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ISPs slap Ndemo
by robert yawe 27 Sep '10

27 Sep '10

Hi, The ISPs have now teamed up and agreed that the cost of "International" Internet access will not be coming down soon because we have less than 2.6% penetration. Dr. Ndemo, this is a slap on you, wield your big stick, or sorry not possible you recently handed it over to Orange. There is only one solution to this issue lets concentrate in developing local content thereby reducing the dependence on the over hyped marine cable. But based on the discussions on the commodity exchange system this will be an up hill task as we question the credibility of everyone he tries to setup a local online application or service. I read an article on how Hon. Kilonzo is planning to setup green houses in all the schools in his constituency while the others are trying to provide computers to children who are not able to get a balanced diet. Again I repeat "I am ashamed to be a member of the ICT fraternity" but like was once said by a disgruntled KANU memebrr "I shall remain the opposition within" 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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4th submarine cable to Kenya: France Telecom & LION-2
by Brian Munyao Longwe 27 Sep '10

27 Sep '10

hmm, interesting..... http://www.fiercetelecom.com/story/france-telecom-lion2-consortium-build-in… -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Secure ICT 2010 Discounted Prices
by Evans Kahuthu 27 Sep '10

27 Sep '10

Dear Listers, The Secure ICT 2010 Conference Committee is delighted to inform you that following requests from most of our prospective attendees, we have discounted the registration fee as follows: -1 Day Attendance, ksh. 8,000 inclusive of V.A.T. per person -2 Day Attendance, ksh. 16,000 inclusive of V.A.T. per person -If more than 3 attendees from one organisation, ksh. 15,000 (2 days) or ksh. 7,500 (1 day) inclusive of V.A.T. per person. The Registration prices for SecureICT 2010 includes refreshments, morning tea/coffee, lunches, a certificate of participation and a CD of the presentations.) but NOT Accomodation To register for this conference either: -Go to http://secureict.co.ke/registration.aspx -Email ekahuthu(a)secureict.co.ke -Call +254-202188830,+254-710649304 For the conference Agenda, Keynote speakers and other information, please visit http://secureict.co.ke The conference is scheduled for the 5-6th October 2010 at the Panafric Hotel Nairobi. This year's conference sessions address new and continuing threats to information security as well as responses to the increasing risk of breaches and data exfiltration, identity theft, cyber terrorism and more. The conference will provide information security professionals and managers with the most up-to-date information, tools, trends, legislation, and strategies for addressing information security issues. Plan to meet with your colleagues from around the region, the nation and the world in Nairobi to learn from recognized experts at Secure ICT 2010. We kindly request you to come or nominate your representative for this one of its own kind conference. We look forward to you participating in this conference. Regards, Evans Kahuthu, Secure ICT 2010 Conference Coordinator, phone: +254-710649304,+254-202188830 email: ekahuthu(a)secureict.co.ke

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CHAKULA Issue #20: Pushing for broadband policy in Africa
by Chakula 26 Sep '10

26 Sep '10

CHAKULA Issue No. 20, September 2010: Pushing for broadband policy in Africa CONTENTS 1. Broadband for Africa: Launching the cables, launching the campaigns… – e-interview with Willie Currie 2. NIGERIA: Striking when the time is right… – e-interviews with John Dada, Titi Omo-Ettu and Abi Jagun 3. GHANA: Moving the hand of God – e-interviews with Eric Osiakwan and Eva Lokko 4. SOUTH AFRICA: Autopsy of a missed opportunity – Ten things analysts say are absent in the South African broadband policy; and an e- interview with Steve Song //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ Broadband for Africa: Launching the cables, launching the campaigns… The rapid roll-out of fibre optic cables in Africa over the past years brought a wave of optimism to the continent – finally, the sentiment went, all those ambitious online business plans and project proposals that couldn’t be realised ten years go – simply because the internet was too slow – could be dusted off and see the light of day. The implications for fast connectivity for the continent – in education, in realising citizen and social rights, in entrepreneurial development, or just for plain gaming fun – suggested the realisation of something of a renaissance for Africa; a quantum leap into the 21st Century, as far as the internet was concerned. But the boom in broadband – the landing and roll-out of cables such as the East African Submarine Cable System (known as EASSy), The East African Marine Systems (TEAMS), and SEACOM – was in many countries met with something of a vague and non-committal response from governments. Some were, it seemed, trapped in a strategic uncertainty, much like the 1990s, when the implications of information and communications technology (ICT) policy on the continent were only just beginning to be grappled with. Few countries had developed coherent broadband policies – if any policy at all – to manage the implications and potential of the new connectivity being dug into the ground before their eyes. It was with this in mind that the Association for Progressive Communications (APC), together with its partners, set about mobilising stakeholders in South Africa, Nigeria and Ghana, to advocate for progressive broadband policies to be developed in those countries. The overall objectives of the project, which was funded by the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa, was to achieve affordable universal broadband. The advocacy initiative kicked off in South Africa in October 2008, with the launch of the South African Broadband Forum, a partnership between APC, South Africa Connect, SANGONeT (Southern African NGO Network), and the Shuttleworth Foundation. The Forum’s interventions included a multi-stakeholder workshop, the drafting of a forward-looking framework for a broadband policy, and an online petition. A face-to-face meeting with the South African government was also held. In Nigeria, a similar multi-stakeholder approach was adopted, with an outside consultant team employed to draft a broadband policy document. This in turn was put open to vigorous public review, a process which included a strong media campaign. In Ghana a stakeholder’s forum held in August 2009 was attended by some 60 participants from across the public, private and civil society sector. This processes resulted in the formation of a broadband policy sub-committee, which was part of the newly formed ministerial advisory committee in that country. The impact of the campaigns has been different in each country. In South Africa, a broadband policy gazetted earlier this year has been met with disbelief from some stakeholders. As the interviews in this Chakula show, campaigners in Nigeria are optimistic about a positive outcome to their efforts. In Ghana, the response is less optimistic, even though the advocacy resulted in the formation of the policy sub- committee – a move which seemed to guarantee government buy-in. With the project now having reached its conclusion, Chakula caught up with Willie Currie, APC’s Communications and Information Policy Programme Manager, to get his take on the success of the initiative… ********************************************************************* "Policy processes are not linear. They have peaks and troughs and can go round in circles…” ********************************************************************* CHAKULA: The broadband initiative in South Africa was the first to get off the ground with the launch of the South African National Broadband Forum. Then Ghana and Nigeria followed. Why broadband and why these countries in particular? Willie Currie [WC]: The context for broadband revolved mainly around the question of what would happen when increased submarine cable capacity reached the east and west coasts of Africa. Were African counties ready for taking advantage of the reduction in costs of international bandwidth to reduce the broadband gap inside their countries? Research at the OECD [Organisation for Economic Co- operation and Development] indicated that countries that adopted broadband strategies increased their levels of broadband penetration while countries like the US and Britain who did not adopt broadband strategies did not. Research from the World Bank indicated that increasing broadband penetration by 10% increased GDP in both developed and developing countries. One of Obama’s tech policies was to have the FCC [Federal Communications Commission] develop a national broadband plan as well as to include broadband as part of his stimulus package. And Britain was going through its Digital Britain process. In South Africa and Ghana there were elections and new ministries and the hope was that they would be willing to support national broadband strategies. Nigeria had a very effective coms regulator and was about to receive additional submarine cables, so it also seemed to be a good opportunity to promote a national broadband strategy. In addition, the project was funded by the Partnership for Higher Education in Africa who was also keen to see progress towards affordable broadband in these countries. CHAKULA: The policy vacuum around broadband in Africa is striking. I suppose there are many sectors where a policy lag exists – energy springs to mind. But why do you think African countries tend to be ‘late adopters’ when it comes to ICT policy? The growth in the ICT sector has hardly been a surprise – and it’s no longer the early 1990s when many were still trying to get to grips with new technologies from a policy perspective. WC: Good question. African countries work closely with the ITU [International Telecommunication Union] and its regulators do attend the ITU's Global Regulators Symposium. ITU has put broadband on the agenda in its events and publications and has organised a Broadband Commission which is to make a policy recommendation on broadband to the UN this month. Governments have certainly been active on policy on the east coast - Kenya, Rwanda, but not so much elsewhere. But one still hopes for more dynamic policy initiatives. CHAKULA: The three campaigns are at different points right now – Nigeria has developed a draft strategy; the process in Ghana seems to have stalled; and in South Africa, there is a sense of the ineffectiveness of the campaign, despite the good work of the people involved. How successful do you think these campaigns have been? WC: Policy processes are not linear. They have peaks and troughs and can go round in circles. What has happened has been some degree of engagement between civil society and governments in the three countries, some awareness raising of the issues and attempts to persuade governments to take action. Perhaps as the cables continue to land we may start to see a more coherent approach emerging from governments. CHAKULA: What have been your key learning experiences across the three countries when it comes to these sorts of advocacy drives? If anything, what has been missing? WC: What is difficult is to sustain advocacy processes over long periods of time, especially when immediate results are not forthcoming. The funding cycles that civil society organisations draw on run over two years at the most and if results are not achieved quickly campaigns can stall. On the other side, governments have their own ways of undertaking policy and these do not always align with those of business or civil society. It is important for the civil society policy entrepreneurs involved to be able to sustain their activities during peaks and troughs so that they are ready when conditions change and policy windows open up to engage with policy- makers. CHAKULA: What are the next steps from your perspective? Do you anticipate another advocacy push in, say, Ghana and Nigeria to bring those processes to fruition? WC: The next steps are really up to the policy entrepreneurs in Ghana and Nigeria to keep the broadband initiatives going if they can. //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ NIGERIA: Striking when the time is right… The broadband campaign in Nigeria kicked off in early 2010 with the formation of a multi-stakeholder team to drive the initiative. The strategy in that country had several components, including commissioning the drafting of a broadband policy, hosting a Nigeria National Broadband Forum, and implementing a media strategy. Fittingly, the media strategy included a strong online presence to stimulate awareness and discussion of the broadband strategy and to monitor the progress of the campaign. Chakula spoke to the campaign’s leader, John Dada, Titi Omo-Ettu, who is president of the Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria and also a co-ordinator of the campaign, and Abi Jagun, who represented SMarT Research in the policy development process. ********************************************************************* “[M]edia-savvy individuals and members who know the history of the Nigeria telecom inside out were on the team…” ********************************************************************* CHAKULA: You were tasked to set up a broadband forum in Nigeria, with the view of developing a national broadband strategy for the country. With such rapid take up of ICTs in Nigeria, how is it possible that the country didn’t have a framework for broadband development? JOHN DADA [JD]: Nigeria is awash with brilliant attempts at ensuring ICTs are available for national development. However the uncertain political climes have been a major deterrent to continuity and focus. The nation already had a draft ICT4D policy, which was developed after the original IT Policy, but it is still waiting legislative approval. This draft policy is a precursor of the work done on the broadband framework. CHAKULA: Tell me a bit about the process of setting up the forum – how did you go about it, who was involved, and what did you hope to achieve? JD: A core group of volunteer individuals and organisations from civil society, the private sector and academia was identified to initiate discussions on issues related to a broadband strategy, including infrastructure, content, e-governance/e-citizenship and education. CHAKULA: You then contracted Society Markets & Technology (SMarT) Research to develop a draft broadband strategy. How was this strategy received by stakeholders? JD: SMarT Research were commissioned to conduct policy research and produce the draft broadband framework and background documents. After a consultation process, the final version of both documents were prepared and submitted on 18 May, 2010. These were published and widely circulated for inputs in both print and electronic formats in- advance of, and during a stakeholders forum. Drafts of the documents were made available to the public through mailing lists, presentations and interactions at various stakeholder meetings, workshops and conferences. A BB4NG [Broadband for Nigeria] Stakeholders’ Forum was held on 28 July at the National Commission for Colleges of Education (NCCE) in Abuja. Chaired by a private sector delegate, over one hundred delegates participated in the event and each had a copy of the printed documents. Delegates were from government ministries and institutions; private sector and telecoms industry; civil society groups; the media; the political sector; the military and intelligence community; young adults from the National Youths Service Corps; the academia and the general public. The framework document was considered acceptable, as the issues brought up and discussed by delegates had to do with implementation of the framework. Accordingly, all but three of the delegates in the attendance register also signed their endorsement of the framework during the Stakeholders’ Forum, and both the senior special assistant to the minister of information and communications as well as the chairman of National Information Technology Development (NITDA) regarded the framework as presented to government. CHAKULA: There were a number of strands to your strategy, which attracted a good deal of media coverage. What do you think were the most successful learning experiences, and why do you think they were successful? JD: Composition of the core team of volunteers for developing the strategy was critical; media-savvy individuals and members who know the history of the Nigeria telecom inside out were on the team. They were able to mobilise their formidable network for effective coverage and follow up activities. For example a key member of the BB4NG campaign, Titi Omo-Ettu, is also the president of the high profile Association of Telecommunications Companies of Nigeria (ATCON). ATCON, is already part of a team that includes the Nigeria telcom regulator that will attend the October ITWeb Broadband 2010 summit in South Africa CHAKULA: Where is the process now, and what are the next steps? JD: Sustained post-forum campaigns are on-going and being monitored. It is delightful that a framework already has a solid “leg in” with the present government, as the objectives are already featuring in speeches delivered by the minister of information and communications. However, the impending commencement of political campaigns and changes of government and functionaries at all levels of governance suggest a strategic delay or toning down of the formal presentation of the framework to government. The Nigeria campaign therefore has to be sustained for a period that will span the inauguration of the next government in May 2011. This is an advantage as the new government is more likely to own a policy presented to it than inherited, especially from the tail-end of a previous one, and will also have the time to commence implementation of the framework. ********************************************************************* "[T]he campaign is coming at this time, which is its time." ********************************************************************* CHAKULA: You are the president of ATCON, and also a member of the broadband forum. First of all, can you tell me more about the Association – what is its role, and does it have a strong membership? TITI OMO-ETTU [TO]: ATCON is the umbrella Association of all Telecommunication Companies in Nigeria. It recognises seven subgroups as well as autonomous subgroup associations such as Association of Licensed Telecom Operators (ALTON), the Internet Service Providers Association (ISPAN) and others. It interfaces with the industry regulator and also with government to protect the interest of its members and also of the entire industry. It is a powerful input provider into policies of the federal government of Nigeria on communication matters. The government hired the association’s president in 2000 to serve as the chief executive of the Nigerian Communication Commission for two terms, which ended a few months ago. Another active member of the Association was recently hired to succeed him. The Association is taking a team of its members and other industry players and entrepreneurs to explore trade relationships with world class players in Johannesburg in a fortnight, there about. It asked for and got the approval of the regulator to lead the trade team for strategic reasons. CHAKULA: What got you interested in the broadband campaign? TO: I am an engineer and I built a career in the telcom industry working for Nigeria's expired monopoly incumbent in the days of monopoly. I have followed the growth and development of Nigeria’s telecommunications since 1987 while I was in the public service and when we first mooted the liberalisation agenda. I opted out of service in 1991 into retirement to pursue a career in telecommunication consultancy and also to play in the political development of the industry. I have done so continuously from then and it is only natural that the broadband campaign is coming at this time, which is its time. CHAKULA: Why do you think Nigeria lacked a broadband strategy? TO: To the extent that something has to start one day, ubiquitous broadband presence is not an old subject anywhere and I would rather see it as current need and not one of previous lack. CHAKULA: What does the Association’s membership make of the campaign? Are they generally supportive? TO: Yes, they are. CHAKULA: There have been suggestions that in Nigeria, perhaps more than in other countries, in order to bring about policy change you have to prove the business model – appeal to the economics of it – rather than appeal, to say, bridging the digital divide, or providing services to the poor. Is this perception correct? TO: This is true. I am an apostle of that philosophy which actually derived from our experiences that we have to situate the fortune of our development in the private-sector focused economy. This needs to be done to amass the kind of seriousness that enables us to meet our social needs using business models for productivity. The other models are unsuitable for our circumstances and ditto for a few other strategies. CHAKULA: Where to now with the campaign, in your view? TO: One way. Up! We are influencing government to open up the industry further. We did just that in the past decade, but now by stimulating SME initiatives to transport traffic and to enhance universal reach in such manners that promise ubiquity of broadband and strategic lowering of the cost of access and services. Government has been responding better and our efforts are counting. For our association and its members, the first is advocacy, then education, then constructive requests for government intervention to reduce stress as we march on. The march is unstoppable. ********************************************************************* “[T]he dominant paradigm regarding [ICT development] dictates that [the government’s] involvement be minimal.” ********************************************************************* CHAKULA: You were asked by Nigerian National Broadband Forum to develop a draft broadband strategy for Nigeria. I have posed this question to the forum – but it intrigues me that many African countries with burgeoning ICT environments, have not yet taken the initiative to develop policy frameworks to guide the development of the ICT sector – which they nevertheless concede is critical to the country’s development. How do you account for the policy lag in Africa around ICTs? ABI JAGUN [AJ]: I wish I had concrete evidence for what I am about to say rather than gut feel or unsubstantiated opinion, but I really do think that whilst some countries do more to integrate developments in ICTs into their national development strategies, and indeed practical/ concrete examples exist of this, other countries merely "talk the talk". I think there are various reasons for this, but a key one links to the perception that technology is a "black box" (for want of a better phrase). It boils down to the way technological innovation is packaged to developing countries and is linked to an out-dated(?) perspective of the way in which developing countries are expected to acquire technology. Technology is not something that developing countries "develop"; rather it is "transferred" to them, and as such there is little expectation that governments/the recipient nation should be too involved in the "technicalities" nor in innovation. Given an acceptance of this, it is not surprising that not much by way of developing the ICT sector features in meaningful/practical ways in the national priorities. Reinforcing this is the success with which the theory of liberalisation has influenced development interventions. A competitive private sector can deliver the promises of technology and governments need only *react* to their needs - articulated either by the sector itself or agencies that directly of indirectly represent their needs. Also influential are the very expansive and effective 'advertising' that has been done by private sector communications operators looking for new markets and who, on the one hand, are looking for favourable investment/trade conditions in developing and emerging countries and on the other see the opportunity to score corporate social responsibility points/quick-wins with their customers/ public in more industrialised countries. In summary, we do not see more government involvement in the way/manner in which ICT development occurs in (most) African countries because the dominant paradigm regarding such developments dictates that their involvement be minimal. CHAKULA: The draft framework suggests that the broadband strategy should aim to bring “broadband, with speed of at least 4Mbps, that is accessible, affordable and dependable to citizens and consumers in Nigeria.” How do you define issues of accessibility and affordability? AJ: Accessibility and affordability are defined in practical terms and much the same way as would be defined with respect to other (tele)communications products/services. A large proportion of the population (if not all members of the public that wish to access the product/service) should be able to access the product/service conveniently and at a price that is commensurate with the income of the majority of the population. CHAKULA: Amongst the objectives, you talk about the use of broadband for economic activities, because of the entrepreneurial nature of the population. In your experience, is broadband more about making money in Nigeria than elsewhere on the continent? In other countries, such as South Africa, an advocacy campaign might make more of bridging the digital divide, and serving underserved communities. In Nigeria, how do you see the balance between business and development, as the spark for an advocacy campaign – what gets you more leverage if you want to bring about change? AJ: There was intense discussion with respect to this in developing the broadband strategy. Whilst I cannot speak for other African countries, the truth is that the main driver of broadband deployment/ diffusion in Nigeria will be businesses. When businesses believe that they will be able to make money in rolling out broadband and when businesses believe that they will make money by adopting it we will see infrastructure being built and applications and/or content being developed. Personal use of broadband and its spread to underserved areas and/or mariginalised groups will come about/increase as a result of this. There is therefore a need to acknowledge and create the space for the business aspect of broadband in order to attain more public- interest oriented objectives. Key links: Draft policy documents: www.forum.org.ng/BB4NG Essentials of the media strategy is summarized at http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AUg1mzUdzt_SZGZ6anRqaDJfMjY5ZnNwcTJnZ20&h… Stakeholder mapping is summarized at http://docs.google.com/Doc?docid=0AS4Cn2nENwLzZGZkMmtrMmJfMmZ0OG05d2Zi&hl=en Results of the media campaign: “Nigerians demand broadband access from FG,” Available at http://compassnewspaper.com/NG/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id… “Nigeria: New Broadband Capacity Underway, Says FG,” Available at http://allafrica.com/stories/201008100128.html “Stakeholders to dialogue on broadband for Nigerians,” Available at http://www.allvoices.com/contributed-news/6361408-stakeholders-to-dialogue-… “Broadband for Nigeria holds in Abuja,” Available at http://www.vanguardngr.com/2010/07/20/broadband-for-nigeria-holds-in-abuja/ //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ GHANA: Moving the hand of God The campaign in Ghana was launched in August 2009 with a stakeholder workshop in Dodowa. One of the key purposes of the campaign was to push for “immediate steps” to lower the cost of bandwidth in Ghana – the vehicle to do this would be the development of a national broadband strategy in consultation with stakeholders. Chakula spoke to Eric Osiakwan from Internet Research, who was tasked to lead the campaign, and Eva Lokko from Ghana Information Network for Knowledge Sharing. ********************************************************************* “Unfortunately the political elite has higher priorities…” ********************************************************************* CHAKULA: The goal of your broadband campaign was to push for lower bandwidth cost. Why are broadband prices so high in Ghana? Eric Osiakwan [EO]: The business model of operators nurtured by the environment is a "high margin, low volume" one, but our effort is to move them towards a "low margin, high volume" approach which is fundamentally responsible for the mobile revolution we have experienced on the continent. CHAKULA: It seems strange to me that governments in this day and age don't recognise the need for policy and strategy frameworks when it comes to ICTs. Why does this broadband strategy vacuum exist in Ghana? EO: There is an existing ICT for Accelerated Development Policy which calls for a Broadband Strategy, hence our effort. But unfortunately the political elite has higher priorities even when the sub-committee was set-up to advance the cause. CHAKULA: You intervention began in 2009 with a multi-stakeholder workshop in August of that year. It looks like government and business were very responsive to your aims? EO: Very. Our process was to gather the relevant stakeholders, and at the level of the vice president we had buy-in. But when the button was handed over to government to take leadership on the development of the strategy, which is within their remit, other competing priorities took over. CHAKULA: You have now been asked to serve on a newly-formed Broadband Policy Sub-committee of the Ministerial Advisory Committee. The task of the sub-committee has been to develop the broadband strategy. But I understand this has also been a frustrating process – where does everything stand right now? And what are your next steps? EO: Various members of the committee were tasked to write various elements of the policy input paper, but it is yet to be integrated, polished and tabled for a multi-stakeholder submission and input. CHAKULA: What are your learning experiences from this intervention, in terms of making policy interventions of this sort work? EO: We have learned that you can only move the "hand of God" that much.......maybe it would move at its own time and pace. ********************************************************************* “Stakeholders from all sides get to the practical acceptance of the fact that they need each other to survive…” ********************************************************************* CHAKULA: You were one of the conveners of the broadband strategy in Ghana, representing the Ghana Information Network and Knowledge Sharing (GINKS). First of all, tell me a bit about GINKS? EVA LOKKO [EL]: GINKS provides the platform for individuals and institutions to share experiences, best practices, lessons learnt as well as common ground for networking and dialogue with each other in order to harness all aspects of ICT for the development of Ghana. GINKS brings together institutions including government, CSOs, ICT infrastructure/service providers and users. CHAKULA: Why did the broadband initiative interest you? EL: I believe that the internet has become a “human right” in this era of knowledge economy. Consequently broadband is the blood that carries all the knowledge and information through the physical and virtual pipes to us. It will therefore be a disaster if Ghana does not put in place the necessary strategy to ensure standards, availability, affordability, reliability and sustainability of broadband services and support to facilitate ICT4D for all Ghanaians. I could therefore not stay out of such an important ICT initiative. A broadband strategy will: * Promote competition between and within communication service providers * Promote the provision of reliable and high-quality electronic services and content at affordable prices * Stimulate individual and business demand for broadband services to ensure viability of ICT businesses * Expand infrastructure, services and support to areas that do not yet have access. CHAKULA: Why do you think Ghana lacked a broadband strategy up until this point? EL: Unfortunately, strategies and policies seem to always lag behind implementation where ICT is concerned. I think the lack of a broadband strategy for Ghana was primarily due to the difficulty of accepting that ICTs cut across all sectors (education, health, agriculture, business, etc.) and that implementing ICT solutions across board would solve faster (and in some cases solve better) some of the same problems that we are aiming to solve with “brick-and-mortar”. The perception was that after we have solved the difficult problems in health, education etc. then we can look at ICTs. There was also the perception that ICTs are solely for ICT professionals and enthusiasts and therefore issues pertaining to ICTs were always reserved for last. The impact of broadband as a key economic indicator had also not been appreciated fully until now. CHAKULA: In your view, has the strategy been successful? EL: I think it has, even though not to the extent and at the speed that one would have wished. It was successful because stakeholders found it challenging and important enough to send high-powered delegates and decision-makers to the forum (government, users, providers, public, CSOs, etc.). The strategy forum sparked off a lot of interest from all quarters via the internet when it was going on and was taken up by parliament, the National Communications Authority and the ministry of communications (all of them participants) after it concluded. A committee has also been set up to review it for adoption. It will however be fully successful if implemented in good time after the review. CHAKULA: What has been your learning experience in engaging in this kind of strategy initiative? EL: Such initiatives are always very challenging experiences fraught with the usual tug-of-war on almost all suggestions made on the floor. The most important thing, though, is that there is always consensus at the end of such initiatives, since stakeholders from all sides get to the practical acceptance of the fact that they need each other to survive. You also learn new things and get a better picture of what is actually on the ground, what has been planned and where the gaps are. It always brings you back to the reality that there is always the need for a champion to ensure the move from a strategy to review and adoption, and finally to implementation. Key links: ICT for Accelerated Development Policy in Ghana: http://www.ict.gov.gh/ //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ SOUTH AFRICA: Autopsy of a missed opportunity What got left out… Ten things analysts say the South African broadband policy, gazetted earlier this year, does not do: 1. State the problem/challenge/opportunity which requires a policy intervention, and relate this to wider national policy objectives. 2. Establish the present position in relation to that problem (through e.g. statistical summary, technological and market analysis, research into user behaviour). 3. Consider international and national trends relevant to the policy area concerned. 4. Establish objectives for national broadband policy. 5. Set out alternative approaches which could be taken by government (and other actors), and consider the pros and cons of these different alternatives in light of objectives and resources. 6. In a consultation process, identify choices and questions which need to be addressed and on which opinion is consulted (but may indicate an initial policy preference) 7. In a final policy document, choose a particular policy approach and give reasons why this particular approach has been chosen. 8. Address questions of resourcing, including both finance and human resources. 9. Identify and consider other policy areas, outside the policy area in question, in which action or interventions are required (e.g. In supply-side areas such as capacity-building, in demand-side areas such as enabling legislation for e-commerce). 10. Establish a plan of action with clear goals, allocation of responsibilities and timetable. ********************************************************************** Criticism of South Africa’s broadband policy has been hard-hitting. Stakeholders – including activists, policy advisors and academics – have called it a “lost opportunity”, an “aspirational document with no clear plan of action”, unambitious, and the result of a government consultative process that was not sincere. Analysts have pointed out that there are few differences between the draft document published in 2009 – which was roundly criticised - and the final policy document which was gazetted. In a response to the draft policy document released by the department, Alison Gillwald, executive director of Research ICT Africa, pointed to the lack of clarity in the “roles of the state, state- owned entities, authorities and private sector in broadband infrastructure development”. These included the roles of the state broadband company Infraco, the Department of Public Enterprises, which is the sole shareholder of Infraco, and the Department of Communications, which has been “responsible for the to-date weak ‘managed liberalisation’ policy of the last decade”. “Critical issues of the co-ordination of rights of way and of complementary spectrum usage, which have plagued the roll-out of new entrants, are not raised,” she wrote, adding that the strategy lacked the vision seen in Britain, Australia, Mauritius and the US. In particular, the draft policy lacked insight into the crucial role of broadband in economic growth and job creation. Many have now warned that South Africa is likely to fall even further behind other African countries in its economic development because of a lack of strategic insight into the transformative power of communications technologies. Chakula spoke to the Shuttleworth Foundation’s Steve Song to get his sense of what can be salvaged from the aftermath… ********************************************************************* “[N]o one within government gets it or is prepared to stand up and fight for it.” ********************************************************************* CHAKULA: When we last spoke there was a sense of a policy window opening – an opportunity for policy influence given the change in government. It was in this moment that the South African National Broadband Forum (SANBF) launched its campaign for a progressive broadband strategy in this country. But the final policy as it emerged appears to lack substance, despite the efforts of many. What do you think are the key failings of the policy? STEVE SONG [SS]: I think the key failings of the policy are: a) To have set broadband penetration goals that are so weak as to be comparatively meaningless (15% broadband penetration - 256kbps – by 2019 for example). b) To have no resources linked to the policy. Without strong backing from economic planning, this policy is unlikely to attract the investment it needs to be meaningful. CHAKULA: The campaign was proactive, and, probably with limited resources, had a number of components – a workshop, a media drive (you yourself were interviewed on radio), a meeting with the Department of Communications, and a written response to the first draft of the broadband policy. Would you do anything differently if you had to launch a campaign like this again? SS: From a public perspective, I would simplify the message. We asked people to support a framework which was a set of recommendations for government policy. As a public campaign, we should have just focused on the targets, namely: By 2014, South Africa will: * Have broadband access in every town and village; * Have the cheapest broadband access on the continent; and, * Be number one in terms of broadband penetration on the continent. We should have just hammered those targets into the public consciousness so that even politicians would have those targets on their mind. Secondly, I would have focused on finding a point of leverage within the economic planning centres of power. As mentioned above, a broadband policy without some strong budget commitment is unlikely to have much impact. CHAKULA: What is your sense of the South African policy environment – do you think there is real willingness to engage with stakeholders on the government’s side; or do you think that much is made of this engagement, yet when it comes to the crunch, government goes its own way? Sometimes there is a feeling that when stakeholders are ready, government isn’t really on the same page, so efforts at advocacy can come to very little. Has this process left you disempowered, as stakeholders working outside of government? SS: There is no real champion within the South African government for broadband as an accelerator of social and economic development. My learning from this process is that no one within government gets it or is prepared to stand up and fight for it. We took a calculated risk that the South African election was a point of malleability in terms of policy and that politicians might seize on affordable broadband as policy issue. Strategically this was the right thing to do but tactically we failed to find the right points of engagement within the government. I don't feel disempowered by the process. It was a learning experience. CHAKULA: An assessment of the gazetted broadband policy document and the process is now underway. Are there still avenues open for policy advocacy around broadband? Where to now? SS: The problem of affordable access to broadband is not going to go away. Other countries are expanding their broadband infrastructure at an accelerated rate and the impact of this is showing itself in economic growth, in education, in nearly every aspect of life. Sooner or later it will dawn on someone in the South African government that we have been shooting ourselves in the telecommunications foot for nearly 10 years and it is damaging South Africa's prospects of being a competitive player in the global knowledge economy. Our job is to see bring that dawn about as quickly as possible. Key campaign links: Website for the online campaign: http://www.broadband4africa.org.za/ Participants' comments on the strategy framework: http://www.apc.org/en/system/files/Broadband+strategy+framework_compiled_in… Willie Currie’s blog on the campaign: http://www.southafricaconnect.org.za/ Broadband Forum’s workshop on video: http://www.southafricaconnect.org.za/?p=265 //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\// CHAKULA is a newsletter produced by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). It aims to mobilise African civil society around ICT policy for sustainable development and social justice issues. We welcome your opinions about this newsletter. Send your comments, feedback or contributions to chakula(a)apc.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe e-mail chakula(a)apc.org or go to: http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/chakula

