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Google Policy Fellowship
by John Maina 16 Nov '08

16 Nov '08

Google is looking for students who are passionate about technology, and want to spend the summer diving headfirst into Internet policy. Students from all majors and degree programs who possess the following qualities are encouraged to apply: * Demonstrated or stated commitment to Internet and technology policy * Excellent academic record, professional/ extracurricular/ volunteer activities, subject matter expertise * First-rate analytical, communications, research, and writing skills * Ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously and efficiently, and to work smartly and resourcefully in a fast-paced environment * General “googliness” (kidding!) Fellows will receive a stipend of $7,000 for 10 weeks during the summer of 2009 (June-August) . Exact dates of the fellowship will be worked out by the fellow and host organization. Applications are due by Friday, December 12, 2008. Students who are accepted into the program will be notified by Friday, February 13th, 2009. To learn about our application process, click here. http://www.google. com/policyfellow ship/ Mary (Molly) Uzoh, CEO/Principal Consultant Learning Right Technologies, LLC P. O. Box 51616 San Jose, CA 95151 Phone: 408-649-5872, Cell: 408-826-2167 http://www.learning right.com

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BBC E-mail: European debut for '$100 laptop'
by John Maina 16 Nov '08

16 Nov '08

Paul E Fegan saw this story on the BBC News website and thought you should see it. ** European debut for '$100 laptop' ** The One Laptop Per Child organisation will start selling its XO laptop in Europe on 17 November. < http://news. bbc.co.uk/ go/em/fr/ -/2/hi/technolog y/7728881. stm > ** BBC Daily E-mail ** Choose the news and sport headlines you want - when you want them, all in one daily e-mail < http://www.bbc. co.uk/email > ** Disclaimer ** The BBC is not responsible for the content of this e-mail, and anything written in this e-mail does not necessarily reflect the BBC's views or opinions. Please note that neither the e-mail address nor name of the sender have been verified. If you do not wish to receive such e-mails in the future or want to know more about the BBC's Email a Friend service, please read our frequently asked questions. http://news. bbc.co.uk/ 1/hi/help/ 4162471.stm

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Hannah Mutuku - An Employee whom Safaricom Can do without
by John Maina 14 Nov '08

14 Nov '08

Guys The worst experience ever. The date is 13th November and the place is Safaricom Moi Avenue. My problem, lost data card which I wanted blocked since I dont have money to buy a new 3g modem to replace the stolen modem plus data card. The retort from Hannah Mutuku, she cant do anything, I have lost the card, I will have to pay every month even if the card is not working. I thought that in case of a card getting lost and you suspend it, you pay a standing account maintenance charge until when the account is terminated or restored. Ooh My God. Safaricom is a fraud and with the arrogance and boisterous manner of Hannah Mutuku, you can do nothing about it. She was not listening. And she was not ready to reveal her true identity and tag and kept hiding it until when I called the Administration Police that I was getting irritated and infact I was causing a scene. Hannah told me to my face that I can do nothing about it. I left saddened. I have a post paid account with Safaricom and two prepaid lines. I threw the pre paid lines away already with lots anger in me. I was mistreated in Safaricom. I was molested. I was insulted. In safaricom, employees boasts of cronysm and what connections they have from above. Ooh God help me. I really suffered and am ready to move on. What I need is Safaricom to block my post paid line since, to my word, I wont pay a cent in that line and I am ready to face the consequences. fraud is not a good way of making business. We must stop frauds pretending to make profit. I need my account terminated and know that I wont pay a single cent. I know that our media fear loosing lots of advertising fees and thats why anything which portrays the cellphone companies in bad light wont see a day in any of the three big media houses. None of them will dare question. But the fact that this is the third problem I am having with Safaricom centre twice at Moi Avenue and once at I&M proves to me something, something is terribly wrong with the Safaricom customer care and people like Hannah Mutuku just proved that. One arrogant lady who seems to be well connected. I dont know how, but surely she seemed so. And she is a supervisor. I need a blockage on my line since I wont pay for a stolen line. I wont Kenyansregards mikeoketch(a)gmail.com

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East African Intrenet Governance Forum (EAIGF)...way forward and thank you
by alice 13 Nov '08

