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Kenyan BPO fails to snap up the subsidy, why?
by Rebecca Wanjiku 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Read more here... http://bit.ly/bnRo1r Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Re: Kenyan BPO fails to snap up thesubsidy, why?
by Edwin Onchari 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Thanks Mwende, Your views capture the intent of the society. Our membership is quite varied, there are those players that indeed are focused on getting business - "onshore" (Kenya); "nearshore" (east and the larger African continent) or "offshore" (EU and North America) or a combination of the above. The society's strategy then has to incorporate all these aspirations. The onshore market challenge is that of lack of sensitization, most local companies do not see clearly the benefits of outsourcing their non-core functions. Most BPO/ITES startups lack the capital to effectively do this(and there are many reasons to this), which is where the KBPO Society and the government come in. Capacity building to address the above models must be there and it need not only focus on local business but international as well. For example, the EU (in particular; Netherlands and Denmark) have expressed strong interest in partnering in ITO, we cannot afford to ignore these. Key partners in the US and UK have expressed the same. We are not focusing on stealing the market share from India, but from the global outsourcing market; local outsourcing marketing being a part of it. Mwende, KTDA and the society (members) can work together in developing this local market. Please do let me know when and where you are available to map this further Kind regards, Edwin M Onchari CEO- Kenya BPO Society +254-(0)720 755 951 eonchari(a)kenyabposociety.or.ke www.kenyabposociety.or.ke Blogs: http://kenyabposociety.blogspot.com/2010/01/key-to-unlocking-kenyas-outsourc ing.html http://kenyabposociety.blogspot.com/2010/01/discounted-medical-cover-for-ind ustry.html -----Original Message----- From: Mwende Gatabaki [mailto:[email protected]] Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 11:15 AM To: Edwin Onchari Cc: ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions; Harry Hare Subject: RE: [ke-internetusers] Re: [kictanet] Kenyan BPO fails to snap up thesubsidy, why? Edwin; To be honest, the BPO industry needs to re-think its strategy and re-design the concept of outsourcing to meet today's needs and move away from the 1990's ideas. For example: If I (on behalf of KTDA) wants to outsource business processes, services, or support or Infrastructure or data center etc, who can I call? - a local? Guess who - Safaricom! Safaricom has de-mystified the whole concept of outsourcing and found their niche right here locally - they are busy tailoring their products and services to address this niche. - once done, they will go global - I see them monopolizing the so called "BPO industry" the same way they have done with the mobile. The moral of the story: Stuck in the ideas of 1990's, the Kenya's BPO is still trying to compete with India's (and others) BPOs - which have since matured and moved to new heights. Clearly, it's like "Yu" going for Safaricom's share of the mobile cake! Mwende -----Original Message----- On 2/1/10 7:57 AM, "Edwin Onchari" <eonchari(a)kenyabposociety.or.ke> wrote: > Hi all, > > The lack of business can and will be addressed on 2 fronts: > 1. marketing - The Society is developing a model that will bear fruit > mid-year (June/July) for key international markets (North America, UK) and > throughout the year for the local market beginning this month (February). We > are also developing marketing strategies for the EU market that is more > targeting ITES operations. > 2. Capacity- this includes what Charles is talking about, fiber, ease of > doing business, but most important (especially for international clients) > data security policy. This policy is being developed (requirements document) > in collaboration with our partners in key markets and once information > collection is complete, we'll develop a data security guideline for the > industry and assist local players comply with this ahead of the June/July > marketing initiative. > > Kind regards, > > Edwin M Onchari > CEO- Kenya BPO Society > +254-(0)720 755 951 > eonchari(a)kenyabposociety.or.ke > www.kenyabposociety.or.ke > Blogs: > http://kenyabposociety.blogspot.com/2010/01/discounted-medical-cover-for -ind > ustry.html > > > -----Original Message----- > From: kictanet-bounces+eonchari=kenyabposociety.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > [mailto:[email protected] r.ke > ] On Behalf Of charles nduati > Sent: Monday, February 01, 2010 7:45 AM > To: eonchari(a)kenyabposociety.or.ke > Cc: ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net; kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Kenyan BPO fails to snap up the subsidy, why? > > hi all, > > Nick has hit the nail right on the head > > As JKUAT, we have also taken on this challenge and signed on with African > BPO Academy and BCI to start offering BCI's certifications so that our > graduates know what it takes to take Kenya where it ought to be in BPO > space. > give us the support by sending your staff for trainibg which we are also > offering at Nairobi CBD. > > regards > > charles > > On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:26 EET nicholasnesbitt wrote: > >> this biggest concern for this industry is the lack of business. not the > lack of talent or the high costs. It's the cost of overcoming perceptions, > reaching out to new prospects, convincing them that kenya is a worthwhile > outsourcing destination. Marketing! Spreading the word. >> >> I have just spent a week in the UK meeting with some of the largest > outsourcers in the world. They have never heard of Kenya as an outsourcing > destination. Very interested now, but completely unaware. We stopped > marketing Kenya as a BPO destination before we had built international > recognition and credibility, which raises questions in these prospects' > minds about our commitment as a country to making Kenya an outsourcing > destination... >> >> Nicholas A. Nesbitt >> Chief Executive Officer >> KenCall EPZ Ltd >> P.O. Box 27507 - 00506 >> Sameer Industrial Park, Mombasa Road >> Nairobi, Kenya >> >> +254.20.660.2000 (office) >> +254.20.660.2222 (fax) >> +254.721.458.458 (cell) >> +253.733.458.458 (cell 2) >> >> nnesbitt(a)kencall.com >> www.kencall.com >> >> BEST Non-European Contact Centre 2008 >> > > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: eonchari(a)kenyabposociety.or.ke > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eonchari%40kenyabpo soci > ety.or.ke > > No virus found in this incoming message. > Checked by AVG - www.avg.com > Version: 8.5.432 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2647 - Release Date: 01/26/10 > 19:36:00 > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: harry(a)africanedevelopment.org > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/harry%40africanedev elopme > nt.org African eDevelopment Resource Centre eDevelopment House : : 604 Limuru Road Old Muthaiga : : P O Box 49475 00100 Nairobi : : Kenya T +254 20 3741646/7 : : C +254 725 650044 Training : : Research: :Consultancy: : Publishing _______________________________________________ ke-internetusers mailing list ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.432 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/2647 - Release Date: 01/31/10 19:35:00

