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Revisiting Deadly Thika Road
by Edith Adera 16 May '12

16 May '12

Listers, Very sad indeed to hear the Minister of Roads (today on TV) defend Thika road unconvincingly! When things are not done well, we must be honest enough to acknowledge where things went wrong and to come up with some proposals on what will be done to improve the works and address the high road carnage. Rather than resort to the usual defensive position - that does not help anyone Minister Bett. I would have expected you to have an open forum to discuss the concerns of Kenyans rather than be so dismissive! Despite being assured that the issue had been brought to the attention of Eng Kidenda, there is no response to date! Grace, I wonder if you had any luck in reaching Eng Kidenda for an open debate. Edith, Concerned Kenyan Citizen!

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Re: [kictanet] Engineer Kidenda's Response
by Gakiria 16 May '12

16 May '12

Thank you very much Kebaya for your speedy response. Much appreciated. Andrew On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 7:06 PM, Director General <dg(a)kenha.co.ke> wrote: > Dear Andrew, **** > > ** ** > > Thank you for your email. Your concerns and the issues you have raised > have been noted. Your email has been forwarded to officers overseeing > construction of Thika road and they will soon give you a response. **** > > ** ** > > Regards **** > > ** ** > > E. Kebaya**** > > For: DG, KeNHA**** > > * ** > * > > Kenya National Highways Authority **** > > Blueshield Towers, **** > > Hospital Road, Upper Hill**** > > P.O. Box 49712 - 00100**** > > Nairobi **** > > Tel: +254 (0)20 4954000**** > > Fax: +254 (0)20 2715483**** > > Email: dg(a)kenha.co.ke**** > > Web: www.kenha.co.ke **** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > ** ** > > *From:* Gakiria [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Wednesday, May 16, 2012 6:25 PM > *To:* Grace Githaiga > *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions; dg(a)kenha.co.ke > *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Engineer Kidenda's Response**** > > ** ** > > Dear Grace, > > Thank you very much for facilitating this. Allow me to share one of my > many not-so-pleasant experiences on Thika road (and its feeder roads), > hoping something will be done about this. > > My office is in KIE, off Muranga road at the Desai road junction next to > Nbi Gymkhana Club. I was on Mombasa road this morning and decided to get to > the office via forest road to avoid the madness at the Fig Tree junction > along Ngara road. > > To my shock,the turn off from Forest road into Desai road has been blocked > off (it was there last week). I was thus forced to drive all the way past > the flyover at Pangani, double back through through Ring Road and juja road > into Muranga road , to try and access Desai road from the opposite end. > Another shocker, there is no turn off either into KIE from muranga road > (approaching from the Pangani side)! > > What is there is a small gap in the huge concrete blocks seperating > traffic from and to the city centre, through which vehicles make an illegal > U-Turn, while avoiding on-coming traffic from the city centre. I have had 3 > accidents at that spot in the last 5 months and am not even a daily user of > that road. > > My question to you Engineer Kidenda is, how are those of us who work along > desai road (especially on the Nbi Gymkhana side) expected to navigate back > into the city center or to cross over to the other section of Desai road > towards kariakor roundabout, because both exit and entry points have been > blocked? We have been reduced to playing Russian roulette every evening, > with matatus to githurai/Dandora etc whizzing past at breakneck speed. > > And that is not even 1% of my near-death experiences.. > > Andrew**** > > On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:30 PM, Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com> > wrote:**** > > Listers**** > > **** > > Finally i have gone through to Eng. Kidenda. **** > > **** > > My request to him was that he gives us some two days to allow him field > questions from listers. **** > > **** > > Unfortunately he says he is very busy but provided us with a general email > (dg(a)kenha.co.ke) where you can direct all your questions on Thika Road. Someone > is specifically tasked with handling all queries and for example if they > are questions that would require input from others, then they will be > directed to the relevant people for responses. He will respond to those > that directly relate to his duties. **** > > **** > > May I request that if you do a query through the list, to also include > dg(a)kenha.co.ke in order to get a response.**** > > ** ** > > Rgds**** > > Grace**** > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/gakiria%40gmail.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.**** > > > > > -- > *Gakiria Andrew > Coordinator > Kenya eLearning Centre > Nairobi, KENYA***** > -- *Gakiria Andrew Coordinator Kenya eLearning Centre Nairobi, KENYA*

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Re: [kictanet] Engineer Kidenda's Response (Dorcas Muthoni)
by Matunda Nyanchama 16 May '12

