In rural areas, we have embarked on a rollout plan that will see us reconfigure our network to better serve rural customers in the future. Kevin Kamonye Do you have/ have you had plans to roll out services in other countries. What are/were the challenges experienced. I think the current Kenya-only limited market share and the demands of better margins from investors could be the key reason that we are always feeling the pinch of your pricing. Also, it seems like am getting congestion along Naivasha Rd; calls sometimes take a while to connect or they do so without any ringing tone. More people are moving into the area, kindly see what to do about this and even better 3G (at least) coverage. Kevin We are currently only licensed to operate in Kenya and so we cannot share experiences of rollout in other countries at this time. However, as mentioned in a separate response to Sidney and a few others, we currently offer the most compelling pricing for data and voice services and remain the top investor in Kenya in terms of mobile infrastructure to enable us continue to provide cutting edge technologies to our customers. Our technical team is investigating the Naivasha Road issue. Grace Bomu I have seen Safaricom branded trenches in satellite towns such as Kiserian but we are yet to get broadband or services such as Safaricom box. Was the fibre exclusively for the security contract? Grace, you’re right the trenches you have seen are part of our rollout project to deliver fibre in Kiserian. Once we finish in lay the infrastructure our team will return to do the last mile connectivity making it available to end users. For now the concentration has been on getting the fiber to the town. On the Big Box, this should be available to you. You can buy the decoder from any of our retail shops for Sh4,999 and have the team set it up for you. See http://www.safaricom.co.ke/TheBigBox/ for more information on the box. Racheal Nakitare We know Safaricom contributes to USF, but how is the same ploughed back to open up our underserved areas? Has Safaricom attempted to apply for the same funds to improve our poor infrastructure especially in peri urban and rural areas. Are we eligible? Kind regards Racheal. Racheal – We had answered this question in some length in earlier answers, do let me know if you need any more clarification beyond that response. ________________________________ Note: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom’s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here to read the policy. http://www.safaricom.co.ke/images/Downloads/Terms_and_Conditions/safaricom_…

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Getting Internet Companies To Do The Right Thing: Key Lessons
by Nanjira Sambuli 20 Feb '17

20 Feb '17

Useful for this community, and for where policy discussions translate into advocacy efforts… https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/getting-internet-companies-do-right-thi… <https://www.newamerica.org/in-depth/getting-internet-companies-do-right-thi…> Regards, Nanjira www.nanjira.com <http://www.nanjira.com/> About.Me <http://about.me/ninanjira> | Twitter <http://www.twitter.com/ninanjira> | LinkedIn <https://www.linkedin.com/in/nanjira> | Skype <http://hatscripts.com/addskype?nanjirasambuli> PGP: 1DBE1F47A6878B0D

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Invitation: Hacks/Hackers Nairobi Meetup, Wed 22 Feb, 6 - 8 pm, Nairobi Garage, Ngong Rd.
by Florence Sipalla 20 Feb '17

20 Feb '17

Topic: Think Before You Post! Date: Wednesday, 22 February 2017 Venue: Nairobi Garage, Ngong Road, Piedmont Plaza, 4th Floor Time: 6 – 8 pm Today, many people can easily access the internet either on their cellphones, through free Wi-Fi at educational institutions or workplaces. The thousands of cyber-cafes that have come up in most urban and some rural areas have also increased internet access. Access to digital media technologies means that everyone can now become a publisher (blog) can create and distribute radio (podcast) and TV (video) far and wide especially through social media platforms. But how many people think of the risks they face when they click that button to share some interesting content they have come across or have created? There have been reports in the media of people being arrested <http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/04/08/blogger-david-zawadi-arrested-for…> because of what they post online and others have lost their jobs <https://www.theguardian.com/world/2013/dec/22/pr-exec-fired-racist-tweet-ai…> as a result of statements made online. When journalists publish online, they are bound by their code of ethics. What issues should other netizens take into consideration before posting information online? Our guests for the February session of Hacks/Hackers Nairobi #HHNBO will help us address the following questions: 1. What ethical considerations do I need to make before posting online? 2. What are the legal ramifications of what I post online? 3. Do my posts pose a risk to my personal security? In addition, Code for Africa will showcase tools to track deleted tweets. Guest speakers: Henry Maina – Article 19 <https://www.article19.org/pages/en/east-africa.html> Grace Githaiga – Kictanet <https://www.kictanet.or.ke/> Hacks/Hackers Nairobi is a forum where journalists and techies meet on a monthly basis to discuss issues that affect their work. Speak out! Let your voice be heard! To participate in the conversation, please sign up here <http://bit.ly/2kx7IA4> and share the invite widely. Follow us on Twitter <https://twitter.com/hhafrica> and Facebook <https://www.facebook.com/HacksHackersAfrica/>.

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Speed Up Policy Change, Prioritise Public Access: Key Recommendations from our 2017 Affordability Report | Alliance for Affordable Internet
by Nanjira Sambuli 20 Feb '17

20 Feb '17

Good morning all, The Alliance for Affordable Internet (an initiative of the Web Foundation) has today released the 2017 Affordability Report. Among the elements explored are USFs and public access solutions, including good practices to ensure user privacy and security are upheld. May have useful insights in light of recent discussions here. Well worth a read. Cheers! http://a4ai.org/2017-affordability-report-released/ Regards, Nanjira. Sent on the move.