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MOBILE WEB EAST AFRICA
by Lucy Gachui Odhiambo 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Dear All, The board is proud to endorse the first chapter of Mobile Web East Africa. The event, organized by All Amber, is already highly successful in west Africa and will run from 3-4th Feb at Intercontinental Hotel. The CEO will present on the topic: Harnessing the potential of the internet and applications on mobile devices The presentation will include . A synopsis of the Kenyan Government's approach to driving the expansion of the mobile sector for the benefit of the populace . Where does the mobile device (and its many beneficial services) sit within the current Government strategic thinking? . What approach has been adopted to drive the realisation of the potential of the mobile device particularly in relation to the mobile internet and applications? . Supporting the Private Sector- encouraging the entire mobile ecosystem to expand This event, will be different from others in the past in that it will be 'round table' format. The event will feature scheduled "Discussion Periods" lasting just under an hour and will have a mixture of traditional panel discussions and 'interactive roundtable discussions'. Speaking about the same event held very successfully in west Africa , Stephane Boyere, Program Manager Web Foundation, had this to say. "A very interactive conference, with a great number of people from different backgrounds." The cost per delegate USD475. The discounted cost per delegate applicable for NGO, Mobile start ups, Government officials, Developmental organization, and academia is USD 238. The event is kindly sponsored by Symbiotic, Safaricom, Access Kenya, BrandKey, Ushahidi, World Wide Web Foundation, IEEE, Biz Community among others. Please see attached agenda and visit their website www.mobileeastafrica.com for more details. Sincerely, Lucy Gachui Odhiambo Communications Manager Kenya ICT Board 12th Floor Telposta Towers Koinange Lane PO Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Cell 0737- 839047 Tel: 254-020-2093040 <http://www.ict.go.ke> www.ict.go.ke It is our mission to champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment

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Meeting Reminder, iHub Discussion, Tomorrow, 6pm, 4th Floor Teleposta Towers, MMU
by Phares Kariuki 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

There will be a Skunkworks Meetup on the 2nd of February 2010. This will be the first meeting this year, and it's an honor that we will be discussing iHub, Nairobi's new Tech Innovation Hub... http://whiteafrican.com/2010/01/25/ihub-nairobis-tech-innovation-hub-is-here The meeting will be coordinated by Erik Hersman, who is a co-founder at Ushahidi (www.ushahidi.com) who is also behind the concept of iHub. Meeting starts at 6pm, Teleposta Tower's, 4th Floor, Multimedia University... Profound gratitude to Multimedia University, who have hosted the Skunkworks meetings for the last year and have been more than gracious hosts over the period. -- With Regards, Phares Kariuki | T: +254 734 810 802 | E: pkariuki(a)gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype: kariukiphares |