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Nomination period for the NRO-NC election from the AfriNIC region now open
by McTim 25 Sep '10

25 Sep '10

Apologies for extensive cross-posting: Dear Colleagues of the AfriNIC Community, It is with great pleasure that the AfriNIC NomCom2010 announces the opening of the nomination period for NRO-NC elections. Nominations will be accepted until 20:00 UTC on 16 October 2010. Appointing representatives from the AfriNIC service region to the NRO-NC (Number Resource Organisation's Number Council) is an important role played by the AfriNIC community. The community will elect individuals through an open and transparent election process in Johannesburg South Africa in November 2010. The NRO-NC election will take place during the second Public Policy Meeting of AfriNIC, which normally takes place during the last week of November of each year. For more details, please see: http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-13/index.php/nro-ncaso-ac-election The appointed candidates will also serve, according to the ASO MoU, on the ASO-AC (Address Supporting Organisation Advisory Council). The Open seat for election will be based on the terms of the elected NRONC/ASO-AC representatives as published on: http://www.nro.net/about/number-council.html and http://aso.icann.org/people/address-council/address-council-members/ The election procedures for the AfriNIC NRO-NC/ASO-AC representatives are as follows: Who can be elected: Every year one member of the community is elected for a term of THREE (3) years to the NRO-NC. The candidate must be a natural person residing in a country within the AfriNIC service region. A person may only nominate ONE candidate. In case of multiple nominations by the same person, only the LAST nomination will be considered valid, and the Nomination Committee will consider the previous nomination(s) as invalid. AfriNIC staff or staff of other RIRs cannot nominate candidates nor be nominated. Self-nominations will be allowed but in such case the nomination must be formally supported by at least two AfriNIC members in good standing. Who can vote: AfriNIC members and any participants from the AfriNIC community present at the face-to-face meeting who meets the following criteria: ‐ have registered for the meeting (Meeting Badge as proof) ‐ resides in a country within AfriNIC service region and ‐ is not an employee of AfriNIC. Ballots for the vote will be distributed at the registration desk prior to the election. Proxy voting: Proxies are not allowed for the NRO-NC election The NomCom looks forward to your active participation. Best Regards, Tim McGinnis Chair NomCom2010

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Re: [kictanet] Wireless, a high or low density solution
by robert yawe 24 Sep '10

24 Sep '10

Hi, We have an infrastructure already existing beneath the city that was put up using tax payers funds which would mean it was not sold to Orange, see attached image. This ducting which still exists and what is required is for it to be handed over to CCK to manage thus allowing a new entrant to lay fibre in the fasted way possible without needing to dig up half the city. It is not for the consumers to pay the ISPs for making uneconomical decisions when laying their fibre cable, if this was done we can role out a fibre optic metro network, including areas like Buru Buru, Eastleigh and South C/B within 3 months. Peculiar Kenyans, we know the problem, we know the solution but we refuse to implement. So Liko, join me in the fight to wrestle this infrastructure that the tax payer paid for from the East Africa Post & Telecommunications/Kenya Posts and Telecommunications/Telkom Kenya. It was done in the US with MaBell (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bell_System) which was split up. If Dr. Ndemo is truthful about not handing over NoFbi to Orange, then lets make sure that he cuts out the existing underground ducting from its control. Most of the copper in those ducts is redundant as Telkom installed an SDH fibre ring to interconnect its exchanges. The writing is on the wall, any policy fellows out there who can guide us on how to effect to takeover? Regards Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 ________________________________ From: Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi(a)gmail.com> To: robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Cc: Dennis Kioko Mbuvi <dmbuvi+kictanet(a)gmail.com>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Fri, 24 September, 2010 10:36:52 Subject: Re: [kictanet] Wireless, a high or low density solution I think the situation is compounded by lack of a Neutral infrastructure provider. ISPs are afraid to utilize infrastructure from KDN, Telkom and Jamii as all this operate their own ISPs. As for KDN leaving the retail market, am wondering how they expect us to beileve them when they have a sister company downstairs. So, will this be the situation until some Indian from Bharti or Reliance arrives and rolls out city wide infrastructure. Google has also announce plans to roll out wireless infrastructure for lease. Shall we be waiting for outsiders to come wipe our behinds, then fall over to foreign vs Kenyan to protect ourselves.

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Wireless, a high or low density solution
by robert yawe 24 Sep '10

24 Sep '10

Hi, I am sure some of you read my posting on my waiting to receive reliable Internet when at home and more recently my issues with safaricom on installation of a Wimax connection. In the same breath I have been questioning the rational of using wireless solutions in Nairobi where we have such a density of consumers which could explain the issues being raised by ISPs about lowering Internet charges due to unfactored costs in landing the fibre optic cable. I grew up in buru buru estate and now that I think about it there where very few overhead power lines and the ones that where there feed directly to the substations and transformer rooms. Where I currently live today in South C the situation is the same. But when you visit estates like Umoja innercore, Runda, Karen there is a lot of overhead power lines in the case of Umoja it is because of bad planning while in the other 2 it due to the sparseness of the units. Therefore as an analogy the over head lines is wireless connectivity and the underground cabling your fibre & copper solutions. When CCK raise issues about BTS sharing and NEMA keep screaming about radiation the ISPs continue to increase the amount of radio traffic in our airwaves one antennae at a time. As I write this I am seated in the office at Phoenix house and can see 5 wireless devices, across at Standard House there are over 13 of them three quarters of which are facing the same direction indicating that are connecting to the same base station. I do not envy the person responsible for customer service of that network and also the upgrades that will soon be required as one sector gets congested yet another is underutilised. Even as I wait for the finally commissioning of my Wimax installation by Safaricom at home I wonder would it not have been more cost effective to deliver a fibre optic cable to the estate (which for you information is fully ducted for low voltage services from the cab into each house) and provide all the 150 houses with a wired solution. If we think through some of the solutions we implement we can do more with what we have, the hire customer density on a fibre node will reduce per unit cost and increase profitability for the provider thus allowing him to offer wireless solutions for the more spreadout locations with lower densities. Our fear of Telkom's history where a land line would be out of service for months on end with excuses such cable has been cut or we have no drop wire. Today even Telkom is offering those with landlines an automatic wireless line fail-over in the event of the cable getting cut. Using Wimax to cover less than 4 kilometre distances is like killing a fly with a sledge hammer. 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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Commodity Exchange System
by robert yawe 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

Hi, The National Cereals and Produce Board together with the East African Grain Council are working towards the creation of a commodity exchange to trade futures. This process is at an advanced stage which begun with a process called warehouse receipting and currently Equity Bank offers credit against the receipts. What does this have to do with us in the IT field? When the Nairobi Stock Exchange tendered for the automated trading system (ATS) and more recently for the Broker Back-office System no local IT company made it past the 1st round. The fact that companies like Virtual City are winning international awards for systems development and others like PesaPal are receiving large direct foreign investments means that we do have the skills to develop world class solutions. This is an appeal to all ICT experts in the country to prepare ourselves to make sure that the grain exchange system is locally developed and we stop being spectators in our own country. I know it is said that a prophet is never recognised in his own town, it is time we made this phrase redundant. NCPB and others are already shopping overseas for a solution so be warned that time is not in our hands and if we are to have an impact we need to move quickly. The proposed system is supposed to provide a trading platform, depository system, GIS for land information, settlement system, warehouse management, weather monitoring and seed planting information system (acreage, seed type, fertiliser, etc). Lets get off our high horses and put a together a world class solution for a local problem. No tears after the horse has bolted. Useful links http://dn.nationmedia.com/DN/DN/2010/09/03/ArticleHtmls/03_09_2010_030_014.… http://allafrica.com/stories/200904271171.html http://www.ratin.net/mainfeature.asp?id=40 http://www.monitor.co.ug/Business/Smart%20Money/-/688614/899436/-/bypmdxz/-… http://www.unctad.info/upload/SUC/LusakaWorkshop/WarehouseServicesKenya.pdf Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Masaku to Ndemo, "You are Doing a Great Job with Artists"
by Grace (Bomu) 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

On Churhill Live, shown on Thursday at 7.30pm, veteran actor "Masaku" of Vitimbi fame ackowlegded the great work being by Information PS in supporting training of upcoming artists in the "mitaas". Congrats on your good work! -- Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) Kenya Skype: gracebomu Twitter: GraceMutung'u (Bomu)

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IGF Book, report on Sharm El Sheikh Meeting
by Barrack Otieno 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

Dear Colleagues, This might be an interesting resource for those who did not make it for the meeting in Vilnius. http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/images/2010/book/igf.sharm.book.final.pdf Best Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Fwd: [ISOC] Reminder: Deadline approaching [Internet Society Community Grants programme]
by Adam Peake 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

Any ISOC member can apply. Adam >From: Connie Kendig <kendig(a)isoc.org> >To: isoc-members-announce(a)elists.isoc.org >Date: Thu, 23 Sep 2010 09:36:55 -0400 >Subject: [ISOC] Reminder: Deadline approaching [Internet Society Community > Grants programme] > >Just a friendly reminder that the ISOC grants programme application >round is closing in one week: 30 September. > >Feel free to contact me with any questions. > >Warm regards, >Connie > > >Begin forwarded message: > >>From: Connie Kendig <kendig(a)isoc.org> >>Date: September 1, 2010 8:59:10 AM EDT >>To: isoc-members-announce(a)elists.isoc.org >>Subject: [ISOC] Internet Society Community Grants programme now open! >> >>Dear ISOC members: >> >>The Internet Society is now accepting applications for its >>Community Grants Programme. The application cycle will be open >>until 30 September. Decisions will be announced in mid-November. >> >>Please note, as mentioned before, two new eligibility criteria: >> >>1. Current Chapter applicants who are previous Community Grants >>award recipients and currently have a project underway must have >>met all financial and reporting requirements for that past award. >>Otherwise, the current Chapter application will not be considered. >> >>2. Previous Community Grants recipients awarded as Individual >>Members (instead of a Chapter award) may not have more than one >>ISOC-funded project open at one time. In order for a current >>application from an Individual Member to be considered, any >>previous non-Chapter projects must be completed in full with >>appropriate reporting submitted. >> >>To learn more about the programme, and to apply, please visit our >>website at http://www.isoc.org/isoc/chapters/projects/. >> >>Any questions may be sent to projects [at] isoc [dot] org. >> >>Best, >> >>Connie J Kendig >>Sponsored Programs & Grants Manager >> >>Internet Society >>www.isoc.org >> >>Kendig(a)isoc.org >>Phone: +1 (703) 439-2136 > >

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Mobile Monday- September 27th @iHub 6pm-7.30pm Invitation
by John Wesonga 23 Sep '10

23 Sep '10

Hi, I just wanted to send out an invitation to the KICTANET list for *Mobile Monday-KENYA *which will be happening on the 27th of September at the iHub from 6:00pm to 7:30pm. For those not familiar with Mobile Monday (MoMo) is an open community platform of mobile industry visionaries, developers and influential individuals fostering brand neutral cooperation and cross-border P2P business opportunities through live networking events to demo products, share ideas and discuss trends from both local and global markets. This will be our 7th meet up since the Kenya chapter was launched Previous organizations/companies that have presented include Google Kenya,MXit plus several local startups. Register at http://mobilemondaykenya.eventbrite.com/ -- John Wesonga

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KICTB Pasha"Digital Villages" Status
by Edwin Onchari 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

Hello Paul, What is the progress on this project, and how does one tap into its capacity to roll out services to disadvantages locations in Kenya, to benefit the marginalized groups in our society? There is not much on your site to this effect Edwin

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Unavailable Safaricom offer
by robert yawe 22 Sep '10

22 Sep '10

Hi, On Sunday I came across a full page advertisement by Safaricom offering home broadband service for 3,990/-, they also where offering a free PSP for the 1st 10 signups. This was an offer that my kids where not going to let pass them, so we sent a message to the number and promptly received a reply at 9:35 am on Sunday 19th September 2010 that they will revert to us within 12 hours. It has been over 24 hours and no response from Safaricom, is this a sign of things to come where marketing are moving forward without consulting other departments? Its not a pretty sight. 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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[Fwd: call for participants for the first regional LPI Training of Trainers]
by Joe Murithi Njeru 21 Sep '10

21 Sep '10

Hello All, Please see the above communication from Evans Ikua on the 1st Regional LPI Training of Trainers. -- Regards, Joe Murithi Njeru Zilojo Ltd. P.O. Box 39501-00623 Nairobi Kenya. T: +254-722-787725 E: joe.njeru(a)zilojo.com W: http://www.zilojo.com M: http://www.mobility.co.ke/zilojo Web . Retail . Travel

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IDC's Storage, Virtualisation and Datacentres Roadshow 14th October 2010
by Francis.Hook＠gmail.com 21 Sep '10

21 Sep '10

Dear Listers, IDC is pleased to announce its Storage, Virtualisation and Datacentres Roadshow scheduled for the 14th October 2010 at the Hilton Hotel. This event will feature presentations on cloud computing, data centres, managed services and smart infrastructure consolidation. This half day event is FREE to eligible end users and only requires registration at the link provided below. To view details of this event, please visit : www.idc-cema.com/events/storage10ken To register for the event (end users), please visit: http://www.idc-cema.com/?formid=eventreg&prd_id=1822467&content_lang=ENG For any other information, please contact fhook(a)idc.com Thanks and kind regards Francis -

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FW: Consumers: ZICTA (Zambia) introduces fixed telecommunication charges
by Edith Adera 20 Sep '10

20 Sep '10

Are we joining the era of price controls? Isn't this stiffling competition, creativity and free choice? http://postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=13821 Edith ________________________________ ZICTA introduces fixed telecommunication charges for all operators By Mutale Kapekele Fri 17 Sep. 2010, 14:00 CAT [http://postzambia.com/pics/icons/uparrow.gif]<http://postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=13821#text_size> [http://postzambia.com/pics/icons/downarrow.gif] <http://postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=13821#text_size> Text size [http://postzambia.com/pics/icons/printer.png] <http://postzambia.com/post-print_article.php?articleId=13821> Print<http://postzambia.com/post-print_article.php?articleId=13821> [http://postzambia.com/includes/thumbs/thumbs.php?w=350&id=13821]<http://postzambia.com/article_image.php?image_type=article&id=13821> File Picture: Zamtel mast THE Zambia Information and Communication Technology Authority (ZICTA) has introduced fixed telecommunication charges for all operators expected to come into effect on November 1, 2010. This follows the Authority's recent cost of service study that was undertaken by PricewaterhouseCoopers (PWC) of the United Kingdom that recommended the relaxation of tariffs. Announcing the development yesterday, ZICTA director general Margaret Kunda-Chalwe said all voice calls would be charged at 5.9 US cents (K300) per minute and reduce to 5.3 US cents on January 1, 2011 with a further reduction to 5 US cents at the beginning of 2012. She also announced that Short Message Sending (SMS) charges would with effect from November 1 be pegged at K295 reducing to K132.50 and K125 in 2011 and 2012 respectively. Chalwe said the rates for interconnection would be dominated in Zambian kwacha in conformity with the law and given the low inflation rate in the country. She also disclosed that ZICTA would implement all recommendations from PWC which included the control of telecommunication charges, the elimination of wholesale tariff discrimination and the stimulation of effective communication, among other issues. Chalwe also announced that ZICTA had made funds available for building towers in un-serviced areas where telecommunication companies could mount their transmitters. ZICTA introduces fixed telecommunication charges for all operators <http://postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=13821#text_size> <http://postzambia.com/post-read_article.php?articleId=13821#text_size> <http://postzambia.com/post-print_article.php?articleId=13821> <http://postzambia.com/post-print_article.php?articleId=13821> <http://postzambia.com/article_image.php?image_type=article&id=13821>

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Re: [kictanet] KPLC should embrace technology and save kenyans millions
by John Kariuki 17 Sep '10

17 Sep '10

I wish life was that simple.However,I am pursuaded that it is not. What should be of concern is the issue of national infrastructure and the extent of private sector participation and whether even after privatisation the Government(read Citizens) still carry very substantial risks. Remember, the recent financial crisis in the West, in particular US, where large sums of taxpayers money were used to bail out private companies whose top executives were at the same time paying themselves huge bonuses. Conclusion: Even when you privatize, the tax payer still carries some risk! Just some little food for thought. --- On Fri, 17/9/10, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi(a)gmail.com> wrote: From: Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi(a)gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] KPLC should embrace technology and save kenyans millions To: "John Kariuki" <ngethe.kariuki2007(a)yahoo.co.uk> Cc: "Dennis Kioko Mbuvi" <dmbuvi+kictanet(a)gmail.com>, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Friday, 17 September, 2010, 12:01 I suggest we invite the Indians to form a second distribution company. However, am sure the suggestion will raise a lot of dust around about support for Kenyan investors. It is my opinion that we need to review a lot of things starting with what we pay for power, and cost of commodities such as sugar. As long as the cost of Pakistan Cement in Nairobi is lower tha factory price of local cement and sugar costs twice what it costs in the region , we are in danger of the more efficient producers upsetting us one day.

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Local (Kenya, later Africa) Call termination to VoIP rates
by Edwin Onchari 17 Sep '10

17 Sep '10

Listers, Could anyone with information on the most competitive call termination to VoIP (local) please contact me urgently! Not sure as yet, on how many calls I will be handling (but will be significant) Kind regards, Edwin M Onchari Founder & CEO - LynxBits Global +254-0720-755-951 eonchari(a)lynxbits.com www.lynxbits.com

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Bharti and IBM extend partnership into Africa
by Harry Hare 17 Sep '10

17 Sep '10

http://tinyurl.com/3876xjj Harry 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

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Call Completion Rate on Safaricom
by Edith Adera 17 Sep '10

17 Sep '10

What is going on with the network today? I made several calls today and ended up "crossing lines" with other subscribers and listening in on third party conversations rather than getting the subscriber dialed. Could Safaricom inform their consumers what is going on? network upgrade? technical glitch? Are call completion rates a regulatory performance target? Edith

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Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] IBM President in the Country
by Brian Munyao Longwe 17 Sep '10

17 Sep '10

This is a bold move and a clear statement of how serious Bharti is taking the intervention in Africa. As James Murua points out in his blog post ( http://bit.ly/avQeUT) Bharti is working with IBM so that they (Bharti) can focus on their core strengths and hit the market hard through partnerships. In the words of a speaker at AITEC's EA ICT conference, Bharti outsources "everything" which allows them to minimize on capital and operating expenses - but more importantly - to hit their target markets hard and square. Can't wait to see what else they have up their sleeve! Regards, Brian On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 3:16 PM, Glenn Sequeira <gsequeira(a)gmail.com> wrote: > On Fri, Sep 17, 2010 at 3:59 PM, Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > > For those who missed it, IBMs Samuel Palmisano was in the country this > > morning, physically, not virtually via Hologram . He was here for the > > announcement about Bharti's partnership with IBM. > > Here's the press release from IBM: > > http://www-03.ibm.com/press/us/en/pressrelease/32505.wss > > ~glenn > _______________________________________________ > Skunkworks mailing list > Skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke > http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks > ------------ > Skunkworks Server donations spreadsheet > > http://spreadsheets.google.com/ccc?key=0AopdHkqSqKL-dHlQVTMxU1VBdU1BSWJxdy1… > ------------ > Skunkworks Rules > http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 > ------------ > Other services @ http://my.co.ke > -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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KPLC should embrace technology and save kenyans millions
by Edwin Onchari 17 Sep '10

17 Sep '10

Dear KPLC, Here is a brief picture(example from what I have experienced in last 1 year) that is disturbing and unfortunately resonates with millions of Kenyans privileged to have power in their houses/offices: Month Bill Meter reading 1-5 Average 1000 KES Estimate 6 - 8 Average 1100 KES Estimate 9 17000 KES Meter reading Now: If KPLC invested in locally developed and available technology, customers can actually monitor their electricity usage, versus the readings on their meters and what is shown on the invoices. The sad story about these fluctuations is that KPLC insists that you must pay the higher amounts, then go to their ever unending queue at electricity house (good luck if you have a car because parking in Nairobi is another nightmare), where a customer care agent (with no etiquette) will tell you to produce all receipts for the year to sort out your problem. Now, I work along Mombasa road, which means that I have to halt my income generating engagements to navigate through unending traffic so that I can go queue for hours and face a customer care agent that will rudely handle my case, to no conclusion and brace myself for another such session in less than a year later! Any affordable solar solutions out there for apartment duelers? Because I terribly need one. Edwin

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Re: [kictanet] KPLC should embrace technology and save kenyans millions
by Edwin Onchari 16 Sep '10

16 Sep '10

Kioko, Yes, that should it. Just wondering if they have full disclosure on the cost per Kwh on the prepaid, so that when one loads up, he/she can estimate daily consumptions, refunds for overcharges, etc From: Dennis Kioko [mailto:dmbuvi@gmail.com] Sent: Thursday, September 16, 2010 3:39 PM To: Edwin Onchari Cc: Dennis Kioko Mbuvi; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] KPLC should embrace technology and save kenyans millions Pray they install the prepaid meter, or try demanding for one. No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 8.5.441 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3136 - Release Date: 09/15/10 06:34:00

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Trancripts of IGF Conference Proceedings in Lithuania
by Walubengo J 16 Sep '10

16 Sep '10

Apologies for cross-postings... In case you missed to follow the real-time proceedings, you can find the archives at: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/content/article/96-vilnius-2010-me… walu.

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Virtual City wins Nokia Challenge
by Phares Kariuki 16 Sep '10

16 Sep '10

6 5

The Safaricom money machine
by robert yawe 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

Hi, I have noted that when you send money from mpesa to the wrong number and you request for the transaction to be reversed you do not recover the transaction costs. When a line with credit is deactivated what happens to the credit? With the banks a new policy requires that funds from inactive accounts need to be remitted to Central Bank. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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2010 IGF Remote participation HUB in Nairobi - 16th to 17th Sept.
by Joe Kiragu 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) in conjunction with Multimedia University will be hosting a remote participation HUB at The KeNIC Offices from 16th September 2010 - 17th September 2010. The remote participation was earlier scheduled to take place at the Multimedia University, but has been changed due to technical issues. You can follow 5th IGF sessions on Webcast http://webcast.intgovforum.org/ Please also double check the official IGF schedule at: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2010/schedule/WorkshopSchedule_Vilnius201009… Regards, Joe Kiragu KENIC -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)

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Fw: Re: The Safaricom money machine
by Michael Ouma 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

Michael Ouma Journalist Kenya Tel:+254-725-537823 "Do not go where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail," - Ralph Waldo Emerson --- On Wed, 9/15/10, Michael Ouma <benomnta(a)yahoo.com> wrote: From: Michael Ouma <benomnta(a)yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] The Safaricom money machine To: "Andrea Bohnstedt" <andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 3:46 AM Hi ALL: why is it that Ms Andrea Bohnstedt is always supporting Safaricom on any issue raised on this list even before the company itself can say anything? just curiuos.....!!!! Michael Ouma Journalist Kenya Tel:+254-725-537823 "Do not go where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail," - Ralph Waldo Emerson --- On Wed, 9/15/10, Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> wrote: From: Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] The Safaricom money machine To: benomnta(a)yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wednesday, September 15, 2010, 2:53 AM I'm not really sure what your point is. If I intend to give cash to Otieno, and instead send it to Amondi, that's not the mobile money operator's fault. It's my own fault. The M-PESA menu instructs you to enter the recipient's phone number. What more clarity to you need? (and yes, I think it'd be useful to be able to enter phone numbers straight from my directory on my phone). By providing an avenue to obtain a reversal of wrongly sent money, the operator has met its obligations. This is not 'cashing in on ignorance'. On 15 September 2010 12:44, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> wrote: In other words they are not non-issues Andrea, to learn you must risk looking silly which is what we are trying here, so when a telco cashes on the citizens ignorance who defends them? that is impunity! On Wed, Sep 15, 2010 at 12:07 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> wrote: Both non-issues, I think: For whatever evils you want to blame on Safaricom (global warming? end of civilisation as we know it? feminism?), you can't really blame them for your own inability to enter the phone number of the intended recipient correctly. And I say this as someone who has broken up larger M-PESA payments in two amounts because I was too freaked out that I'd accidentally send the money to the wrong person. And deactivated lines: If you want to deactivate your Safcom line, take the money out of your MPESA. Easy. It won't get disconnected by CCK for failure to register it because the registration process for M-PESA doubles up as your SIM card registration. If CCK disconnects your line because you've been found to demand ransom M-PESA payments for abducting kids, you have other problems. On 15 September 2010 10:41, robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Hi, I have noted that when you send money from mpesa to the wrong number and you request for the transaction to be reversed you do not recover the transaction costs. When a line with credit is deactivated what happens to the credit? With the banks a new policy requires that funds from inactive accounts need to be remitted to Central Bank. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/andrea.bohnstedt%40rat… -- Andrea Bohnstedt Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail… -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno -- Andrea Bohnstedt Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com -----Inline Attachment Follows----- _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: benomnta(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/benomnta%40yahoo.com

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IGF in Kenya in 2011
by McTim 15 Sep '10

15 Sep '10

So if Kenya will host the IGF next year, the first choice would be Nairobi. Since it is a somewhat UN conference, they may want to hold it at the UN here, which would be a nightmare in terms of logistics. Am curious if there are any facilities at the Coast that would be suitable...like 2 or 3 big hotels in close proximity to each other, all with conference facilities??? Instead of suits and ties, we would see more casual dress codes (like at most other Internet Goverannce meetings). Feedback? -- Cheers, McTim "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel

3 2

Mentorship
by Grace Bomu 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Looking back at the wonderful people, ideas and opportunities that one gets to experience at the IGF, I just want to register my heartfelt appreciation to all the more experienced :) Kenyans who take time off their work to mentor the youth. It is indeed great to be able to discuss IG matters, while quoting some of your speeches, presentations, emails at this list or simply having face to face conversations on policy making processes. I know I am fortunate to have received such mentorship and I hope this will be extended to other young people in this area. Infact, I hope that someday the KICTANet list will have some sort of a mentorship programme. Thanks again people! -- Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) Kenya Skype: gracebomu Twitter: GraceMutung'u (Bomu)

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ICANN CEO says multi-stakeholder model of Internet Governance under threat
by Harry Hare 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

FYI, from the ongoing IGF in Vilnius, Lithuania. http://tinyurl.com/2uvebmx Harry 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

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Re: [kictanet] [wiu-forum] Fwd: 5th Global IGF, Vilnius - Remote participation HUB in Nairobi
by Joe Kiragu 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

Regional Perspective on 11:30 - 13:00 WEBCAST: http://webcast.intgovforum.org/#floor Workshop Number: 87 11:30 - 13:00 Title: IPv6 Around The World: Surveying the Current and Future Deployment of IPv6 WEBCAST: http://webcast.intgovforum.org/#room3 > Mctim - the link works well > > Waudo > > On Tue, 14 Sep 2010 11:04 +0300, "McTim" <dogwallah(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> webcasts at: >> >> http://webcast.intgovforum.org >> >> this link doesn't appear on the RP page. >> >> -- >> Cheers, >> >> McTim >> "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A >> route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: emailsignet(a)mailcan.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan.… >> > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: kiragu(a)kenic.or.ke > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/kiragu%40kenic.or.ke ) -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)

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Re: [kictanet] [wiu-forum] Fwd: 5th Global IGF, Vilnius - Remote participation HUB in Nairobi
by McTim 14 Sep '10

14 Sep '10

webcasts at: http://webcast.intgovforum.org this link doesn't appear on the RP page. -- 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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Re: [kictanet] 5th Global IGF, Vilnius - Remote participation HUB in Nairobi
by Joe Kiragu 13 Sep '10