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"Talk to Safaricom" Responses to Day 3 Questions
by Stephen Chege 19 Feb '17

19 Feb '17

From: Stephen Chege Sent: Wednesday, February 15, 2017 17:56 To: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions' Cc: 'Grace Githaiga' Subject: "Talk to Safaricom" Responses to Day 2 Questions Dear all Below are the responses to Day 3 Questions. Apologies, I was not able to send these yesterday. regards Steve Talk-2-Safaricom, Day 3 of 6 (Wednesday) :-Innovators, Innovations & Suppliers Guideline: Safaricom has been quite innovative and keeps coming up with new ways of doing things. As an innovator/developer/supplier, tell us your experiences with regard to Safaricom Innovation as well as their procurement ecosystem. a) Is their development platform and application programmable interface (API) sufficiently open? b) Are the issues to do with Intellectual property /Patents/Procurement clear and adequate? c) Whereas the gain-sharing agreements are private and confidential, how can they be made better? d) What is Safcom take on Bitcoin/Blockchain technologies? Questions+Comments from Discussions: Luke Okelo Good morning all. Thank you Mr.Walubengo for the good moderation so far much appreciated My question is what is the number of annual incidences/cases reported involving mpesa fraud? And are they ever resolved successfully? Secondly If I am carjacked in a matatu as often happens to passengers here, can Safaricom introduce a red flag system where I can discreetly notify relevant authorities that I am withdrawing from my mpesa account under duress? That is to say a silent alarm to raise awareness that there is a crime taking place, and maybe even remotely use my phone GPS location service so that I can be tracked and the culprits apprehended in the act? Blocking the mpesa account at such a sensitive time may not be too wise as the thieves may end a victim's life accusing him/her of non-cooperation Thank you kindly Luke, the different types of fraud that you see across the M-PESA platform ranging from social engineering to outright theft are viewed as crimes, and so these matters are referred to the Police. Safaricom is able to support with investigations where necessary. As ICT practitioners, we are aware that many of the new threats to security will come via these which platforms which we increasingly interact with every day. On our part we continuously educate customers and agents at regular intervals on the emerging threats so that they can protect themselves. Law enforcement personnel should also be trained to deal with and be able to prosecute crimes in this area. K.Machuchi Good coverage. Can we fit in Safaricom's attitude/ policy towards its existing and prospective suppliers. a) existing: payment for goods/ services provided. b) respect for supplier IP and remedies in case of breach by staff. c) prospective: artificial barriers and how they can eliminate/ minimize corruption in procurement. We are committed to growing Kenyan businesses and offer preferential support to innovative local businesses. We also invest heavily in building local expertise in the critical mobile sector – and this includes everything from partnering with local universities to create the relevant curriculum to deliver ready for market engineers to enabling the growth of the small business owner. We currently work with 830 local companies who form 84 percent of our supply chain. We have many examples, but companies such as Linksoft, Broadband Communications, Netsol and Adrian (who started literally from scratch years ago) have now grown on the back of Safaricom’s business to become multi-nationals operating across several countries in East and West Africa. In 2015 we commissioned KPMG South Africa to undertake a “True Value Study” i.e. to examine the true impact of Safaricom in Kenya’s economy. This study found that the value that Safaricom created for the Kenyan society in one year (2015) was estimated at around 10 times greater than the actual financial profit the company made in the same period. This was measured in actual impact on small Kenyan businesses who now exist solely because of Safaricom. At Safaricom we have an open invitation to any supplier who wants to be considered for business with us in a relevant areas. That is why we have published on our website, comprehensive information on how to do business with us. In addition, the applications for pre-qualification are all done online on a robust platform which has automated much of the evaluation and scoring with a fully auditable document trail. See http://www.safaricom.co.ke/about-us/suppliers. We absolutely will not work with any companies that have known track records for unethical behavior, nor do we participate in such behavior on our part. Mildred Achoch Good morning everyone, Thank you to the KICTANET moderators and Safaricom for this opportunity to engage. First, I would like to echo Grace B's sentiments. Thank you Safaricom for being in almost every part of Kenya. It goes a long way in assuring me that you guys will be around for a long time. Secondly, kudos for being one of the first companies in Kenya to embrace the Sustainable Development Goals, specifically SDG 9 (Industry, innovation and infrastructure) and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the goals) Regarding the fact that you are in almost every part of Kenya, my question is: is there a way you can partner with Kenyan filmmakers to promote Kenyan films and series/web series? I applaud innovative initiatives such as Skiza tunes and Blaze. These say to me that similar initiatives can be implemented to promote Kenyan filmmakers. Media convergence is already here with us; as a market leader, Safaricom should be at the forefront of innovative initiatives related to this. Stephen Njoroge Mildred, this is an important area of focus for Safaricom as we focus on growing our youth and their talents. The creative economy is one of the fastest growing incorporating music, dance, film and other creative works. The question on film makers is particularly interesting to us as they produce content which Safaricom can make available to our customers in the same way we provide Skiza tunes. Specifically, for film content we require a broadcasting licence from CA. Safaricom has identified