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Re: [kictanet] Kenyan BPO fails to snap up the subsidy, why?
by charles nduati 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

hi all, Nick has hit the nail right on the head As JKUAT, we have also taken on this challenge and signed on with African BPO Academy and BCI to start offering BCI's certifications so that our graduates know what it takes to take Kenya where it ought to be in BPO space. give us the support by sending your staff for trainibg which we are also offering at Nairobi CBD. regards charles On Fri, 29 Jan 2010 16:26 EET nicholasnesbitt wrote: >this biggest concern for this industry is the lack of business. not the lack of talent or the high costs. It's the cost of overcoming perceptions, reaching out to new prospects, convincing them that kenya is a worthwhile outsourcing destination. Marketing! Spreading the word. > >I have just spent a week in the UK meeting with some of the largest outsourcers in the world. They have never heard of Kenya as an outsourcing destination. Very interested now, but completely unaware. We stopped marketing Kenya as a BPO destination before we had built international recognition and credibility, which raises questions in these prospects' minds about our commitment as a country to making Kenya an outsourcing destination... > >Nicholas A. Nesbitt >Chief Executive Officer >KenCall EPZ Ltd >P.O. Box 27507 - 00506 >Sameer Industrial Park, Mombasa Road >Nairobi, Kenya > >+254.20.660.2000 (office) >+254.20.660.2222 (fax) >+254.721.458.458 (cell) >+253.733.458.458 (cell 2) > >nnesbitt(a)kencall.com >www.kencall.com > >BEST Non-European Contact Centre 2008 >

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Nairobi Super Highway Proposal
by robert yawe 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Hi, It was sad to read about the KQ pilot who was robbed on Uhuru Highway and later died from injuries inflicted by the thieves. This is an opportunity to kill many birds with one stone. I want to make a proposal to all parties out there that we turn the entire mombasa rd, Uhuru Highway and Waiyaki way into a digital super highway. How you ask? We have fiber optic cable laid along the length of the road from Athi River interchange to the Limuru Interchange. Then install solar powered wifi equipment and web-cams atop the street lights and also on any building with a fibre node along the stretch. The WiFi will turn the whole of the road into a hotspot which will enable tourists to use their WiFi enabled phones as they drive from & to the airport as well as business traveler and Yawe. Through the link we can feed country specific information such as weather, animal sightings, culture etc. In addition the links should enable the mounting of multimedia display boards along the road that can have content streamed to them remotely. This two areas will provide the revenue for maintaining the infrastructure. Traffic information can also be provided through the display boards to enable drivers decide if they want to remain in the jams especially when the president has been allowed out of statehouse. With the webcams the police will have a better view of what is happening on the road and can fine errant drivers such as the matatus that obstruct at the Shell near DHL. We can also connect the traffic light controllers to the police allowing the lights to be controlled remotely therefore leaving the extra traffic policemen to be redeployed. I have provided this information with no non-disclosures anyone out there who can pick it and run with it is welcome to do so. If you feel you would like to invite me to participate please feel free to do so. "don't hide your light under a bushel" Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Broadband my foot
by robert yawe 01 Feb '10

01 Feb '10

Hi, I notice the 3G discussion has come to an abrupt end, as usually, but I feel I need to share my frustration with all the GSM providers. I live in South C but frustratingly I can only use my phone (Safaricom, Orange GSM & Orange CDMA) from a particular corner of the house, if this is the service available in Nairobi how much worse is the condition outside the City. Many of you raised concerns about the 3G license issue and I said this should not be the issue, CCK needs to enforce service delivery levels for the GSM providers. I am forced to carry 4 modems with me if I am to get any miningful work done when I am at home as the providers services are erratic. As I write this the Orange Internet Nowhere service is offline. My Safaricom bambanet working but only working at edge speed, it normally would not work at all but I found a solution by purchasing an external high gain antennae. The other providers modems unfortunately do not have a facility for plugging in an external arial. CCK can you please do your work of monitoring the network operators performance, if you cannot monitor this in Nairobi how will you be able to do it nationally. Maybe we should devolve CCK. Regards 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] Hackers attack Tanzania government websites
by Gichuki John Chuksjonia 31 Jan '10

