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Safaricom Wimax service
by robert yawe 08 Oct '10

08 Oct '10

Hi, I was most exited about getting the Safaricom Wimax service, they had teething problems with the role out which I suspect was because they did not anticipate the level of demand. The service finally worked, which took about a week from the time I applied for the service, but only for about 3 days then the problems started. What is most annoying is that the customer service number is not toll free and cannot be reached through the normal 100 or 200 numbers which to me suggests that Safaricom has not fully integrated the new baby into the rest of the organisation. The customer service number is also only manned during normal working hours which is unacceptable when you are dealing with residential users who need the service outside this hours. The fixed wireless business is also very different from mobile wireless which is Safaricoms forte, with fixed wireless the client cannot take the equipment to a customer service centre which would therefore mean the need for more personnel, vehicles and higher chances of providing mediocre services. This will be a good experience for Safaricom in dealing with a different type of client especially now that they are offering B2B solutions such as application hosting and collocation services. I am sure that after this experience they will never talk ill of Telkom and their landline service. When the initial team came to do the installation it was clear that they where not Safaricom employees but an outsourced provider who where not up to scratch on dealing with residential users. They had dropped the antennae cable down the side of the house from the roof and then through the window. I had them remove the shoddy installation and make sure they passed the cable through the provided conduits which meant that a single team outing turned into a 3 day affair, at the fixed cost I am sure they are being paid per installation I am not surprised that they have not been able to come and fix my link which has been down since Monday this week. Regards Sent from my laptop in the office since my Safaricom Nyumbani service is inoperative Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Re: [kictanet] What is the better option?
by ESTHER MUCHIRI 07 Oct '10

07 Oct '10

Thanks Emmanuel. I am a faithful user of Safaricom and find it quite reliable. I should have clarified that what I need is a RELIABLE and yes, affordable internet for my office (5 people). I am currently using KDN but there service is very poor. From: Emmanuel Khisa [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Thursday, October 07, 2010 3:34 PM To: ESTHER MUCHIRI Cc: oloo.khisa(a)gmail.com; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] What is the better option? Esther, I think on the pricing aspect Zain beats Safaricom, in terms of service quality and other factors I would be extremely cautious make the call. At a personal level, the experience of using ZAIN other than the clear call quality n pricing was anything but pleasant. It took ages for them to respond to querries and customer service was dead. Safaricom takes the cup home any day for me in the areas of value additions, customer service and billing. But then that is just me, I guess the industry is really a free for all at the moment and dependent on our private choices, but to answer your question more directly, ZAIN is obviously cheaper than Safaricom both for local and International calls. As for Internet, Safaricom may be pricier but you want to spare yourself the heartache and stick to them. Ultimately though we will only be able to tell the winners in this segment (data market) after months since at the moment its a bit of a trial and error. Rgds On Thu, Oct 7, 2010 at 3:11 PM, ESTHER MUCHIRI <emuchiri(a)andestbites.com> wrote: Listers In yesterday's Daily Nation, a one-page advert by ZAIN titled "be the judge" revealed that Safaricom charges for SMS are 3/- within network and 5/- to other networks. However, in today's Daily Nation, Safaricom has hit back with their new SMS tariff of 20 cents for 100 sms per day etc. Unfortunately, one has to subscribe by dialing *188#, and I guess once you exhaust the bundle, you roll back to the standard rates?? Also, which telco is offering the most affordable unlimited broadband Internet? I want to shift.. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: oloo.khisa(a)gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/oloo.khisa%40gmail.com -- Oloo Khisa P.O. Box 24324-00100 Nairobi 0721321086/0734321086 http://ke.linkedin.com/in/olookhisa

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ICTs for civic and political engagement
by Steven Clift 07 Oct '10

07 Oct '10

Warigia, thank you for passing along my request. I've joined your forum to help me become better informed about current examples of online engagement in Kenya - I have a hunch I will humbly learn far more than I will ultimately share with my upcoming speaking trip. This is me: http://stevenclift.com - I've spoken across almost 30 countries on "e-democracy" but this is my first opportunity to visit Sub-Saharan Africa. I run, http://E-Democracy.org which created the world's first election information website in 1994 and today focuses on hosting local online discussion that matter. We have a special Ford Foundation funded effort in the Cedar Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis which has large Somali and Oromo populations: http://e-democracy.org/inclusion So I've put out a few global queries: Digitial Inclusion Network: http://forums.e-democracy.org/groups/inclusion/messages/topic/2AiHjJ1MZ8Hr8… Democracies Online Exchange: http://groups.dowire.org/r/topic/3Y7NmSTaw3sb7cm7SGvtKz See the links for the great responses so far. Here is a query for your network ... I am interested in discovering both local and national Kenyan or African politicians who are quite active with social media. Being able to point out examples at a more local level where the feedback loop and closeness to the public is often stronger is quite useful. I am also interested in any political, government, or NGO-based "engagement" or "consultation" sites that have jumped on the mobile bandwagon. I am particularly interested in any mobile website or apps that are taking advantage of the increasingly popular smartphone broader net access beyond SMS. I am interested to understand what percent of Kenyan mobile phones are used to access the Internet in some way beyond SMS. Any suggestions? Links? Comments? Thanks for having me as a guest here. Sincerely, Steven Clift Steven Clift - http://stevenclift.com Executive Director - http://E-Democracy.Org Follow me - http://twitter.com/democracy New Tel: +1.612.234.7072