this opportunity and in February 2015 we put in an application for broadcasting licence to enable us to carry this kind of content. In August 2015, our application was published in the Kenya Gazette. However to date Safaricom has not received this licence from the Communication Authority. The last we heard from the Communications Authority was in in October 2016 when we were informed that they could not give us the licence until the Dominance Report was released, although this came a year after our application. Nonetheless we want to play in this space as we have a good understanding of what the market wants, we are willing to invest in a platform that can allow consumers to access short-form or even full length films on-the-go for content producers and do our part for the creative economy. But for now we are waiting to hear from CA. We believe the Kenyan market is ready for fully converged multimedia services and we look forward to providing this to our customers and creating this new market for Kenyans content producers. Stephen Njoroge Hi John and Listers a) Is their development platform and application programmable interface (API) sufficiently open? ANS: NO!. compared to what is the standard with the like offacebook to have a developers portal (https://developers.facebook.com<https://developers.facebook.com/>) and Equity/Equitelportal very easy to use (https://developers.equitybankgroup.com/apis)and https://developer.pesapal.com/ etcsafaricom<https://developer.pesapal.com/%C2%A0etcsafaricom> does not have this well documented and you have to make a number ofguess emails most often to the wrong department or person, Something that couldtake hours ends up taking weeks and sometime months. One get the impressionthat safaricom is under staffed or the staff are just ignoring your email butit not that bad this days I was give a call account manager that is quitehelpful sometime I don’t need to email Ijust call her up.. and things are done.. I think she got the job because of her voice. Stephen, with regard to our API framework I mentioned that we are aware that it is not working as well as it can and that we have already taken steps to rectify this with the help of a world class vendor. We expect that the new API framework will be ready in the coming months. If you are agreeable I would be happy to propose you to “test-drive” the new API. Let me know. b) Are the issues to do with Intellectual property/Patents/Procurement clear and adequate? ANS: Lot of grey line in this but safaricom based competition is very clear on this outlining ownership and all. I am not clear on what the question is here but I will state that Safaricom recognises that good implementable ideas are rare to find and should therefore be protected by their owners. We have provided this and other help to Innovators in our innovation Portal and continue to engage with developers on this basis. c) Whereas the gain-sharing agreements are private and confidential, how can they be made better? ANS: I think safaricom is NOT in the business of sealing ideas but Most employees being Kenyan have a keen eye on opportunities.. other employees have vested interest in competing businesses and will lock you up new idea to be launched where they can eat from..I think having applications to be view-able by more than one employee in the business would help but I would recommend you pray very very hard and if possible fast for 40 days before sharing with this guys in private I believe that this is covered above through the zero tolerance policy we have towards infringement. d) What is Safcom take on Bitcoin/Blockchain technologies? ANS: If bitcoin gained high traction that I would be in a position to purchase sukuma from the kibanda via bitcoin other operators would come toraise at the expense of the home currency just as we don’t trade in gold andgold is represented in reserve via the currency notes, we would trade inbitcoin represented in Kenya currency.. I don’t see M-Pesa in the Picture pastthe currency loading yet they want you to Lipa Na M-Pesa kokote.. but may be amother thinking.. To answer the question Safaricom is more some reason againstbitcoin and has show this by not supporting bitcoin based startups Stephen, regarding Blockchain; the underlying technology behind BitCoin and other cryptocurrencies promises many interesting opportunities where trust is a premium, consensus desired and privacy a must. The distributed ledger could radically alter transaction flows, potentially eliminating intermediaries and reducing or reassigning costs. Without clear, mainstream support from regulators/authorities, it is difficult to see how BlockChain will deliver its full potential. Safaricom continues to monitor this technology and if supported by regulatory approvals, will consider to implement it where it is feasible. Specifically on BitCoin; I think the use of BitCoin or other cryptocurrencies is a much more complex and possibly riskier proposition. For Safaricom, being a licensed mobile money operator, we are unable to experiment with our customers’ money and ignore the clear direction given by our regulator the Central Bank of Kenya (https://www.centralbank.go.ke/uploads/banking_circulars/2075994161_Banking%…) The use of any unregulated, unmanaged, alternative currencies does not come without significant risks. The brief history of BitCoin is a clear example of this. According to Forbes, the past six years has seen 48% of BitCoin exchanges fail, some with enormous losses for customers. It is likely that the use of cryptocurrencies will, in the future become more stable and receive regulatory approval at which point Safaricom will be a ready adopter. Ahmed Mohamed Maawy I will ask 2 questions as a Solutions Architect myself: 1)- As a solutions developer, Safaricom does not provide its platform openly to allow 3rd party integration as does other service providers. And even if some lucky 3rd party do it, the flexibility to implement the solution to meet a diverse set of needs is quite limiting. Somehow makes a lot of us feel as if the payment solution is a "premium access" product available to specific players. The Safaricom API is not a convenient way out of it. Bootsrapping a solution around the API itself requires dedicated develper(s). For instance, stripe payments makes payment gateway