31 Jan '10

These defacers are not what we should entirely worry about, but the guys doing the cooperate cyber espionage are the greatest threat right now. ./Chuks On 1/31/10, Robert Alai <alai.robert(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Guys http://bit.ly/cWkvWq > > -- > TECHMTAA BLOG: http://bit.ly/cmRFZR > VALENTINES PLOT: http://bit.ly/dkzaxA > SHOP ONLINE AND GET DOOR DELIVERY: http://bit.ly/cwzi78 > VACANCIES: http://myafricancareer.blogspot.com/ > SOCIAL PLACE: http://bit.ly/5O6M8L > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "MlalaHoi" group. > To post to this group, send email to mlalahoi(a)googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > mlalahoi+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/mlalahoi?hl=en > -- -- Gichuki John Ndirangu, C.E.H , C.P.T.P, O.S.C.P I.T Security Analyst and Penetration Tester infosigmer(a)inbox.com {FORUM}http://lists.my.co.ke/pipermail/security/ http://nspkenya.blogspot.com/ http://chuksjonia.blogspot.com/ -- TECHMTAA BLOG: http://bit.ly/cmRFZR VALENTINES PLOT: http://bit.ly/dkzaxA SHOP ONLINE AND GET DOOR DELIVERY: http://bit.ly/cwzi78 VACANCIES: http://myafricancareer.blogspot.com/ SOCIAL PLACE: http://bit.ly/5O6M8L You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MlalaHoi" group. To post to this group, send email to mlalahoi(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to mlalahoi+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mlalahoi?hl=en

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Payment Portal Promises Major E-Commerce Shift in Kenya
by alice 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

(Balancing Act) Payment Portal Promises Major E-Commerce Shift in Kenya When Quentin Faulkner launched an online store for parents looking for good quality clothing for their children two years ago, his peers told him he would close shop in weeks. But the business - a baby clothing store that has no physical location and is solely marketed using social networking website Facebook - now handles up to 90 transactions a month. That growth has inspired him to launch a second e-commerce website – www.Bagalicious.co.ke <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/964/0/>, which sells handbags. We handle up to 155 orders a month on this website. January is shaping up to be our second best month in terms of orders and revenue," said Mr Faulkner. More recently, web commerce has become a key driver of the many online commercial portals that Kenya's restless technology entrepreneurs (also known as techpreneurs) have been trying to establish with the growth of internet use in the country. In this club of online commerce start-ups is Totallytoto.com <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/965/0/> launched at the beginning of the year to solely sell goods online. The firm joins a growing list of websites that are selling mostly foreign made goods to Kenyan consumers at competitive prices. Mystrawberrystore.com <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/966/0/>, pesapal.com <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/967/0/>, enrakenya.com <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/968/0/>, kalahari.co.ke <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/969/0/> and nsoko.co.ke <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/970/0/>, styleconnection.co.ke <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/971/0/> and intokenya.com <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/972/0/> are the vanguards of this budding internet economy. Growth of the internet sector is expected to create new opportunities for the development of e-commerce and m-commerce linking Kenya more closely to the global economy. This new push for e-commerce got an impetus mid last year with the landing at the Kenyan coast of two undersea fibre optic cables that linked the country to high-speed internet connectivity, laying the groundwork for a digital economy. E-commerce is expected to give rise to a digitally-enabled economy that runs on platforms such as e-government, e-health, e-education, social media and e-science. Because of its association with lower overhead costs, e-commerce has enabled retailers to charge lower prices besides offering consumers a more convenient shopping window. Globally, the e-commerce industry is now worth $500 billion, but Africa's many technological challenges, including the absence of local electronic payment portals, have ensured that the continent accounts for only a tiny fraction of it. With the arrival of broadband internet, Kenyan companies are now refocusing their strategies to tap on online commerce that is expected to grow at an annual average of 10 per cent in the next decade. Helped by the changing landscape in the travel industry, national flag carrier Kenya Airways is for example offering online ticketing and tens of small and medium-sized firms such as e-manamba.com <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/973/0/> are offering commuters the opportunity to purchase tickets online. Media companies such as the Nation Media Group have also gone online to sell digital editions of their publications. Nakumatt, the country's largest retail chain is planning to launch an online hyper-mart that offers for sale on-line all products available in its stores. It will work as a complementary sales tool that will serve customers in remote areas. And to ensure its success, we have enlisted the support of a leading logistics solutions provider to handle the delivery and logistics support elements," said Atul Shah, the Nakumatt managing director. Currently, MamaMikes.com <http://lists.balancingact-africa.com/t/6647/235533/974/0/> - the oldest locally developed e-commerce portal - draws its customer base from Kenyans living in the diaspora but now hopes the availability of a local payment portal launched by I & M Bank last week will open the online shop to the domestic consumers. The website has been offering its customers a platform to buy gifts for relatives and friends in Kenya from abroad. The menu of items on sale includes mobile phone airtime, Nakumatt or Uchumi vouchers, or cakes and flowers during special occasions. The company now handles around 500 orders a month, a figure that had grown steadily until last year when a number of small enterprises offering the same service entered the market. We never realised growth last year, partly because of intense competition from new players offering the same services," said Segeni Ngethe, the company's founder. Analysts say last week's launch of the country's first electronic payments system may not have an immediate effect on the budding e-commerce industry citing the pricing structure that I&M Bank and Visa will offer the retailers. That pricing will determine profit margins for online sales - a key ingredient for e-commerce. For many Kenyan e-commerce retailers, card use translates to higher transaction charges and reduced profit margins. The larger the profit margins, the easier it is to accommodate Visa transaction fees. When an online company sells products with margins of 70 per cent, it is easy to justify paying a fee of 5 per cent of the sale price to visa to make the sale possible," said Mr Ngethe. But for smaller firms that generate lower sales margins, hefty payments to Visa may force them to hike prices in order to make profits. "This is an unnecessary expense for us. Our margins are small enough that this has a significant effect on our bottom line. It will also involves a much higher level of security and protection to safely use credit cards for online transactions and that administrative cost is too high for us," said Mr Faulkner. In Kenya, alternative payment systems have been gaining popularity as consumer demand for different payment avenues, other than credit cards, intensifies. Online retailers say Kenyan consumers have been shying away from credit cards in favour of cash on delivery or mobile money transfers.And as security concerns surrounding e-payments increase, some online retailers are turning to outsourced payment processing companies such as Pesapal to manage their e-payments. A poll of e-commerce outfits reveals that the most used payment system in Kenya is cash on delivery, which accounts for 70 per cent of on-line purchases. A growing number of payments (around 20 per cent are made using M-Pesa or Zap, a segment that many industry insiders believe will grow as more consumers get online using their mobile phones or computers. With eight million users already on the system, M-Pesa is gaining ground as the cashless currency of choice because they offer instant payments at rates lower than those charged by banks or credit card vendors. Only five per cent of online purchases are paid for using credit or debit cards which two million Kenyans have access to. The remaining five per cent of the payments made through intermediary payment sites such as Pesapal or Paypal. (Source: Business Daily)