13 Sep '10

Dear Lister's, Live transcription will be available online for 5th IGF in Vilnius see details on http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/remote-participation Tuesday 14th September 2010 - 9:00 AM - 11:00 AM Workshop Number: 63 Title: Strengthening ccTLD's in Africa Live transcription:http://www.streamtext.net/text.aspx?event=IGF4&chat=false More Details on http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/chronocontact/?chronoformname=WSPr… Full Meeting Schedule available on http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2010/schedule/WorkshopSchedule_Vilnius201009… Regards, Joe > Dear Listers, > > Remote participants will be able to follow the meeting taking place in > Vilnius by watching videocasts or listening to audiocasts from the > meeting rooms and reading real-time closed captioning. > > Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) in conjunction with > Multimedia University will be hosting a remote participation HUB at > The Multimedia University, Mbagathi, Magadi road from 14th September > 2010 - 17 September 2010 at the University conference facilities. > > Participants who would like to participate at the Kenya IGF HUB please > register be sending an email to remote(a)eaigf.or.ke > > Remote participants will be able to interact with the meeting by > sending text questions, using the remote participation platform > (Webex). These questions will be forwarded to the panel moderator when > he/she opens the floor for questions from the audience. > > Hubs are also encouraged to send short pre-recorded video questions or > statement (2-3 min) outlining key issues on the local discussion > agenda. Hubs will be also allowed to join with real-time video message. > The links to access each meeting room will be provided before the IGF. > Remote participants should take a look at the IGF schedule available > here to see the room and the time of the session they would like to > follow. > > In order to convert Vilnius local time into your time zone, you can > visit this website. > > During the IGF, you can also use social network platforms to take part > in the Internet Governance Dialogue: > > > Share your views in Twitter: #IGF10 > Share your video in Youtube > Share your pictures in Flickr > Leave messages in Facebook > More information on Remote hub: Nairobi, Kenya > > Institution: > Multimedia University ( By Kenya Network Information Centre) > Number of Expected Participants within the Hub: > 100 > Possible area(s) of interest within the 5 main IGF themes: > .Security, openness and privacy, Access and diversity > .Managing critical Internet resources > .Internet governance for development (IG4D), > .Taking stock of Internet governance and the way forward, > .Emerging issues: cloud computing. > Planned Pre-meeting activities: . > Kenya Internet Governance Forum - 29th July 2010, Nairobi > .East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF) - 111-13 August 2010, > Kampala Uganda > Hub Coordinator: > Joe Kiragu, Administrative Manager/ Paul Museeh, Technical Manager > Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) > > > Regards, > > Joe Kiragu > Administrative Maanger > Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) > kiragu(a)kenic.or.ke > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: kiragu(a)kenic.or.ke > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/kiragu%40kenic.or.ke -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)

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Zain Adverts against Safaricom (on Google Ads)
by Wainaina Mungai 13 Sep '10

13 Sep '10

Is it ethical for Zain to use a green SIM card in it's online adverts (google ads) as per the attached screenshot? i.e. "Is your SIM eating too much money?" Shouldn't they just sell their service instead of a constant anti-Safaricom pitch?..inspite of any issues customers may have vs. safaricom rates? WM

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Might M-Kesho sound the death knell for (some) M-Pesa Agents?
by Francis.Hook＠gmail.com 08 Sep '10

08 Sep '10

1 - Equity Bank has abt 4.5 million customers. 2 - Lets wager that abt 70-80% are Safaricom subscribers...(3.15 - 3.6 million) and possibly 80% of those use M-Pesa (wild guess) 3 - A Study conducted in late 2009 (http://technology.cgap.org/2009/09/08/understanding-what-drives-profits-for…) examined the factors that make an M-Pesa agent make a profit...as well as the challenges faced by such agents (which would most times lead them to say "hakuna float"). 4 - As M-Pesa agents have become more pervasive, their profit margins have become thinner owing to competition (incl ATMs, super markets, etc). This is part of the premise of M-Kesho - to allow such agents to make revenue from additional services like insurance... 5 - M-Kesho essentially removes the need to have CASH transactions - either sending or receiving. However, to the operator the transaction fee still accrues, and to the bank, the deposits remain somewhat stable. If anything, for corporate users of M-Pesa (KQ, KPLC, etc) they can know have their accounts credited directly - no need to use an M-Pesa agent to load cash onto phone and then pay KPLC, Kenya Airways, etc. 6 - Thinking of the three or so million Equity Bank Customers who are M-Pesa users....will they EVER need to use an M-Pesa agent? before the routine to send cash was ...a) draw cash from ATM/Branch b)go to M-Pesa Agent c) send money - and vice versa to receive (go to mpesa agent, get cash, spend/deposit cash) - ergo M-Pesa agent has a role. Of course I admit, such account holders can still withdraw from their accounts using M-Kesho and get cash from an M-Pesa Agent (but I think this would be really really rare). Will M-Kesho see some rationalisation in the number and size(type) of agents? Admittedly some of the more established agents can evolve into FOSAs for Equity (and other banks), but I think at the grassroots there might be a negative impact. My two cents... Francis

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Re: [kictanet] Might M-Kesho sound the death knell for (some) M-Pesa Agents?
by Francis Hook 08 Sep '10

08 Sep '10

Thanks MM - very insightful presentation! When I reached Slide 5 ("The value proposition ….cake big enough for all") I held my breath hoping Slide 6 would be "Cont...The value proposition ….cake big enough for all"...to see whether the M-Pesa agents would feature somewhere and get a slice of the cake :-), but alas... Thanks F On 8 September 2010 16:45, muriuki mureithi <mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke > wrote: > Hi Sir > > I admire your thought provoking write ups > > See a research we did on the whole mobile money transfer space . will send > you a copy of published paper once done > > > > Cheers > > > > > > > > *From:* kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke@ > lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mureithi<kictanet-bounces%2Bmureithi> > =summitstrategies.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke] *On Behalf Of * > Francis.Hook(a)gmail.com > *Sent:* 08 September 2010 15:32 > *To:* mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke > *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > *Subject:* [kictanet] Might M-Kesho sound the death knell for (some) > M-Pesa Agents? > > > > 1 - Equity Bank has abt 4.5 million customers. > 2 - Lets wager that abt 70-80% are Safaricom subscribers...(3.15 - 3.6 > million) and possibly 80% of those use M-Pesa (wild guess) > 3 - A Study conducted in late 2009 ( > http://technology.cgap.org/2009/09/08/understanding-what-drives-profits-for…) > examined the factors that make an M-Pesa agent make a profit...as well as > the challenges faced by such agents (which would most times lead them to say > "hakuna float"). > 4 - As M-Pesa agents have become more pervasive, their profit margins have > become thinner owing to competition (incl ATMs, super markets, etc). This is > part of the premise of M-Kesho - to allow such agents to make revenue from > additional services like insurance... > 5 - M-Kesho essentially removes the need to have CASH transactions - either > sending or receiving. However, to the operator the transaction fee still > accrues, and to the bank, the deposits remain somewhat stable. If anything, > for corporate users of M-Pesa (KQ, KPLC, etc) they can know have their > accounts credited directly - no need to use an M-Pesa agent to load cash > onto phone and then pay KPLC, Kenya Airways, etc. > 6 - Thinking of the three or so million Equity Bank Customers who are > M-Pesa users....will they EVER need to use an M-Pesa agent? before the > routine to send cash was ...a) draw cash from ATM/Branch b)go to M-Pesa > Agent c) send money - and vice versa to receive (go to mpesa agent, get > cash, spend/deposit cash) - ergo M-Pesa agent has a role. Of course I admit, > such account holders can still withdraw from their accounts using M-Kesho > and get cash from an M-Pesa Agent (but I think this would be really really > rare). > > Will M-Kesho see some rationalisation in the number and size(type) of > agents? Admittedly some of the more established agents can evolve into FOSAs > for Equity (and other banks), but I think at the grassroots there might be a > negative impact. > > My two cents... > > Francis > -- Francis Hook +254 733 504561

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom fine print?
by S.Murigi Muraya 07 Sep '10

07 Sep '10

"Insufficient funds" persist. Have 84.90 balance after loading 100 bob this afternoon. Cannot make phone calls. -----Original Message----- From: Muchiri Nyaggah <muchiri(a)semacraft.com> Sent: Sunday, September 05, 2010 18:01 To: murigi.muraya(a)gmail.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom fine print? FYI Just got a text from Safaricom informing subscribers that the multiple 'insufficient funds' error has been resolved. Kind regards, Muchiri Nyaggah Director @muchiri +254 722 506400 Semacraft.com On Sun, Sep 5, 2010 at 5:40 PM, simiyu mse <kensimiyu(a)gmail.com> wrote: when your data is active, from what i gather, you cant make voice calls below 15bob. But of late, this virtual minimum is abit erratic. Yesterday, i couldnt make a call with 75sh. Had to top up with 100 to make utilise the remaining. My siz couldnt make a call with 250 just loaded. Must have been the quick implementation of the masaa ya kubamba promotion that have thrown things in disarray. -- i dislike capital letters +254 722 278 106 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: muchiri(a)semacraft.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/muchiri%40semacraft.com

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5th Global IGF, Vilnius - Remote participation HUB in Nairobi
by Joe Kiragu 07 Sep '10

07 Sep '10

Dear Listers, Remote participants will be able to follow the meeting taking place in Vilnius by watching videocasts or listening to audiocasts from the meeting rooms and reading real-time closed captioning. Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) in conjunction with Multimedia University will be hosting a remote participation HUB at The Multimedia University, Mbagathi, Magadi road from 14th September 2010 - 17 September 2010 at the University conference facilities. Participants who would like to participate at the Kenya IGF HUB please register be sending an email to remote(a)eaigf.or.ke Remote participants will be able to interact with the meeting by sending text questions, using the remote participation platform (Webex). These questions will be forwarded to the panel moderator when he/she opens the floor for questions from the audience. Hubs are also encouraged to send short pre-recorded video questions or statement (2-3 min) outlining key issues on the local discussion agenda. Hubs will be also allowed to join with real-time video message. The links to access each meeting room will be provided before the IGF. Remote participants should take a look at the IGF schedule available here to see the room and the time of the session they would like to follow. In order to convert Vilnius local time into your time zone, you can visit this website. During the IGF, you can also use social network platforms to take part in the Internet Governance Dialogue: Share your views in Twitter: #IGF10 Share your video in Youtube Share your pictures in Flickr Leave messages in Facebook More information on Remote hub: Nairobi, Kenya Institution: Multimedia University ( By Kenya Network Information Centre) Number of Expected Participants within the Hub: 100 Possible area(s) of interest within the 5 main IGF themes: .Security, openness and privacy, Access and diversity .Managing critical Internet resources .Internet governance for development (IG4D), .Taking stock of Internet governance and the way forward, .Emerging issues: cloud computing. Planned Pre-meeting activities: . Kenya Internet Governance Forum - 29th July 2010, Nairobi .East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF) - 111-13 August 2010, Kampala Uganda Hub Coordinator: Joe Kiragu, Administrative Manager/ Paul Museeh, Technical Manager Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) Regards, Joe Kiragu Administrative Manger Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) kiragu(a)kenic.or.ke -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)

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Safaricom: consecutive "short-change" on internet bundles
by Brian Munyao Longwe 07 Sep '10

07 Sep '10

Yesterday I loaded 500shs airtime onto my internet modem and used the "Mobile Partner" application to order a 100Mb bundle, after not getting any response I clicked the 100Mb button again. After no response I shut down the application, unplugged the modem, plugged it back in and reopened the application. I received a text confirmation that I had "Limited Data Allowance 80Mb" I had urgent uploads to do so I proceeded to use this. Today, after running out, I loaded 500sh airtime, clicked on 100mb .... same as yesterday, nothing, clicked again, nothing; went through same procedure and received same "Limited Data Allowance 80Mb" I find this very strange in that these problems are happenning more than24 hours apart - and especially because I requested the 100Mb option but it seems to have charged me for the 40Mb option (which I assume costs 250/=) Befuddled, is there a system glitch? Brian -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Does Kenya's Advertising Standards Body Monitor Social Media Advertising?
by Muchiri Nyaggah 06 Sep '10

06 Sep '10

Hi. The Advertising Standards Body of Kenya needs to start working on policy guidelines for online advertising to protect Kenyan consumers from rogue agencies out to make a quick buck. The US FTC busted Reverb Communications for having it's staff post reviews on iTunes while posing as consumers. Here's the full story http://bit.ly/bbq6Ld As penetration of Internet access improves and more Kenyan businesses set up outposts on social sites, this kind of tricks are bound to become prevalent here. ASBK may need to first start by improving its presence on the Internet though, I couldn't find their website at all (do they have one?). Kind regards, *Muchiri* Nyaggah Director @muchiri Semacraft.com

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mashilingi : Google & Huawei bring Kenyas first low-priced smartphone
by Brian Longwe 06 Sep '10

06 Sep '10

Brian Longwe has sent you a link to a blog: Interesting developments. Can't wait to get my hands on one of these! Blog: mashilingi Post: Google & Huawei bring Kenyas first low-priced smartphone Link: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com/2010/09/kenya-gets-low-priced-smartphone.html -- Powered by Blogger http://www.blogger.com/

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Safaricom fine print?
by eonchari＠lynxbits.com 06 Sep '10

06 Sep '10

It has been happening for three days now, I make calls and I get disconnected for insufficient funds. When I send a balance inquiry sms, I have a balance of Ksh16.04. Mr. MJ, is this a tactic to ensure that those that intend to switch to other networks part with Kshs16.04 (after purchasing the sim cards they have anyway) or was there some fine print that I missed? Edwin +254-0720-755-951

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What's the value of ITIL certification?
by Moses Kamau 06 Sep '10

06 Sep '10

What's the value of ITIL certification? Many CIOs are moving their technology organizations into the role of internal service providers to assure the applications they provide to end users. The Information Technology Infrastructure Library (ITIL) is a framework based on industry best practices to apply IT service management business processes to IT management. For network administrators and other IT professionals, being able to implement ITIL could lead to more central and valued roles within their current organizations. The way to gain those skills may be through ITIL foundation certification. What's more, unlike vendor-specific certifications, ITIL training is not limited to a given role within the IT organization or a particular technology, which makes it more of a no-brainer for network engineers. Getting a foundation certification in ITIL IT staff might also receive ITIL foundation training as part of an enterprise's shift to an IT service management model. Giving the teams a baseline of understanding about ITIL and IT service management will help establish expectations and set the tone for an ITIL rollout. "Adding the merit badge of the ITIL foundation to one's credentials has virtually no downside," said training and certification expert Ed Tittel. He noted that "the foundation classes and testing are relatively inexpensive, and many enterprises are either looking at a service management framework or are in the process of implementing one." BJ Havlik, president of SRC Technologies, a Green Bay, Wis.-based technology services and managed services firm, said: "Most IT professionals that take the ITIL foundation course have a moment where IT service management clicks for them ... where they see how the work they do fits with the overall business processes and goals." By Michael Brandenburg .................................................................................................. QUINTICA KENYA Quintica will be running the next Public ITIL v3 Foundation Course from Sep 13-15, 2010. The Foundation Course price is Ksh 29,500 and the Certification Examination is Ksh 15,000. These prices are inclusive of catering and all accredited course materials. All prices are exclusive of VAT. Quintica is accredited to deliver ITIL courses by the APM-Group, the official International ITIL Accreditation Body (www.apmg-international.com<http://www.apmg-international.com>). Documents Attached: * Course Brochure * Public Course Calendar * Registration Form References: Quintica Kenya has delivered successful ITIL courses to the following corporate clients: * Kenya Airways * ILRI * Chartis Insurance * Nairobi Stock Exchange * Microsoft EA * Dimension Data * AAR * Etc... For more information please email sales.ke(a)quintica.com<mailto:sales.ke@quintica.com> or call +254-20-4442900 or visit our website www.quintica.net<http://www.quintica.net> Regards, Moses Kamau Sales Manager & Consultant - Service Management Kenya Office: +254 20 444 2900 Kenya Mobile: +254 720 416 564 Email: moses.kamau(a)quintica.com<mailto:moses.kamau@quintica.com> Skype: moses_kamau www.quintica.net [cid:image001.jpg@01CB48EF.B49B95B0]

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The Future of the Internet
by Grace Bomu 06 Sep '10

06 Sep '10

Interesting analysis from The Economist on the future of the Internet and Internet Governance. Food for thought for us..... http://www.economist.com/node/16941635 In part: (on fragmentation of the net) But China is by no means the only country erecting borders in cyberspace. The Australian government plans to build a firewall to block material showing the sexual abuse of children and other criminal or offensive content........ (on net neutrality) ........Whether such preferential treatment becomes more widespread, and even extortionary, will probably depend on the market and how it is regulated. It is telling that net neutrality has become far more politically controversial in America than it has elsewhere. This is a reflection of the relative lack of competition in America’s broadband market. In Europe and Japan, “open access” rules require network operators to lease parts of their networks to other firms on a wholesale basis, thus boosting competition. A study comparing broadband markets, published in 2009 by Harvard University’s Berkman Centre for Internet & Society, found that countries with such rules enjoy faster, cheaper broadband service than America, because the barrier to entry for new entrants is much lower. And if any access provider starts limiting what customers can do, they will defect to another. -- Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) Kenya

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Kenyan, Hital Muraj was honored with the Global Ambassador of Youth Award
by Alice Munyua 06 Sep '10

06 Sep '10

Kenyan, Hital Muraj was honored with the Global Ambassador of Youth Award for her work in supporting Kibera's youth, through the Cisco Networking Academy. **The Usher New Look Foundation presented eight awards to honor individuals and organizations. Among the Awards and their recipients who come from as far away as Kenya and Korea: · *Service Legacy Award:* President William Jefferson Clinton <http://www.clintonfoundation.org/> · *Global Youth Leadership Award:* Justin Bieber <http://www.pencilsofpromise.org/>, Chantia Robinson and Summit Series (Jeff Rosenthal and Josh Zabar) · *Global Ambassador of Youth Award:* Michelle Nunn <http://www.pointsoflight.org/>, Hital Muraj <http://www.cisco.com/web/learning/netacad/index.html>, JY Park · *The Youth Catalyst Award:* Jeanne Ashe and Mary Carillo <http://www.usta.com/> on behalf of the USTA The New Look Foundation mentors young people as global leaders. Currently in seven cities, New Look has worked with over 8,700 young people, and has provided over 150,000 hours of leadership training. The program trains high school youth in leadership, business, education and service. Now in its eleventh year, New Look has seen a 98% high school graduation rate among alumni. With its Powered By Service campaign and an international call to youth service, the New Look Foundation has made service more diverse, relevant and accessible to all young people.

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Re: [kictanet] Fwd: information on .africa and the lies surrounding an individual's push
by Njeri 06 Sep '10

06 Sep '10

They are more on this very list that claim being on the board of ICANN. That never were, not withstanding that they can be in the future. In my humble opinion, the rest is politic's. Sent from my iPhone Go to www.igniteconsulting.co.ke follow the button of what's HOT this month, our workshops Ignite Human Potential for Personal and Organizational Success. For your wellness experiencies follow this link www.ignitelifestyle.com The Ignite Experience Center can host your corporate retreats, business dinners and private functions. Call Eunice on 254 20 2532142 or 2532144 or email: events(a)igniteconsulting.co.ke for your consulting bookings and events(a)ignitelifestyle.com for your bookings on wellness therapies. On Aug 19, 2010, at 2:39 PM, Brian Munyao Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Walu, > > Your point is noted, however .africa is not just another TLD - it is > in the same realm as .eu i.e. a regional domain that represents > multiple jurisdictions - in the same manner that .eu was granted at > the behest of the EU/EC - subsequent to a process that brought > forward the buy-in of major stakeholder in the EU, including > Governments, operators and local internet community - similarly, > Africa needs to have undergone a processs whereby there is broad buy- > in/consensus behind whoever it is that is making the pitch to ICANN. > > Having said that - I for one, will NEVER support anyone who tries to > gain leverage/support by using lies: > 1) She has never been an ICANN board member - despite repeated > brazen claims to the office > 2) She has never been given a formal (let alone written) endorsement > by the AU > 3) She feels threatened by reputable and legitimate African internet > bodies and went to great lengths to sabotage AfriNIC's proposed > Addist meeting by telling lies to the government and Ethiopia > telecoms which prompted them pulling out 2 months before the > meeting. Only to find out after consultations that they have been > fed a bunch of lies and ended up losing face both at a local and > global perspective. > > My two cents, > > Brian > > On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Njeri <njeri.rionge(a)igniteconsulting.co.ke > > wrote: > Walu, Finally common sense becomes common sense as we know it. > > I opted to saying nothing before, will continue to do so. But I > needed to note some sense in the thread and urge people to read in > between the lines closely. > > Cross the T's and dot the I's. > > Best, > > Sent from my iPhone > > Go to www.igniteconsulting.co.ke follow the button of what's HOT > this month, our workshops Ignite Human Potential for Personal and > Organizational Success. > > For your wellness experiencies follow this link > www.ignitelifestyle.com > > The Ignite Experience Center can host your corporate retreats, > business dinners and private functions. Call Eunice on 254 20 > 2532142 or 2532144 or email: events(a)igniteconsulting.co.ke for your > consulting bookings and events(a)ignitelifestyle.com for your bookings > on wellness therapies. > > On Aug 19, 2010, at 11:28 AM, Barrack Otieno > <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Very democratic comments Walu :-) >> >> On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 9:24 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> I really dont know who this lady is - other than having seeing her >> at the Kenyan IGF where she also pushed for the dot.Africa >> initiative. Indeed as Pierre mentions elsewhere, there's a parallel >> push @ http://www.dotafrica.org/home.html which I believe has the >> support of AfNOG, AfrNIC, AfTLD (the Af* organisations). >> >> However and I stand to be corrected - I think the ICANN process is >> quite open and transparent and we therefore cannot stop any bidder >> pushing to have a top level domain like dot.Africa (free for all >> approach that ofcourse has had its advantages and disadvantages). >> >> So whereas I support and understand the need have dot.africa under >> the family and philosophy of Af* organisations, we really have no >> control over other bidders trying to get there first. Maybe we >> should just up our game and get the domain before the competition. >> >> walu. >> disclaimer: comments shared are personal and not the view of the >> organisations I am affiliated with. >> >> >> --- On Wed, 8/18/10, Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> >> From: Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fwd: information on .africa and the lies >> surrounding an individual's push >> To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 11:34 PM >> >> >> @ Njenga, >> It's not really about who is onlist or not, but during the just >> concluded EAIGF in Uganda one 'iron lady' has been claiming to >> speak on behalf of AU and that there are some endorsements made >> that she presented to this regional forum, which turned out to be a >> sham! >> >> I hope Brian my explanation is right. >> >> On 18 August 2010 18:24, Njenga Gathecha <njenga.mkenya(a)gmail.com> >> wrote: >> Hello all. I think the best thing to do is to have all the members >> listed somewhere and then in case of doubt, listers can consult the >> list. This would ward off cons who may seek to exploit innocents. >> >> Thanks for pointing this out now. >> >> On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 5:06 PM, Brian Munyao Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com >> > wrote: >> >> Hi all, >> >> Just received this. Apparently she has formally been propagating >> lies about being on the ICANN board etc.... and even put up >> counterfiet letters on her website - this verges on criminal! What >> is her interest? >> >> Brian >> >> ------------------------ >> >> Brian, >> >> here is some info for you.. she constructed this whole thing on >> lies. you can judge for yourself. I did not want to spam all but I >> sent this to a few key people. check this: >> >> - there is no African Union Authority!!!! do you really believe >> that the Chairman of the AU Commission will have claimed to write >> on behalf of a non existent authority and give her a letter in that >> sense? so maybe she should explain to people why she has a 'weird' >> letter on her website. Check her website and you will see. >> >> - here is an email that tells you how she lies! she actually took >> me to the ombudsman at ICANN in 2007, complaining that I was >> preventing her from doing dot africa, copied the whole board at the >> time --- all her claims were immediately dismissed when I sent the >> letters and emails to the ombudsman, of the same caliber as the >> below that she had been sending to regional organisations and >> bodies. My fault was to have written to all organisations, as the >> Regional Liaison, to dismiss her claims of ICANN endorsement of dot >> africa and her being on the board. >> >> - she keeps saying ICANN is endorsing dot africa! how can ICANN >> endorse a TLD?? how can ICANN be judge and party???? she is >> supposed to have been at the GNSO council and ICANN and understand >> what she is talking about!!!! she has been in the ICANN process for >> the past 5 years and still has no idea how all this functions. >> >> I let you judge. The woman does not have her wits together I think. >> >> Cheers >> >> Sophia Bekele <sophiabekele(a)yahoo.com> >> >> 30/08/2006 01:48 PM >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Subject >> >> Re: >> >> >> >> >> >> >> Hello <name removed>, >> >> I hope your vacation is going well. As per discussion, I thought I >> would convey someof what is on my plate that may be of mutual >> interest. >> >> Presently, other than my private projects/business interests, I >> also serve on the board of ICANN, the international internet >> governance organization. At this stage, I have outlined few >> projects in addition to an initiative that could quickly put under >> incubation. Any or all of these could serve as a basis for mutual >> collaboration. >> >> Generally speaking the projects span ICT, public sector governance, >> regional integration, internet governance etc.. >> >> The priority project I mentioned to UN Undersecretary General was >> that of dot.africa (.Africa) which he expressed great interest. >> Thus, there will be a need to synergize and align strategies of >> possible project collaboration. >> >> Dot.Africa is an initiative supported by ICANN, that aims at >> unifying and consolidating the African Information Society and >> presence within the Internet as distinct from other Continental >> communities. As such, there now exists dot.EU (.EU), dot.Asia. >> (.ASIA) and dot.LatinAmerica (.LA) as similar ongoing initiatives. >> The present paradigm is to halt Africans marginalization in this >> age of globalization. This is actually one of the goals of NEPAD, >> which of course is an initiative that is already endorsed b the >> UN. There are no prices for guessing what would happen if >> dot.Africa is not also initiated and implemented at the same time >> that other Continental communities on the net have been put in >> place. >> >> To get this of the ground, it appears from the experiences of the >> others, a minimum of 13 countries in Africawould have to come on >> board. The endorsement for UNECA would of course be helpful. >> This initiative would require a proposal to be distributed to the >> potential participating countries. UNECA’s help would be crucial >> in communicating who might wish to participate. Countries that ha >> ve already have ongoing National policies that relate ICT as a str >> ategic tool for National development would be the primary candidat >> es. Being something that would turn into a Continental initiativ >> e, it is rewarding at best for the UNECA to play an active role in >> this initial stage. >> >> As an African representative on ICANN board, I have taken the >> initiative to coordinate and see the successful implementation of >> the project. I believe therefore, we should have a meeting to >> progress this further. I suggest we meet ASAP to get this moving, >> as time is of essence to the extent that the application for the >> domain name must be submitted before January 2007. >> >> However due to our travel schedules, we should arrange a >> teleconference meeting that is mutually convenient for all within >> the next two weeks. >> >> Regards, >> Sophia >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: njenga.mkenya(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/njenga.mkenya%40gmail.… >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: solo.mburu(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/solo.mburu%40gmail.com >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau >> >> ***************************************************** >> 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 ignominy of ambiguous >> generosity! >> >> http://smiley2.wordpress.com >> http://mburu.sikika.co.ke >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -----Inline Attachment Follows----- >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail… >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Barrack O. Otieno >> +41767892272 >> Skype: barrack.otieno >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: njeri.rionge(a)igniteconsulting.co.ke >> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/njeri.rionge%40ignitec… > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com > > > > > -- > Brian Munyao Longwe > e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com > cell: + 254 722 518 744 > blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com > meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Kenya ranked as one of the best countries in the world
by Alice Munyua 05 Sep '10

05 Sep '10

*http://home.co.ke/index.php/arts-and-culture/culture/127-culture/425--kenya-ranked-as-one-of-the-best-countries-in-the-world (from Access Kenya) For all y'all who'd packed your bags and were leaving for other countries, here's some news that may give you pause ... * A survey carried out by American periodical, Newsweek, has ranked Kenya as the best country in East Africa, fourth in sub-Saharan Africa, (after Botswana, South Africa and Ghana), and 87th worldwide. The ranking was out of 100 countries and five categories of national well being --- education, health, political environment, economic dynamism and quality of life --- were used to deduce the ranking. Although Newsweek says that their study is not 'perfect', it does give a good idea of how countries are performing around the world. According to Newsweek, the best country in the world is Finland, followed by Switzerland, Sweden and Australia. The USA and UK were ranked 11th and 14th respectively. Out of about 193 countries in the world (the number varies depending on who is doing the counting), numbers 80, 82, 86 and 87 went to Botswana, SA, Ghana and Kenya. North African countries, categorised differently, seemed to rank on average better than sub-Saharan countries. Egypt, for instance, was ranked 74. Tunisia and Morocco were 65 and 67 respectively. I was surprised to find that Rwanda was not mentioned at all in the top 100. And our oga brothers (Nigeria) came in at 99. Countries with smaller populations seemed to rank higher than those with big populations. Of the top 10 best countries, seven have small populations of less than 20 million people and they each enjoy a high per capita income of more than $12,000 per year --- Sh967,000 per annum or Sh80,000 per month. /Compiled by Judy Mumo/ --

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ICT event planning and business information
by Andrea Bohnstedt 05 Sep '10

05 Sep '10

Hey lovely people, I have noticed that there's a whole gaggle of ICT events next week, with several overlapping ones, which is really a pity - they all sound interesting. So I thought I'd quickly flag the Business Diary on Ratio Magazine, the online business magazine that I publish: http://www.ratio-magazine.com/Business-Diary/ On this page, you can list your business event (conference, training, seminar, trade fair) for free - just email us the details. We're in the process of changing it to the same format as the career pages ( http://www.ratio-magazine.com/careers/index.php) so that you can search for specific countries and industries, and even set email alerts for e.g. ICT events. Obviously this is not an event co-ordinating service, but the more information we have, the easier it will be to check out quickly who's doing what when, and avoid overlaps. ) And speaking of careers: if you're recruiting, send us the job ad. Regular listings are free, and 'featured jobs' are a kidogo bit of money. On that (self-marketing) note, have a good weekend! :) Andrea -- Andrea Bohnstedt Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com

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Secure ICT 2010 Conference- Change of Date
by Evans Kahuthu 04 Sep '10