integration part of the process not a separate development process. Where is the guarantee (legally binding) also that I can deploy freely a solution based on your payment platform without it being replicated? Thanks Ahmed. Please see my previous responses regarding our API and the planned redevelopments. In addition, let me know if you would like to take be part of the team to review it before we launch. Walu J @Ahmed, Do you mind clarifying a few things. I take it that you agree that Safcoms APIs are not too open. Particularly the payment solution. I presume that would be the MPESA platform which seems limited or restricted to some chosen few developers. Further you say that solutions built around the MPESA APIs are not scaleable to other domains and you seem to suggest a better option out of this. What would this option be? Are you suggesting that rather than trying to plug into MPESA through APIs, MPESA should be released and sold as a module that developers can plug into just about anything they need to - and pay royalties to Safcom on per use basis? Walu, Please see my previous responses regarding our API and the planned redevelopments. The initial design was not as good as we expected it to be and to be clear it was not designed to be closed or to make it difficult for developers to work with. This is counterintuitive as we would want M-PESA to be embedded in as many services as possible. The redevelopment I have mentioned here is going to smooth out those issues and help it become an easy to use interface that it should be. Ahmed Mohamed Maawy Firstly, M-Pesa is definitely being hailed as a global disruptive innovation. This means one thing only. It needs to act so. My response will be simple. This is where I expected M-Pesa would be today with an open all inclusive model: https://stripe.com/ Ahmed your comment is well noted. Grace Bomu Maybe we should ask the question, what is Safaricom's innovation model? Does it see itself as providing a platform for others to play and (hopefully create solutions) or is Safaricom also a player in the game or a hybrid? I would hope that Safaricom envisions itself providing a space for limitless innovation especially for social good. To arts and culture, I admire the work that Safaricom has done- from the beautiful calendars and adverts to music festivals. I however cringe when there are disputes involving the company and artistes and I hope that the issue of revenue sharing has been resolved. Has it been resolved? I wonder if Safaricom has exploited use of tech and its platforms in this cause. I echo Mildred's plea. You’re right Grace, Safaricom is both an innovator and co-innovates with others. In fact we increasingly describe ourselves as a platform. We see the company as being an enabler of several solutions that can transform lives across a growing number of industries such as the health sector, education, agriculture and financial services. We aim to provide these solutions in partnerships with others – we recognise that we do not have all the answers and these cross-industry pairings can drive more transformation than if each decided to go it alone. So expect more from us on that front. To your question on artists and royalties – this is an issue I take personal interest in. Safaricom has been one of the biggest corporate sponsors of Kenyan arts, having been involved in various music events over the years including Niko Na Safaricom Live, Safaricom Classical Fusion, Groove With Safaricom, Safaricom Youth Orchestra, Safaricom Choir and the Safaricom International Jazz Festival. Out of a desire to see local artists grow and earn from their craft we launched the digital music platform SKIZA in 2009. SKIZA is a ring-back tone service that allows your callers to listen to selected tunes from your favourite artists. The SKIZA platform is run by Safaricom, but the day-to-day management of the content is done by known as Content Service Providers (CSPs) who are licensed by the Communications Authority. For artists to put up their music for sale on SKIZA, they have to go through these providers, who review the content to ensure it meets our guidelines before listing it in our database. As I’m sure many of you are already aware, 2015 and 2016 were a bit challenging for us, as a result of multiple court cases and injunctions that forced us to hold back over KES 152 million in artists’ royalties while we waited for a resolution to the dispute between the CSPs and the Collective Management Organisations (CMOs), which include the Performers’ Rights Society of Kenya, Music Copyright Society of Kenya and Kenya Association of Music Producers. Though the issue was eventually resolved and the monies paid out, what we would like to see is a more unified approach to growing the industry. I could say more, but let me leave it there for now. John Kieti Good afternoon, My take on Safaricom and the innovation ecosystem / community is that although they have evolved slowly, Safaricom has contributed significantly and positively to our collective innovativeness as an economy. That we have moved beyond demanding an API for Mpesa and now we are talking about the API's openness is progress. That Safaricom's Spark Fund has invested in Sendy and other startups is laudable. That Safaricom entered useful partnerships with for likes of iCow, EnezaEducation, and Craft Silicon (Little Cabs), Mledger (acquisition) and many other startups must not be downplayed. That Safaricom gave free bandwidth to iHub for several years and sponsored activities at iLabAfrica is laudable. That said, I would wish Safaricom embraced open innovation and co-entrepreneurship more. For instance it was quite short sighted the way Safaricom flexed its muscle on Kipochi / Kopokopo, and BitPesa / Lipisha Consortium with regard to the BitCoin gateway for M-Pesa top ups and withdrawals. If I were them, I would embrace these startups and others building on block chain technology to further disrupt the Financial Services sector. It does not make sense for Safaricom / Mpesa to embrace the plastic card technology side of FinTech as they are doing with the M-Pesa card while frustrating the block-chain side. By and large let us give credit where its due. Safaricom has truly pushed the limits of innovation to increase value for its shareholders who include our Government. They