16 May '12

While on this subject, I am wondering whether the ministry has communications personnel to address such public concerns. With the plethora or media outlets (FM radio, sms, twitter, facebook, etc.) they could be putting appropriate messages out there to keep the public informed, e.g. road closures, accidents, speeding warnings, etc. Ama? Regarding being upright citizens and driving according to the traffic code, I must repeat what I have said once: you lose if you are the only one following the rules. As well, without an effective stick to penalize offenders, little will change. Here the "bullies" win and the tendency them is for everyone to become a bully, breaking the rules because it appears to "pay" for the bullies. Having the law is one thing; enforcing it is quite another. A law with no enforcement serves no purpose. Baraka ndizo hizo. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda; Skype: okiambe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared to face ICT Security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info(a)aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk I have a workstation…" - Anonymous ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail, including attachments, may be privileged and may contain confidential or proprietary information intended only for the addressee(s). Any other distribution, copying, use, or disclosure is unauthorized and strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete the message, including any attachments, without making a copy. Thank you.

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Re: [kictanet] Engineer Kidenda's Response
by Odhiambo Washington 16 May '12

16 May '12

Yes, this is one of the cases I know about. I wouldn't even be surprised both Kidenda and his PA know very little about e-mail communication! Write a letter by snail mail and you are very likely to get an acknowledgement/response. In certain quarters, they don't take e-mail that seriously. On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 3:53 PM, Emmanuel Khisa <oloo.khisa(a)googlemail.com>wrote: > I have been cc'ing this same dg@kehna all the times when I send mails. > > That mail is handled by a PA who hardly ever responds. > > He surely should spare sometime to respond to such a key constituency as > this group. He is a civil servant and I think its not right that he is too > busy. Mugo Kibati takes time off his great Vision 2030 plateful to attend > to issues of concern to the public. > > My take > > On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:56 PM, Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo(a)gmail.com>wrote: > >> Barrack, You wish. It's not in these guys' character to respond to >> anything. If you are for beer, find me for a few if you get a meaningful >> response from that address. >> >> >> On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:45 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com >> > wrote: >> >>> Thank you GG, for the initiative. We are somewhere now, we shall act >>> accordingly. >>> >>> Best Regards >>> >>> On Wed, May 16, 2012 at 2:30 PM, Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com>wrote: >>> >>>> Listers**** >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Finally i have gone through to Eng. Kidenda. **** >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> My request to him was that he gives us some two days to allow him field >>>> questions from listers. **** >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> Unfortunately he says he is very busy but provided us with a general >>>> email (dg(a)kenha.co.ke) where you can direct all your questions on >>>> Thika Road. Someone is specifically tasked with handling all queries >>>> and for example if they are questions that would require input from others, >>>> then they will be directed to the relevant people for responses. He will >>>> respond to those that directly relate to his duties. **** >>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> May I request that if you do a query through the list, to also include >>>> dg(a)kenha.co.ke in order to get a response. >>>> >>>> >>>> Rgds**** >>>> >>>> Grace**** >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> kictanet mailing list >>>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>> >>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail… >>>> >>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform >>>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and >>>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT >>>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. >>>> >>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >>>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, >>>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >>>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Barrack O. Otieno >>> +254721325277 >>> +254-20-2498789 >>> Skype: barrack.otieno >>> http://www.otienobarrack.me.ke/ >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> kictanet mailing list >>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>> >>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/odhiambo%40gmail.com >>> >>> >>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform >>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and >>> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT >>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. >>> >>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, >>> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >>> >> >> >> >> -- >> Best regards, >> Odhiambo WASHINGTON, >> Nairobi,KE >> +254733744121/+254722743223 >> _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ >> I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler. >> Please consider the environment before printing this email. >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/oloo.khisa%40gmail.com >> >> >> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform >> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and >> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT >> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. >> >> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, >> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >> > > > > -- > > "One hour per day of study will put you at the top of your field within > three years. Within five years you'll be a national authority. In seven > years, you can be one of the best people in the world at what you do."Earl Nightingale > 1921-1989 > * > Oloo Khisa > P.O. Box 24324-00100 > Nairobi > 0721321086/0734321086 > http://ke.linkedin.com/in/olookhisa* > > -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler. Please consider the environment before printing this email.

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RE : Google challenge
by pius walela 16 May '12

16 May '12

Hi Anyone with the URL link....to the recent Google challenge....kindly drop the link Regards

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Looking for editors
by Edward Ssekalo 16 May '12

16 May '12

Hello. I am looking for editors/editing services providers that are available to work on a part-time/consultancy basis. Can be individual or corporate. I cannot provide any specifics as the scope of work will vary from project to project. If you're interested, kindly send me your contact details and CV at edward.ssekalo(a)gmail.com and CC essekalo(a)eachq.org. Regards Edward

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3rd Draft Energy Policy needs feedback from Stakeholders
by David Otwoma 16 May '12