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National survey shows Kenyan Internet market heading towards “critical mass”
by alice 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

(from Balancing Act) National survey shows Kenyan Internet market heading towards “critical mass” The latest national survey from market research company Synovate shows Kenya’s Internet market is growing fast and on the basis of this growth will soon reach “critical mass”. The growth in users is coming from both urban and rural areas and is predominantly amongst the young and well educated. Russell Southwood pored over the results. The total sample for this random survey was 1,500 people, with 500 of those in a boost sample from across the major districts of Kenya. Therefore the coverage is nationally representative of adults 15 and above and has a sampling margin of error of + or – 3%. It makes comparisons with a similar survey it carried out in 2007. On the basis of this sample, Synovate estimates that there are now 3.5 million Internet users in Kenya. However, daily Internet use has grown from 2% of the respondents in 2007 to 5% in 2009 and weekly use from 5% to 12% over the same period. The daily use figure is the crucial one as it shows users who are finding that that they cannot do without Internet services. If the weekly Internet use is broken down on an urban vs rural basis, urban use grew from 22% of respondents in 2007 to 30% in 2009. Rural use grew from 4% to 9% over the same period. These results confirm a lot of anecdotal evidence that has been reaching us about young people using the Government’s new Internet centres and cyber cafes in rural areas. The lower income groups recorded a much more fast paced growth in internet access. However Internet penetration within middle class and below is still very low, making it the group with the highest growth potential. And following the expected drop in Internet costs LSM 4-10s should provide the highest growth in usage. At least half the non-users across all social categories said they would be interested in using the Internet if they had access. In terms of age, 50% of the respondents using Internet were aged 15-34 with 21% in the 18-24 age bracket. The upcoming generation of Kenyans will be regular users of the Internet and it will form as much part of their lives as mobile phones. Over 56% of the Internet using respondents were college or University educated. Therefore those countries with better education levels in Africa will show markedly higher Internet penetration levels. On average, the Internet users in the sample spent approximately 70 minutes on the Internet per visit. This level of media user is close to the average time spent on television on daily basis but does not challenge radio use which is much higher. This will inevitably impact on the media usage of key socio-demographic groups. Although the survey results did not include newspapers, it is likely to be them that suffer as younger generation make less use of the printed word in getting information. The big shift in where sample respondents accessed the Internet between 2007 and 2009 has been a significant fall in the number of those using Internet cafes and a commensurate rise in the number using mobile phones. Strikingly, this trend – of using mobile phones for access – is more pronounced amongst the rural part of the sample. This is bad news for cyber-cafes for despite rising numbers of users they are not coming their way. But this is good news for mobile operators if they can get their mobile Internet offers cheap and pre-paid. The five top uses of the Internet range between 40-50% of the sample users and were in descending order: entertainment; games and music; social networking and instant messaging; e-mails; general surfing; and job search. The pattern is very close to existing mobile usage (with the exception of job search) if you take SMS as the equivalent of e-mails. Users are starting with what they know but will inevitably become more adventurous as more content and services are put on offer. Not surprisingly it is the young who are disproportionately more likely to be members of social networking sites but membership is more likely to be male than female. Facebook was by far the most popular site although You Tube (which features in the Top 10 sites used in Kenya according to Alexa.com) does not feature. BBC, CNN and The Nation are the most used news sites. The significance of these findings is that Kenya is both one of Africa’s largest mid-scale markets and is a bell-weather in terms of technology adoption. Crudely, what happens in Kenya will start to happen elsewhere. And as the uptake of M-Money services shows, this is not simply an urban, well-educated, middle class phenomenon. Critical mass kicks in when the number of users starts to create networking effects. In other words, existing users start to draw in new users who don’t want to be left out. In Kenya, this is clearly already beginning starting to happen. And although the number of daily Internet users is smaller than the overall estimated total of 3.5 million, it is beginning to grow significant and will continue to do so as access prices fall and local content offers become more varied. For more details either e-mail Joe Otin of Synovate on Joe.Otin(a)synovate.com <mailto:[email protected]> or phone him on +254 4450190-6.