just need to do more to figure out an ecosystem / collaborative approach to innovation. If they do that, we shall collectively and successfully attack the global marketplace for gains to our national economy. Just my 20 cents. Thank you John, your comments are well noted. With regard to the M-PESA plastic card; we have done research on this and we think it might be useful in some areas of the economy which we plan to explore. We will still continue to innovate and develop around the mobile device as our primary outlet. Ali Hussein Walu Thank you for keeping this conversation going. This in my humble opinion is where Safaricom scores a D- for me. There has been alot of (albeit unsubstantiated) complaints from the Startup Ecosystem of how difficult it is to work with Safaricom when it comes to:- 1. APIs and Integrations with other players especially when it comes to MPesa. There are even cases where people have claimed that Safaricom has acted like a Big Bully. Again unsubstantiated. This is obviously a case of where Safaricom needs to be very cognizant of the role they play in uplifting the Innovation Ecosystem in Kenya and Africa. Did Safaricom hound BitPesa out of Kenya? <http://www.coindesk.com/safaricom-and-bitpesa/> Ali, regarding the API I have given our position in previous responses above and before. The message has come through loud and clear and we are working to fix it. Did Safaricom hound BitPesa out of Kenya? <http://www.coindesk.com/safaricom-and-bitpesa/> Ali, this matter is in court with Safaricom having been sued by Bitpesa and as such I may not be able to say much. I can however say that Safaricom’s decision not to allow encashment of cryptocurrencies through our M-PESA network is based on guidance by the Central Bank of Kenya which we believe applies to all financial institutions. As a CBK licensee we cannot disregard guidance from our Regulator hence our position. (http://www.nation.co.ke/business/CBK-warns-against-use-of-Bitcoin/996-29975… , http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Central-Bank-of-Kenya-warns-of-Bit… ) 2. Its an accepted fact that working with the MPesa API is not a walk in the park. They need to be take a CrowdSourcing Approach to this. To be fair this has improved tremendously in the last few months. However, I believe there's room for improvement. Ali, regarding the API I have given our position in previous responses above and before. The message has come through loud and clear and we are working to fix it. 3. Regulation. Its a fact of business today that Regulation and Compliance can be a major hindrance to innovation. A case in point is the burgeoning FinTech Space in Nairobi. How can Safaricom help startups navigate this area? 4. What is the long term strategy for MPesa? Kenya is renowned the world over for innovation in this space and we should be grateful for the regulatory space that we developers enjoy in this country compared to others. Having said that the financial services space necessarily has boundaries and compliance requirements given its sensitivity. We have a comprehensive hand holding process for our partners that includes helping them navigate the regulatory landscape. Our Ready Business<http://www.safaricom.co.ke/readybusiness/> initiative seeks to do the same for small businesses across industries. Our long-term strategy for M-PESA is to ensure that it continues to evolve and remain relevant to Kenyans. As you may have noticed, we have started exploring the P2B space. Given that 8 out of ten transactions in Kenya are still made in cash, there’s a lot of room for a number of providers (and us) to grasp the mobile money opportunity. Barrack Otieno Hi Walu, Before the branch closes: 1. Does Safaricom support the TIVET Program or any Village Polytechnics which train most of our Crafts Men upcountry?, would be keen to know what kind of support they extend to this Village Innovation Centres. Best Regards Through the Safaricom Foundation we have provided computers for some youth polytechnics around the country, in partnership with Computers for Schools Kenya. These devices aimed to support their drive around digitalizing learning in youth polytechnics. We are considering exploring more opportunities through our youth platform, Blaze. Timothy Oriedo On innovation; I would wish to know how I can access anonymised cell phone location sensor data platform of all safaricom subscribers that will enable building of a recommendation engine to benefit various industries. Safaricom is sitting on a potential natural resource that if opened up can benefit different industries from transport, security, health care , education, environment etcetra Think of an intelligent service that can inform the traffic department that there is a noticeable surge of cellphone signals approaching town from a particular direction say Limuru -Westlands and the traffic lights proportionally allow more vehicles from that direction to pass through. ...wouldn't it be a step ahead in solving our ever present traffic menace? Timothy, I think you are referring to the potential of big-data that we may have accreted based on customer information. To be clear, access to customer information is controlled by law and under our licence both of which obligate to keep that information confidential. Beyond that I believe you are touching on the use of anonymised data records for development initiatives. This is an area that I believe should be discussed robustly and if viable, relevant legislation passed to enable different organisations with useful data to be able to apply this to different uses while affording the source of this information the necessary legal safeguards. John Kieti With "Mobile" contributing about 11% of South Korea's GDP (read Samsung), it is hard to fto resist the temptation to dream about "Mobile" contributing as much as 20% of Kenya's GDP by 2027. Such a dream appears achievable if Safaricom assumes the role of an anchor and sets itself up for more rapid co-innovation with local entrepreneurs and innovators. Best! Thanks John. This is well noted. ________________________________ Note: All emails sent from Safaricom Limited are subject to Safaricom’s Email Terms & Conditions. Please click here to read the policy. http://www.safaricom.co.ke/images/Downloads/Terms_and_Conditions/safaricom_…