16 May '12

Listers, The 3rd Draft Energy Policy is available for Stakeholders input as per adverts in local daillies of Monday 14th May 2012. Please check this it is under public review especially the section on the nuclear power With adoption of the Kenya Vision 2030 and the promulgation of the Constitution of Kenya 2010, there is need to review all these pieces of legislation so as to align them to the Vision and the Constitution. This pre-supposes the review and amalgamation of these laws into one statute. Soft copies are available in various websites including http://www.energy.go.ke/wp-content/uploads/2010/08/National%20Energy%20Poli… Let us get your feedback. David

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Companies registry website cost 62 million, cant even search….
by Grace Githaiga 15 May '12

15 May '12

http://www.wanjiku.co.ke/2012/05/companies-registry-website-cost-62-million…

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Young Innovators Competition 2012
by Alice Munyua 15 May '12

15 May '12

This might be of interest to some. Best Alice -------------------- The ITU Telecom Young Innovators Competition 2012 is now accepting applications. We are aiming to attract dynamic, socially engaged young people and identify projects with a genuine potential to succeed. In addition to the up to CHF 10 000 of funding for the 12 finalist projects/concepts, we also seek to build a cohesive international community of social entrepreneurs and a network of mentors, who would help them realize their initiatives. For more information, please find attached the official flyer. Feel free to share or print it and distribute it throughout your professional, and perhaps even your personal network. Our team will be attending the WSIS conference next week, in case you > would like to meet with us and talk about the competition. Thank you in advance for your time Best regards, The ITU Telecom Young Innovators Team

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FT Story: How Technology Changes Development Prospects
by Marie-Ann Kinyanjui 15 May '12