04 Sep '10

Dear Listers, On behalf of the Secure ICT 2010 Conference committee, I would like to inform you that we have received a lot of requests from our 2010 conference participants to move the conference date. In addition, the muslim holiday of Eid ul-fitr might be on thursday or friday, which unfortunately thursday is one of the conference day. To this end, the new date is october 5-6, 2010 at the same venue. We are very sorry for the inconvinience. For more information regarding the conference, kindly visit http://secureict.co.ke Sincerely, Evans Kahuthu

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Fwd: [eaigfplanning] 2010 EAIGF draft report
by Alice Munyua 03 Sep '10

03 Sep '10

Dear all, FYI First draft of the 3rd EA-IGF is now online. See links below. best alice -------- Original Message -------- Subject: [eaigfplanning] 2010 EAIGF draft report Date: Fri, 3 Sep 2010 01:42:20 -0700 (PDT) From: Lillian Nalwoga <lnalwoga(a)yahoo.com> To: alice(a)apc.org CC: eaigfplanning(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke, wiu-forum(a)wougnet.org Dear members, I am pleased to announce the first draft East African Internet Governance Forum report is now available for public online at http://eaigf.or.ke/files/EAIGF_2010_Report.pdf . The 3rd EAIGF took place at Imperial Royale, Kampala on 11 - 13 August 2010. The report will also be presented the 5th UN-IGF taking place on 14 - 17 September 2010 in Vilnius, Lithuania. Best regards, Lillian Nalwoga

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Oracle Experts Needed ASAP
by Martin Njuguna-Digital Vision 03 Sep '10

03 Sep '10

Dear Listers, We need Oracle certified experts with the following qualifications with immediate effect Oracle certified professional Hands on experience in a busy environment(Oracle PL SQL scripting) Linux/UNix essentials A degree in computer science or equivalent Successful candidate will be given a 3 month contract immediately. If you are the person and you are willing to start immediately, kindly submit your cv to martin(a)digitalvision.co.ke<h/1k4a6myebmo6z/?v=b&cs=wh&to=martin(a)digitalvision.co.ke>-with the title Oracle Consultant Awaiting your cvs Martin S. Njuguna Digital Vision EA Limited http://bit.ly/c6ItdF c:+254 721 440 543 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +254 721 440 543 end_of_the_skype_highlighting t:+254 20 21 33 865 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting +254 20 21 33 865 end_of_the_skype_highlighting e:martin@digitalvision.co.ke<h/1k4a6myebmo6z/?v=b&cs=wh&to=e%3Amartin(a)digitalvision.co.ke> w: http://www.digitalvision.co.ke Skype: digitalv.ke Martin S. Njuguna Digital Vision EA Limited http://bit.ly/c6ItdF c:+254 721 440 543 t:+254 20 21 33 865 e:martin@digitalvision.co.ke <e%3Amartin(a)digitalvision.co.ke> w: http://www.digitalvision.co.ke Skype: digitalv.ke

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Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems??
by Odhiambo Washington 03 Sep '10

03 Sep '10

Last evening I loaded KES 2,300 worth of credit on a Safaricom data line (0720 332211) and sent an sms to 446 to purchase a 300MB bundle. With their br0ken systems (the whole of yesterday) they could not allocate me the bundle immediately, even though they promptly deducted the KES 999. Because I could not get the confirmation of bundle allocation (CS kept telling me to wait for 20, 30, N minutes for the confirmation to come) I decided to just plugin the SIM card and use it, hoping the bundle had been allocated but only the confirmation sms was delayed. I ended up using KES 800 of my balance airtime after they deducted the KES 999 (instead of the bundle!!) and I got to know that only today when I called CS and they gave me the shocking news - you have only KES 500-and-something airtime on that line!! The whole of yesterday their system was broken down. I suffered the same during the day. I loaded 2500 on a different number and sent "activate" to 448 for a 1GB Bundle. I could not get the confirmation after about 10 minutes and called CS, who told me that they were experiencing problems and I should wait for about 2 hours. I had to buy 500 and top up and just use it like that without purchasing a bundle, while waiting for the 2+ hours... Is there a way for redress with Safaricom? They've literally stolen from me, by deducting my KES 999 and not allocating me the bundle "within the required time" (or isn't there something like this?), making me to use my reserved airtime instead! There must be better ways of dealing with this from Safaricom, or any other provider for that matter. It is simply not acceptable, and I do feel that when I buy a commodity (like the bundle) I should get it immediately, unless there is a condition that stipulates that the provider is at liberty to decide when to give it to me. I also believe that it's the obligation of the provider to notify me when they have a problem that would affect the services I buy from them. Safaricom, I want my money back, as small as it is! -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "If you have nothing good to say about someone, just shut up!." -- Lucky Dube -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "If you have nothing good to say about someone, just shut up!." -- Lucky Dube

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Suggestions for New Ministries Structure
by waudo siganga 02 Sep '10

02 Sep '10

Dear Colleagues, The New Constitution proposes a maximum number of 22 GoK ministries and the private Sector is being asked for suggestions on how the present 42 ministries could be merged to form 22 or less. What suggestions can we have for the ICT domicile? Kind Regards, Waudo

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Fwd: [AfriNIC-announce] AfriNIC-13 Online Registration Open
by Adiel A. Akplogan 02 Sep '10

02 Sep '10

FYI Begin forwarded message: > From: Diane Nuteau <diane(a)afrinic.net> > Date: September 1, 2010 17:33:35 PM GMT+04:00 > To: announce(a)afrinic.net > Cc: AfriNIC Meeting Co-ordination <meeting-coord(a)afrinic.net> > Subject: [AfriNIC-announce] AfriNIC-13 Online Registration Open > > Dear Colleagues, > > We are pleased to announce that the online registration for the > AfriNIC-13 > meeting, which will be held from 20-26 November 2010 in > Johannesburg, is now > open. You can register online up to 15 November 2010 at: > > For first time registration - > http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-13/index.php/register/first-time-registr… > > For returning participants - > http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-13/index.php/register/returning-particip… > > Registration for our meeting is free of charge. > > For more information about the meeting you can visit the meeting web > site at: > > http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-13 > > Information about accommodation and the venue will be posted on the > web site > soon and we will also let you know once it is done. > > Thank you and looking forward seeing you in Johannesburg. > > AfriNIC Meeting Team > _______________________________________________ > announce mailing list > announce(a)afrinic.net > https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/announce

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Secure ICT 2010 Conference- 7 Days to go!
by Evans Kahuthu 01 Sep '10

01 Sep '10

Dear Listers, Greetings from Secure ICT 2010 Conference committee. It is our pleasure to update you that the provisional agenda for the 2nd annual Information Communication Technology & Network Security Conference is available online at http://secureict.co.ke/agenda.aspx If you have not registered for the conference, its not too late. Simply register online at http://secureict.co.ke/registration.aspx Please remember to bring your business cards for networking with your peers. We look forward to seeing you at The PanAfric Hotel, Nairobi on sept 8-9, 2010. If you have any questions or need clarification, do not hesitate to contact the undersigned. Regards, Evans Kahuthu, Secure ICT 2010 Conference Coordinator, phone: +254-710649304, +254-202188830

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Suggestions for New Ministries Structure
by waudo siganga 01 Sep '10

01 Sep '10

Dear Colleagues, The New Constitution proposes a maximum number of 22 GoK ministries and the private Sector is being asked for suggestions on how the present 42 ministries could be merged to form 22 or less. What suggestions can we have for the ICT domicile? Kind Regards, Waudo

1 0

Suggestions for New Ministries Structure
by waudo siganga 01 Sep '10

01 Sep '10

Dear Colleagues, The New Constitution proposes a maximum number of 22 GoK ministries and the private Sector is being asked for suggestions on how the present 42 ministries could be merged to form 22 or less. What suggestions can we have for the ICT domicile? Kind Regards, Waudo

1 0

Suggestions for New Ministries Structure
by waudo siganga 01 Sep '10

01 Sep '10

Dear Colleagues, The New Constitution proposes a maximum number of 22 GoK ministries and the private Sector is being asked for suggestions on how the present 42 ministries could be merged to form 22 or less. What suggestions can we have for the ICT domicile? Kind Regards, Waudo

1 0

Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Zain Kenya makes another move
by Wainaina Mungai 30 Aug '10

30 Aug '10

This is a very aggressive and most likely, a huge loss-making move in the short-run. I hope Zain has a well crafted (*sustainable*) longterm strategy. If they are simply 'playing politics' against a 78% market leader (Safaricom), then they will eventually price their way out of the Kenyan market. Kencell losses *>>>* Celtel losses *>>> *Zain losses *>>> *AirTel losses *>>> oblivion (or market leadership)* My opinion is not influenced by my 'Safaricom shareholder/MPESA user' status ;-) Wainaina On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 11:43 AM, Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: > BY MICHAEL KARANJA > Updated 13 minutes ago > > NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 30 - Mobile telephony operator Zain Kenya has > introduced Sh5 and Sh10 denomination airtime vouchers as it steps up > its efforts to capture the mass market. > > The introduction of the new vouchers is seen as a move to make the > operator more accessible to the low-end market after a change in > strategy following the entry of its new shareholders, Bharti Airtel. > > Zain Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza said the move is aimed at > complementing its recent 50 percent reduction of call charges. > > “We are offering a wide range of scratch card denominations to suit > the needs of all individuals. Access to telecommunication services is > no longer a luxury but an integral part of each Kenyan’s > socio-economic needs,” Mr Meza said. > > .... > > Read more: > http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/Kenyabusiness/Zain-Kenya-makes-another-… > Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers >

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Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Zain Kenya makes another move
by Wainaina Mungai 30 Aug '10

30 Aug '10

I like the comparisons here. Safaricom's success lies in the sustainable BoP focused strategy they rolled-out awhile back; so does Equity's success. Zain's strategy should therefore be a calculated shift from elitist to a BoP focus...not a simple anti-Safaricom or "Vuka" campaign. Wainaina On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 2:11 PM, Johnstone Ole Turana < jturana(a)ke.nationmedia.com> wrote: > Economics aside, the ongoing price wars mirrors the yesteryears customer > battle between Equity Bank and the other banks. When Equity entered into > conventional banking, it broke down all the entry barriers- ‘free account’, > no charges for account maintenance (we all can recall the punitive minimum > balance extortion), and banking the mwananchi. Big banks fought this and > gave Equity one year or so-after all banking was high cost, high end game > not for the villages with erratic income. Few years down the road the > others have abandoned the exclusivity banking and embraced the Bottom of the > Pyramid (BoP) customer. > > At least now I know for sure I can call and have a decent chat, cross the > t’s and dot the i’s which is good for my provider. > > > > Cheers > > Ole Turana > > > > *From:* ke-internetusers-bounces(a)bdix.net [mailto: > ke-internetusers-bounces(a)bdix.net] *On Behalf Of *Solomon Mburu Kamau > *Sent:* Monday, August 30, 2010 1:58 PM > *To:* Sam Gatere > *Cc:* ke-users; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Zain Kenya makes another move > > > > I always find ot interesting to see people always giving pessimistic views > on an investment. I'm not a shareholder of either Safaricom or Zain, but > find this trend welcome. Zain(Airtel) will make losses in the first round, > but then, let's wait and see what they want to offer to the Kenyan market, > as long as the consumer is the winner. > I don't think the consumer is worried about the losses Zain made, but > he/she wants to communicate using the most affordable pricing in the market. > The rest, to him, are just politics of the corporate world. > > Me thinks > > On 30 August 2010 13:37, Sam Gatere <sam.gatere(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Moaning about safaricom could be one of the strategies employed here... but > we have to give a little grace to the dominant player where dealing with 15 > million plus clients is no easy task! However it would also be important to > look at the difference in mind set between Western Investors and those from > the East. The former (West) have no problems making 10 bob profit per call > while their counterparts seem not to mind making 50 cents! We also need to > look at this whole price war from a birds eye view before narrowing down to > Kenya. Airtel has 15 networks across the continent while Safaricom is only > in Kenya. Should Airtel make Nairobi their Africa hub (of which I think it > is) they will definitely up their game in by investing more to make their HQ > a profitable one. Possibly We will see this war move on to the Data arena in > not to long. > > > > Sammy. > > > > > > > > On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 12:50 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt < > andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> wrote: > > That's really the key issue, isn't it? They won't make money anytime soon > - there's the low rates, but also the fact that they'll have to invest > heavily in network and systems. Easy to moan about Safcom's customers > service - but they manage 16m clients. I'm curious to see if Zain will grow > their customer service at the same speed to accommodate all those new > subscribers. > > I also suspect that it'll be mostly very very price sensitive people who > will change - again not the clientele that will earn the company much money. > > > In 2008, when Zain had the Vuka tariff (KES8 on and off net, if I remember > correctly), the company made nearly USD90m losses. Last year, USD46m losses. > > > I found Mickael Ghossein's statement that 'the market is in a mess' quite > telling. I suspect in this battle of the elephants, Orange and Yu are in > most peril - which could easily contract the market again where subscribers > have less choice. > > Full disclosure: I'm a client with both big companies. There's only so much > a girl can put into her handbag. > > On 30 August 2010 12:31, Wainaina Mungai <wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org> wrote: > > This is a very aggressive and most likely, a huge loss-making move in the > short-run. I hope Zain has a well crafted (*sustainable*) longterm > strategy. > > > > If they are simply 'playing politics' against a 78% market leader > (Safaricom), then they will eventually price their way out of the Kenyan > market. > > > > Kencell losses *>>>* Celtel losses *>>> *Zain losses *>>> *AirTel losses > *>>> oblivion (or market leadership)* > > > > My opinion is not influenced by my 'Safaricom shareholder/MPESA user' > status ;-) > > > > Wainaina > > On Mon, Aug 30, 2010 at 11:43 AM, Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > BY MICHAEL KARANJA > Updated 13 minutes ago > > NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 30 - Mobile telephony operator Zain Kenya has > introduced Sh5 and Sh10 denomination airtime vouchers as it steps up > its efforts to capture the mass market. > > The introduction of the new vouchers is seen as a move to make the > operator more accessible to the low-end market after a change in > strategy following the entry of its new shareholders, Bharti Airtel. > > Zain Kenya Managing Director Rene Meza said the move is aimed at > complementing its recent 50 percent reduction of call charges. > > “We are offering a wide range of scratch card denominations to suit > the needs of all individuals. Access to telecommunication services is > no longer a luxury but an integral part of each Kenyan’s > socio-economic needs,” Mr Meza said. > > .... > > Read more: > http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/Kenyabusiness/Zain-Kenya-makes-another-… > Under Creative Commons License: Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > > > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/andrea.bohnstedt%40rat… > > > > > -- > Andrea Bohnstedt > Publisher > +254 720 960 322 > www.ratio-magazine.com > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: sam.gatere(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/sam.gatere%40gmail.com > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: solo.mburu(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/solo.mburu%40gmail.com > > > > > -- > *Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau* > > ***************************************************** > *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 ignominy of ambiguous > generosity! * > > http://smiley2.wordpress.com > http://mburu.sikika.co.ke > > > > > > DISCLAIMER: The information contained in or accompanying this e-mail is > intended for the use of the stated recipient only. It may contain > confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No > confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If > you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all > copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the > sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, > print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended > recipient. > > Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the author and > do not necessarily represent those of the *Nation Media Group*<http://www.nation.co.ke> > *.* > > To get all breaking news alerts send the word BREAK to 6667 or visit > http://mobile.nation.co.ke to read news on your mobile phone. > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > >

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Innovation Policy
by Barrack Otieno 30 Aug '10

30 Aug '10

Dear Listers, Just wondering, in light of our evolving information society do we have such a policy in place. If so what does it say with regard to ICTs and innovation and who are the key stakeholders? -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Searchable List Archives
by Odhiambo Washington 28 Aug '10

28 Aug '10

Hello Members, It is now possible to do a search (using keyword(s)) on ALL the lists hosted by KICTANet. This search facility is not as advanced but serves the purpose. List archives are accessible from a link which appears as a footer on the e-mails you receive from the list (to which you are subscribed), but is typically http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/LISTNAME/, e.g. http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/pipermail/kictanet/ Some list archives are restricted to membership only, so you may not access them unless you are a member of that list and has an e-mail address/password combo to access them. -- Best regards, List Administration

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Mobile Innovation Workshop - Nairobi.
by Muchiri Nyaggah 27 Aug '10

27 Aug '10

Hi Listers. On September 4th, 2010, Semacraft is hosting a workshop on 'How to Innovate Mobile Services for the Bottom of the Pyramid'. Facilitated by Niti Bhan from the Aalto University Design Factory (http://aaltodesignfactory.fi <http://aaltodesignfactory.fi/> ), the focus of the workshop will be on equipping participants with the understanding on market segmentation at the bottom of the pyramid (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bottom_of_the_pyramid) and how to innovatively develop services on the mobile platform for this space. You can book your place at http://www.bookwhen.com/semacraft Spread the word and see you there. Kind regards, Muchiri Nyaggah Director @muchiri +254 722 506400 Semacraft.com

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Fwd: [i-network] Zain Kenya Crying Foul at Safaricom
by Barrack Otieno 27 Aug '10

27 Aug '10

Listers I found this discussion interesting, interesting opinions from our brothers across the borders. Kind Regards ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Timothy Kabaza <tkabaza(a)gmail.com> Date: Fri, Aug 27, 2010 at 9:57 AM Subject: [i-network] Zain Kenya Crying Foul at Safaricom To: I-Network Uganda <i-network(a)dgroups.org> Badru, agreed from a purely free and competitive market environment. But it has never happened before anywhere in the world or in any industry? Why? Remember (Prof Micheal) Porter's five forces of competition 1. * Existing competitive rivalry between suppliers* 2. *Threat of new market entrants* 3. * Bargaining power of buyers* 4. * Power of suppliers* 5. * Threat of substitute products (including technology change)* here in our region, the biggest distortion of competition is #4, the power of suppliers (operators), not # 1 because of the oligopolistic/cartel tendencies. Hence my view that the regulators step in to protect the consumers. i am not advocating that the regulators protect the suppliers , NO, but to protect us, the consumers against the power of the suppliers. The last time the market was left to the power of suppliers with a 'self regulating' regime ( at most with minimum regulation), we ended up with the global financial collapse - (we are still suffering from the same and we should expect further failures, bail outs notwithstanding!). Tim On 24 August 2010 14:24, Badru Ntege <ntegeb(a)one2net.co.ug> wrote: > Tim > > There's two schools of thought here in a market environment the best > performer wins and takes the lion share. However it seems that when this > happens we then call for big brother the regulator to come help the none > performers. I think that is a wrong way towards building a sustainable > industry. Those players who cannot handle should seek partners who can help > them build a competitive business as opposed to hoping that the regulator > will always help them out. > > Regards > > Badru > > Sent from my® smartphone > ------------------------------ > *From: * "Timothy Kabaza" <tkabaza(a)gmail.com> > *Date: *24 Aug 2010 11:58:30 +0200 > *To: *I-Network Uganda<i-network(a)dgroups.org> > *ReplyTo: * "I-Network Uganda" <i-network(a)dgroups.org> > *Subject: *[i-network] Zain Kenya Crying Foul at Safaricom > > Precisely! > > Remember what I contributed about interconnection charges and the resultant > tariffs? I am of the view that regulators should take a strong stand in the > interest of the users and pro-actively address the issue of tariffs across > board. Perhaps the EAC Secretariat should include communication tariffs on > the custom union agenda. > > Tim > > On 20 August 2010 06:48, Kiiza Edgar <edgar212516(a)googlemail.com> wrote: > >> ** >> Zain accuses Safaricom of blocking calls >> *In Summary* >> >> *What CCK says on competition* >> >> · Commission says a competition study by PricewaterhouseCoopers will >> enable it identify the dominant companies, their price structure. >> Commission to apply a price cap on off-net tariffs >> >> · It costs Sh0.01 to terminate SMS on mobile and fixed networks but the >> operators charge up to Sh3.50. The lowest is Sh2 per SMS. >> >> A mobile phone company on Thursday sensationally accused its competitor of >> sabotaging its customers’ calls as a business war looms in the industry. >> >> Zain, which cut its calling charges by half on Wednesday, accused >> Safaricom of blocking its subscribers from calling the market leader’s >> numbers. >> >> The accusations came on the day the regulator announced a cut in the >> charges operators levy each other for calls across networks, setting the >> stage for cheaper calls. >> >> Now networks can only charge each other Sh2.21 a minute for calls and >> Sh0.01 for an SMS. Zain has already taken advantage and cut its calling >> rates to Sh3 and SMS to Sh1. >> >> But the company on Thursday said its subscribers were having problems >> making calls to Safaricom, because the bigger company was limiting the >> access of Zain callers into its network. >> >> In a complaint to the Communications Commission of Kenya, Zain claimed >> Safaricom was “abusing dominance” and asked CCK to intervene. >> >> “Our customers are experiencing congestion and call set-up issues when >> they call Safaricom and not when calling Zain. This is purely for the simple >> reason that our main competitor has been delaying the capacity increase >> request from our side to accommodate the incremental traffic coming from us >> after we launched our new offer in the market,” said Zain Kenya managing >> director, Mr Rene Meza. >> >> Safaricom dismissed Zain’s claims and instead accused its competitor of >> poor planning. Chief executive officer Michael Joseph said: “We feel that >> their request to the CCK to declare Safaricom dominant so soon after the >> launch of their new tariff is insincere, particularly as it was the result >> of poor planning on their side.” >> >> He added: “We have always been courteous to Zain, even to the extent of >> accommodating them when they were unable to clear the significant debt that >> they owed us. This notwithstanding, we shall continue to cooperate with them >> as guided by the inter-connect agreement and other industry rules. We invite >> them to engage us within those parameters.” >> >> Mr Joseph said Zain ‘’is fully aware of the procedures that all operators >> must adhere to when seeking to increase their inter-connect traffic >> capacity. Under the agreement the inter-connect pipe belongs to them and >> they should have upgraded it long before yesterday to accommodate their >> changed tariff plan.” >> >> The Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek), welcomed the drop in charges >> but asked CCK to ensure fair play in the sector. ‘‘We do hope that >> competition among service providers shall remain decent, honest and >> objective,’’ Cofek said in a statement signed by programme officer Calvin >> Otieno. >> >> The organisation also asked CCK to tackle the issue of low speeds and high >> charges for internet long after all major fibre optic cables landed in >> Kenya. CCK director-general Charles Njoroge said Zain’s allegations would be >> investigated. >> >> “We shall look into the complaints. We know there could be challenges when >> the traffic is changing patterns and the important thing is to investigate >> and once we have answers we shall be able to take corrective measures to >> ensure whatever is happening is corrected,” he said. >> >> Mr Njoroge, speaking at CCK offices, said as the market opens up there >> will be alignment in terms of efficiency, and operators should co-operate to >> ensure there is access because the interconnection agreements demand they >> facilitate seamless interconnection. >> >> He said CCK had noted the wide difference between what operators charge >> customers to make calls within their networks and to competing networks and >> how this was being used by the large operators to block competition. The big >> companies were creating a “club effect” by using interconnection charges to >> discourage their customers from calling other networks. >> >> “This pricing mindset is offensive to competition as it entrenches tariff >> imbalances in favour of large operators and makes other networks net payers >> to large networks,” he said. Mr Njoroge said the issue of dominance will be >> comprehensively dealt with through a report to be released soon. >> >> He said the interconnection charges could have gone down to Sh0.99 but CCK >> said this would disrupt business plans of the operators. The Sh2.21 had >> factored the return on investment, but added that the benefits must be >> passed to the consumers. >> >> “We need to move to the second step. We have initiated a process, and have >> regulations and once we declare (a company) dominant and it is seen that the >> company is abusing the dominance we shall come in and put a cap to regulate >> the retail (prices),” Mr Njoroge said. >> >> He said they had a competition study by PricewaterhouseCoopers which will >> enable them identify the dominant companies, their price structure and know >> if there is an abuse of the market. He said in order to remedy the >> competition problem at the retail fixed and mobile voice markets, the >> commission intends to apply a price cap on the off-net tariffs >> >> Visit the I-Network website - www.i-network.or.ug Follow I-Network on >> Twitter: http://twitter.com/inetwork The I-Network Dgroup is a platform >> for ICT Knowledge Sharing >> >> ------------------------------ >> >> Visit web site <http://d2.dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/> >> Click here <leave.i-network(a)dgroups.org> to unsubscribe >> The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners of the Dgroups >> cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email message. >> > > > Visit the I-Network website - www.i-network.or.ug Follow I-Network on > Twitter: http://twitter.com/inetwork The I-Network Dgroup is a platform > for ICT Knowledge Sharing > > ------------------------------ > > Visit web site <http://d2.dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/> > Click here <leave.i-network(a)dgroups.org> to unsubscribe > The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners of the Dgroups > cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email message. > > Visit the I-Network website - www.i-network.or.ug Follow I-Network on > Twitter: http://twitter.com/inetwork The I-Network Dgroup is a platform > for ICT Knowledge Sharing > > ------------------------------ > > Visit web site <http://d2.dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/> > Click here <leave.i-network(a)dgroups.org> to unsubscribe > The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners of the Dgroups > cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email message. > Visit the I-Network website - www.i-network.or.ug Follow I-Network on Twitter: http://twitter.com/inetwork The I-Network Dgroup is a platform for ICT Knowledge Sharing ------------------------------ Visit web site <http://d2.dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/> Click here <leave.i-network(a)dgroups.org> to unsubscribe The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners of the Dgroups cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email message. -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Re: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems??
by cliff＠acwsp.com 26 Aug '10

26 Aug '10

MJ, May I also draw your attention to my personal experience that the CC could not assist. On june 10th, I sent an sms to a number in China but it bounce back with an error- 'Failled by service'. I had to try 3 times before the sms was sent. Instinctly, I checked my balance coz I had just loaded airtime, I had been charge for all the sms. I checked with the guy on yahoo chat I was sending the sms if he received all the 3 so that I can offer an apology, he confirmed receiving only one. I called CC for a refund, I was told once the sms leaves my phone, its charged whether delivered or not. It happen again on 16th July when sending sms on the same number and the response from CC was the same! Honestly, why should customers be charged for a service never delivered? Kind regards, Cliff > -------- Original Message -------- > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken > systems?? > From: Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo(a)gmail.com> > Date: Thu, August 26, 2010 2:37 am > To: cliff(a)acwsp.com > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > > > > On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:45 AM, Brian Munyao Longwe wrote: > > > Hi Washington, > > On Thu, Aug 26, 2010 at 10:39 AM, Odhiambo Washington wrote: > > > > > Hi Brian, > > I beg to disagree with your supposition that these are "mundane and rather trivial issues". Safaricom does not sell vegetables at Gikomba, nor Mandazi at Kibera. This is their core business and if anything goes wrong with these, as one Harry Truman, put it decades ago, the buck stops with one, Michael Joseph! > > > > > > PS: MJ - Thank you so much for taking up this issue. > > > > > > > Both you and I have run online service operations - these kind of issues do *not* need the CEO to spend his time on - unless things have deteriorated to abyssmal levels. > > > > Nevertheless his attention is much appreciated. > > > > > I am happy to report that after MJ's intervention, Safaricom has "indemnified" me on the case(s) that I complained about. To be precise, I got refunds for the amounts used "out-of-bundle" when their systems delayed in allocating me the bundles I had purchased. > > > I'd also like to publicly acknowledge their apologies, received from Muthoni Karimi and Jack Siperia. > � > I feel much better now, as a Safaricom customer, because I have been treated right, thanks to MJ. > > > > > -- > Best regards, > Odhiambo WASHINGTON, > Nairobi,KE > +254733744121/+254722743223 > _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ > "If you have nothing good to say about someone, just shut up!." > > � � � � � � � � -- Lucky Dube > > --------------------------------------------------------------------- > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: cliff(a)acwsp.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/cliff%40acwsp.com >

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Re: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems??
by muliaro＠yahoo.com 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

It depends on how you define quality. take a system perspective and customer care would be reduced to one of the dimensions of quality. This aside, the point is- CCK has the responsibility of ensuaring that licensed companies like safaricom deliver within the acceptable limits thus protecting consumers. Dr Muliaro Wafula Sent from my Nokia phone -----Original Message----- From: McTim Sent: 25/08/2010 11:02:00 pm To: muliaro(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems?? Hi, On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 10:18 PM, muliaro(a)yahoo.com <muliaro(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > This is Quality of Service issue. To be precise, this is a customer service issue, not a QoS issue. Most people mistakenly use the term incorrectly. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quality_of_service -- 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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Re: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems??
by muliaro＠yahoo.com 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

This is Quality of Service issue. It is CCK that needs to handle such complains. any body from CCK to take on this issue? Soon CCK will be overwelmed with more ICT actors attempting innovative ways to stay ahead of there competitors at the expense of regulations. Dr Muliaro Wafula Sent from my Nokia phone -----Original Message----- From: ESTHER MUCHIRI Sent: 25/08/2010 4:34:23 pm To: muliaro(a)yahoo.com Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions' Subject: Re: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems?? Hmm - is someone from Safaricom looking into these matters? It is really frustrating waiting for the bundles and getting none.. Or being told you have received 300MB and it evaporates in a day or two with limited use! ===================== "The future belongs to those who believe the beauty of their dreams.". -- Eleanor Roosevelt From: kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+emuchiri=andestbites.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Brian Munyao Longwe Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 3:24 PM To: emuchiri(a)andestbites.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems?? I had similar experience last week with the 500sh bundle - it took almost 12 hours to activate and in the meantime about 400 sh of my airtime was chewed by the off-bundle rate... Brian On Wed, Aug 25, 2010 at 3:08 PM, Harry Karanja <kairo(a)softlaw.co.ke> wrote: Washington, I share your frustration. I experienced the same thing albeit with smaller amounts. When I called CS I was told that it could take up to 48 Hours for the bundle to be loaded, and no they could not refund the airtime. I was forced to purchase more airtime and use the KES. 8 out-of-bundle charges. To date I am not sure whether the bundle was ever allocated. Harry Karanja n Director n SoftLaw Limited n Genius Executive Centre n 15th Floor View Park Towers n Utalii Lane n Nairobi CBD n Tel: +254 20 342 225 From: kictanet-bounces+kairo=softlaw.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+kairo <mailto:kictanet-bounces%2Bkairo> =softlaw.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Odhiambo Washington Sent: Wednesday, August 25, 2010 2:22 PM To: kairo(a)softlaw.co.ke Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] Deteriorating Safaricom or simply broken systems?? Last evening I loaded KES 2,300 worth of credit on a Safaricom data line (0720 332211) and sent an sms to 446 to purchase a 300MB bundle. With their br0ken systems (the whole of yesterday) they could not allocate me the bundle immediately, even though they promptly deducted the KES 999. Because I could not get the confirmation of bundle allocation (CS kept telling me to wait for 20, 30, N minutes for the confirmation to come) I decided to just plugin the SIM card and use it, hoping the bundle had been allocated but only the confirmation sms was delayed. I ended up using KES 800 of my balance airtime after they deducted the KES 999 (instead of the bundle!!) and I got to know that only today when I called CS and they gave me the shocking news - you have only KES 500-and-something airtime on that line!! The whole of yesterday their system was broken down. I suffered the same during the day. I loaded 2500 on a different number and sent "activate" to 448 for a 1GB Bundle. I could not get the confirmation after about 10 minutes and called CS, who told me that they were experiencing problems and I should wait for about 2 hours. I had to buy 500 and top up and just use it like that without purchasing a bundle, while waiting for the 2+ hours... Is there a way for redress with Safaricom? They've literally stolen from me, by deducting my KES 999 and not allocating me the bundle "within the required time" (or isn't there something like this?), making me to use my reserved airtime instead! There must be better ways of dealing with this from Safaricom, or any other provider for that matter. It is simply not acceptable, and I do feel that when I buy a commodity (like the bundle) I should get it immediately, unless there is a condition that stipulates that the provider is at liberty to decide when to give it to me. I also believe that it's the obligation of the provider to notify me when they have a problem that would affect the services I buy from them. Safaricom, I want my money back, as small as it is! -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "If you have nothing good to say about someone, just shut up!." -- Lucky Dube -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ "If you have nothing good to say about someone, just shut up!." -- Lucky Dube _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Africa has 7 of top 10 safest web surfing nations
by Leonard Mware 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

Interesting article http://www.pcadvisor.co.uk/news/index.cfm?newsid=3236847 For once we can flaunt our 'safety' rating!