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Ngugu wa Thiongo strong favorite for Nobel Prize
by Francis.Hook＠gmail.com 07 Oct '10

07 Oct '10

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2010/oct/05/kenyan-nobel-prize-literature even though its based on a leading bookmaker's odds, this would be great news. To stave off any possible "WTH does this have to do with ICT?" responses - content - local content. Ngugi has been abroad for a good many years but still promotes "local content" by not writing in English.

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Application Round Opens for San Francisco ICANN meeting Fellowships
by Alice Munyua 07 Oct '10

07 Oct '10

Please feel free to forward to interested people. Application Round Opens for San Francisco Fellowships Program ensures global representation at ICANN's International Public Meetings 5 October 2010 *MARINA DEL REY, Calif.*: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is launching the 12th round of applications for the Fellowship program, to facilitate participation in ICANN's 40th International Public Meeting to be held San Francisco, California on 13-18 March 2011. Over the last 10 meetings, the Fellowship program has proven to be a successful method of capacity building for the ICANN community, making sure global voices are heard in the wide variety of public forums that it holds. As CEO Rod Beckstrom said when addressing the Russian Internet Governance Forum in Moscow last May, /"The Internet is a work in progress. It feeds and grows off ideas, and new ideas greatly affect its direction. Its most influential contributors are those who can see the possibilities that others don't. And the most powerful are those whose ideas trigger the imagination of others."/ We see the Fellowship program playing a major role in bringing those great ideas and idea makers into the Internet community. Per the program charter, applicants must be citizens of economically eligible countries (ICANN uses the World Bank classification) and priority in selection is given to applicants who are current residents of the region that a ICANN meeting is being held in, as well as those who are active or interested in participating in ICANN and its supporting organizations and advisory committees. In this case, as the United States is not an economically eligible country, applicants from all other ICANN regions will be equally weighted (as long as applicant meets program minimum requirements). The Fellowship program will assist in covering airfare, hotel and a stipend. Recipients will be expected to actively participate in and contribute to ICANN processes, in and after the ICANN meeting. As always, registration for an ICANN meeting is free for anyone wanting to attend. Applications for the meeting in San Francisco will be accepted from now until 1200 PDT (UTC -7) on 12 November 2010. More information, as well as a link to the application for a fellowship, is available online at: http://www.icann.org/en/fellowships/ or email fellowships(a)icann.org <mailto:[email protected]> if you encounter a problem. What Is ICANN? To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet.

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E democracy
by warigia bowman 06 Oct '10

06 Oct '10

Dear Listers Please assist Mr. Clift. He is interested in examples of e-democracy in Africa. Please send your comments to him at clift(a)e-democracy.org Sincerely, Warigia -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu

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SAP offering online ERP training
by Andrea Bohnstedt 06 Oct '10

06 Oct '10

Maybe interesting for some on this list: http://www.ratio-magazine.com/201010063691/Corporate-Press-Releases/Kenya-P… Happy Wednesday, Andrea -- Andrea Bohnstedt Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com

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] APC Job advert: Consulting Services Coordinator
by alice＠apc.org 05 Oct '10