15 May '12

Listers, An encouraging story on Kenya and her ICT hopes in the latest edition of 'This is Africa' - the Financial Times supplement that focuses on our continent... thought it may be of interest to the list. Kenya (May 2012) FT This is Africa Online - WEF Africa 2012: How technology changes Africa’s development prospects http://www.thisisafricaonline.com/Reports/WEF-Africa-2012-How-technology-ch… Realising the potential of ICTs to transform the continent, governments are using technology to roll out public services. Africa’s tech hub, Kenya, is a pioneer A decade ago, there were little more than 50m mobile phones being used in Africa. Today, you can add a zero to that figure and then some, making the continent the world’s fastest-growing region for mobile penetration, with more subscribers than the US or the European Union. In certain countries, more citizens now have access to mobile phones than to clean water, a bank account, or electricity, and for these individuals, the cell phone means a lot more than ease of contact. Africa’s technology revolution means access to data and to financial services. For governments, it means a new way to overcome bottlenecks, roll out services and achieve development targets. “Back in 2000 the whole continent had less connectivity than Luxembourg – Africa with almost 1bn people, and Luxembourg with less than 1m – but that’s changed significantly,” explains Tim Kelly, lead ICT policy specialist at the World Bank. That is due to new undersea fibre optic cables, such as The East African Marine System, as well as better inland connectivity, he says. “Putting that connectivity together with much wider access to ICTs, particularly mobile phones, you’ve got the makings of a success story.” Used as an outlet for political frustration, mobile phones, internet and social networking can help topple governments – for proof, look to the Arab Spring. They have the power to make administrations more democratic, transparent and accountable. They offer citizens real-time political participation and the chance to expose corruption. Yet the real potential of these technologies is not in sweeping democratic reforms, but in “the less glamorous side of democracy”, Mr Kelly argues: issues such as “fixing your water pump”. Aware of all this, many municipalities are taking advantage of the rise of ICTs to improve the lives of their citizens and overhaul the way in which populations and businesses can interact with public sector representatives. In Kenya, a trailblazer in the sector, the government’s development blueprint – the Kenya Vision 2030 – draws heavily on science, technology and innovation as foundations for growth. “There has been a lot of progress in building the infrastructure, developing local content and local applications. Kenya’s IT infrastructure is actually better than most developed countries, and the diffusion of IT in Kenya has been very high,” says an enthusiastic Bitange Ndemo, permanent secretary at Kenya’s Ministry of Information and Communications, citing the now universally-touted example of Vodacom’s mobile money platform M-Pesa. It is now time for the public sector to play catch-up, he says: “We have been able to develop applications that have put Kenya on the world map in terms of software development… Now, we want to get to a point where we can use the mobile platform for the interface between the citizens and government – so they can deal with the government without necessarily having to travel to government sites.” This requires further progress in basic ICT infrastructure, though, and the fast transfer of government data to online platforms. Under the country’s Open Data Initiative – launched last year – the government has been working with World Bank support to upload almost all existing government registries. Data on everything from national censuses and exam results, to government expenditure and public service locations – and everything in between – is being digitised. “We’ve made a lot of progress in areas like the judiciary and land registry, and we are now digitising health records – starting with Kenyatta National Hospital and moving onto the district level,” Mr Ndemo explains. Those records mean big savings in terms of efficiency, but have broader implications: “To be able to provide records over periods of years – this is what we never used to have in Africa, but we are changing that,” he says. Records will provide crucial insights into health trends and support local research. From next year, the government will roll out its focus to e-procurement services, which could save it an annual $1bn. Add that to the estimated $2bn in potential savings by putting judicial records online, and an additional $5bn from efficiency gains within agriculture, he says, and the gains become clear. “We thought about using technology to focus on business process outsourcing for countries like Britain and the US – like India did,” Mr Ndemo says. “But India looked more to the outside world and has not utilised IT to improve livelihoods. There is nowhere we could get up to $10bn from and be able to bring that back to the economy. Better for us to use IT to look at our internal inefficiencies, and net the savings to improve the livelihoods of your citizens.” When it comes to evolving strategies for e-government, Kenya is by no means alone. Countries from Mauritius to Sierra Leone and Uganda have had success in implementing so-called integrated financial management information systems which let governments manage their budgets and report revenues. In 2010, the continent’s economic powerhouse, South Africa, declared the ICT sector a top priority. While progress in the field has been uneven, donors hold up the country’s electronic tax filing systems – managed by South African Revenue Services – as a world class model. For governments, providing these services means better collaboration, both between ministries and with the private sector. “Smart City” initiatives are being rolled out in cities such as Cape Town, and here too Kenya’s government has embarked on a project – this time in partnership with IBM, which is hoping to provide solutions for energy, security and, above all, traffic issues in Nairobi. The group hopes to use cell phones, for instance, to pinpoint traffic build ups in the notoriously congested capital city. By collecting this data, “you can start to predict and make analyses of alternative routes, and provide that information either to the city planners, or to the traffic police, or to emergency vehicles,” explains Anthony Mwai, country general manager, IBM East Africa. Across the continent, governments are working with businesses to roll out services that can help overcome constraints such as low agricultural productivity, and the dearth of doctors and educated teachers. “What we need now is to deepen the services we provide and innovate in other areas: health, agriculture, e-learning – we want to leverage on IT across every sector,” Mr Ndemo says. In Kenya, where there are only around 1.5 health workers per 1000 of a 40 million population, many rural clinics do not have internet access or even electricity – creating problems for the delivery of test results to patients. Here, the traditional approach involved taking blood samples at rural clinics, which were sent on to five national health laboratories, with the results posted back. “It could take days, weeks, months, sometimes they didn’t even show up,” says Paul Ellingstad, director for global health at Hewlett Packard. “That created all sorts of problems. If you don’t have the results, the mother and father lose faith in the system, they don’t bring the child back. The child, because they are not diagnosed, isn’t started on antiretroviral treatment, and there is a 50 percent chance they will die by their second birthday.” Hewlett Packard recently partnered with the Clinton Health Access Initiative and Kenya’s Ministry of Health to develop SMS-enabled printers. “Instead of having to go through the post, you are texting back and printing out results at the rural health centre. So you have predictability, as well as compressing down into a matter of hours, or at most a day, the time taken to get results from the national lab to virtually any clinic around the country,” Mr Ellingstad explains. Mobile incubation hubs are popping up across Africa, bringing together mobile tech entrepreneurs and innovators. Of two supported by the World Bank, one is in South Africa, the other Kenya. Out of Nairobi’s not yet year old m:lab have sprung groups such as Shimba Technologies – a startup which recently released MEDAfrica, a smartphone app which wants to bypass the country’s shortfall of doctors by providing symptom checkers and medical advice. When users have identified their ailments, the app can then point them to certified specialists –thereby avoiding fraudsters. And true to ambitions, similar developments are springing up across sectors. Agriculture is an area of focus: “Previously we never measured productivity, over-utilisation of the land or productivity drops,” Mr Ndemo says. That is being changed by applications such as M-Farm, a service the World Bank’s Mr Kelly describes as “a kind of Groupon for farmers”, which allows Kenyan farmers to receive information about market prices, and aggregate to purchase inputs at wholesale value, and find buyers – all via text message. The setup bypasses productivity curbs, such as costly inputs or the middlemen who offer farmers below-market prices for their produce. It is also a monitor for productivity levels. Across borders, the meeting point between these technologies could spell the onset of new and sustained development across the continent. Problems remain, not least resistance to change amongst less educated citizens – an issue which Mr Ndemo counts as Kenya’s “biggest dilemma”. But mobile technologies and growing connectivity mean a unique opportunity to leapfrog growth constraints. For Africa, the mobile is both a product and a driver of a stronger, wealthier, more engaged society. Kind Regards, Marie-Anne (Kui) Kinyanjui External Relations Specialist, IBM Growth Markets Unit Geographic Expansion/General Business

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