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Press Statement By CA on DMS - rev 1.doc
by Alwala, Rachel 18 Feb '17

18 Feb '17

Hello Listers. Please see the statement from CA regarding the Device Management System that is under deployment. We hope listers shall objectively engage and seek to understand what the regulator is doing in the interest of the public. Media reports on this were misleading, but be rest assured we shall continue to engage all stakeholders so that they can be in full picture. Regards, Rachel

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Attachment request
by Peter Osotsi 18 Feb '17

18 Feb '17

Dear listers, A 4th year student of Engineering (Bachelor of Engineering - Electrical and Communications, Moi University) is seeking attachment that can engage her fully while they are on recess all the way to August 2017. You can contact me for further details on 0721586109, I've attached her resume and the letter from the university. Kind Regards Peter ----------- Don't wait for success; hunt it down like there's no tomorrow.

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Re: [kictanet] [isoc_ke] Govt to start phone tapping in war on counterfeit trade - Daily Nation
by WANGARI KABIRU 18 Feb '17

18 Feb '17

Warm greetings! I try to reconcile this "love-hate relationship with Government". Private companies that are not even Kenyan for our esteemed national laws to apply to them who are providers of solutions used by the public have all this personal information. They may choose to transpose it into data. Use it for data analytics and profit from it, with occasional leakage. Yet the hue and cry and backlash e.g data privacy demands etc is not evidenced as much. Would this mean that they are trusted more, are our friends more or cannot be reached at? Considering the widespread and increased usage of technology/tools, it warrants how to enhance trusted relations with Governments. Because Governments will always perform their function - so how does it look like in the tech age? Blessed day. Regards/Wangari --- Pray God Bless. 2013Wangari circa - "Being of the Light, We are Restored Through Faith in Mind, Body and Spirit; We Manifest The Kingdom of God on Earth". On Friday, 17 February 2017, 11:07, Rapudo Hawi via isoc <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Listers, It is important to take note that this action has been done for length of time with passage of Terrorism Act among other policy initiatives. The only difference is that now it has reached the public domain. The discussions is how we contain this is founded on the freedoms, rights and liberties for Kenya enshrined within the constitution of Kenya 2010. The question that sets out is the public privacy protected and how can be enhanced without being exposed to the threats of cyber security Rapudo Hawi, Social Development Practitioner, Certified Security Specialist and Design Innovation Expert Telephone: +254 720975498 Twitter: rapudohawi Sykpe: rapudo.hawi Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hawirapudoblog On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 10:00 AM, Wambua, Christopher via isoc <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Listers, There is no dishonesty here Ali. This is a case of blatant misrepresentation which we shall be addressing shortly. As I indicated earlier through this list, the DMS is not intrusive and therefore does not infringe on the privacy of mobile telecommunications users. We shall be sharing a comprehensive statement on the system shortly. Best regards | Christopher Wambua | | Ag. Director/Consumer and Public Affairs | Consumer and Public Affairs | | | | | Tel: +254 20 4242000/209Mobile: +254 703 042209/ +254 730172209 | | P.O. Box 14448 Nairobi 00800 | | | | wambua(a)ca.go.ke Communications Authority of Kenya ca_kenya www.ca.go.ke | | | | Disclaimer: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use by the individual(s) or entity to whom?it is addressed to. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action ?in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you have received this email in error please notify the sender ?immediately by a reply e-mail. | | | From: kictanet <kictanet-bounces+wambua=ca. go.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> on behalf of KICTAnet Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Reply-To: KICTAnet Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Date: Friday, February 17, 2017 at 9:49 AM To: Christoper Wambua <wambua(a)ca.go.ke> Cc: Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke>, ISOC Kenya Chapter <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke>, KICTAnet Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Subject: Re: [kictanet] [isoc_ke] Govt to start phone tapping in war on counterfeit trade - Daily Nation What actually shocks me is the dishonesty of all this. We had engaged CA a few weeks ago and the denials were clear... CA, please help us understand this... Ali HusseinPrincipalHussein & Associates+254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassimSkype: abu-jomoLinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin. com/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad On 17 Feb 2017, at 9:27 AM, Grace B <nmutungu(a)gmail.com> wrote: But on what legal basis is the phone tapping being done? The closest connection I can see to the issue of counterfeit devices is the Type Approval Regulations, 2010. If this is the basis, how can subsidiary legislation be used to limit a right like privacy? Could CA clarify on what basis this is happening??? On 16 Feb 2017 8:02 p.m., "Ali Hussein via isoc" <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Listers >From Tuesday, the government wants to be allowed to listen to your calls, read your texts and review your mobile money transactions.The government, through the Communications Authority of Kenya, has ordered mobile phone companies to allow it to tap their computers.Read on:-http://www.nation.co.ke/news/G overnment-likely-to-start-phon e-tapping/1056-3816372-m5vnfx/ index.html Ali HusseinPrincipalHussein & Associates+254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassimSkype: abu-jomoLinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.c om/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad ______________________________ _________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/ mailman/listinfo/isoc ______________________________ _________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/ mailman/listinfo/isoc _______________________________________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/isoc

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IoT - Banned In Germany: Kids' Doll Is Labeled An Espionage Device
by WANGARI KABIRU 18 Feb '17