05 Oct '10

Please send applications to: jobs(a)apc.org by 31 October 2010. APC consulting services Coordinator The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is looking for a creative and results-driven individual to lead, develop and manage its consulting services. APC is a global network of civil society organizations whose mission is to empower and support organisations, social movements and individuals in and through the use of information and communication technologies to build strategic communities and initiatives for the purpose of making meaningful contributions to equitable human development, social justice, participatory political processes and environmental sustainability. www.apc.org APC is building its capacity to provide fee-for-service consulting as part of its overall resource mobilisation and sustainability strategy. APC will provide consultancy services in its strategic areas of competencies which are: capacity building in gender evaluation, capacity building in strategic use of information and communication technologies, policy development and research, network building, and advocacy. The Consulting Services Coordinator will be responsible for developing and managing consultancy services that will contribute to implementing APC's strategic plan and delivering its mission. The area of consulting services which APC would like to develop first is capacity building in gender evaluation. Application deadline: 31 October 2010 Start date: Immediate APC's has varying strategic and operational capacities in delivering consultancies. In the last 10 years, APC has gained experience and built its competency in gender evaluation and developed the Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) for the Internet and ICT Initiatives. Based on this expertise, APC is ready to implement a three-year GEM strategic business plan that will help organisations understand and show how their initiatives are transforming women's lives and contributing to achieving gender equality. APC's GEM services will focus on developing capacity of organisations in gender evaluation. APC is also known for its excellent work in building capacity of diverse organisations including civil society, communicators, policymakers and private sector in ICT policy advocacy and strategic ICT use. Much of APC's work in these areas has emerged from relationships formed through implementing projects, advocacy work and through APC's extensive international network. In the next six months, the focus of APC's business development will be in developing its GEM services and establishing systems and processes for all APC's consultancy services. The Consulting Services Coordinator will report to the Women's Networking Support Programme Manager and will be responsible for: · Review and implementation of the GEMs business plan; · Design and development of a suite of products for GEM consulting services; · Design and implementation of a marketing strategy to promote GEM consulting products and services; · Securing GEM consultancies and managing relationships with GEM clients; · Financial planning and management of GEM consulting services; · Managing GEM consultancy staff and sub-contractors. · Building and maintaining strategic relationships with potential clients and actively embarking on outreach programmes; · Establishing systems and processes for all APC consultancies working with APCs finance and administration team; · Managing and monitoring the implementation of APCs consulting service delivery; The person we are looking for will have: · Experience in project/programme management (at least five years); · Experience in business development (including fundraising) and marketing · Experience and background in civil society networking; · Enthusiasm for networking and inclusive network building; · Experience in managing people; · Experience in the design and development of business systems and processes; · Sound financial skills and understanding of business management principles; · The ability to plan and think strategically; · Sound academic qualifications in a related area. Other requirements · Excellent computer and internet skills and experience in working in an online environment; · Good writing skills and experience in writing reports; · Excellent English writing and oral communication skills, including public speaking experience; · Able to work in a team and under pressure; · Able to work independently and to manage people mainly via online communications; · Able to travel. Advantages: · Ability to communicate in Spanish and/or French Organisational relationships: The successful applicant will report to the Programme Manager: Womens Networking Support Programme and work closely with APC's Executive Director. They will be responsible for building and managing the GEM consulting service team. Remuneration and duration of contract: This is a full time contract for an initial six-month period (renewable depending on performance and availability of funding). Remuneration is based on APC's salary scale for the position. Short-listed candidates will receive specific information on the salary range on request. Location: The incumbent can work from anywhere in the world provided they have excellent internet access. APC provides an equipment allowance but require staff to use their own computers. Some international and regional travel will be required. APC is a truly virtual organisation and does not have a physical headquarters. We do our work online. For this position we want to particularly encourage candidates from the global South to apply. How to apply: Please send a CV and a covering letter IN ENGLISH that illustrate your interest in the position. You should include the following information: · Description of your interest in working with the APC · Your background/interest in dealing with issues around gender equality · Your background in the design and development of income generating entities · Description of your background in project management and team coordination, specifically in an international and/or online context · Description of your computer skills · Where you live · Languages you speak and write · Other information you think might be of importance to our assessment of your application · Three references: names, relationship, contact details; at least one of these should be related to project or campaign that you have managed. Please send this information via email with Consulting Services Coordinator in the subject line to: jobs(a)apc.org by 31 October 2010. -- Emilar E. Vushe Office of the Executive Director Association for Progressive Communications (APC) P O Box 29755, Melville, 2109 Johannesburg, South Africa Email: emilar(a)apc.org Skype: emilarvushe Website : www.apc.org

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] APC Job advert: Consulting Services Coordinator
by alice＠apc.org 05 Oct '10