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Very soon....your handwritting will be readable :-)
by Judy Okite 30 Jan '10

30 Jan '10

What a life saver!! over the years I have watched my handwritting, deterioriate........its actually reached a point I cant read it anymore......Thank God, for technology.....there is an option!! To our dear Doctors....Am I hearing deep sighs of relief?? .....read below,what guys next door are about to do....... http://www.elearning-africa.com/newsportal/english/news213.php Kind Regards, -- "An optimist stays up to see the New Year in. A pessimist waits to make sure the old one leaves".Bill Vaughan

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The end of Open Source as we Know it?
by Al Kags 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

http://alkags.com/?p=493 <https://photos.sun.com/thumbnail/400/400/5163> It occurs to me (after a spell of burying my head in some sand) that Oracle has bought Sun Microsystems (who in turn had bought MySQL)It occurs to me (after a spell of burying my head in some sand) that Oracle has bought Sun Microsystems (who in turn had bought MySQL). I have several issues in my head that are struggling to find words: 1) that Jonathan Schwatz, my favorite CEO blogger, is moving on (this is just that sentimentalclinging - "don't go!") but more importantly 2) this buy-out may signify the end of Open Source as we know it. What is Kenya's position on the matter? I imagine that this has been discussed in the technology policy circles?

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educational tourism
by meshack emakunat 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

dear listers i have no doubt how our beloved country (kenya) has invested poorly in the educational tourism. try compairing the number of foreign students in our universities with those who fly out of the country to SA , USA ,UK China etc. first i think the country's education system is slow in adopting the new learning technologies. its about time the kenyan students and the government put some empasise/effort in this issue. a good example is in our own public university like egerton, the ratio of students to lecturer is way out of range yet the same lecturers will stand in the lecturer hall trying teach 300 students with a piece of chalk and a small blackboard(how does a student in the back of the class get anything out of this lecture): what am trying to say is that the administration should adopt technologies like projectors in order to serve even the student standing at the back of the class, otherwise people will preffer having better education in the foreign countries rather than their own country.

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May be of interest: How to stop predatory tendencies by internet service providers
by Victor Gathara 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539546/851482/-/9w03sl/-/index.html DFID, the Department for International Development: leading the UK Government's fight against world poverty. Find out more at http://www.dfid.gov.uk. ______________________________________________________________________ This e-mail has been scanned for all viruses by Peapod. The service is powered by MessageLabs. For more information on a proactive anti-virus service working around the clock, around the globe, visit: http://www.peapod.co.uk/cleanmail

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Re: [kictanet] Web sites must support IPv6 by 2012, expert warns
by McTim 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

The lead says: Corporations and government agencies must IPv6-enable their public-facing Web sites in the next 24 months or risk upsetting a growing number of visitors with lower-grade connectivity. IPv6 is, if anything a higher grade of connectivity in that it is designed to add features that IPv4 didn't have. -- Cheers, McTim "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel On Fri, Jan 29, 2010 at 10:52 AM, Alex Owiti <alex.owiti(a)cio.co.ke> wrote: > > > Dear listers -Crack your Brains. > > > > > > Web sites must support IPv6 by 2012, expert warns; > http://www.cio.co.ke/index.php/view-all-world-news-stories/528-web-sites-mu… > > > > > > > > > > > > Alex Owiti > Senior Writer > CIO East Africa > eDevelopment House > 604 Limuru Road, Nairobi > PO Box 49475 00100 > Desk: +254 20 3714646 > Cel: +254 714-259942 > Email:[email protected] > > > An IDG/AeRC Publication > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: dogwallah(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/dogwallah%40gmail.com > > -- Cheers, McTim "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel

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Web sites must support IPv6 by 2012, expert warns
by Alex Owiti 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

Dear listers -Crack your Brains. Web sites must support IPv6 by 2012, expert warns;http://www.cio.co.ke/index.php/view-all-world-news-stories/528-web-sit es-must-support-ipv6-by-2012-expert-warns.html Alex Owiti Senior Writer CIO East Africa eDevelopment House 604 Limuru Road, Nairobi PO Box 49475 00100 Desk: +254 20 3714646 Cel: +254 714-259942 Email:[email protected] An IDG/AeRC Publication

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PARTICIPATION ON CIO EAST AFRICAN MAGAZINE
by Alex Owiti 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

Dear Listers,something interesting for your reading. Uganda telecom regulator to 'name and shame' poor providers:http://www.cio.co.ke/index.php/view-all-main-stories/546-uganda-te lecom-regulator-to-name-and-shame-poor-providers.html Alex Owiti Senior Writer CIO East Africa eDevelopment House 604 Limuru Road, Nairobi PO Box 49475 00100 Desk: +254 20 3714646 Cel: +254 714-259942 Email:[email protected] An IDG/AeRC Publication

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ISOC Next Generation Leaders Programme
by McTim 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

All, I see this as being complementary to the Diplo courses, with a slightly different focus: http://www.isoc.org/leaders/ "The Next Generation Leaders Programme - Preparing young professionals from around the world to become the next generation of Internet technology, policy, and business leaders. In order to be successful, the next generation of Internet leaders will require a wide range of skills in a variety of disciplines as well as the ability and experience to work with people at all levels of society. Through the Next Generation Leaders programme, the Internet Society calls upon talented individuals who are committed to the ongoing expansion of a sustainable Internet that continues to be: * open for business, because its open platform spurs innovation, creativity, and entrepreneurship; * based on open governance, because the open, inclusive transparent processes of the Internet model of development allows business, civil society and governments to work together; and * open to the public because a universally accessible Internet empowers citizens and enhances their social development." http://www.isoc.org/leaders/applications.shtml -- Cheers, McTim "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel

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World Bank Hails its public Private partnerships in Africa
by Rebecca Wanjiku 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

Read more.. http://bit.ly/9opzHi Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog:http://beckyit.blogspot.com/

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How unique, and trackable, is your browser?
by saidimu apale 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

The good folks at EFF (Electronic Frontier Foundation) have a cool research project on digital privacy: Is your browser configuration rare or unique? If so, web sites may be able > to track you, even if you limit or disable cookies. Panopticlick <http://panopticlick.eff.org/> tests your browser to see how > unique it is based on the information it will share with sites it visits. > Click below and you will be given a uniqueness score, letting you see how > easily identifiable you might be as you surf the web. Reminds me of a question asked in a presentation in a conference on computing and its tremendous impact on human life: - Can we recognize fundamental patterns of human behavior from raw *digital traces <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_traces>*? (Jon Kleinberg video at http://bit.ly/7dbuXm) Kleinberg describes an experiment they conducted using geo-tagged images from Flickr: they placed those images on a blank digital canvas, using latlong as co-ordinates on the canvas. A million or so images later, the images traced a map of the US (complete with canonical images for famous landmarks). All this without human intervention in placement, or annotation, of the maps. Very very very cool. I think the companies that will set themselves apart are the ones who harness the power of all these "human sensors" (passive crowdsourcing<http://www.mobilebehavior.com/2009/11/05/trend-stealth-crowdsourcing/> ). Why ask someone an explicit question if their body language, and related signals, says it all? Saidi

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Webcast: Media Piracy in Emerging Economies
by saidimu apale 29 Jan '10

29 Jan '10

The Berkman Center for Internet and Society (Harvard Univ.) has a webcast coming up next Tuesday. Given the discussions on this list surrounding piracy in Kenya, it will be interesting to see empirical data from similar developing countries. Highly recommended. Saidi PS There are other great videos on their site, Kenya's own Calestous (sp?) Juma also has a presentation there. *Tuesday, February 2, 12:30 pm * *Berkman Center, 23 Everett Street, second floor * *RSVP required for those attending in person (rsvp(a)cyber.law.harvard.edu) * *This event will be webcast live at 12:30 pm ET and archived on our site > shortly after. * * * Joe Karaganis will discuss findings from a forthcoming six-country study of > media piracy, including work on Russia, India, Brazil, Mexico, and South > Africa. The study provides a rare empirical look at the organization of > piracy and enforcement in developing countries, and explores the > transformation of both as the optical disk economy give way to digital > distribution.