18 Feb '17

Warm greetings! Keeping with the drift as per article below, while deflecting a bit, what is Kenya's IoT stand? Alwala Rachel &Wambua Christopher perhaps you may enlighten. PS: For the speak to the telcos discussion;Q: Are simcards and the phones and masts or other gadgets (especially the special offer ones) IoTed?If so why? If not why not? Is it expected? What is the consumer information? What is the consumer option? Opt-out or it means being locked out? Have a blessed day. Regards/Wangari --- Pray God Bless. 2013Wangari circa - "Being of the Light, We are Restored Through Faith in Mind, Body and Spirit; We Manifest The Kingdom of God on Earth". On Saturday, 18 February 2017, 0:31, Alex Gakuru via isoc <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Or let's just spy on kids? http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-way/2017/02/17/515775874/banned-in-germa… Banned In Germany: Kids' Doll Is Labeled An Espionage Device February 17, 201711:51 AM ET On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 11:38 PM, Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: What the heck? Here's a bonus reference for your enjoyment: The UK government seems to be attempting to significantly deepen its potential surveillance access. https://www.theregister.co.uk/ 2017/02/17/linx_snoopers_charg er_gagging_order/ On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 11:11 PM, Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: Some myopic viewsthrough shallow news coverage often peddled by sponsored interestssleeper agents often masquerading as innocent, kind andpublic-interest caring souls can be quite irritating more than. mitigating which hereinshall embark on offering evidence as to why we all need to rise up inarms against privacy violation in Kenya. There comes a time whenfighting and shooting straight between the eyes is our civic duty farfrom the luxury of administering it sugar coated. YES!! So the Kenyan‘government is to start phone tapping in war on counterfeit’ –Its so how scaring! They will listen to all our calls, read our SMSand review al our mobile money transactions. Now about to faint,damn! Thank heavens for 40 per cent UK Vodafone-owned Safaricom forexpressing concerns on imminent privacy violation by snoopy Kenyangovernment. What would have become of us without this gallant publicprivacy caring mobile operator, never mind their Mobitelea founderssecret (or was it ‘privacy’) history? Anyway, who cares –sometimes it never hurts to obfuscate secrecy with privacy to achievethose greater benefits.Oh! by the way, notforgetting that the new competition rules drawn by the CommunicationsAuthority were cooked up solely to hurt this our precioustelecommunications private monopoly and therefore our collective furyat the regulator must send a very strong signal to any jealous personwhom dares attack their hard-earned success from years of investmenton innovative products and services. Needless to say, our local babyof UK-domiciled Vodafone Group last year boasted assets worth £133.7(KShs 17.3 trillion) total equity of £65.88 billion ( Kshs 8.5trillion) and annual revenue of £40.97 (Kshs 5.3 trillion) makingmockery of Kenya’s 2016/2017 total expenditure of Kshs 2.05trillion, or in other words, our entire national budget is no morethan just a fraction of the net worth of mighty Vodafone value.What a digressionfrom the original privacy discourse, when all aware that the Britishgovernment stands accused of breaking the law by forcing telecoms andinternet providers to retain records of phone calls, texts andinternet usage, months after Europe's highest court said that suchdata retention breaches citizens' fundamental right to privacycontrary to Data Retention (EC Direction) Act of 2009. But at this pointengage selective amnesia and choose to forget Hon. Edward Snowden’srevelation of the ‘Five Eyes’ surveillance programme comprisingAustrlia, Canada, New Zealand, United Kingdom and United States –because you see? It’s easier to punch at weak Kenya governmentalleged snooping while steering off the unberably crazy internationalsurveillance arrangements considering that, what the heck, even civilsociety gets donor funding from those rich countries so it helps notto bite the hand that feeds us. OK, agree we all keep it local not toantagonise the sleeping dog – it could wake up and bite us. Which compels a move on to another issue.Facebooks users are'Dumb Fucks', or so admitted Facebook CEO as he mocked early Facebookusers for trusting him with their personal information. "Theytrust me — dumb fucks," says Zuckerberg in one of the instantmessages, firstpublished by former Valleywag Nicholas Carlson at Silicon AlleyInsider. But forgive him since he thinks he’s grown and learned alot. What about Google,Microsoft, Apple, ad infinitum – all US firms we are all very finetrusting with our very, very very personal data? Does US have therights to all your Google & FB data? Find out here. And did you know The Trade In Services Agreement (TISA / TiSA),currently being negotiated among 50 countries, if passed would: - prohibit regulations on the financial industry; - eliminate laws to safeguard online or digital privacy; - render illegal any 'buy local' rules at any level of government; - effectively dismantle any public advantages to be derived from state-owned enterprises; and - eliminate net neutrality. Shocking information here.OK, this is notgoing as initially wanted, because the bigger fear out there isunberable. And therefore, I shall revert to my original plan ofpraising our local wonderful privacy champion Safaricom airing worryover fake mobile monitoring plan by snoopy GoK through CommunicationsAuthority of Kenyafor I don’t care what happens out there in the global arena.Choosing to adopt the phrase, ‘what you don’t know cannot hurtyou.’ Indeed, 'Free is a Lie' –Aral Balkan If you doubt my strong evidence do contact the source references cited. addios Gakuru On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 11:24 AM, Barrack Otieno via isoc <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Rapudo,I thought so too. Looking forwad to the clarification by the Communications Authority.RegardsOn Feb 17, 2017 11:08 AM, "Rapudo Hawi via isoc" <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Listers, It is important to take note that this action has been done for length of time with passage of Terrorism Act among other policy initiatives. The only difference is that now it has reached the public domain. The discussions is how we contain this is founded on the freedoms, rights and liberties for Kenya enshrined within the constitution of Kenya 2010. The question that sets out is the public privacy protected and how can be enhanced without being exposed to the threats of cyber security Rapudo Hawi, Social Development Practitioner, Certified Security Specialist and Design Innovation Expert Telephone: +254 720975498 Twitter: rapudohawi Sykpe: rapudo.hawi Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/hawirapudo blog On Fri, Feb 17, 2017 at 10:00 AM, Wambua, Christopher via isoc <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Listers, There is no dishonesty here Ali. This is a case of blatant misrepresentation which we shall be addressing shortly. As I indicated earlier through this list, the DMS is not intrusive and therefore does not infringe on the privacy of mobile telecommunications users. We shall be sharing a comprehensive statement on the system shortly. Best regards | Christopher Wambua | | Ag. Director/Consumer and Public Affairs | Consumer and Public Affairs | | | | | Tel: +254 20 4242000/209Mobile: +254 703 042209/ +254 730172209 | | P.O. Box 14448 Nairobi 00800 | | | | wambua(a)ca.go.ke Communications Authority of Kenya ca_kenya www.ca.go.ke | | | | Disclaimer: This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and intended solely for the use by the individual(s) or entity to whom?it is addressed to. If you are not the intended recipient, you are notified that disclosing, copying, distributing or taking any action ?in reliance on the contents of this information is strictly prohibited. Additionally, if you have received this email in error please notify the sender ?immediately by a reply e-mail. | | | From: kictanet <kictanet-bounces+wambua=ca.go .ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> on behalf of KICTAnet Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Reply-To: KICTAnet Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Date: Friday, February 17, 2017 at 9:49 AM To: Christoper Wambua <wambua(a)ca.go.ke> Cc: Ali Hussein <ali(a)hussein.me.ke>, ISOC Kenya Chapter <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke>, KICTAnet Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Subject: Re: [kictanet] [isoc_ke] Govt to start phone tapping in war on counterfeit trade - Daily Nation What actually shocks me is the dishonesty of all this. We had engaged CA a few weeks ago and the denials were clear... CA, please help us understand this... Ali HusseinPrincipalHussein & Associates+254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassimSkype: abu-jomoLinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.c om/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad On 17 Feb 2017, at 9:27 AM, Grace B <nmutungu(a)gmail.com> wrote: But on what legal basis is the phone tapping being done? The closest connection I can see to the issue of counterfeit devices is the Type Approval Regulations, 2010. If this is the basis, how can subsidiary legislation be used to limit a right like privacy? Could CA clarify on what basis this is happening??? On 16 Feb 2017 8:02 p.m., "Ali Hussein via isoc" <isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke> wrote: Listers >From Tuesday, the government wants to be allowed to listen to your calls, read your texts and review your mobile money transactions.The government, through the Communications Authority of Kenya, has ordered mobile phone companies to allow it to tap their computers.Read on:-http://www.nation.co.ke/news/G overnment-likely-to-start-phon e-tapping/1056-3816372-m5vnfx/ index.html Ali HusseinPrincipalHussein & Associates+254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassimSkype: abu-jomoLinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.c om/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad ______________________________ _________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/ mailman/listinfo/isoc ______________________________ _________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/ mailman/listinfo/isoc ______________________________ _________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/ mailman/listinfo/isoc ______________________________ _________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/ mailman/listinfo/isoc _______________________________________________ isoc mailing list isoc(a)lists.my.co.ke http://lists.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/isoc

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Microsoft and KPMG Partner for Blockchain Nodes - WinBuzzer
by Ali Hussein 18 Feb '17

18 Feb '17

Listers An interesting development. Microsoft and KPMG International announced today a new collaboration through the launch of Blockchain Nodes. The companies revealed the first workspaces will be located in Frankfurt and Singapore. A further location will be opened in New York. In a joint press release, Microsoft and KPMG say the partnership allows start-ups to move securely to cloud storage. Adoption of blockchain allows developers to create applications suited to real world processes. https://winbuzzer.com/2017/02/15/microsoft-kpmg-partner-blockchain-nodes-xc… From various fora we have heard Nyimbi, an Advisor with the MOICT tell audiences about the MOICT initiatives in BlockChain. I would like to invite the Ministry to give us a detailed backgrounder and the initiatives they are embarking on in the BlockChain space so that the industry/community can also plug in.. Ali Hussein Principal Hussein & Associates +254 0713 601113 Twitter: @AliHKassim Skype: abu-jomo LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim "We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, therefore, is not an act but a habit." ~ Aristotle Sent from my iPad

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