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Re: [kictanet] Pondering mobile competition
by Andrea Bohnstedt 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

The 'abuse' complaint was silly, I think: Zain's network was congested from day one of their tariff launch. I'm sure, very very sure, that telecoms professionals at both Zain and Bharti are, well, professional enough to anticipate the need to increase network capacity if they launch such an aggressive tariff. You've seen the fun little leaked exchange between Rene Meza and Michael Joseph - Zain approached Safaricom in the evening asking for capacity on the Safaricom-owned link, and Joseph promised to look into this in the morning. The interconnection agreement between both companies states that this protocol can take up to seven days, as far as I understand. http://www.ratio-magazine.com/201008203586/Kenya/News-Analysis-Telecoms-Pri… Either they could have just increased capacity before the launch, or, if they were worried about alerting Safaricom to this, then just suck up and tell customers that the network will be congested for another seven days. So for Zain to come out the next morning and shout about abuse is dishonest and a cheap marketing ploy that I think they really don't need. I'm a happy capitalist. Competition is a good thing, in Kenya as elsewhere. So I'd like them to compete on the strength of their services and concepts, not by overnight accusations of 'abuse'. Mind you, if Zain kill of Orange and Essar, we'll have a bit less competition in terms of numbers, but hey ... :) Happy phone calls, Andrea On 24 August 2010 14:34, Emmanuel Khisa <oloo.khisa(a)googlemail.com> wrote: > Hi Andreas, > > You have spoken for me on this one...I have also wondered since zain/bharti > lodged their complaint with CCK over clogged network, were they just playing > spoilt kid or do they have a valid claim? My opinion is that since they have > experienced an unanticipated rise in subscribers they didnt have the network > infrastructure to support these calls and so quickly blame the rival and > make them look bad. But then again maybe they have a valid case against the > boys in green. > Nonetheless the winner here is the consumer. Shall we safely say that we > have entered the third mobile revolution. > > > > > On Tue, Aug 24, 2010 at 1:56 PM, Andrea Bohnstedt < > andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> wrote: > >> I'm wondering: >> >> Will CCK strictly enforce the cut-off deadline for unregistered SIM cards >> at the end of August? Are Zain making sure that everyone picking up a new >> line also register them immediately? >> >> If price war is Zain's strategy, will they have enough money left to >> invest in infrastructure and customer service once their subscriber numbers >> go up significantly? Will they be able to scale up both systems quickly >> enough? >> >> Telkom Orange are cited in the media as complaining that the interconnect >> rate also applies to their fixed line service and that this is not even >> covering their costs ( >> http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Telkom%20unhappy%20with%20interlink%2…) >> I wonder if the two big ones having it out won't kill the two small ones >> first? >> >> Bharti/Zain have also launched free sms alongside lower on and off-net >> calling rates and free minutes in Nigeria: >> http://telecomyatra.afaqs.com/news/?sid=1652_Bharti+subsidiary+Zain+introdu… >> >> Happy afternoon, >> Andrea >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: oloo.khisa(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/oloo.khisa%40gmail.com >> >> > -- Andrea Bohnstedt Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com

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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 39, Issue 42
by ALEX OWITI 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

** * * *SAFARICOM UNVEILS NEW POSTPAY RATES* * * *August 24, 2010...*Safaricom’s PostPay customers can now call make calls at a flat rate of Sh3 per minute. This follows the launch of a new tariff plan for this category of subscribers by the country’s leading telecoms operator. The rates will apply for both on and off-net calls and will be applicable throughout. Per second billing applies on this tariff, which takes effect starting August 25 and is targeted at the firm’s PostPay, a key component of its 16 million-strong subscriber base. Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said the tariff was a way of thanking the firm’s PostPay subscribers for their loyalty and extending to them price concessions similar to what PrePay customers were enjoying. “Our PostPay customers are a huge reason for our success. We thank them for their custom and considerable spending on our network. We promise to remain responsive to their needs and promise them a number of incentives, going forward,” said Mr Joseph. Earlier in the day, Safaricom had announced a value-based PrePay tariff promotion whose main point was a Sh2 per minute calling rate on the purchase of certain air-time denominations, the lowest level in the market currently. *ENDS...* * * *About Safaricom...*Formed at the turn of the decade, Safaricom has firmly established its credentials as a regional leader, spawning a virtual telecoms revolution in Kenya. Safaricom is a total telecoms company. With a subscriber base of over 16 million, Safaricom offers all telecoms services under one roof: mobile and fixed voice and data services on a variety of platforms: Kenya’s widest and only 3G network; a growing fibre optic cable footprint and its most expansive WIMAX presence. For more details please go to: *http://www.safaricom.co.ke/* Alex. ** * * * * * * * *

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Safaricom personalizes mobile service Implements Nokia Siemens Networks’ subscriber data management platform
by ALEX OWITI 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

* * *Press Release* *Nairobi**, Kenya** – August 25, 2010* *Safaricom personalizes mobile service*** *Implements Nokia Siemens Networks’ subscriber data management platform * Leading Kenyan telecoms operator Safaricom will soon be able to offer new, personalized services to its subscribers. The operator is deploying Nokia Siemens Networks’ Subscriber Data Management (SDM) platform to pull together subscriber data that currently resides on multiple databases. The platform will allow Safaricom to gain better insight into the needs and likes of its customers and offer targeted services. The deployment is part of Safaricom’s transition to an all-IP network. “We want customers that stay with us because we offer the specific services they love,” said John Barorot, chief technology officer, Safaricom. “Nokia Siemens Networks’ subscriber data management platform helps us understand the needs and demands of our subscribers. This enables us to provide more customized and secure services and that makes for happier customers.” “A central, unified data base allows secure, seamless data management for services and applications,” added Manfred Egger, head of Safaricom customer team, Nokia Siemens Networks. “By bringing together subscriber data, Safaricom will obtain insight into its subscribers’ behavior and be able to offer customized services that meet their varied interests.” Nokia Siemens Networks will supply its subscriber data management solution, including the One-NDS real-time subscriber data repository, to consolidate subscriber data from multiple applications. The consolidation is far more efficient than managing multiple databases for different applications, including Home Location Register (HLR), Home Subscriber Server (HSS) and converged Data Authentication, and provides a converged platform that makes it easier to create and deliver new services. Nokia Siemens Networks will also enhance Safaricom’s network management system to enable better monitoring and optimization of its network.Integration and consulting services will be provided to ensure a smooth implementation. *About Safaricom* Formed at the turn of the decade following the liberalization of Kenya’s telecoms sector as a joint venture between global leader Vodafone of the UK and the government of Kenya, Safaricom has firmly established its credentials as a regional leader, spawning a virtual telecoms revolution in Kenya. Growing from its cradle in mobile voice services, Safaricom is a total telecoms company. The firm, which has a subscriber base of over 16 million, offers all telecoms services under one roof: mobile and fixed voice and data services on a variety of platforms: Kenya’s widest and only 3G network; a growing fibre optic cable footprint and its most expansive WIMAX presence. For more details please go to: http://www.safaricom.co.ke/ About Nokia Siemens Networks Nokia Siemens Networks is a leading global enabler of telecommunications services. With its focus on innovation and sustainability, the company provides a complete portfolio of mobile, fixed and converged network technology, as well as professional services including consultancy and systems integration, deployment, maintenance and managed services. It is one of the largest telecommunications hardware, software and professional services companies in the world. Operating in 150 countries, its headquarters are in Espoo, Finland. www.nokiasiemensnetworks.com Talk about Nokia Siemens Networks’ news at http://blogs.nokiasiemensnetworks.com and find out if your country is exploiting the full potential of connectivity at http://connectivityscorecard.org Media Enquiries Nokia Siemens Networks Nada Chammas Media Relations, Middle East and Africa Phone: +971 4 4460213 e-mail: nada.chammas(a)nsn.com Media Relations Phone: +358 7180 31451 e-mail: mediarelations(a)nsn.com Safaricom Washington Akumu Public Relations & Sponsorship Manager Phone: +254 724 509 033 e-mail: pr(a)safaricom.co.ke Notes to editors: *After the data consolidation, Nokia Siemens Networks will substitute the existing HLRs with new data-less NT-HLR frontends. Further, data-less network applications such as Home Subscriber Server (HSS), Equipment Identification Register (EIR), Mobile Number Portability (server) (MNP) and Authentication, Authorization and Accounting (server) (AAA) will follow soon.

1 0

Thank you all
by robert yawe 25 Aug '10

25 Aug '10

Hi, I finally have 3G connectivity from inside my house in South C thanks to all the rants I posted in the forum, it is good to know that this forum has the right listener ship. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

1 0

Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues
by Edith Adera 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

There's need for consumer issues to be taken VERY seriously in the Kenyan Telecommunication market. I believe CCK is listening and this should not be allowed to happen to any Kenyan consumer. As a non-user of money transfer services (I'm a proxy user), I decided to try the Mpesa service today as I did not have a 3rd party proxy to undertake the transaction on my behalf as I usually do. The last I tried to register for the service, I was informed that I had an old generation SIM card and needed to replace it yet the agent did not have the replacement SIMs. I was directed to follow a convoluted process of getting the replacement SIM, which I did not have the time for at that point. Today, I was rudely informed that as a non registered user I cannot send money by Mpesa (Prestige service provider) - never mind that I have a very active Safaricom line. This puzzled me as in the banking sector, you can always bank money into any account at a bank in which you're not a "member". So in search for an answer to this issue, I decided to call a Safaricom Officer (Ms Bernice - department that issues Short Codes) to get some assistance. I called her on my Zain line. As soon as she picked the call, she was very cold and retorted "for starters, you have called me from the wrong network - meaning from Zain - and secondly, you cannot send money if you are not a registered user". My issue as a consumer is - why should I be rebuked for using my Zain line to call Safaricom? Is it a Safaricom policy that no one should call them using a Zain line or lines from other network providers? what does the CCK regulations say about such issues? My little telecommunication background tells me that the "consumer is king" and that a consumer must exercise their "right of choice" in a competitive market. why should I be dictated to what network I MUST USE or NOT use to make calls? Is this a reflection of the interconnection issues that are currently hitting media headlines? I have taken this issue very seriously and demand an apology and response from Safaricom. I believe CCK will take appropriate action to ensure that this is not the modus operandi in the Kenyan telecommunication market. Edith Kenyan Consumer

4 4

A case against CSR
by Harry Hare 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

Dear All, This is a non-IT piece but very thought provoking. Especially interesting for business executives and policy makers. I remember one professor friend who maintains that the only responsibility a corporation has, is to its shareholders. Dr Kamani, the author of this piece is of the same mindset though he argues for regulation as probably the most effective ³protector² of common good. Read on.. http://online.wsj.com/article/NA_WSJ_PUB:SB100014240527487033380045752301126 64504890.html Harry 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

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues
by andrea.bohnstedt＠ratio-magazine.com 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

Possibly. I may be dumb. If so, kindly explain it to me again so that I'll understand it. -----Original Message----- From: Edith Adera Sent: 23/08/2010, 22:45 To: Andrea Bohnstedt Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: RE: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues Andrea, You are missing the point! Edith ________________ Edith Ofwona Adera Senior Program Specialist ICT4D Program International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca<http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/> ________________________________ From: Andrea Bohnstedt [andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com] Sent: 23 August 2010 22:43 To: Edith Adera Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues Edith, Why do you find it so surprising that you can't send an M-PESA payment if you don't have an M-PESA account? Can you make Zap payments without having a Zap account? In a bank, you can pay cash into someone's account without having a bank account, but you need to go to that person's bank, and you can't make a bank transfer either without having an account yourself. Also, the need to register before you make any mobile money payments is, as far as I know, a banking sector requirement imposed by the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK), the Know Your Customer (KYC) rules to combat money laundering etc. That you need an M-PESA-enabled SIM card is an old story - that's been communicated since the beginning of the service, I think, even if it's of course it's regrettable that the agent you visited didn't have one. Many regards, Andrea On 23 August 2010 22:28, Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke>> wrote: There's need for consumer issues to be taken VERY seriously in the Kenyan Telecommunication market. I believe CCK is listening and this should not be allowed to happen to any Kenyan consumer. As a non-user of money transfer services (I'm a proxy user), I decided to try the Mpesa service today as I did not have a 3rd party proxy to undertake the transaction on my behalf as I usually do. The last I tried to register for the service, I was informed that I had an old generation SIM card and needed to replace it yet the agent did not have the replacement SIMs. I was directed to follow a convoluted process of getting the replacement SIM, which I did not have the time for at that point. Today, I was rudely informed that as a non registered user I cannot send money by Mpesa (Prestige service provider) - never mind that I have a very active Safaricom line. This puzzled me as in the banking sector, you can always bank money into any account at a bank in which you're not a "member". So in search for an answer to this issue, I decided to call a Safaricom Officer (Ms Bernice - department that issues Short Codes) to get some assistance. I called her on my Zain line. As soon as she picked the call, she was very cold and retorted "for starters, you have called me from the wrong network - meaning from Zain - and secondly, you cannot send money if you are not a registered user". My issue as a consumer is - why should I be rebuked for using my Zain line to call Safaricom? Is it a Safaricom policy that no one should call them using a Zain line or lines from other network providers? what does the CCK regulations say about such issues? My little telecommunication background tells me that the "consumer is king" and that a consumer must exercise their "right of choice" in a competitive market. why should I be dictated to what network I MUST USE or NOT use to make calls? Is this a reflection of the interconnection issues that are currently hitting media headlines? I have taken this issue very seriously and demand an apology and response from Safaricom. I believe CCK will take appropriate action to ensure that this is not the modus operandi in the Kenyan telecommunication market. Edith Kenyan Consumer _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com<mailto:andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com> Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/andrea.bohnstedt%40rat… -- Andrea Bohnstedt Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com<http://www.ratio-magazine.com>

7 6

FW: Ghana Leads Internet Speed
by Victor Gathara 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

Interesting, hope the 'price wars' in Kenya extend to data services... Victor ________________________________ GHANA HAS been ranked number one in Africa for internet speed, thanks to Vodafone Ghana's launch of its 4MB speed capacity, which is West Africa's fastest consumer internet cafés' broadband package. Aside being ranked number one in Africa, Ghana has also moved from the 176th position, globally, to 52nd for downloads and 11th for uploads, according to speedtest.net, an independent global broadband speed test analyzer, powered by Ookla the global leader in broadband speed testing and web-based network diagnostic applications. Ookla's test engines and methodologies set the global broadband industry's standards for popularity ease of use and the development of relevant statistical data. Ookla services almost every Internet Service Provider in the world and its solutions are used by thousands of small businesses and Fortune 500 companies such as Cisco, Comcast, Nokia, Reuters, Speakeasy, Time Warner Cable and Vonage. According the speed test records, Vodafone Ghana is also ranked number one in Ghana for Internet Service Provider (ISP). Vodafone's average download, based on tests by its customers is 2.26Mbps which is more than double Vodafone's nearest competitor. The launch of Vodafone's 4MB speed capacity provides customers anywhere in the country with 4-31 times faster home broadband services compared to existing speeds, thus allowing super fast streaming/downloading of movies, internet browsing, video calls and instant music downloads. "The new packages are in line with Vodafone's strategy to deliver high speed broadband services to customers, at the same time, reducing the cost of set up," said Marc Norris, Head of Consumer Fixed, Vodafone Ghana in an interview. In a related development, Vodafone Ghana has launched the most simplified and less complicated roaming rates for its customers travelling outside Ghana. With the new roaming arrangement by Vodafone Ghana, customers will pay a flat rate depending on which zone they travel to without the worry of varying tariffs. Vodafone has divided the world into six zones, each of which has a respective flat tariff for making calls, receiving calls and sending text messages. This arrangement gives customers the confidence of knowing what they are paying for and when. Roaming with Vodafone or partner network (Vodafone World), customers travelling outside Ghana would save up to 90 percent on their call and text message rates <mailto:t-radji@dfid.gov.uk> DFID, the Department for International Development: leading the UK Government's fight against world poverty. Find out more at http://www.dfid.gov.uk.

1 0

AITEC .africa panel
by Brian Munyao Longwe 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

Hi Sean, I would rather if it's someone from the domain name community. I would suggest Michuki Mwangi, former CEO of KENIC and currently ISOC. Or even better the AfTLD chairman Vika, from South Africa. I have cc'd both on this email. Brian On Fri, Aug 20, 2010 at 8:03 PM, Sean Moroney <seanm(a)aitecafrica.com> wrote: > Hi Brian, > > > > Please confirm whether you would like to participate in the Panel > Discussion on this at the East African ICT Summit. The revised programme is > attached > > > > Regards, > > > > Sean Moroney > *Chairman** > **AITEC Africa* > seanm(a)aitecafrica.com > UK Tel: +44(0)1480-880774 > UK Fax: +44(0)1480-880765 > UK Mobile: +44(0)7973-499224 > Kenya Mobile: +254(0)721-845674 > Mozambique Mobile: +258-82-6181618 > Nigeria Mobile: +234(0)802-0571766 > SA Mobile: +27(0)724-577887 > Skype: seanmoroney > www.aitecafrica.com > > *From:* kictanet-bounces+seanm=aitecafrica.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke[mailto: > kictanet-bounces+seanm <kictanet-bounces%2Bseanm>=aitecafrica.com@ > lists.kictanet.or.ke] *On Behalf Of *Brian Munyao Longwe > *Sent:* 19 August 2010 12:40 > *To:* seanm(a)aitecafrica.com > > *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Fwd: information on .africa and the lies > surrounding an individual's push > > > > Walu, > > Your point is noted, however .africa is not just another TLD - it is in the > same realm as .eu i.e. a regional domain that represents multiple > jurisdictions - in the same manner that .eu was granted at the behest of the > EU/EC - subsequent to a process that brought forward the buy-in of major > stakeholder in the EU, including Governments, operators and local internet > community - similarly, Africa needs to have undergone a processs whereby > there is broad buy-in/consensus behind whoever it is that is making the > pitch to ICANN. > > Having said that - I for one, will NEVER support anyone who tries to gain > leverage/support by using lies: > 1) She has never been an ICANN board member - despite repeated brazen > claims to the office > 2) She has never been given a formal (let alone written) endorsement by the > AU > 3) She feels threatened by reputable and legitimate African internet bodies > and went to great lengths to sabotage AfriNIC's proposed Addist meeting by > telling lies to the government and Ethiopia telecoms which prompted them > pulling out 2 months before the meeting. Only to find out after > consultations that they have been fed a bunch of lies and ended up losing > face both at a local and global perspective. > > My two cents, > > Brian > > On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 12:25 PM, Njeri < > njeri.rionge(a)igniteconsulting.co.ke> wrote: > > Walu, Finally common sense becomes common sense as we know it. > > > I opted to saying nothing before, will continue to do so. But I needed to > note some sense in the thread and urge people to read in between the lines > closely. > > > > Cross the T's and dot the I's. > > > > Best, > > > Sent from my iPhone > > > > Go to www.igniteconsulting.co.ke follow the button of what's HOT this > month, our workshops Ignite Human Potential for Personal and Organizational > Success. > > > > For your wellness experiencies follow this link www.ignitelifestyle.com > > > > The Ignite Experience Center can host your corporate retreats, business > dinners and private functions. Call Eunice on 254 20 2532142 or 2532144 or > email: events(a)igniteconsulting.co.ke for your consulting bookings and > events(a)ignitelifestyle.com for your bookings on wellness therapies. > > > On Aug 19, 2010, at 11:28 AM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > Very democratic comments Walu :-) > > On Thu, Aug 19, 2010 at 9:24 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > > I really dont know who this lady is - other than having seeing her at the > Kenyan IGF where she also pushed for the dot.Africa initiative. Indeed as > Pierre mentions elsewhere, there's a parallel push @ > http://www.dotafrica.org/home.html which I believe has the support of > AfNOG, AfrNIC, AfTLD (the Af* organisations). > > However and I stand to be corrected - I think the ICANN process is quite > open and transparent and we therefore cannot stop any bidder pushing to have > a top level domain like dot.Africa (free for all approach that ofcourse has > had its advantages and disadvantages). > > So whereas I support and understand the need have dot.africa under the > family and philosophy of Af* organisations, we really have no control over > other bidders trying to get there first. Maybe we should just up our game > and get the domain before the competition. > > walu. > disclaimer: comments shared are personal and not the view of the > organisations I am affiliated with. > > > --- On *Wed, 8/18/10, Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com>* wrote: > > > From: Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Fwd: information on .africa and the lies > surrounding an individual's push > To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Date: Wednesday, August 18, 2010, 11:34 PM > > > > @ Njenga, > It's not really about who is onlist or not, but during the just concluded > EAIGF in Uganda one 'iron lady' has been claiming to speak on behalf of AU > and that there are some endorsements made that she presented to this > regional forum, which turned out to be a sham! > > I hope Brian my explanation is right. > > On 18 August 2010 18:24, Njenga Gathecha <njenga.mkenya(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > Hello all. I think the best thing to do is to have all the members listed > somewhere and then in case of doubt, listers can consult the list. This > would ward off cons who may seek to exploit innocents. > > Thanks for pointing this out now. > > On Wed, Aug 18, 2010 at 5:06 PM, Brian Munyao Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> > wrote: > > > > Hi all, > > Just received this. Apparently she has formally been propagating lies about > being on the ICANN board etc.... and even put up counterfiet letters on her > website - this verges on criminal! What is her interest? > > Brian > > ------------------------ > > Brian, > > here is some info for you.. she constructed this whole thing on lies. you > can judge for yourself. I did not want to spam all but I sent this to a few > key people. check this: > > - there is no African Union Authority!!!! do you really believe that the*Chairman of the AU Commission > * will have claimed to write on behalf of a non existent authority and > give her a letter in that sense? so maybe she should explain to people why > she has a 'weird' letter on her website. Check her website and you will see. > > - here is an email that tells you how she lies! she actually took me to the > ombudsman at ICANN in 2007, complaining that I was preventing her from doing > dot africa, copied the whole board at the time --- all her claims were > immediately dismissed when I sent the letters and emails to the ombudsman, > of the same caliber as the below that she had been sending to regional > organisations and bodies. My fault was to have written to all organisations, > as the Regional Liaison, to dismiss her claims of ICANN endorsement of dot > africa and her being on the board. > > - she keeps saying ICANN is endorsing dot africa! how can ICANN endorse a > TLD?? how can ICANN be judge and party???? she is supposed to have been at > the GNSO council and ICANN and understand what she is talking about!!!! she > has been in the ICANN process for the past 5 years and still has no idea how > all this functions. > > I let you judge. The woman does not have her wits together I think. > > Cheers > > *Sophia Bekele <sophiabekele(a)yahoo.com<http://mc/compose?to=sophiabekele@yahoo.com> > >* > > 30/08/2006 01:48 PM > > > > Subject > > Re: > > > > > Hello <name removed>, > > I hope your vacation is going well. As per discussion, I thought I would > convey someof what is on my plate that may be of mutual interest. > > Presently, other than my private projects/business interests, I also serve > on the board of ICANN, the international internet governance organization. > At this stage, I have outlined few projects in addition to an initiative > that could quickly put under incubation. Any or all of these could serve as > a basis for mutual collaboration. > > Generally speaking the projects span ICT, public sector governance, > regional integration, internet governance etc.. > > The priority project I mentioned to UN Undersecretary General was that of > dot.africa (.Africa) which he expressed great interest. Thus, there will be > a need to synergize and align strategies of possible project collaboration. > > > Dot.Africa is an initiative supported by ICANN, that aims at unifying and > consolidating the African Information Society and presence within the > Internet as distinct from other Continental communities. As such, there now > exists dot.EU (.EU), dot.Asia.(.ASIA) and dot.LatinAmerica (.LA) as similar > ongoing initiatives. The present paradigm is to halt Africans > marginalization in this age of globalization. This is actually one of the > goals of NEPAD, which of course is an initiative that is already endorsed b > the UN. There are no prices for guessing what would happen if dot.Africa is > not also initiated and implemented at the same time that other Continental > communities on the net have been put in place. > > To get this of the ground, it appears from the experiences of the others, a > minimum of 13 countries in Africawould have to come on board. The > endorsement for UNECA would of course be helpful. This initiative would > require a proposal to be distributed to the potential participating > countries. UNECA’s help would be crucial in communicating who might wish to > participate. Countries that have already have ongoing National policies > that relate ICT as a strategic tool for National development would be the > primary candidates. Being something that would turn into a Continental > initiative, it is rewarding at best for the UNECA to play an active role in > this initial stage. > > As an African representative on ICANN board, I have taken the initiative to > coordinate and see the successful implementation of the project. I believe > therefore, we should have a meeting to progress this further. I suggest we > meet ASAP to get this moving, as time is of essence to the extent that the > application for the domain name must be submitted before January 2007. > > However due to our travel schedules, we should arrange a teleconference > meeting that is mutually convenient for all within the next two weeks. > > Regards, > Sophia > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: njenga.mkenya(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/njenga.mkenya%40gmail.… > > > > > -- > > Quis custodiet ipsos custodes? > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: solo.mburu(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/solo.mburu%40gmail.com > > > > > -- > *Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau* > > ***************************************************** > *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 ignominy of ambiguous > generosity! * > > http://smiley2.wordpress.com > http://mburu.sikika.co.ke > > > > > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail… > > > > > -- > Barrack O. Otieno > +41767892272 > Skype: barrack.otieno > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: njeri.rionge(a)igniteconsulting.co.ke > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/njeri.rionge%40ignitec… > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: blongwe(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/blongwe%40gmail.com > > > > > -- > Brian Munyao Longwe > e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com > cell: + 254 722 518 744 > blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com > meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com > -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Pondering mobile competition
by Andrea Bohnstedt 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

I'm wondering: Will CCK strictly enforce the cut-off deadline for unregistered SIM cards at the end of August? Are Zain making sure that everyone picking up a new line also register them immediately? If price war is Zain's strategy, will they have enough money left to invest in infrastructure and customer service once their subscriber numbers go up significantly? Will they be able to scale up both systems quickly enough? Telkom Orange are cited in the media as complaining that the interconnect rate also applies to their fixed line service and that this is not even covering their costs ( http://www.nation.co.ke/business/news/Telkom%20unhappy%20with%20interlink%2…) I wonder if the two big ones having it out won't kill the two small ones first? Bharti/Zain have also launched free sms alongside lower on and off-net calling rates and free minutes in Nigeria: http://telecomyatra.afaqs.com/news/?sid=1652_Bharti+subsidiary+Zain+introdu… Happy afternoon, Andrea

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This might be of interest...
by Njeri Rionge 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

Listeners! To those in technical or other areas of key operations within an organization, that would like to enhance their performance management skills related to people /project management and performance evaluation. Go to http://tiny.cc/t9ojc - This workshop will help participants gain total control over their competencies to develop, monitor and manage an effective performance management system that will change the culture of the organization if everything learnt is adhered to; To enable the change management process within the performance management system implementation, John Kotter's methodology and approach will be presented in an interactive and engaging group session amongst other global techniques that have worked successfully. This step by step guide will be the best time and money spent for your personal and organizational benefit. To register go to http://tiny.cc/t9ojc and register online. Should you need further clarification contact the undersigned. -- Njeri Rionge (Ms) Founder & Executive Director http://ke.linkedin.com/pub/njeri-rionge/5/966/760 __________________________________ Skype ID: nrionge Tel: +254 20 253 2144, 253 2142 (Orange Fixed Plus) Tel: +254 722 522136 (Safaricom Mobile) Tel: +254 773 495022 (Orange Mobile) URL: www.igniteconsulting.co.ke P. O. Box 15568 Nairobi 00100, Kenya ======================================= Our events calendar for 2010 can be accessed via http://www.igniteconsulting.co.ke/calendar.html for details on the workshops and training programs click on the highlighted date/event. Your have the option to register or email us for more information. Thank you for choosing to engage with us, we aim to “Ignite Human Potential for Personal & Organizational Success” 2009 Inductee ICT Hall of Fame Kenya ==========================================