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Re: [kictanet] M-PESA upgrade to allow direct money transaction from the phonebook
by Harry Delano 28 Jan '10

28 Jan '10

Walu, et al.. You will be interested to know, follow up to your query sometimes back on this forum on Money Transfer services, something is in the offing - Check the link:- http://www.cio.co.ke/index.php/view-all-top-stories/500-m-pesa-upgrade-to-al low-direct-money-transaction-from-the-phonebook-.html Let's keep the debate alive on the forum in the quest for better, affordable and reliable services in the sector.. Regards, Harry

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Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Re: Thank you Dr. Ndemo
by emko＠internetresearch.com.gh 28 Jan '10

28 Jan '10

Dr. Ndemo, Let me also thank you for your exceptional leadership and unbelievable public service - sometimes it is important to say it. At the opening of the ICT Panel yesterday (Http://www.africa-union.org/root/au/Conferences/2010/January/summit/side/IC…) Phillipe Dongier of the WorldBank paid tribute to TEAMS, he said, when the Kenyan Government proposed to do it, we were sceptical but within 18 months, it has being done - in record time. This is your handy work and you must be VERY PROUD. Thank you, for TEAMS. Eric here NB: I have cced this to the kictanet list. > Alex, > I am humbled. NOBOBY has ever thanked me in my four years of public > service. Thank you. > > > Regards > > > Ndemo. > > >> Dr. Bitange Ndemo >> The Permanent Secretary >> Ministry of Information and Communications >> >> Following the meeting that you facilitated at your office last Monday >> (and Mbugua Njihia posting of the minutes online at >> http://preview.tinyurl.com/ycvjfh2 ) Latif LADID, President IPv6 Forum >> http://ipv6forum.com/ appreciates the great work going in Kenya. >> >> None of this would ever have been possible without your open door >> policy to everyone with a genuine interest and commitment to Kenya ICT >> growth and development. From Civil Society, software developers, >> businesses, to virtual (online) communities' representatives and >> individuals. >> >> As someone reasonably known for generosity with opinion, please accept >> my sincere gratitude for the support you continue giving local IT >> innovators. And I am extremely confident that while you are in office, >> public interest communication is being served well. >> >> You have my assurance that I will continue supporting the various >> initiatives that are practically addressing the root causes of our >> problems towards a better society for all citizens. >> >> asante sana, >> >> Sincerely >> >> Alex Gakuru >> >> ---------------------------------------------- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. >> --------------------------------------------- >> "easy access to the world" >> >> > > > > ---------------------------------------------- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > --------------------------------------------- > "easy access to the world" > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers >

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Kenya's innovation in motion
by Rebecca Wanjiku 28 Jan '10

28 Jan '10

New blog post.... www.ihub.co.ke Tel. 254 720 318 925 blog: www.wanjiku.co.ke

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Re: [kictanet] english fluency.
by Solomon Mburu Kamau 28 Jan '10

28 Jan '10

On 27 January 2010 23:07, Elifadhili Daniel <edaniel2002tz(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > Hi guys > i wana improve my english proficiency,both oral and written. > I can communicate to a satisfactory level,bt i need to be more fluent and > confident.some tips please > @Efadhili, Tips cannot be given online for full efficiency. You need someone to tutor you in stuff such pronunciation, oral presentation etc. > > > > > -- > TO ADVERTISE: 0712 584 177 - Ksh 1,000 per advert > VALENTINES PLOT: http://bit.ly/dkzaxA > VACANCIES: http://myafricancareer.blogspot.com/ > SOCIAL PLACE: http://bit.ly/5O6M8L > You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google > Groups "MlalaHoi" group. > To post to this group, send email to mlalahoi(a)googlegroups.com > To unsubscribe from this group, send email to > mlalahoi+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com<mlalahoi%2Bunsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com> > For more options, visit this group at > http://groups.google.com/group/mlalahoi?hl=en > -- Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau P.O. Box 19343 - 00202 Nairobi Cell: (+254-0) 735 431041 Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way to the side of a hill! AND It is better to die in dignity than in the ignomity of ambiguous generosity! http://dawn-in-kenya.blogspot.com http://smiley2.wordpress.com http://mburu.sikika.co.ke Sent from Nairobi, Kenya -- TO ADVERTISE: 0712 584 177 - Ksh 1,000 per advert VALENTINES PLOT: http://bit.ly/dkzaxA VACANCIES: http://myafricancareer.blogspot.com/ SOCIAL PLACE: http://bit.ly/5O6M8L You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "MlalaHoi" group. To post to this group, send email to mlalahoi(a)googlegroups.com To unsubscribe from this group, send email to mlalahoi+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/mlalahoi?hl=en

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