13 Nov '08

(Apologies for cross posting) The EAIGF was convened, organized and coordinated by the Kenya ICT Action Network with the following partners, KENIC, Kenya ICT Board, Communications Commission of Kenya, Kenya College of Communication Technology, Strathmore University, Center for Global Communication, East AfricanICT4DNetwork who also formed the EAIGF planning group. KICTANet will from here collate the issues that arose out of the discussion for the last two and a half days into a comprehensive report titled “*Internet Governance East African Perspective”* based on the regional forum Output and issues. This paper will be 1. Uploaded the EAIGF on the website www.eaigf.or.ke <http://www.eaigf.or.ke> 2. Subject the regional priority issues to research 3. Submitted to the global IGF taking place in India from 3-6^th December 2008 4. Be used to develop the capacity building scholar programme that will be hosted by the Kenya Communications College of Technology (KCCT) and Strathmore College. 5. Next EAIGF will be held in Tanzania. Thank you Tanzania *Vote of thanks * The EAIGF planning team takes this opportunity to thank · The government of Kenya specifically the P.S’s information and Communication Dr. Bitange Ndemo for Launching the Kenya IGF and the EAIGF. · Mr. Philip Okundi, CCK Board Chairman · Mr. Kariithi Njogu, CCK board member · The CCK Director-General Mr. Charles Njoroge and acting on his Behalf Mr. S. Kibe · Mr. Paul Kukubo, CEO KICTB · Dr. Juma Okecth, E-government Directorate Our international Partners, · The United Nations Internet Governance Forum Mr. Markus Kummer · International Telecommunication Union, Ms. Ali Drissa · International Development and Research Centre (IDRC) Ms. Edith Adera · Internet Society (ISOC) Mr. Bill Graham · Adam Peake Centre for Global Communication GLOCOM · Willie Currie, Association for Progressive Communications. Our regional partners from the three East African Countries (RURA, RITA, SWOPNET, CIPESA I-network Uganda, Women of Uganda Network, Tanzania communication regulatory authority, Rwanda development gateway, · All speakers and moderators · All participants for your contributions and the energy · Thank you Mr. Jonathan Somen CEO Access Kenya and chair of TESPOK for providing last minute internet access after one of the EAIGF partners failed to connect the EAIGF .... · Special Thanks to Vincent and Evelyne for playing key roles in the organization of both the Kenya IGF and the EAIGF against all odds. To Mwende, Walu, Joe and Adam thank you for developing an initial draft for the capacity building programme · Thanks also to all the interns who worked with the organizing Committee to ensure the success of the EAIGF meeting. · Thank you too to all the forum secretary and the note takers and especially to Rebecca Wanjiku for the very lively live blog. · Big and special thanks to Harry Hare for managing the 2 and a half days as master of ceremony

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FW: Mars Group Kenya Updates - WHAT'S UP WITH THE TANDAA CONFERENCE? THE TRUTH ABOUT WHERE THE GOVERNMENT OF
by P Gitau Githongo 13 Nov '08

13 Nov '08

Different perspectives on the Tandaa conference..... WHAT'S UP WITH THE TANDAA CONFERENCE? THE TRUTH ABOUT WHERE THE GOVERNMENT OF KENYA SITS IN CYBERSPACE. Blue Host dot Com? Why would a Kenya Government Local Content Initiative be hosted on Blue Host (and only for 1 year) I wondered - isn't it one of those cheap web hosting companies - is it dignified for the GOK to be on something as generic as Blue Host? And we are talking about a USD 4 million grant. Moving on, I pondered, are there any other Government Agencies hosted on Blue Host? What I found was far worse than I could possibly have imagined. The Government of Kenya who should be the greatest provider of local content is housed almost 99% on foreign owned servers - albeit less well known than Blue Host. Among these are: The French owned Telkom Hazina.Treasury.Go.Ke (used to be ours - but was sold just before the election) Something called Puck.Nether.Net - which sits on something called Deathstar.Org Very interesting indeed. Both the host of the Kenya Local Content Conference and the Government of Kenya have for whatever reason chosen to place their content on servers which are not Kenyan owned. What a vote of confidence!. You will be shocked to see where Government of Kenya sits in cyberspace.. Read more at... http://blog.marsgroupkenya.org/?p=397 www.marsgroupkenya.org <http://www.marsgroupkenya.org/> Watching Out For You

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KENYA ICT BOARD HOSTS KENYA'S FIRST CONTENT CONFERENCE - TANDAA 08 ON FRIDAY 14TH NOVEMBER 2008
by Lucy Odhiambo 13 Nov '08