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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 39, Issue 41
by ALEX OWITI 24 Aug '10

24 Aug '10

*PRESS RELEASE* * * *SAFARICOM EXCITES MARKET WITH LOWEST CALL RATES* * * *It is Masaa Time as Firm Launches Value-Based Discounts * *August 24, 2010...*In a move that is likely to excite the local market, Kenya’s leading telecoms operator Safaricom has today unveiled a new tariff promotion that will see its subscribers call from as low as Sh2 per minute. The Sh2 a minute charge represents the cheapest calling rate by any operator in the Kenyan market currently. Under the new scheme called *Masaa* Tariff, customers will be able to make calls within the network at between Sh2-4, depending on the value of their last top-up. Calls to other operators will cost Sh3-5. Subscribers who buy airtime worth Sh100, Sh250, Sh500 or Sh1,000 will be able to make on-net calls at Sh2 a minute, while the off-net rate for these airtime values will be Sh3. On the other hand, airtime worth Sh5 or Sh10 will attract a discounted flat rate of Sh5 both for calls terminating within and outside the Safaricom network. Subscribers who buy airtime worth Sh50 will now pay Sh3 a minute for both on and off-net calls while for the Sh20 denomination, the on-net rate is Sh4, while calls outside the network will cost Sh5 per minute. Per second billing applies on the *Masaa* Tariff, which takes effect starting August 24 to September 23 and is primarily targeted at the firm’s Prepay subscribers. Commenting on the development, Safaricom CEO Michael Joseph said *Masaa*Tariff was a way of thanking the firm’s over 16 million subscribers for their loyalty, in light of new rates guidelines announced by the regulator, and would be the first in a series of such moves as the firm marks 10 years as an authentic Kenyan success story this year. “We thank our customers for enabling us to become a globally-celebrated Kenyan success story in the telecoms world. We shall continue creating true value for our customers by listening to them and coming up with propositions that best answer their needs. We recognize that this has been a great pillar of our leadership,” said Mr Joseph. He promised all Safaricom subscribers a “bagful of pricing and promotional incentives” going forward it seeks to consolidate its leadership in the Kenyan market, while continuously delighting its growing subscriber base. *About Safaricom...*Formed at the turn of the decade, Safaricom has firmly established its credentials as a regional leader, spawning a virtual telecoms revolution in Kenya. Safaricom is a total telecoms company. With a subscriber base of over 16 million, Safaricom offers all telecoms services under one roof: mobile and fixed voice and data services on a variety of platforms: Kenya’s widest and only 3G network; a growing fibre optic cable footprint and its most expansive WIMAX presence. For more details please go to: *http://www.safaricom.co.ke/* * * * ALEX.*

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues
by Edith Adera 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

Muchiri, You're "spot on" w.r.t. your analysis. However, service provision MUST be consumer-centric (non of the providers would have any business without the consumers). We have relegated consumer issues to the back burner for far too long...hence the unfortunate incidences that go unreported. So, yes, indeed CCK has a role to play in protecting the consumer. Infact, one of their core objectives/responsibilities are quote "Protecting consumer rights within the communications environment" - It further states that " "The Commission protects consumers in three ways. The first is through the issuance of licenses that have conditions, which address various aspects of service provision by the licensees. Secondly, the Commission has introduced competition in various market segments in line with the government sector policy. The third way in which the Commission protects consumers is by taking up certain complaints raised by consumers with the licensees with a view to helping both parties reach an amicable solution to the problem raised." Further, consumers have certain rights and obligations. Someof the rights listed include:- • The Right to receive information assistance to assist in use of the services. * The Right to fair treatment without undue discrimination from another consumer We need to bring these regulations to life and take some of these issues very seriously. I must correct that Ms Bernice is NOT a customer service staff, so this is not a trivial matter. It's engrained in the institution it would appear. And must change especially as a dominant player. Edith ________________________________ From: Muchiri Nyaggah [muchiri(a)semacraft.com] Sent: 23 August 2010 22:49 To: Edith Adera Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions' Subject: RE: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues Hi Edith, What a sad and unfortunate experience. Mr Joseph has a rare opportunity. The opportunity to leave a legacy of great customer service and positive brand sentiment in the face of aggressive competition. What Ms Bernice displayed today is an organizational culture (positive in itself) where the staff own the brand to the extent of taking competition personally. That in itself is hard to do. Even harder to do is maintain civility and great service when the public you are dealing with are obviously inclined to the competition. CCK may not have the power to force telcos to be civil so Safaricom doesn’t have to be nice to consumers. Such a culture is obviously counter-productive. A sincere apology would be good business sense but a more sustainable approach would be an internal education campaign to re-align the organisation to its primary objectives so that their staff respond to customers not to the competition. Kind regards, Muchiri Nyaggah Director @muchiri +254 722 506400 Semacraft.com [cid:image001.jpg@01CB4315.55476E70] ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+muchiri=semacraft.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+muchiri=semacraft.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Edith Adera Sent: 23 August 2010 22:28 To: muchiri(a)semacraft.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues Importance: High There's need for consumer issues to be taken VERY seriously in the Kenyan Telecommunication market. I believe CCK is listening and this should not be allowed to happen to any Kenyan consumer. As a non-user of money transfer services (I'm a proxy user), I decided to try the Mpesa service today as I did not have a 3rd party proxy to undertake the transaction on my behalf as I usually do. The last I tried to register for the service, I was informed that I had an old generation SIM card and needed to replace it yet the agent did not have the replacement SIMs. I was directed to follow a convoluted process of getting the replacement SIM, which I did not have the time for at that point. Today, I was rudely informed that as a non registered user I cannot send money by Mpesa (Prestige service provider) - never mind that I have a very active Safaricom line. This puzzled me as in the banking sector, you can always bank money into any account at a bank in which you're not a "member". So in search for an answer to this issue, I decided to call a Safaricom Officer (Ms Bernice - department that issues Short Codes) to get some assistance. I called her on my Zain line. As soon as she picked the call, she was very cold and retorted "for starters, you have called me from the wrong network - meaning from Zain - and secondly, you cannot send money if you are not a registered user". My issue as a consumer is - why should I be rebuked for using my Zain line to call Safaricom? Is it a Safaricom policy that no one should call them using a Zain line or lines from other network providers? what does the CCK regulations say about such issues? My little telecommunication background tells me that the "consumer is king" and that a consumer must exercise their "right of choice" in a competitive market. why should I be dictated to what network I MUST USE or NOT use to make calls? Is this a reflection of the interconnection issues that are currently hitting media headlines? I have taken this issue very seriously and demand an apology and response from Safaricom. I believe CCK will take appropriate action to ensure that this is not the modus operandi in the Kenyan telecommunication market. Edith Kenyan Consumer No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG - www.avg.com Version: 9.0.851 / Virus Database: 271.1.1/3087 - Release Date: 08/22/10 21:35:00

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Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues
by andrea.bohnstedt＠ratio-magazine.com 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

No customer should be treated rudely. Obviously - that goes without saying (and applies to all customer relationships, not just telcos). But Edith's email contained different points, including a complaint that she can't send an M-PESA payment without an M-PESA account, and that it involves a set up (which, when you have your ID and the agent has SIM cards, really doesn't take long). -----Original Message----- From: Solomon Mburu Kamau Sent: 23/08/2010, 23:00 To: andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues On 23 August 2010 22:49, andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com < andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> wrote: > Possibly. I may be dumb. If so, kindly explain it to me again so that I'll > understand it. > I think the point raised by Edith was mostly revolving on the issue of cold customer care when she used a rival company's line to call the CC. The rest, I think are as easy as ABC to understand. I might have not given the whole view of my understanding, but I think it's logically wrong for the CC not to take the call from Edith warmly. After all, wasn't Edith paying for that call? Methinks it's up to the respective companies to instill some form of 'discipline' to their CC staff. I wonder loudly, suppose I went to Safaricom's shop/outlet or even House with a shirt emblazoned: ' Zain, Call A Wonderful World, for only 3 and texts at 1 across all networks in Kenya', and vice versa: 'Niko na Safaricom' will I be shoved off? Just thinking loudly! > -----Original Message----- > From: Edith Adera > Sent: 23/08/2010, 22:45 > To: Andrea Bohnstedt > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > Subject: RE: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues > > > Andrea, > > You are missing the point! > > Edith > > > ________________ > Edith Ofwona Adera > Senior Program Specialist > ICT4D Program > International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le > développement international > Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa > Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera > eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca< > http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/> > ________________________________ > From: Andrea Bohnstedt [andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com] > Sent: 23 August 2010 22:43 > To: Edith Adera > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Safaricom Attitude - Consumer Issues > > Edith, > > Why do you find it so surprising that you can't send an M-PESA payment if > you don't have an M-PESA account? Can you make Zap payments without having a > Zap account? > > In a bank, you can pay cash into someone's account without having a bank > account, but you need to go to that person's bank, and you can't make a bank > transfer either without having an account yourself. > > Also, the need to register before you make any mobile money payments is, as > far as I know, a banking sector requirement imposed by the Central Bank of > Kenya (CBK), the Know Your Customer (KYC) rules to combat money laundering > etc. > > That you need an M-PESA-enabled SIM card is an old story - that's been > communicated since the beginning of the service, I think, even if it's of > course it's regrettable that the agent you visited didn't have one. > > Many regards, > Andrea > > > On 23 August 2010 22:28, Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto: > eadera(a)idrc.or.ke>> wrote: > There's need for consumer issues to be taken VERY seriously in the Kenyan > Telecommunication market. I believe CCK is listening and this should not be > allowed to happen to any Kenyan consumer. > > As a non-user of money transfer services (I'm a proxy user), I decided to > try the Mpesa service today as I did not have a 3rd party proxy to undertake > the transaction on my behalf as I usually do. The last I tried to register > for the service, I was informed that I had an old generation SIM card and > needed to replace it yet the agent did not have the replacement SIMs. I was > directed to follow a convoluted process of getting the replacement SIM, > which I did not have the time for at that point. > > Today, I was rudely informed that as a non registered user I cannot send > money by Mpesa (Prestige service provider) - never mind that I have a very > active Safaricom line. This puzzled me as in the banking sector, you can > always bank money into any account at a bank in which you're not a "member". > > So in search for an answer to this issue, I decided to call a Safaricom > Officer (Ms Bernice - department that issues Short Codes) to get some > assistance. I called her on my Zain line. As soon as she picked the call, > she was very cold and retorted "for starters, you have called me from the > wrong network - meaning from Zain - and secondly, you cannot send money if > you are not a registered user". > > My issue as a consumer is - why should I be rebuked for using my Zain line > to call Safaricom? Is it a Safaricom policy that no one should call them > using a Zain line or lines from other network providers? what does the CCK > regulations say about such issues? My little telecommunication background > tells me that the "consumer is king" and that a consumer must exercise their > "right of choice" in a competitive market. why should I be dictated to what > network I MUST USE or NOT use to make calls? Is this a reflection of the > interconnection issues that are currently hitting media headlines? > > I have taken this issue very seriously and demand an apology and response > from Safaricom. I believe CCK will take appropriate action to ensure that > this is not the modus operandi in the Kenyan telecommunication market. > > Edith > Kenyan Consumer > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com<mailto: > andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/andrea.bohnstedt%40rat… > > > > > -- > Andrea Bohnstedt > Publisher > +254 720 960 322 > www.ratio-magazine.com<http://www.ratio-magazine.com> > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: solo.mburu(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/solo.mburu%40gmail.com > -- *Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau* ***************************************************** *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 ignominy of ambiguous generosity! * http://smiley2.wordpress.com http://mburu.sikika.co.ke

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Apple applies for patent to kill Jailbroken devices
by Brian Munyao Longwe 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

Interesting read - but would a patent granted in the USA apply across /into other jurisdictions? I foresee a slew of lawsuits against Apple including the possibility of class action if they pursue this matter.... http://bit.ly/bM4Nft Brian -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Ksh 300, Million grant to promote the development of local digital content and, software applications.
by alice 23 Aug '10

23 Aug '10

The Kenya ICT Board is pleased to announce the launch of a Ksh 300 Million grant to promote the development of local digital content and software applications. The process kicked off with a ‘call for proposals’ in today’s Daily Nation newspaper. The main purpose of this grant is to propel the emergent lucrative but yet underexploited local content industry to growth. The grant which targets the local content developers including software developers, film, animation, advertising, publishing, gaming and education professionals and all content creators, will provide the funding required for the development of quality applications relevant to the Kenya government and private sector. Digital content, a major contributor and driver of economic growth in developed countries, can be broadly categorized as content accessed from electronic devices like personal computers, game consoles, mobile phones and digital TV. The internet offers the most common form of distribution of digital content. Digital content can include anything from internet based marketing, gaming, online education content and services. Worldwide, digital content activities are transforming traditional industry structures and business models. Local examples include mobile payment systems like M-Pesa and Pesa Pal and government e-services like online PIN registration. Thus the digital content industry has vast potential as a major contributor to our economy and society through employment creation, capital investment and export earnings, provision of skills and capabilities to traditional as well as new and emerging industry sectors. At the same time it is also significant as a means of expressing Kenya’s unique cultural identity. With over 3.4 million users of the internet in Kenya, research indicates that the importance of the internet outstrips those of several key developed countries. Even so, the latent demand for local content is underlined by the fact that surveys show that lack of local content is the main reason many Kenyans shy away from accessing the internet. On the launch of the grant facility, the CEO, Kenya ICT Board Paul Kukubo, commented, “We are pleased that we are launching this grant at a time that the ICT industry is growing and access to the internet all over the country has vastly improved. The future for content industry is bright. Talent, creativity and skills are key drivers of competitiveness in the content sector and we expect that this grant will enable Kenyans everywhere to develop world class locally relevant content and get this industry to rapidly match the lucrative opportunities for talented content developers in developed nations.” Kenyan content developers have already demonstrated their ability to be innovative, creative and entrepreneurial in their creation of content that is relevant to our people. The increase in locally developed software applications, websites, films and animation has been extraordinary over the past few years. However, despite evidence of commercial potential, it is not currently competitive in attracting funds and investment capital. This content grant will give content creators in the country a chance to demonstrate their talent, in both the artistic, social and business environment and propel investor confidence in the sector in the long term. Speaking at the press conference, the Deputy CEO, Victor Kyalo commented, “It is important that with the landing of the fiber optic cables that we as a country produce local digital content, not just ‘access’ other peoples content. It is very positive that Kenyans embrace and appreciate ICTs, but more important is that there are more Kenyan made e-Products available in the market. We want this grant to motivate the local content creators and software developers to originate, create, and adapt quality content that the country needs .We intend this content grant to be a driver for the long term development of content and recognize that private and public sector need to pool resources to meet the capacity challenges this lucrative sector faces.” The Government attaches high priority to addressing skills shortages because of the threat they pose to productivity and economic growth. To address this, the Kenya ICT Board has a number of initiatives purposed to build skills in the ICT sector. Among these are a Centre of Excellence for the BPO sector, an incubation program for software developers and a software certification standard that will give international accreditation and competitiveness to our local developers. Additionally, the board is creating organic growth within the ICT sector by training entrepreneurs (over 1000 already trained) to run digital villages all over the country. All these coupled with the improved infrastructure, has put Kenya in the forefront of potentially explosive growth in the content and software development sub-sector. About the grant The content grant is divided into two major sections: US$1.5Million for private sector applications and US$2.5M for government applications. The latter will be used to propel the utilization of ICTs to improve government service delivery . The government has in the past few years firmly embraced ICT to become more efficient and responsive in the delivery of its public service - from processing ID cards, driving licenses, registration of companies, revenue collection and currently, the digitization of records at the Ministry of Lands and the judiciary, with more government departments to follow. This is all in line with Kenya’s vision of becoming a globally competitive and prosperous nation with a high quality of life by 2030. The private sector grant of US$1.5M is open to firms and individuals to develop applications that would be of benefit to the general public or improve the delivery of existing private sector services. The first round of grant allocation will award a maximum of US$ 50,000 per firms and US$ 10,000 for individuals. The Kenya ICT Board expects to make at least one call for application per year over the next three years. The content funded by this grant will build capacity within the ICT sector create efficiencies, build social capital, increase utilization of ICTs by local communities and demonstrate to the world, Kenya’s talent for creation of digital content. Key dates Call for proposals: June 2, 2010 Deadline for proposals: July 19, 2010 Successfully grantees announced: 15 August, 2010 Disbursement of grant money: October 2010 http://wanjiku.co.ke/ --------------------------------------

5 4

Fwd: Africa domain?
by Brian Munyao Longwe 19 Aug '10

19 Aug '10

For those concerned, please note that contrary to claims made at the EA IGF last week, Ms. Sophia Bekele does NOT have the endorsement of the AU. Please refer to the attached. Regards, Brian --------------------------------------- Dear Colleagues and Friends, Attached find the letter sent to Ms. Sophia regarding her continuous assertion for DOT-Africa and I think it’s very clear. Moreover, find attached also report & declaration of the last CITMC held from 3-7 August 2010 in Abuja and you can find a clear recommendation about DOT-Africa. Regards * ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- * *Mr. Esam M. Abulkhirat (MSc)* Senior ICT Policy Officer Dep. Human Resources Science & Technology African Union Commission P.O.Box 3243 Addis Ababa, ETHIOPIA Mobile: +251 911 22 70 26 Abulkhirate(a)Africa-Union.Org ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ "All Things Are Difficult Before They Are Easy" ------------------------------ *From:* Brian Munyao Longwe <blongwe(a)gmail.com> *To:* Esam Abulkhirat <aldhina(a)yahoo.com> *Cc:* Dandjinou Pierre <pdandjinou(a)gmail.com>; Cecilia Mamelodi < cmamelodi(a)sadc.int>; Edmund Katiti <EKatiti(a)eafricacommission.org>; Mouhamet Diop <mouhamet(a)gmail.com>; Vika <president(a)aftld.org>; aliebah(a)yahoo.com; TTamrat(a)uneca.org; Adiel A. Akplogan <adiel(a)afrinic.net>; Anne-Rachel Inné < annerachel(a)gmail.com>; alice wanjira <wanjiraalice(a)gmail.com> *Sent:* Wed, August 18, 2010 1:35:39 PM *Subject:* Africa domain? Is it true that AU has consented/endorsed Sophia Bekele's push for this? I know that she is a very controversial figure and has made wild claims of support in the past. Apparently this issue came up last week at the East African IGF in Uganda - she was there and tried to claim legitimacy but ended up being outrightly rejected and received a "dressing up" from most of the delegates there.... http://www.itweb.co.za/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=35837:a… Please comment? Regards, Brian -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Fwd: information on .africa and the lies surrounding an individual's push
by Brian Munyao Longwe 19 Aug '10

19 Aug '10

Hi all, Just received this. Apparently she has formally been propagating lies about being on the ICANN board etc.... and even put up counterfiet letters on her website - this verges on criminal! What is her interest? Brian ------------------------ Brian, here is some info for you.. she constructed this whole thing on lies. you can judge for yourself. I did not want to spam all but I sent this to a few key people. check this: - there is no African Union Authority!!!! do you really believe that the*Chairman of the AU Commission * will have claimed to write on behalf of a non existent authority and give her a letter in that sense? so maybe she should explain to people why she has a 'weird' letter on her website. Check her website and you will see. - here is an email that tells you how she lies! she actually took me to the ombudsman at ICANN in 2007, complaining that I was preventing her from doing dot africa, copied the whole board at the time --- all her claims were immediately dismissed when I sent the letters and emails to the ombudsman, of the same caliber as the below that she had been sending to regional organisations and bodies. My fault was to have written to all organisations, as the Regional Liaison, to dismiss her claims of ICANN endorsement of dot africa and her being on the board. - she keeps saying ICANN is endorsing dot africa! how can ICANN endorse a TLD?? how can ICANN be judge and party???? she is supposed to have been at the GNSO council and ICANN and understand what she is talking about!!!! she has been in the ICANN process for the past 5 years and still has no idea how all this functions. I let you judge. The woman does not have her wits together I think. Cheers *Sophia Bekele <sophiabekele(a)yahoo.com>* 30/08/2006 01:48 PM Subject Re: Hello <name removed>, I hope your vacation is going well. As per discussion, I thought I would convey someof what is on my plate that may be of mutual interest. Presently, other than my private projects/business interests, I also serve on the board of ICANN, the international internet governance organization. At this stage, I have outlined few projects in addition to an initiative that could quickly put under incubation. Any or all of these could serve as a basis for mutual collaboration. Generally speaking the projects span ICT, public sector governance, regional integration, internet governance etc.. The priority project I mentioned to UN Undersecretary General was that of dot.africa (.Africa) which he expressed great interest. Thus, there will be a need to synergize and align strategies of possible project collaboration. Dot.Africa is an initiative supported by ICANN, that aims at unifying and consolidating the African Information Society and presence within the Internet as distinct from other Continental communities. As such, there now exists dot.EU (.EU), dot.Asia.(.ASIA) and dot.LatinAmerica (.LA) as similar ongoing initiatives. The present paradigm is to halt Africans marginalization in this age of globalization. This is actually one of the goals of NEPAD, which of course is an initiative that is already endorsed b the UN. There are no prices for guessing what would happen if dot.Africa is not also initiated and implemented at the same time that other Continental communities on the net have been put in place. To get this of the ground, it appears from the experiences of the others, a minimum of 13 countries in Africawould have to come on board. The endorsement for UNECA would of course be helpful. This initiative would require a proposal to be distributed to the potential participating countries. UNECA’s help would be crucial in communicating who might wish to participate. Countries that have already have ongoing National policies that relate ICT as a strategic tool for National development would be the primary candidates. Being something that would turn into a Continental initiative, it is rewarding at best for the UNECA to play an active role in this initial stage. As an African representative on ICANN board, I have taken the initiative to coordinate and see the successful implementation of the project. I believe therefore, we should have a meeting to progress this further. I suggest we meet ASAP to get this moving, as time is of essence to the extent that the application for the domain name must be submitted before January 2007. However due to our travel schedules, we should arrange a teleconference meeting that is mutually convenient for all within the next two weeks. Regards, Sophia

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The New Kenya - Teachers Online
by Wamuyu Gatheru 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

I think we have a reason to celebrate that represents tangible investments made possible by ending our quarrel with each other (i.e new Constitution) The Safaricom-Equity Bank-Microsoft partnership to provide computers to teachers is in my view a landmark event. I hope the teaching material is made available as software already programmed in and not requiring one to be logged on. This should make it accessible without exhorbitant cost that may be beyond the budget of a public school teacher. This is a great product innovation that should help teachers, across the country, emerge digitally and by extention their students. I hope that the civil servants who are still in the dark ages also take advantage of this offer. This accompanied with hopefully sustainable Zain prices illustrate the real gains of investor confidence as a result of stable politics. regards, Wamuyu

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Re: [kictanet] ICDL - I apologise(RESTRICTED ACCESS)
by robert yawe 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

Hi Walu, It is good to know that there is a push to resolve this issue. My proposal would be to have the software developed by a private entity which would then do a revenue share with KASNEB whose main resistance is based on a fear of loosing their traditional income streams which is examination fees. Lets look at raising angle funds for anyone who can come up with an online testing software that can equal or even rival the likes of smartforce, ICT-Board does not have the capacity to handle such an undertaking as they are more of a procurement agency. Dr. Ndemo, we seriously need to enforce legislation otherwise all we shall keep loosing our edge as an outsourcing destination. Maybe having the issue of ICT proficiency should be spearheaded by the Ministry of Youth who I believe are now responsible for the village polytechnics. As higher education has dropped the ball on this one. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 ________________________________ From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke; Paul Kukubo <pkukubo(a)ict.go.ke>; robert yawe <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Sat, 31 July, 2010 9:50:08 Subject: Fw: ICDL - I apologise(RESTRICTED ACCESS) Ndemo, Paul, Yawe I do sit on a sub-committee of the KASNEB board and for the last 9mths we were tasked to create (replicate) a local version of ICDL. This sub-committee completed its task by way of reviewing the ICDL course outlines with a view to including kenyan contexts. Further the sub-committee recommended the creation (software development) of an electronic testing platform (again along the lines of ICDL) where the exam is booked, administered and marked electronically. Such a software would cost money, software engineering skills and time. But that is NOT the problem since I believe the "skunk-works" can do this type of software if given the money and the time. The biggest challenge has been what I would call (soft-resistance) from the KASNEB full-board in going forward with this project. Whereas the CEO (relatively ICT savvy) wants to go full blast with the project, the (older) members of the Board correctly realise that such an electronic examination system would totally disrupt their existing manual examining model that they have been accustomed to over the last 40yrs that KASNEB has existed...(hence the resistance to change) And so here comes my proposal...get funding from Kenya ICT Board, get software engineers from skunkworks to do the electronic examination system, and get KASNEB to "adopt" this e-system to administer their local "ICDL" type of examinations...this way we knock down the resistance to change barrier from the older KASNEB board members - who may actually embrace the system once they see a workable model.... Furthermore, the electronic examination system would pay for itself within a year from the money thousands of potential students would pay to sit the exam (IAT has 3,000 ICDL candidates per year, MMU has about 400, not counting Computer pride and others, you have a potential market of 5,000 candidates to sit this local exam at even half the price ICDL (ksh3,500) is asking for... any takers? walu. --- On Fri, 7/30/10, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> wrote: >From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICDL - I apologise >To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >Date: Friday, July 30, 2010, 3:03 PM > > >Robert, >We are still fighting the resistance from the colleges. There must be >some examining body to ensure that the sylabbus is covered and the student >can make good use of the training. Unfortunately, in this country we want >to make money at the expense of our unsuspecting sisters and brothers. > > >Regards > > >Ndemo. > > > > >> Hi, >> >> I would like to apologise to Dr. Ndemo for giving the impression that his >> team >> had not done their homework when they recommended that ICDL be the >> official >> computer proficiency certification. >> >> As is said it is only after you have walked in a man's shoes can you then >> criticise him, I recently looked at a training manual from one of the >> local >> computer colleges that was 10 pages long and covered word, excel, >> powerpoint, >> access, frontpage and IE. The exam for each subject was done after 1 day >> of >> training, in the case of word it included mailmerge. >> >> Each application was covered on less than 2 pages and the entire course >> takes 10 >> days, Dr. Ndemo the sooner you can operationalise the ICDL issue the >> sooner >> students will stop loosing money to quacks and we shall return to the >> point of >> making computer users truly IT proficient. >> >> Regards >> Robert Yawe >> KAY System Technologies Ltd >> Phoenix House, 6th Floor >> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 >> Kenya >> >> >> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 >> >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. >> --------------------------------------------- >> "easy access to the world" >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >> > > > >---------------------------------------------- >This message has been scanned for viruses and >dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is >believed to be clean. >--------------------------------------------- >"easy access to the world" > > >_______________________________________________ >kictanet mailing list >kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > >This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >Unsubscribe or change your options at >http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com >

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Philip Adar
by Okech 18 Aug '10

18 Aug '10

Dear Alice, Please add Philip o. Adar to the kicktanet discuasion list. Philip Adar is the Bid Manager, Business Market department of Telkom Kenya. His email address is philip.adar(a)gmail.com Regards, Okech JMMy blog

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ICTs Strengthening Democratic Governance in Kenya
by Edith Adera 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

This position might be of interest http://216.197.119.113/jobman/publish/article_68604.shtml Development of an IT platform to monitor the election process in Kenya ("an eye on 2012) For your information, IDRC is supporting an online platform (still under development) to monitor implementation of agenda 4 - visit www.agendayetu.org<http://www.agendayetu.org> . We have worked with our very own Eng. Rege to launch this. It is our desire that the views expressed will not end up in the cyberworld, but will be synthesized and channelled to the respective agenda 4 institutions and parliament. Eng. Rege will be central in facilitating these linkages. Kenyans must be engaged in shaping our common future. Your suggestions to stimulate and improve the site are welcome! As I said, it's workin progress. Regards Edith ________________ Edith Ofwona Adera Senior Program Specialist ICT4D Program International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca<http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/> [https://email.idrc.or.ke/owa/attachment.ashx?id=RgAAAAANayfd3%2b2VQYZo%2flc…]

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2 Long-Range Video Camera's Urgently Required for Juba
by Shem Ochuodho 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

Friends, A Senior Officer in GoSS urgently requires 2 long-range Video Cameras DV-CAM 19kg, preferably SONY (or is it SONY-ERICSSON these days?). Would anyone have a lead/be interested? If so, kindly revert via private mail to Eng. Chaplain Baranya baranyaa(a)gmail.com or .baranyajelia(a)yahoo.com. Apologies in advance to those whom this may not concern. Thanks and regards, Shem, Juba __._,_.___

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Reminder: Secure ICT 2010 Conference, September 8-9, 2010
by Evans Kahuthu 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

Dear Listers, This is a polite email informing you to register and attend the upcoming Information Communication Technology & Network Security Conference (SecureICT 2010 Conference) Date: Sept 8-9, 2010 Venue: PanAfric Hotel Nairobi Don't miss out on the premier Information Communication Technology & Network Security Conference of the year. Check out the conference program online at http://secureict.co.ke/agenda.aspx and register online at http://secureict.co.ke/registration.aspx The conference begins on sept 8, 2010 with great Keynote Speakers. Dr. Bitange Ndemo- Keynote Address Johnny Long -Google Hacking Johnny spent his career breaking into the world?s most secure facilities as a professional hacker. His insight into the threats your clients face is first hand, and his recommendations come from real-world experience attacking and securing hundreds of Fortune 100 and Government networks and facilities. Dr. Matunda Nyanchama -Information Security Metrics Matunda Nyanchama, Ph.D, CISSP has more than 14 years experience in IT and IT security, corporate, management and academia. He is currently a Principal Consultant & Director at Agano Consulting. He has previously worked in many capacities including Delivery Project Executive (DPE) and Senior Program Manager at IBM Global Services with responsibilities for service delivery for outsourced contracts; and National Delivery Manager of security, privacy and identity consulting. For more information, please visit http://secureict.co.ke Regards, Evans Kahuthu Secure ICT 2010 Conference Coordinator, Phone: +254-710649304,+254-202188830 ekahuthu(a)secureict.co.ke<http://emailmg.webhost4life.com/sqmail/images/blank.png>

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1st National eWaste Conference on 7th September, 2010 at UNEP, Gigiri
by Terry 17 Aug '10

17 Aug '10

Dear All; ICWE Africa in conjunction with Ministry of Environment and Mineral Resources (MEMR) and United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) is organizing a one-day National Conference on Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment (WEEE/E-Waste) to be held on Tuesday 7th September 2010 at the UN complex in Gigiri. The conference will also serve as a launching pad for the Ministry of Environment to launch the National e-Waste Guidelines being developed by NEMA and other stakeholders. As a way forward, the conference will also set into motion development of the e-Waste Disposal & Management Regulations formulation. Speakers and participants at the conference will include decision-makers, e-waste experts, and manufacturers of electronic equipments, consumers and information specialists working in international organizations, UN agencies, government ministries, non-governmental organizations and the private sector. The Conference Objectives will be to: a) Identify and map environmental impact of e-waste on Kenya. b) Discuss capacity constraints on disposal of e-waste in Kenya c) Promote multi-stakeholder partnership by involving manufacturers' and private sector in tackling e-waste. d) Recommend policy development framework taking into consideration International best practices e) Identify and discuss positive aspect of e-waste such as job creation. f) Formulate common stand and way forward on e-waste management and disposal in Kenya For more information on the conference please visit: www.ewaste.icwe.co.ke <http://www.ewaste.icwe.co.ke/> . For registration to attend the conference kindly register on: http://ewaste.icwe.co.ke/?page_id=10 . Limited reservations for the conference and confirmation will be on a first-come basis. Looking forward to hearing from you. My regards; Terry Njoroge Accounts Manager ICWE Africa P.O. Box 746-00100, Nairobi, Kenya. <http://www.icwe.co.ke/> www.icwe.co.ke Contacts: 020-234 3961 Cell: 0724 866771

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Jop openings with Hivos in Nairobi
by Alice Munyua 16 Aug '10

16 Aug '10

This might be of interest best alice

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Fw: [i-network] East African Internet Governance Forum-updates
by Walubengo J 16 Aug '10

16 Aug '10

below the updates from the East African Internet Governance Forum in Uganda. walu. Alice: any major\key decisions coming out of the Kampala meeting? --- On Wed, 8/11/10, I-Network Secretariat Eunice Namirembe <namirembe(a)i-network.or.ug> wrote: From: I-Network Secretariat Eunice Namirembe <namirembe(a)i-network.or.ug> Subject: [i-network] East African Internet Governance Forum To: "I-Network Uganda" <i-network(a)dgroups.org> Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 6:38 PM Dear Members, Like most of you may know already, The East African Internet Governance Forum is taking place now. You are invited to follow proceedings on Twitter @EA_IGF, read updates on the blog http://www.eaigf-uganda.blogspot.com/ or follow participants updates on facebook when you search East African Internet Governance Forum and be part of the event. You can also access day one presentations on the EAIGF website using this link http://www.eaigf.or.ke/eaigf/eaigf/2010-eaigf-presentation.html. Kind regards Eunice ________________________ Visit the I-Network website - www.i-network.or.ug Follow I-Network on Twitter: http://twitter.com/inetwork The I-Network Dgroup is a platform for ICT Knowledge Sharing --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Visit [web site]( http://d2.dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/ ) Click [here]( mailto:leave.i-network@dgroups.org ) to unsubscribe The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners of the Dgroups cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email message.