05 Oct '10

Please send applications to: jobs(a)apc.org by 31 October 2010. APC consulting services Coordinator The Association for Progressive Communications (APC) is looking for a creative and results-driven individual to lead, develop and manage its consulting services. APC is a global network of civil society organizations whose mission is to empower and support organisations, social movements and individuals in and through the use of information and communication technologies to build strategic communities and initiatives for the purpose of making meaningful contributions to equitable human development, social justice, participatory political processes and environmental sustainability. www.apc.org APC is building its capacity to provide fee-for-service consulting as part of its overall resource mobilisation and sustainability strategy. APC will provide consultancy services in its strategic areas of competencies which are: capacity building in gender evaluation, capacity building in strategic use of information and communication technologies, policy development and research, network building, and advocacy. The Consulting Services Coordinator will be responsible for developing and managing consultancy services that will contribute to implementing APC's strategic plan and delivering its mission. The area of consulting services which APC would like to develop first is capacity building in gender evaluation. Application deadline: 31 October 2010 Start date: Immediate APC's has varying strategic and operational capacities in delivering consultancies. In the last 10 years, APC has gained experience and built its competency in gender evaluation and developed the Gender Evaluation Methodology (GEM) for the Internet and ICT Initiatives. Based on this expertise, APC is ready to implement a three-year GEM strategic business plan that will help organisations understand and show how their initiatives are transforming women's lives and contributing to achieving gender equality. APC's GEM services will focus on developing capacity of organisations in gender evaluation. APC is also known for its excellent work in building capacity of diverse organisations including civil society, communicators, policymakers and private sector in ICT policy advocacy and strategic ICT use. Much of APC's work in these areas has emerged from relationships formed through implementing projects, advocacy work and through APC's extensive international network. In the next six months, the focus of APC's business development will be in developing its GEM services and establishing systems and processes for all APC's consultancy services. The Consulting Services Coordinator will report to the Women's Networking Support Programme Manager and will be responsible for: · Review and implementation of the GEMs business plan; · Design and development of a suite of products for GEM consulting services; · Design and implementation of a marketing strategy to promote GEM consulting products and services; · Securing GEM consultancies and managing relationships with GEM clients; · Financial planning and management of GEM consulting services; · Managing GEM consultancy staff and sub-contractors. · Building and maintaining strategic relationships with potential clients and actively embarking on outreach programmes; · Establishing systems and processes for all APC consultancies working with APCs finance and administration team; · Managing and monitoring the implementation of APCs consulting service delivery; The person we are looking for will have: · Experience in project/programme management (at least five years); · Experience in business development (including fundraising) and marketing · Experience and background in civil society networking; · Enthusiasm for networking and inclusive network building; · Experience in managing people; · Experience in the design and development of business systems and processes; · Sound financial skills and understanding of business management principles; · The ability to plan and think strategically; · Sound academic qualifications in a related area. Other requirements · Excellent computer and internet skills and experience in working in an online environment; · Good writing skills and experience in writing reports; · Excellent English writing and oral communication skills, including public speaking experience; · Able to work in a team and under pressure; · Able to work independently and to manage people mainly via online communications; · Able to travel. Advantages: · Ability to communicate in Spanish and/or French Organisational relationships: The successful applicant will report to the Programme Manager: Womens Networking Support Programme and work closely with APC's Executive Director. They will be responsible for building and managing the GEM consulting service team. Remuneration and duration of contract: This is a full time contract for an initial six-month period (renewable depending on performance and availability of funding). Remuneration is based on APC's salary scale for the position. Short-listed candidates will receive specific information on the salary range on request. Location: The incumbent can work from anywhere in the world provided they have excellent internet access. APC provides an equipment allowance but require staff to use their own computers. Some international and regional travel will be required. APC is a truly virtual organisation and does not have a physical headquarters. We do our work online. For this position we want to particularly encourage candidates from the global South to apply. How to apply: Please send a CV and a covering letter IN ENGLISH that illustrate your interest in the position. You should include the following information: · Description of your interest in working with the APC · Your background/interest in dealing with issues around gender equality · Your background in the design and development of income generating entities · Description of your background in project management and team coordination, specifically in an international and/or online context · Description of your computer skills · Where you live · Languages you speak and write · Other information you think might be of importance to our assessment of your application · Three references: names, relationship, contact details; at least one of these should be related to project or campaign that you have managed. Please send this information via email with Consulting Services Coordinator in the subject line to: jobs(a)apc.org by 31 October 2010. -- Emilar E. Vushe Office of the Executive Director Association for Progressive Communications (APC) P O Box 29755, Melville, 2109 Johannesburg, South Africa Email: emilar(a)apc.org Skype: emilarvushe Website : www.apc.org

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Looking for intern
by Sean Moroney 05 Oct '10

05 Oct '10

Dear Listers, AITEC Africa requires a graduate intern to work on market research and database development. Please could anyone interested email their CV to me at seanm(a)aitecafrica.com Thanks, Sean Moroney Chairman AITEC Africa seanm(a)aitecafrica.com UK Tel: +44(0)1480-880774 UK Fax: +44(0)1480-880765 UK Mobile: +44(0)7973-499224 Kenya Mobile: +254(0)721-845674 Mozambique Mobile: +258-82-6181618 Nigeria Mobile: +234(0)802-0571766 SA Mobile: +27(0)724-577887 Skype: <mailto:[email protected]> seanmoroney seanm(a)aitecafrica.com <http://www.aitecafrica.comfollow/> www.aitecafrica.com Follow us on twitter: <http://twitter.com/aitecafrica> http://twitter.com/aitecafrica AITEC Africa is the trading name of AITEC Conferences Limited registered in England and Wales. Company registration number: 4698475

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