13 Nov '08

Dear All, The Kenya ICT Board will be holding the Kenya Content Conference dubbed "TANDAA 2008". Tandaa is Kiswahili for spread or network (verb). Tandaa '08 is to be a platform for Kenyan entrepreneurs, educationists, policy makers and others to discuss the emerging opportunities that are being facilitated by better internet access in Kenya. Tandaa's theme this year is 'Telling our Story. The Kenyan Story'. The Kenya ICT Board will be discussing its Local Content Development programme that is geared towards stimulating the development of Local Content by Kenyans for the Kenyan and global marketplace. This programme is complimentary to the board's rural inclusion programme, the Pasha Centre project, that is going to assist entrepreneurs to set up internet telecentres in all parts of Kenya. The Ministry of Information and Communication has been implementing the development of ICT Infrastructure - including the undersea fibre optic cable that will connect Kenya to the global internet grid and the National Optic Fibre network both of which are expected to be completed by mid-2009. In line with this, the Kenya ICT Board has targeted to grow internet usage by 50% annually from the current 3 Million users to 12 Million users in 2012. Some of the major issues that will be discussed at Tandaa '08 include:- 1. Once the fibre optic cable networks are in place and the question of access to high speed internet is sorted out, what will Kenyans view, read and interact with online? What information, services and goods will they be able to access? The dearth of local content on local web sites to be used for education, entertainment and business presents opportunities for Kenyans of all walks of life. 2. The e-Government secretariat will be presenting the ongoing initiatives by government to provide e-services as well as the opportunities for content developers to interface with government processes to add value to their web content. 3. To encourage entrepreneurs to invest in local content development, there will be a discussion regarding the development and stimulation of a venture capital framework and the strengthening of incubation in Kenya to stimulate entrepreneurship. 4. A number of presentations will also deal with the ways in which Kenyans can identify the opportunities and build viable economic structures for the development of local content. Speakers at Tandaa '08 include:- Dr. Bitange Ndemo, Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communications; Dr. Juma Oketch, Secretary, eGovernment (Office of the President); Paul Kukubo, CEO, Kenya ICT Board, Patrick Spencer, Cisco IBSG; Joseph Mucheru, Google Kenya; Ian Fernandez, Nation Media Group; Chris Kirubi, MD, Capital Group; Aly-Khan Satchu, RICH.co.ke; Andrew Muigai, africapoint.com; Nik Nesbitt, Kencall Ltd, among others. REGISTRATION All are invited to the conference. Please register on tandaa.co.ke or email: tandaa08(a)ict.go.ke. 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 www.ict.go.ke ICT-logo-02.jpg

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Fw: [DigAfrica] Zanzibar aims for digital voters ID cards in 2010
by John Maina 12 Nov '08

12 Nov '08

----- Forwarded Message ---- From: Chifu <chifu2222(a)gmail.com> To: DigAfrica(a)yahoogroups.com Sent: Wednesday, November 12, 2008 12:51:47 PM Subject: [DigAfrica] Zanzibar aims for digital voters ID cards in 2010 Zanzibar aims for digital voters ID cards in 2010 2008-11-12 11:24:58 By Guardian Reporter, Zanzibar The Zanzibar Electoral Commission has unveiled plans to digitise voters` identity cards before the next general election. ZEC Director Salum Kassim Ali said at a press briefing here yesterday that the aim was to modernise and generally improve the electoral process. He was speaking on preparations for the updating of the permanent voters` register before the 2010 election. The plan would involve the changing of all voters` identity cards and the encoding of information in the computer system to be used in the election, he said. Ali explained that an Israeli company, Ontract Innovation Limited, had been commissioned to do the job. He noted that ZEC officials were being lined up ``through special training aimed at acquainting them with the technology to be used`` so that they assist Israeli experts in the work for greater efficiency. According to the director, the updating of the voters` register would start in January next year in Pemba and run for six months. The exercise is expected to be implemented using the new digital system. He added that, in line with the Zanzibar Constitution, the registration of Isles residents who had reached voting age would run from April to May 2010. SOURCE: Guardian __._,_.___ Messages in this topic (1) Reply (via web post) | Start a new topic Messages | Links | Polls Dig Africa site welcomes you to join us at http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Digafrica on IT in Africa Feel free to join at our google group digital africa http://groups.google.com/group/digitalafrica Thanks. Chifu Moderator MARKETPLACE ________________________________ >From kitchen basics to easy recipes - join the Group from Kraft Foods Change settings via the Web (Yahoo! ID required) Change settings via email: Switch delivery to Daily Digest | Switch format to Traditional Visit Your Group | Yahoo! Groups Terms of Use | Unsubscribe Recent ActivityVisit Your Group New web site? Drive traffic now. Get your business on Yahoo! search. Moderator Central An online resource for moderators of Yahoo! Groups. Yahoo! Groups Going Green Zone Save the planet. Your resources to go green. .. __,_._,___

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Kenya yet to fully address Internet governance issues By Rebecca Wanjiku,
by alice＠apc.org 12 Nov '08