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Introducing PC TECH Magazine
by Albert Mucunguzi 15 Aug '10

15 Aug '10

Dear members, I would like to introduce to you PC Tech, a monthly technology magazine, that is published in Uganda, but now circulated in Rwanda and Kenya. The magazine focuses on features of personal and enterprise technology initiatives, product and software reviews and research on information and communication technologies in Africa. The magazine seeks to tell the African ICT story by documenting and presenting the use of information technologies (ICTs) by private and public institutions/companies in Africa. It also details consumer interests and perspectives on technology in the East African region, and the continent as a whole. Beyond technology adoption and usage, the magazine discusses how private and public businesses/institutions address contemporary business challenges and remain innovative and competitive. In practice, the discussions are aimed at enabling other African business to learn from best practices and creating avenues for collaboration between these businesses. In research the discussions are aimed at offering educators and students sound case studies for learning. On our website (www.pctechmagazine.com) we have downloads of previous issues available, as well as any more information about the magazine and its initiatives. Comments and contributions can be sent through the address, ed(a)pctechmagazine.com. _______________________ Kind Regards, Albert Mucunguzi Executive Director PC Tech Magazine P.O. Box 32180, Tel: +256 712619812 Kampala, Uganda. Email: ed(a)pctechmagazine.com Website: www.pctechmagazine.com

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3rd East African Internet Governance Forum (EAIGF) highlights
by mwende njiraini 14 Aug '10

14 Aug '10

** EAIGF programme Dear all The following are highlights of dicussions that I captured from the just concluded 3rd EAIGF in Kampala, Uganda, which are also available on the following links: - http://www.diplointernetgovernance.org/profiles/blogs/highlights-of-ongoing… - http://www.diplointernetgovernance.org/profiles/blogs/3rd-eaigf-final-day-h… The 3rd East African Internet Governance Forum <http://www.eaigf.or.ke/>that began on 11 th August ended today Friday 13th August. The following are the highlights the issues discussed at the forum. *Session 1: Official Opening* *Session 2: Reports of national IGF process: * - The need to create value and awareness in order to engage the private sector in IG discussion. - United Nations Economic Commission for Africa<http://www.uneca.org/index.htm>(UNECA) reported that: - It would soon be launching a knowledge management platform - It working on evaluating Africa’s participation in the WSIS and IGF process as well as seeking to establish Africa’s position in light of discussions on the continuation of the IGF. - Developing indicators on the implementation of cybersecurity in ICT policies *Session 3: Cyber Security Management: * - The forum acknowledged that cybersecurity threats were on the rise as a result of increased usage and access to broadband. - The need for collaboration in establishment of harmonized cybersecurity policies, legislation and management frameworks specifically the creation of Computer Incident Response Teams (CIRT) was recognized. *Session 4: Strengthening Critical Internet Resources: * - An appreciation of different ccTLD management and governance structures in each country as these structures were factors determined by the local context/circumstances - ccTLDs faced stiff competition from gTLDs hence the need to “strengthening of ccTLDs” in terms of technical excellence, governance and policy structures, quality of service and price, marketing and branding - The pricing of ccTLD was determined by numbers (critical mass=reduction in prices), nature of operation, need for sustainability and perception of the value of ccTLD - A proposal to set up a working group to discuss the viability/business model of DOT EAC (.eac) was considered taking note of the proposed EAIGF programmeICANN new gTLD draft applicant guidebook<http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/dag-en.htm>and proposedprocess which were lengthy, complex and expensive. *Session 5: IPv6 Challenge* - Africa for historical reasons (late adopters, relatively new RIR) has not exhausted its IPv4 address block. Another factor of the relatively low utilization of IPv4 has been the current network design employed by ISPs and network operators. EAIGF programmeAfriNIC <http://www.afrinic.net/> has therefore launched of the ‘No-NAT’ project - IPv6 presents Africa with an opportunity to engage on the same footing as the rest of the world particularly in light of the growth of the mobile sector by starting the transition to IPv6 early/now! - The need to create awareness, training and development of a transition strategy was identified. *Session 6: Access and affordability to Broadband* - Acknowledgement of the important of establishing redundancy and resilience of the national, trans-national and submarine fibre optic networks - Proposal to ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea(UNCLOS)<http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf>to guarantee connection and transit to submarine cables for land-locked countries in the East African region. - Recognition of the need for a regional IXP through harmonization of regulatory frameworks (licensing requirements and interconnection guidelines) to facilitate cross-border network operators. *Session 7: Emerging issues* - Creation of viable framework for ICT skills enhancement. This would include regional mutual recognition of IT certification to foster acquisition of internationally compatible and competitive skills to take advantage of the regional integration and globalization. - Recognizing that the youth form over 50% of the population in East Africa, to forum recognized the need to support youth in ICT entrepreneurship and facilitate their engagement in the Internet-governance related policy making processes. - Emphasis to strengthen existing ccTLDs in light of other gTLD initiatives in the continent including the Dot Africa initiative. The dot Africa was presented as a compliment rather than a competitor to existing ccTLDs. - Code of Good Practice and its application to Internet Governance guidelines was presented. The aim of the code is to improve information, participation, transparency and inclusive engagement of IG-related entities in their arrangements and practices. *Session 8: Way Forward* Some of resolutions of the forum are paraphrased below: 1. Formation of a working group to develop strategies to strengthen ccTLDs in the region in light of competition for gTLDs and determine the business case for the .eac domain. 2. Registration of the EAIGF domain name (.ug .tz .rw .bi) all pointing to www.eaigf.or.ke 3. East African countries ratify the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea<http://www.un.org/Depts/los/convention_agreements/texts/unclos/unclos_e.pdf>(UNCLOS). Relevant sections of the Convention in view of submarine cables include Part VI; Article 79 and Part VII; Article 87(c) and Article 112. 4. EAIGF host a knowledge management repository for that IG-relevant information from national and regional organisations in particular East African Communications Organization (EACO) 5. Support of the creation of a regional exchange point and [*taking into cognizance the local context develop harmonized IPv6 transition strategies *] 6. Adoption of unified strategies in initiatives including youth initiatives, mutual recognition IT skills certification, new gTLDs, among others. 7. Utilize the Code of practice as a tool for achieving balanced participation and carry forward IG-related resolutions of and recommendations from organisation and country in the region. 8. 4th EAIGF to be hosted in Rwanda and a call for support for the Kenya’s bid to host the UN-IGF in 2011 in the event that the UN-IGF’s mandate is extended. Kind regards Mwende (Ps: I was unfortunately unable to twit) *Disclaimer: Views expressed here (except those reported, quoted or referenced) are the author’s own* On Fri, Aug 13, 2010 at 2:46 PM, Grace Bomu <nmutungu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Thanks Walu, > yesterday I was just asking someone whether there is some way to > participate remotely. This helps. > Who is in the Kenyan delegation? Perhaps we can follow their tweets for > more customised info or info of particular interest to Kenyan youth. > best! > > > rgds, > Grace > > On 13 August 2010 10:17, Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > >> below the updates from the East African Internet Governance Forum in >> Uganda. >> >> walu. >> Alice: any major\key decisions coming out of the Kampala meeting? >> --- On *Wed, 8/11/10, I-Network Secretariat Eunice Namirembe < >> namirembe(a)i-network.or.ug>* wrote: >> >> >> From: I-Network Secretariat Eunice Namirembe <namirembe(a)i-network.or.ug> >> Subject: [i-network] East African Internet Governance Forum >> To: "I-Network Uganda" <i-network(a)dgroups.org> >> Date: Wednesday, August 11, 2010, 6:38 PM >> >> Dear Members, >> >> Like most of you may know already, The East African Internet Governance >> Forum is taking place now. You are invited to follow proceedings on Twitter >> @EA_IGF, read updates on the blog http://www.eaigf-uganda.blogspot.com/or follow participants updates on facebook when you search East African >> Internet Governance Forum and be part of the event. >> >> You can also access day one presentations on the EAIGF website using this >> link http://www.eaigf.or.ke/eaigf/eaigf/2010-eaigf-presentation.html. >> >> Kind regards >> >> Eunice >> >> >> ________________________ >> Visit the I-Network website - www.i-network.or.ug >> Follow I-Network on Twitter: http://twitter.com/inetwork >> The I-Network Dgroup is a platform for ICT Knowledge Sharing >> >> >> >> --------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >> Visit [web site]( http://d2.dgroups.org/iicd/i-network/ ) Click [here]( >> mailto:leave.i-network@dgroups.org<http://mc/compose?to=leave.i-network@dgroups.org>) to unsubscribe The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners >> of the Dgroups cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email >> message. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: nmutungu(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/nmutungu%40gmail.com >> >> > > > -- > Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) > Kenya > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: mwende.njiraini(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mwende.njiraini%40gmai… > >

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Fwd: Seeking Expressions of Interest for WITSA Global Impact Study by August 31, 2010
by waudo siganga 13 Aug '10

13 Aug '10

Dear Kictanet Colleagues - I am requested to circulate the information below to potenetially interested colleagues. Kind Regards, Waudo ----- Original message ----- From: "Anders Halvorsen" <ahalvorsen(a)witsa.org> To: "Jim Poisant" <jpoisant(a)witsa.org> Date: Thu, 12 Aug 2010 18:57:56 -0400 Subject: Seeking Expressions of Interest for WITSA Global Impact Study by August 31, 2010 August 12, 2010 TO: Members of the World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) FR: Anders Halvorsen, Director of Public Policy RE: Seeking Expressions of Interest for WITSA Global Impact Study by August 31, 2010 _________________________________________________________________ ___________ Dear Colleagues, As you may recall from our meetings in Amsterdam in May, WITSA is initiating a major study of the impact of ICT. This request for expressions of interest (EOI) sets out the specifications and output requirements for the study, to undertake the study from qualified research organizations and institutions including but not limited to: colleges, universities, nongovernmental organizations, consortium, foundations, and corporations. Subsequently from short-listed organizations, a Request for Proposal (RFP) will then be issued seeking a more detailed response. We would greatly appreciate your assistance in sending this EOI to any interested parties among your memberships and beyond. Responses must reach the WITSA Secretary General at [1]jpoisant(a)witsa.org not later than close of business on Tuesday, August 31, 2010. Please find the details of the EOI at [2]http://www.witsa.org/v2/request/EOI.htm. The completed study output will be publicly accessible via the WITSA web site (www.witsa.org) and comprise a range of media (the ICT Impact portal) setting out both theoretical and evidence-based impacts of ICT. These impacts will initially focus on the economic as well as social and cultural impacts. WITSA is keen for the ICT Impact portal to comprise analyses with resilient, dynamic links to key indicators, so that it maintains currency and relevance to users over time. For more information, please contact WITSA Public Policy Advisor Tim Conway at [3]tim(a)witsa.org. Again, we appreciate your help in circulating this information to potentially interested parties. Best regards, Anders Anders Halvorsen Director of Public Policy World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) witsa_newlogo WITSA 8300 Boone Boulevard Suite 450 Vienna, VA 22182 United States of America Tel: +1 571 633-0620 Fax: +1 703 893-1269 Mobile: +1 571 265-5964 Email: [4]ahalvorsen(a)witsa.org URL: [5]www.witsa.org The contents of this electronic mail are solely intended for the person(s) or organisation to whom it was addressed. It may contain privileged and confidential information. If you are not the intended recipient(s), you are not permitted to copy, distribute or take any action in reference to its contents. If you have received this electronic mail in error please notify the sender and copy the message to [6]webmaster(a)witsa.org. Thank you. Best regards, Anders References 1. mailto:jpoisant@witsa.org 2. http://www.witsa.org/v2/request/EOI.htm 3. mailto:tim@witsa.org 4. mailto:ahalvorsen@witsa.org 5. http://www.witsa.org/ 6. mailto:webmaster@witsa.org

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Modern Engagement
by Dorcas Muthoni 11 Aug '10

11 Aug '10

Interesting from Martha: http://www.facebook.com/MarthaKarua http://twitter.com/Martha_W_Karua -- Muthoni My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/ -------------------------------------------- Mahatma Gandhi once said:- First they ignore you, Then they laugh at you, Then they fight you, AND THEN YOU WIN!!!

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copyright infringment / theft vs local content value
by Badru Ntege 11 Aug '10

11 Aug '10

Hi All I'm posting this on both I-network (UG) and Kictanet (KE) to continue and expand dialogue that has been going on within the Linux User group mailing list in UG. A few weeks ago I shared a website that we have been working on as an experiment on local content. This website presents an archive of broadcast content from about 16 local radio stations going back to the beginning of 2010. http://www.yradio.ug/ I firmly believe that Africa's local content will be mainly multi-media as opposed to the written word. This goes back to our heritage where our history has been mainly through story telling passed down from generation to generation as opposed to our European cousins, where the written word goes back for many generations. However the multimedia might fly in the face of what I call historical IPR and Copyright legislation. I do believe that this legislation needs to be reviewed in favour of the current times where the traditional methods are unenforceable. On the international scene African nations are being forced to adopt some of this legislation which I do believe will stifle innovation and growth. For Kenya I understand that Kenya Music Copy Right Association has been in place and collects from those who play music from local artists. I would like us to look at what has happened to that industry in the last few years since this was put in force. In the late 90's early 2000's Kenya local music was dominant in the region. However the industry has not grown as it should have and has been overtaken by other markets like Uganda where strict enforcement does not exist and the most frequently played music is local ugandan music. Some have said that what yradio is doing is theft. I would like to here more views on this and also on the notion that our future content for the continent will mainly be Multi-media. Regards Badru

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Streaming - African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF)
by Michuki Mwangi 11 Aug '10

11 Aug '10

<apologies for cross posting> Dear Colleagues, There will be a live audio stream of the inaugural African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF) event from the 11- 12th August 2010 provided in http-streamed mp3 audio. In addition, an IM & conference server will be available for remote users to post comments and/or queries. ================================= Streaming and Conference Service ================================= Live Audio Stream ================== The live audio stream can be accessed via the following URL': http://wavu.kixp.or.ke:8001/afpif (Most platforms should have a client immediately available - win media player, quicktime, real player, winamp, vlc, mplayer,zinf etc..) capable of playing back the stream. IM conference Service and Email ================================ (a) Those with jabber clients can join the AfPIF conference room, afpif(a)conference.isoc.org. A list of jabber clients can be found at http://www.jabber.org/software/clients.shtml (b) Those without can send their comments and/or queries to mwangi(a)isoc.org, karen(a)isoc.org and morris(a)isoc.org

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Re: [kictanet] electronic results Referendum system..
by James Rege 10 Aug '10

10 Aug '10

Mr. Bowman, Thanks for the document on e-voting. It will help me with my paper, which I am putting together for my Parliamentary Committee to consider. IIEC executives and I went to Nebraska early in the year to have a glance at the system they use in their regular voting process. As a hardware designer, I was very impressed with their card reader equipment robustness. We shake - and - bake tested the equipment and did not notice any failure. I was convinced that Kenya as a country where contestants run a way with ballot papers, when they are losing the contest, would be a good candidate for electronic registration and voting. I will avail the paper for scrutiny once it is released by parliament. Hon. James Rege. Sent from my iPad On 6 Aug 2010, at 08:29, warigia bowman <warigia(a)gmail.com> wrote: Wanakenya I am very impressed by the IIEC and the handling of the referendum. Here is a good article on best practices for electronic voting. It builds from the american and australian experience. http://www.softimp.com.au/Common%20content/White%20Papers/ETHICOMP_2005_Pap… Rigia On Fri, Aug 6, 2010 at 7:49 AM, Harry Hare <harry(a)africanedevelopment.org> wrote: Wash, the law has to be amended to remove legal exposures to e-Voting. Especially the confirmation of the result which has to be done on a “signed” Form 16A assuming physical nature of the form. I am not sure how this is affected by the new constitution. Having said that the IIEC has this on top of their agenda, so I suspect come 2012, e-Voting will be in place. I think its in order to congratulate the IIEC and especially their Tech team. Harry On 8/5/10 1:21 PM, "Washington Odhiambo" <odhiambo(a)gmail.com> wrote: On Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 12:57 PM, Wamuyu Gatheru <wamuyulearn(a)yahoo.co.uk> wrote: Am not so sure that the system was a success. Over one third of polling stations failed to transmit electronically for various reasons including poor network (5,964 failed of a total of 20,750 polling stations). This would be chaos for a general election. Being the first time it was used on a very large scale, almost a replica of a general election, I think they have done very well. They now have the information required to fine tune the system for the GE. I had expected to vote electronically, but it appears that only the registration was electronic, where I registered, but I am not complaining. 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 _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: warigia(a)gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/warigia%40gmail.com -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: jamesrege(a)rocketmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jamesrege%40rocketmail…

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Announcing AfriNIC-13 meeting in Johannesburg: 20-26 November 2010
by Adiel A. Akplogan 10 Aug '10

10 Aug '10

[*** Sorry for cross-posting if you are receiving several copy of this message ***] Dear Colleagues, We are pleased to announce that the AFRINIC-13 Public Policy Meeting will be held in Johannesburg, South Africa from 20-26 November 2010. During the meeting we will hear from professionals in our region operating Internet services and infrastructure, and also welcome global industry partners to contribute to topical issues related to IP networking that affect the African region. These will include updates on IPv6 deployment in all sectors, Internet Numbers Resources management policies under discussion in the AfriNIC region, as well as an update on policy development in the global arena. AfriNIC will also host its Government Working Group meeting and a Law Enforcement Workshop on 24 November. Participants will have the opportunity to engage in hands-on workshops in IPv6 for Network Operators; a 3 day Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT) workshop for trainers, and a one day discussion on CERT for managers and policy makers. You are warmly invited to join us at, and to share experiences and knowledge with Internet experts from the AfriNIC region, and from around the world who will be present at this event. If you are interested in making presentations, or offering tutorials, and/or technical demonstrations during the AfriNIC-13 meeting you will find related information at: http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-13/index.php/call-for-presentation All submissions should be sent to meeting(a)afrinic.net before 20 September 2010. General information about the AfriNIC-13 meeting can be found on the meeting website at: http://meeting.afrinic.net/afrinic-13/ Registration for the meeting will open on 1 September 2010. We wish to take this opportunity to thank you all for your continued support and confidence in AfriNIC, and we look forward to welcoming you and your colleagues to South Africa and to another successful AfriNIC meeting. Sincerely ______________________________________________________________________ Adiel A. Akplogan Tel. +230 403 51 00 Chief Executive Officer, AfriNIC Fax: +230 466 67 58 adiel(a)afrinic.net - www.afrinic.net sip: adiel(a)voip.afrinic.net

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Please add Kihara to Kicanet list
by warigia bowman 10 Aug '10

10 Aug '10

Dear alice, Please add Kihara to the kictanet list. He is a network administrator in Sagana. Sincerely, Warigia -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu

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Directions to Choma at Zinc on Friday, August 6th at 6:00 p.m.
by warigia bowman 06 Aug '10

06 Aug '10

Dear Kictanet ICT Colleagues If you are in town, please attend my Thank You Choma for you at Zinc, Prestige Plaza, on Ngong Road, Nairobi. This Friday, August 6, 6:00 p.m. Re directions, go to the Nakumatt on Ngong Road. That is Prestige Plaza. The second floor has several restaurants, including one called Zinc. I will provide two goats worth of mbuzi choma with all the accompaniments including irio, kachumbari and ugali. Drinks will be available at the bar for a cash price. In other words, I provide the food (until it runs out), but you will buy your own drinks. *Please RSVP (i.e. confirm attendance) to let me know if you think you are coming.* Sincerely, Warigia -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu

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Choma at Zinc on Friday, August 6th at 6:00 p.m. hosted by Warigia
by warigia bowman 06 Aug '10

06 Aug '10

Dear Colleagues Please forgive me for the delay in thanking you for your assistance with my dissertation. I have intended to hold a thank you party for my graduation from Harvard, June 2009. I have arranged a small festivity for us to celebrate the completion of my dissertation, the birth of my third child, and the passage of the referendum (which will hopefully give me Kenyan citizenship!). If you are in town, please attend my Thank You Choma for you at Zinc, Prestige Plaza, on Ngong Road, Nairobi. This Friday, August 6, 6:00 p.m. *Please RSVP (i.e. confirm attendance) to let me know if you think you are coming, so I can get an accurate head count. This is very important. * I will provide two goats worth of mbuzi choma with all the accompaniments including irio, kachumbari and ugali. Drinks will be available at the bar for a cash price. In other words, I provide food (within reason), but you will buy your own drinks. Sincerely, Warigia -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu

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Reminder: Choma at Zinc on Friday, August 6th at 6:00 p.m. hosted by Warigia
by warigia bowman 06 Aug '10

06 Aug '10

Dear Colleagues Please forgive me for the delay in thanking you for your assistance with my dissertation. I have intended to hold a thank you party for my graduation from Harvard, June 2009. I have arranged a small festivity for us to celebrate the completion of my dissertation, the birth of my third child, and the passage of the referendum (which will hopefully give me Kenyan citizenship!). *If you are in town, please attend my Thank You Choma for you at Zinc, Prestige Plaza, on Ngong Road, Nairobi. This Friday, August 6, 6:00 p.m.* I will provide two goats worth of mbuzi choma with all the accompaniments including irio, kachumbari and ugali. Drinks will be available at the bar for a cash price. In other words, I provide the food, but you will buy your own drinks. Please feel free to bring a guest, particularly if they are from the ICT sector or Kictanet. *Please RSVP (i.e. confirm attendance) to let me know if you think you are coming, * Sincerely, Warigia -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu -- Dr. Warigia Bowman Assistant Professor The Department of Public Policy Leadership The University of Mississippi 107 Odom Hall University, MS 38677 URL: http://www.olemiss.edu/depts/leadership/index.html PHONE: 662-915-1904 EMAIL: mwbowman(a)olemiss.edu

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electronic results Referendum system..
by Walubengo J 06 Aug '10

06 Aug '10

folks, i dont know about you but am totally blown away by the affordability and simplicity of the electronic results system currently in use at Bomas. I mean, think about it, a mobile phone of less than 30USD and an SMS message of less than 1USD and some piece software and you get results securely checked into a central server, tallied and and instantly relayed to the public. This to me is eGovernance without the usual big budgets and subsequent failure that often accompanies ICT projects...more importantly I want to believe, this is the beginning of how elections will be conducted in future. walu.

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Kimathi Information Centre story-DIGITAL VILLAGE.
by Jose' 05 Aug '10

05 Aug '10

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Fwd: Beware of scam: summer school on Internet governance Africa
by Brian Munyao Longwe 05 Aug '10

05 Aug '10

FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Dawit Bekele <bekele(a)isoc.org> Date: Thu, Aug 5, 2010 at 9:21 AM Hi all, I would like to warn you about a very probable scam at http://www.africanssig.org/first.htm. The site copies the summer school on Internet governance in Latin America and Europe that are real. It falsely claims that it is endorsed by organizations like Internet Society and Google (amongst many others), which it isn’t. We have contacted many of the people sited on the front page and in the program and none of them are aware of this program. The Internet Society will follow up this matter, but in the mean time I would like to make sure that no one in the community falls into this trap. Please let me know if you have any information concerning this, -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Dawit Bekele, Regional Bureau Manager - Africa <bekele(a)isoc.org> Tel: +251 911 22 13 33/+41 22 809 0363 http://www.isoc.org Internet Society (ISOC) "The Internet is for everyone" -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Cell Phone Usage in Kenya
by King'ori Gitahi 05 Aug '10

05 Aug '10

Hello all, I am looking for information on cell phone usage in Kenya.� This is pertaining to how many cell phones in what part of the country.� If you can point me to the right direction i nwould appreciate it. Kind regards, King'ori For to be free is not merely to cast off one's chains, but to live in a way that respects and enhances the freedom of others. Nelson Mandela� -------------------------------------------------------------- Ovi Mail: Making email access easy http://mail.ovi.com

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Safaricom innovation Forum
by Al Kags 03 Aug '10

03 Aug '10

All, Please notice: http://safaricom.co.ke/innovation Safaricom seeks to set up an innovation board Al

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ITIL Foundation & Intermediate Courses; Aug - Sep 2010
by Moses Kamau 03 Aug '10

03 Aug '10

Dear all, Quintica will be running the next Public ITIL v3 Foundation Course from Aug 16-18, 2010. Quintica will also be delivering ITIL v3 Intermediate Course (Service Capability - Operational Support and Analysis) from Sep 6-9, 2010. The Foundation Course price is Ksh 29,500 and the Certification Examination is Ksh 15,000. The Intermediate Course price is Ksh 41,500 and the Certification Examination is Ksh 16,000. These prices are inclusive of catering and all accredited course materials. All prices are exclusive of VAT. Quintica is accredited to deliver ITIL courses by the APM-Group, the official International ITIL Accreditation Body (www.apmg-international.com) Documents Attached: * Course(s) Brochure * Public Course Calendar * Registration Form For more information please email sales.ke(a)quintica.com<mailto:sales.ke@quintica.com> or call +254-20-4442900-1 or visit our website www.quintica.net<http://www.quintica.net> Regards, Moses Kamau Service Management Sales and Consultant Kenya Office: +254 20 444 2900 Kenya Mobile: +254 720 416 564 Email: moses.kamau(a)quintica.com<mailto:moses.kamau@quintica.com> Skype: moses_kamau www.quintica.net [cid:image003.jpg@01CB32E5.AC815DD0]

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blackberry a threat to national security?.......U.A.E. Puts the Squeeze on BlackBerry
by Alice Munyua 02 Aug '10

02 Aug '10

U.A.E. Puts the Squeeze on Black Berry http://online.wsj.com/article/SB20001424052748704702304575402493300698912.h… Government Cites National-Security Concerns as It Bans Email, IM and Web Services in Battle Over Access to User By MARGARET COKER in Abu Dhabi, TIM FALCONER in Dubai and PHRED DVORAK in Toronto BlackBerry email, instant-messaging and Web-browsing services soon will be banned in the United Arab Emirates, regulators said, citing a dispute with the device's maker about how it handles electronic data. The U.A.E. market is relatively small for Canada's Research In Motion Ltd., which makes the BlackBerry smartphone. But the suspension of data service comes amid unease by at least one other government, India, over the inability to monitor or review electronic communications on the device in criminal, terrorist or national-security investigations. And a Saudi Arabian official said Sunday that regulators there ordered telecommunications companies to block BlackBerry IM services later this month, according to Zawya Dow Jones. The official didn't explain the decision. At the heart of the battle is access to the data transmitted by BlackBerrys. RIM processes the information through a handful of secure Network Operations Centers around the world, meaning that most governments can't access the data easily on their own. The U.A.E. worries that because of jurisdictional issues, its courts couldn't compel RIM to turn over secure data from its servers, which are outside the U.A.E. even in a national-security situation, a person familiar with the situation said. The U.A.E. ban is the latest in a string of skirmishes world-wide for RIM as governments try to monitor and control communications. Kuwait, India and China are among countries that have asked RIM for easier data access as a condition for operating within their borders. The U.A.E. ban, due to start Oct. 11, was the result of the "failure of ongoing attempts, dating back to 2007, to bring BlackBerry services in the U.A.E. in line with U.A.E. telecommunications regulations," the country's Telecommunications Regulatory Authority said Sunday. The ban doesn't affect telephone and text-messaging services. "BlackBerry data is immediately exported offshore, where it's managed by a foreign, commercial organization. BlackBerry data services are currently the only data services operating in the U.A.E. where this is the case," the agency said. "Today's decision is based on the fact that, in their current form, certain BlackBerry services allow users to act without any legal accountability, causing judicial, social and national-security concerns." RIM, based in Waterloo, Ontario, didn't comment on the U.A.E. ban. The U.A.E. acted after RIM refused to set up a proxy server in the country as required by its 2007 contract with telecom provider Emirates Telecommunications Corp., a majority of which is owned by the government, according to the person familiar with the situation. RIM last month offered to allow the government access to the communications of 3,000 of its roughly 500,000 U.A.E.-based BlackBerry clients, including email, text messages and IM communications, the person said. But the U.A.E. declined the offer, the person said. The government doesn't plan to ban smartphones made by the company's two global competitors, Nokia Corp. and Apple Inc., said one of the people familiar with the situation. RIM, which has about 46 million subscribers world-wide, is unusual among cellphone makers in that BlackBerrys, which were initially designed for corporate users, come with a high level of security built in. The messages are encrypted on the device before being sent and remain encrypted until they reach their destination. The messages are processed at one of RIM's Network Operations Centers, the principal one of which is in Canada. The NOCs use proprietary technology, making it difficult for outsiders to hack in. Smartphones from other companies don't have the same centralized control over email or data transmissions and don't come preloaded with the same level of propriety security technology as Black Berrys do. The centralized structure makes BlackBerry communications more secure, said Jonathan Zittrain, a professor of law and computer science at Harvard University. But the structure also creates a tempting target for governments, which see the possibility of getting access to a large pool of information through RIM, he said. And while RIM cooperates with governments on requests for national-security-related data that pass through its servers, it can't be forced to relinquish information from servers that aren't in a particular government's jurisdictions, Prof. Zittrain said. A government has more leverage if the servers are within its borders. "If you've got a NOC there, the government can say 'We're shutting down the power. We're posting guards at your door,' " Prof. Zittrain said. Another person familiar with the matter said a key worry for U.A.E. officials was that BlackBerry's IM service was effectively untraceable. That could be a problem if RIM resisted handing over data sought by the U.A.E. "If the U.A.E. government needs this information, for criminal cases, they are unable to access it because the culprits used BlackBerry messenger service," the person said. A senior Indian official last week said BlackBerry's encryption makes monitoring of its network impossible and creates a security threat. The Indian government, which is negotiating with RIM, has warned the company that its operations will be closed unless the company addresses the concerns. The U.A.E.'s carriers—Emirates Telecommunications, known as Etisalat, and Emirates Integrated Telecommunications Co.—said they would comply with the ban. The ban is the latest twist in a long-running battle between the U.A.E. and RIM. Last year, RIM notified BlackBerry users in the nation that an application Etisalat had told its clients was a technical upgrade was actually spyware. Users who downloaded the patch had complained of disruption in email and other services. Etisalat subsequently offered directions on disabling the software.