12 Nov '08

http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/10/16/kenya-yet-fully-address-inte… Kenya yet to fully address Internet governance issues By Rebecca Wanjiku, IDG News Service\Nairobi Bureau 16 Oct, 2008 Kenya has yet to fully address its legal, infrastructure, access, content and security issues, according to a report released Tuesday at the Kenya Internet Governance Forum (IGF). There are gaps in policy and legislative drafting and the general development of regulatory framework as it relates to e-commerce, said Mwende Njiraini, a telecommunications engineer who co-authored the report with John Walubengo, a security expert. Njiraini and Walubengo presented their report, "Online Deliberations on Internet Governance," at the meeting in Nairobi after two weeks of online discussions with ICT sector representatives. The report identifies Kenya's position in relation to issues addressed by the KICTANet mailing list discussions, which took place online in August as a precursor to the IGF. These issues will be raised again at the East Africa IGF meeting in November and the international IGF meeting in India in December. On security, the report recommends national or regional certification for Internet security experts who handle corporate security issues. Currently, certification is handled by international bodies. It also suggests that ISPs (Internet service providers) be generous in allocating IP (Internet Protocol) space. Organizations like Google monitor Internet points, and the IPs determine the level of reported Internet penetration, the report noted. Njiraini added that there is a need to address multilingualism and the use of local languages on the Internet, as well as rural access to wireless technologies. "Kenya has 2.5 million Internet users, and we would like to see constructive use of the Internet and engagement of stakeholders to better address the industry," said Charles Njoroge, director general of the Communications Commission of Kenya.

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East Africa prepares for global Internet Governance Forum By Rebecca Wanjiku.
by alice＠apc.org 12 Nov '08

12 Nov '08

http://computerworld.co.ke/articles/2008/11/10/east-africa-prepares-global-… East Africa prepares for global Internet Governance Forum By Rebecca Wanjiku, IDG News Service\Nairobi Bureau 10 Nov, 2008 Representatives from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda gathered in Nairobi to discuss common issues regarding Internet governance in preparation for next month's global Internet Governance Forum. The discussions began at the national level, with each country identifying its unique issues with a view toward developing a regional position, explained Alice Munyua, coordinator of the Kenya ICT Action Network. "The country networks collected and collated the salient issues, which will be presented to the regional forum," she said. "The regional report will be presented to the leaders attending the IGF forum in India as the governance issues concerning the region." Developing countries are under-represented in Internet governance, according to Edith Adera from the International Development Research Council, who provided financial support for the regional event. Meeting participants identified the major issues affecting East Africa as high connectivity costs, lack of ICT infrastructure, cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, management of country code top-level domains, presence of local root servers and lack of enhanced legislation In regard to infrastructure, East African governments have demonstrated commitment by investing in submarine cables and terrestrial fiber, noted Bitange Ndemo, Kenya's permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication. By next November, he said, countries should be debating issues of too much bandwidth and the darker issues of the Internet, such as cybercrime. Participants from the four countries voiced their concerns over the consistency and reliability of technology, arguing that system failures cause a loss of business for which business owners are not compensated. Ndemo, however, challenged participants to first address issues of online content, adding that the cost of Internet will only fall if people can access local, as opposed to international, content. "It will be criminal for Google.com to come all the way from California to digitize our books while we have unemployed graduates in the streets," Ndemo said. "We have so much knowledge to convert to digital format."

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East Africa prepares for global Internet Governance Forum By Rebecca Wanjiku.
by alice＠apc.org 12 Nov '08

12 Nov '08

East Africa prepares for global Internet Governance Forum By Rebecca Wanjiku, IDG News Service\Nairobi Bureau 10 Nov, 2008 Representatives from Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Uganda gathered in Nairobi to discuss common issues regarding Internet governance in preparation for next month's global Internet Governance Forum. The discussions began at the national level, with each country identifying its unique issues with a view toward developing a regional position, explained Alice Munyua, coordinator of the Kenya ICT Action Network. "The country networks collected and collated the salient issues, which will be presented to the regional forum," she said. "The regional report will be presented to the leaders attending the IGF forum in India as the governance issues concerning the region." Developing countries are under-represented in Internet governance, according to Edith Adera from the International Development Research Council, who provided financial support for the regional event. Meeting participants identified the major issues affecting East Africa as high connectivity costs, lack of ICT infrastructure, cybersecurity, privacy, data protection, management of country code top-level domains, presence of local root servers and lack of enhanced legislation In regard to infrastructure, East African governments have demonstrated commitment by investing in submarine cables and terrestrial fiber, noted Bitange Ndemo, Kenya's permanent secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication. By next November, he said, countries should be debating issues of too much bandwidth and the darker issues of the Internet, such as cybercrime. Participants from the four countries voiced their concerns over the consistency and reliability of technology, arguing that system failures cause a loss of business for which business owners are not compensated. Ndemo, however, challenged participants to first address issues of online content, adding that the cost of Internet will only fall if people can access local, as opposed to international, content. "It will be criminal for Google.com to come all the way from California to digitize our books while we have unemployed graduates in the streets," Ndemo said. "We have so much knowledge to convert to digital format."

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