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School of Computing & Informatics (UoN) Open Day 23rd July
by Mwololo Tim 02 Aug '10

02 Aug '10

Dear all, Sorry for any cross-posting. Welcome all. tm Dear All, The School of Computing and Informatics, University of Nairobi will hold its annual ICT Open Day on Friday, 23rd July 2010 from 10am to 2pm. This event is an initiative of the School's students to showcase ICT projects developed as part of their project work throughout the year and has been successfully held for the past ten years. Theme: ICT Innovations for a Better Future Date: Friday 23rd July 2010 Venue: Chiromo Campus Time: 10 am – 2 pm It is our pleasure to invite you to join us during this occasion and learn more about the School and its activities. Visit our website: http://sci.uonbi.ac.ke Christopher A Moturi Deputy Director School of Computing and Informatics

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Announcement: Unix System Administration Workshop For Eastern and Central Africa Women Engineers
by Dorcas Muthoni 01 Aug '10

01 Aug '10

Dear Colleagues, *Unix System Administration Workshop For Eastern and Central Africa Women Engineers, Nairobi, Kenya (11th - 15th October, 2010)* *Background* The African Network Operators Group (AfNOG ‚ http://www.afnog.org ) invites women engineers from Eastern and Central Africa to participate in an intensive Unix System Administration workshop. *Workshop goals and outline* *Overall objective*: After attending this track, students will be able to install, upgrade, secure and competently manage the Unix operating system on standard PC hardware, and use it to provide essential Internet services on a network. It is aimed at students who are technically competent but may have had little or no prior exposure to the Unix environment. In addition they will be taught concepts such as: # Basic Internet Protocols and how they work # Some basic Internet services and how they function, including DNS, Web, SSH and E-mail # Designing installations for long-term scalability of services *Who should apply:* All Eastern and Central African women engineers, software developers and systems administrators with a desire to get Unix Administration skills. Due to funding availability, priority will be given to applicants from the following countries: *Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, Sudan, Djibouti, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Somalia, Cameroon, Equatorial Guinea, Central African Republic, Gabon, Chad, Republic of the Congo, DR Congo and São Tomé and Príncipe* *Prerequisites:* Experience in managing PCs and installing software (such as installing the 'Windows' operating system), but not necessarily Unix. Some prior Unix/Linux experience would be of great benefit. *Language* Language of instruction will be English. *Application procedure* Complete the application form attached and return it to: * afnogchix2010(a)afnog.org * Please ensure that you submit your application in time and fully completed. Selections will be on a competitive basis. Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted. *Application deadline* The applications close on *30th August 2010*. Applications received after this date will not be considered. *For more information:* Email: afnogchix2010(a)afnog.org

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ICDL - I apologise
by robert yawe 01 Aug '10

01 Aug '10

Hi, I would like to apologise to Dr. Ndemo for giving the impression that his team had not done their homework when they recommended that ICDL be the official computer proficiency certification. As is said it is only after you have walked in a man's shoes can you then criticise him, I recently looked at a training manual from one of the local computer colleges that was 10 pages long and covered word, excel, powerpoint, access, frontpage and IE. The exam for each subject was done after 1 day of training, in the case of word it included mailmerge. Each application was covered on less than 2 pages and the entire course takes 10 days, Dr. Ndemo the sooner you can operationalise the ICDL issue the sooner students will stop loosing money to quacks and we shall return to the point of making computer users truly IT proficient. 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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Required: Java Mobile Applications Developers
by Tuma Barua 30 Jul '10

30 Jul '10

Hi, One of my clients - GEDA Limited has open positions for Java Mobile Applications Developers and seeks to fill them. See below for the advert. *Kindly refer GEDA to anyone meeting the requirement and is interested and available*. ========================================= GEDA Limited is a Systems Integrator focusing on Networks, MultiMedia, and Security Solutions. We are a licensed Telecommunications Contractor and Application Service Provider. GEDA is seeking to fill various positions in her Mobile Application Development projects portifolio. We are looking for Java Mobile Applications Developers. The developers will be working out of the office (e.g. Freelance, part-time) and will be paid on Volume and Value or Quality of work done. The developers must have previous experience in developing Java applications for mobile phones and will be tested to ensure the same. The remuneration package is very attractive and negotiable. Those interested can e-mail to info(a)geda.co.ke. They should attache their CV/Resume/Profiles and all necessary and relevant documentations to the application. All applications must be submitted on or before August 6th, 2010. GEDA Limited, Soin Arcade, 3rd Floor, Westlands Road Telephone: +254 20 444 1900 www.geda.co.ke

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Reminder - African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), 11-12 August 2010
by Michuki Mwangi 30 Jul '10

30 Jul '10

Reminder to Register and Attend! Spaces are limited! African Peering and Interconnection Forum: Unlocking Africa’s Regional Interconnection 11-12 August 2010 - Sarova Panafric Hotel - Nairobi, Kenya Registration is free. Event information, provisional agenda, visa information, and registration available at: http://www.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/africanforum2010/ About the Event The Africa Peering and Interconnection Forum: Unlocking Africa’s Regional Interconnection will address the key Interconnection opportunities and challenges in Africa and provide participants with global and regional insights on maximising regional opportunities. In addition to unique opportunities to learn from international and regional experts, the event will seek to foster a robust discussion on cross-border interconnection approaches and challenges by encouraging participate by a range key players such as; infrastructure providers, Service Providers, IXPs and regulators. International and regional speakers include: Bill Norton (DrPeering.net) Kurtis Lindqvist (NetNod, Euro-IX), Mike Jensen, Mike Blanche (Google), Nishal Gorbudhan (AfriNIC), Jonny Martin (Packet Clearing House), SEACOM, an update on the New Partnership for African Development's (NEPAD) regional broadband infrastructure plan, and many others! Agenda Themes • The Peering vs Transit Economics • Peering and Interconnection Strategies for Operators • Interconnection the Cross-Border Policy and Regulatory Challenges • A Guide to Peering and Interconnection Contracts and Negotiations • Africa Peering and interconnection Opportunities: The Transition from National ISPs to Regional Carriers • Interconnection and the Content Equation This event is organised by the Internet Society as a non-profit event, in partnership with local hosts TESPOK, the Telecommunications Service Provisions Association of Kenya. Event sponsors include Google and Orange, with additional support from NetNOD, Ams-IX and DE-CIX. Regards, Michuki Mwangi ISOC Regional Development Manager - Africa Email: mwangi(a)isoc.org Tel: +254-733-570705

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Required: Java Mobile Applications Developers.
by Tuma Barua 30 Jul '10

30 Jul '10

Hi, One of my clients - GEDA Limited has open positions for Java Mobile Applications Developers and seeks to fill them. See below for the advert. Kindly refer GEDA to anyone meeting the requirements and is interested and available. ========================================= GEDA Limited is a Systems Integrator focusing on Networks, MultiMedia, and Security Solutions. We are a licensed Telecommunications Contractor and Application Service Provider. GEDA is seeking to fill various positions in her Mobile Application Development projects portifolio. We are looking for *Java Mobile Applications Developers*. The developers will be working out of the office (e.g. Freelance, part-time) and will be paid on Volume and Value or Quality of work done. The developers must have previous experience in developing Java applications for mobile phones and will be tested to ensure the same. The remuneration package is very attractive and negotiable. Those interested can *e-mail to **info(a)geda.co.ke* <info(a)geda.co.ke>. They should attache their CV/Resume/Profiles and all necessary and relevant documentations to the application. All applications must be submitted *on or before August 6th, 2010*. GEDA Limited, Soin Arcade, 3rd Floor, Westlands Road Telephone: +254 20 444 1900 www.geda.co.ke ======================================= Thank you.

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Re: [kictanet] my concerns
by Wamuyu Gatheru 30 Jul '10

30 Jul '10

Anne, I think the proposed Constitution, on any issue of particular interest to any Kenyan, can provoke concern. My issue for example is Executive/Presidential control. I note for example that although freedom of information is provided for as a right, no legislation has been prescribed. As I mentioned earlier, the President will still have a free hand with the police. However, when I step back and look at the broad thrust of the document particularly on the separation of powers in the arms of government (and the independent Commissions), I conclude that overall the President will have to be a lot more accountable than he is today. So I prefer not to look over, around, under, within, between and behind clauses to confirm my fears of dictatorship. On homosexual relationships I think the Committee of Experts was clear that they cannot legislate matters where there is wide disagreement in Kenyan society. Although the homosexual community and rights advocates may have tried and will try in the future to legalise gay marriages, the Committee unequivocally took the position of the majority. However, the Committee is clear that no one should be discriminated against or persecuted for any reason - including homosexuality. Homosexuals are human beings too and we do not want to see them bloodied by extremists and other fundamentalist people. Please note, as with abortion, no society can legislate against these things. When one has an abortion or keeps a same sex partner, it does not infringe on the rights of anyone else. So the choice is a private matter that laws for or against can do little to change. As a Christian, I will be happy to see more more faith, prayer and love and less activism in our Christian community. Those are the primary tools for us in creating the societies we seek. The law however important can never be our primary tool. We should also be equally outraged by extreme poverty, inequality and corruption that the proposed Constitution is trying to eliminate - I find that we Christians are overly interested in sexual sins more than other sins. regards, Wamuyu ________________________________ From: Anne Mbugua <anmbugua(a)musyimilaw.com> To: kikuyusforchange(a)googlegroups.com Sent: Wed, 28 July, 2010 18:55:32 Subject: my concerns I have been very burdened by the gay rights debate. Can somebody help? Here are my observations. Article 45 – The Family * Kenyans had asked during the constitution-making process that there is a clear prohibition of same sex marriages, as a way to defend our families. * Both the Bomas and Wako drafts therefore had a clear provision stating, “A PERSON SHALL NOT MARRY ANOTHER PERSON OF THE SAME SEX.” Why was this lost in the Harmonization process? * PCKstates in Article 45 (2) that; “every person has the right to marry a person of the opposite sex, based on the free consent of the parties.” It just declaresa right but does not bar other unions. So it is true that gays as of today cannot marry. But can they have unions awaiting declaration of rights by the court or embracement of the same through treaties and conventions? * There is also no definition of MARRIAGE. * Article 19 (3) states that the rights and fundamental freedoms in the bill of rights do not exclude other rights and freedoms not in the bill of rightsbut recognized or conferred by law except to the extent that they are inconsistent with this chapter. That means we can declare or acknowledge other RIGHTS. § Would sexual minorities rights be inconsistent? In my view NO! Article 27 forbids discrimination on ANY GROUND. So is sexual orientation! Sub article 5 states that a person shall not discriminate on the grounds specified or contemplated in clause (4). The current constitution states all the ground. PCK has included all grounds! This is a very fundamental departure. I agree that nobody should be discriminated on any ground. I question is, do Kenyans understand that this will capture all grounds including sexual orientation? If they did and still voted for it, that is ok. § In article 20 the courts have been empowered to develop the law to the extent that it does not give effects to a right or fundamental freedom. Same article states that ininterpreting the Bill of Rights, a court or tribunal or other authority shall promote the values that underlie an open and democratic society… Do Kenyans know what is an open society? * Article 56 mandates the states to put in place affirmative action programs to ensure that minorities and marginalized groups develop their cultural values, language and PRACTICES. Minority groups are not defined. However, marginalized group is defined in article 260 page 171 to mean a group of people who, because of laws and practices before, on, or after the effective date, were or are disadvantaged by discrimination on one or more of the grounds in Article 27(4) . Article 27 (4) forbids discrimination of a person on Any Ground including those stated and those contemplated. The ones stated in this article are not all inclusive. Among the relief the court can give in Article 23 isDECLARATION OF RIGHTS. * The manner, in which Article 45 has been worded, opens a loophole through which theCourts could interpret the constitution in light of international practice, and recognize sexual minority’s rights. Note that article 27 (1) states that EVERY PERSON IS EQUAL BEFORE THE LAW AND HAS THE RIGHT TO EQUAL PROTECTION AND EQUAL BENEFITBEFORE THE LAW. Exact clause used in South African case of MINISTER OF HOME AFFAIRS VS FOURIEthrough which the gays right to marry was pronounced. How about international treaties and conventions. Are there some that as of today recognize the gay rights? Have you read the Hague Marriage Convention? What treaties will be there after august 2010? How about in 2025? 2040 etc. Would we want all those future ones ratified without representationto become part of the law of Kenya UNDER THIS CONSTITIUTION? The family clause falls under the protected clauses. If amended is to be done, it must go through a referendum. Note that amendments under article 257 can only be after 2012 when counties are constituted. Let’s discuss! Anne Mbugua Partner ________________________________ ________________________________ -- RE: LYP MOMBASA MEETING: 23RD JUNE 2010. GUEST SPEAKER, DR EUNICE W. GATITHU, PROVINCIAL PHARMACIST COAST PROVINCE ************************************************************************************************ Good morning members, We will have our LYP Professional Forum Tomorrow, Wednesday 23rd June 2010 at Summer-Link Hotel. Time is 5:30pm to 7:30pm During the meeting, we will have Dr Eunice W. Gatithu talking to us about general health and specifically HIV and Aids pandemic. Your health is your concern, therefore see you in the meeting. -- Best Regards Josephine Kamanthe Club Admin 0723 736 086 -- MANY JOB VACANCIES: http://bit.ly/bROydQ TECHMTAA BLOG: http://bit.ly/cmRFZR To unsubscribe from this group, Email mlalahoi+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE M-PESA KSH 1,000 for each advert or Ksh 5,000 for monthly subscription to +254 726 034 530 -- MANY JOB VACANCIES: http://bit.ly/bROydQ TECHMTAA BLOG: http://bit.ly/cmRFZR To unsubscribe from this group, Email mlalahoi+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com TO ADVERTISE HERE PLEASE M-PESA KSH 1,000 for each advert or Ksh 5,000 for monthly subscription to +254 726 034 530

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Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft DataProtectionBill?
by James Rege 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

Dear Colleagues, I have been a way from civilization, campaigning for the "Yes" katiba for sometime now. In fact I am not supposed to be in Nairobi City today but came back for the IGF. Engineer John Kariuki, please correct me if I am wrong in my understanding that it would be prudent to have FOI Act before the Data Protection one? Two weeks ago I ran into the AG in Parliament. I asked him if the FOI has been cleared and ready for presentation on the floor of the House. His answer was that the document is with the Ministry. Dr Ndemo, please advise. Kind regards Hon. James Rege, MP, Karachuonyo Sent from my iPad On Jul 26, 2010, at 9:15 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: @ Ndemo, I hear you. We must also find a way to educate our Cabinet that the phrase "1 day in Politics is a long time" does apply more in ICTs than in politics...If they endorse an ICT bill discussed four years ago, the ICT terrain would have changed significantly to warrant a review of the earlier discussions... walu. --- On Sat, 7/24/10, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> wrote: From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft DataProtectionBill? To: "Walubengo J" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> Cc: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 4:03 PM Walibengo, I am equallly frustrated because it takes at least four years to go through Cabinet, AG's office and Parliament. These are processes beyond my control. Iy you recall, we merged the two FOIs, the Prof. Nyongo one and our own draft. We indeed agreed that I send to Cabinet. I have promised practically anyone I meet that the bill will soon be out of Cabinet soon. I am confident that it will happen one day since FOI for example is an agenda 4 item. Regards Ndemo. > Bwana PS, > > true that these drafts were debated and i recall attending the forum at > KSPS. Problem is this was a while back (2006-7) but the problem has always > been that you never get to know what part of non-government stakeholders > contributions were taken on board (went to the cabinet) and which parts > were ignored. > > Eventually ofcourse one will get to know the details when the Bill gets to > the floor of Parliament. And then the real challenge starts in that if > other stakeholders think that what is before parliament is not "inclusive" > enough, they will try to influence MPs to change it accordingly. At that > level ONLY the big "influential" stakeholders (read: donors/private > sector) can get the attention of the MPs; let alone their "buy-in" to make > changes (read: forget our famous wanjiku's input at this level) > > Finally, even if the big stakeholders do get their changes in, if at all > the Executive feels that those changes significantly alter their original > policy objectives, they can always play the red card (veto) and take the > whole process back to square1. > > So in short, my submission is that it is always cheaper to build and > probably more importantly confirm consensus at the beginning of the policy > process rather than towards the end. > > walu. > > > > > --- On Sat, 7/24/10, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> wrote: > > From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft > DataProtectionBill? > To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 9:17 AM > > We debated the FOI and Data Protection at School of Monetary studies. We > shall as public have another go at it when it is published and gone > through the first reading in Parliament. > > Ndemo. > > > Sent from my BlackBerry® > > -----Original Message----- > From: David Otwoma <otwomad(a)gmail.com> > Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:52:40 > To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft Data > ProtectionBill? > > Dear Edith, > > Cabinet Memoranda are classified documents intended for tabling in > Cabinet Meetings. These documents are regulated by strict rules issued > by the Presidency ...when they are approved then the Bill goes to > Parliament and is again in the public domain for your input as per > Parliamentary procedures. > > Enjoy your Furahi day all. > > Kind regards > > David > > On 7/22/10, Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> wrote: >> Dr Ndemo, >> >> Can it not be circulated to stakeholders for review? Wasn't a >> participatory >> process followed to draft it? >> >> Edith >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On >> Behalf >> Of bitange(a)jambo.co.ke >> Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 11:03 AM >> To: Edith Adera >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft Data >> ProtectionBill? >> >> The draft bill is in Cabinet. >> >> Ndemo. >> >> Sent from my BlackBerry(r) >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> >> Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:57:59 >> To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft Data >> Protection >> Bill? >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Unsubscribe or change your >> options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: eadera(a)idrc.or.ke Unsubscribe or change your >> options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eadera%40idrc.or.ke >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: otwomad(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otwomad%40gmail.com >> > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke > > ---------------------------------------------- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > --------------------------------------------- > "easy access to the world" > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com > > > > > ---------------------------------------------- > 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" _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: jamesrege(a)rocketmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jamesrege%40rocketmail…

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Kenya IGF thank you
by alice＠apc.org 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

Dear all, We have just ended the third Kenya IGF. It was an excellent meeting. Enlightening and very productive. I wish to take this opportunity to thank all those who participated and contributed. A very special thanks to Judy and Barrack who moderated two weeks mailing list discussions that precedded the face to face forum. They captuted and presented the online discussions very well. Thanks too to all the presenters. We had wonderful presentations. Greatly appreciated Dr. Bitange Ndemo and Hon. James Rege, taking time to be with us in the morning and for the support they have given to this process over the years. Thank you joe Kiragu and his team at KENIC for coordinating it all. Very best Alice Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone from Zain Kenya

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Job opportunities - elections ICTs and fund manager
by Brian Munyao Longwe 29 Jul '10

29 Jul '10

Hi all, Please circulate to anybody who you think might fit/be interested? Regards, Brian -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft Data Protection Bill?
by Solomon Mburu Kamau 28 Jul '10

28 Jul '10

As per the foregoing, it seems the law (though unsure which one) in Kenya, is developed on top-bottom approach, that the Draft Bill in discussion here, was not shared with stakeholders. Once it gets at the Cabinet, it's practically impossible to discuss it with the concerned. Maybe the new constitutional dispensation, if it sees light from on Wednesday next week, will change the whole process. There are two people onlist who I firmly believe can be of much help here: Dr. Ndemo and Eng. Rege. Both have access to any policy documents easily. As Mwololo has pointed out, it would be prudent to share the bill out so that we read from the same script. On 28/07/2010, Mwololo Tim <timwololo(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Hi Dr. Ndemo, > The re-developed policy was never shared with stakeholders, at least as far > as I can remember. Could you kindly share it. tm > > On Tue, Jul 27, 2010 at 11:23 AM, <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> wrote: > >> Hon. Rege, >> Indeed the AG cleared the Bill only to find out that the policy that >> developed it was not sufficient. We quickly developed the policy and sent >> it to Cabinet. It is waiting to go through the Cabinet Sub Committee >> Chaired by the PM before getting to Full Cabinet. >> >> I know you can push it through from where it is at the moment. >> >> >> Regards >> >> >> Ndemo. >> >> >> >> >> >> > Dear Colleagues, >> > I have been a way from civilization, campaigning for the "Yes" katiba >> > for >> > sometime now. In fact I am not supposed to be in Nairobi City today but >> > came back for the IGF. >> > Engineer John Kariuki, please correct me if I am wrong in my >> understanding >> > that it would be prudent to have FOI Act before the Data Protection one? >> > Two weeks ago I ran into the AG in Parliament. I asked him if the FOI >> has >> > been cleared and ready for presentation on the floor of the House. His >> > answer was that the document is with the Ministry. Dr Ndemo, please >> > advise. >> > >> > Kind regards >> > Hon. James Rege, MP, Karachuonyo >> > >> > Sent from my iPad >> > >> > On Jul 26, 2010, at 9:15 AM, Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> > >> > @ Ndemo, >> > >> > I hear you. We must also find a way to educate our Cabinet that the >> phrase >> > "1 day in Politics is a long time" does apply more in ICTs than in >> > politics...If they endorse an ICT bill discussed four years ago, the ICT >> > terrain would have changed significantly to warrant a review of the >> > earlier discussions... >> > >> > walu. >> > >> > >> > --- On Sat, 7/24/10, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> wrote: >> > >> > From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft >> > DataProtectionBill? >> > To: "Walubengo J" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> >> > Cc: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" >> > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> > Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 4:03 PM >> > >> > Walibengo, >> > I am equallly frustrated because it takes at least four years to go >> > through Cabinet, AG's office and Parliament. These are processes beyond >> > my control. >> > >> > Iy you recall, we merged the two FOIs, the Prof. Nyongo one and our own >> > draft. We indeed agreed that I send to Cabinet. I have promised >> > practically anyone I meet that the bill will soon be out of Cabinet >> > soon. >> > I am confident that it will happen one day since FOI for example is an >> > agenda 4 item. >> > >> > Regards >> > >> > >> > >> > Ndemo. >> > >> > >> > >> > >> >> Bwana PS, >> >> >> >> true that these drafts were debated and i recall attending the forum at >> >> KSPS. Problem is this was a while back (2006-7) but the problem has >> >> always >> >> been that you never get to know what part of non-government >> >> stakeholders >> >> contributions were taken on board (went to the cabinet) and which parts >> >> were ignored. >> >> >> >> Eventually ofcourse one will get to know the details when the Bill gets >> >> to >> >> the floor of Parliament. And then the real challenge starts in that if >> >> other stakeholders think that what is before parliament is not >> >> "inclusive" >> >> enough, they will try to influence MPs to change it accordingly. At >> >> that >> >> level ONLY the big "influential" stakeholders (read: donors/private >> >> sector) can get the attention of the MPs; let alone their "buy-in" to >> >> make >> >> changes (read: forget our famous wanjiku's input at this level) >> >> >> >> Finally, even if the big stakeholders do get their changes in, if at >> >> all >> >> the Executive feels that those changes significantly alter their >> >> original >> >> policy objectives, they can always play the red card (veto) and take >> >> the >> >> whole process back to square1. >> >> >> >> So in short, my submission is that it is always cheaper to build and >> >> probably more importantly confirm consensus at the beginning of the >> >> policy >> >> process rather than towards the end. >> >> >> >> walu. >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> --- On Sat, 7/24/10, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> wrote: >> >> >> >> From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft >> >> DataProtectionBill? >> >> To: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >> >> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> >> Date: Saturday, July 24, 2010, 9:17 AM >> >> >> >> We debated the FOI and Data Protection at School of Monetary studies. >> >> We >> >> shall as public have another go at it when it is published and gone >> >> through the first reading in Parliament. >> >> >> >> Ndemo. >> >> >> >> >> >> Sent from my BlackBerry® >> >> >> >> -----Original Message----- >> >> From: David Otwoma <otwomad(a)gmail.com> >> >> Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >> Date: Fri, 23 Jul 2010 08:52:40 >> >> To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >> >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft Data >> >> ProtectionBill? >> >> >> >> Dear Edith, >> >> >> >> Cabinet Memoranda are classified documents intended for tabling in >> >> Cabinet Meetings. These documents are regulated by strict rules issued >> >> by the Presidency ...when they are approved then the Bill goes to >> >> Parliament and is again in the public domain for your input as per >> >> Parliamentary procedures. >> >> >> >> Enjoy your Furahi day all. >> >> >> >> Kind regards >> >> >> >> David >> >> >> >> On 7/22/10, Edith Adera <eadera(a)idrc.or.ke> wrote: >> >>> Dr Ndemo, >> >>> >> >>> Can it not be circulated to stakeholders for review? Wasn't a >> >>> participatory >> >>> process followed to draft it? >> >>> >> >>> Edith >> >>> >> >>> -----Original Message----- >> >>> From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >>> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eadera <kictanet-bounces%2Beadera>=idrc.or.ke >> @lists.kictanet.or.ke] On >> >>> Behalf >> >>> Of bitange(a)jambo.co.ke >> >>> Sent: Thursday, July 22, 2010 11:03 AM >> >>> To: Edith Adera >> >>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions >> >>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft Data >> >>> ProtectionBill? >> >>> >> >>> The draft bill is in Cabinet. >> >>> >> >>> Ndemo. >> >>> >> >>> Sent from my BlackBerry(r) >> >>> >> >>> -----Original Message----- >> >>> From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> >> >>> Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >>> Date: Wed, 21 Jul 2010 22:57:59 >> >>> To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> >> >>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> >>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Privacy vs National Interest-Draft Data >> >>> Protection >> >>> Bill? >> >>> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >> >>> kictanet mailing list >> >>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >>> >> >>> This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke Unsubscribe or change >> >>> your >> >>> options at >> >>> >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >> >>> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >> >>> kictanet mailing list >> >>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >>> >> >>> This message was sent to: eadera(a)idrc.or.ke Unsubscribe or change your >> >>> options at >> >>> >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/eadera%40idrc.or.ke >> >>> >> >>> _______________________________________________ >> >>> kictanet mailing list >> >>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >>> >> >>> This message was sent to: otwomad(a)gmail.com >> >>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> >>> >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otwomad%40gmail.com >> >>> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> kictanet mailing list >> >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> >> >> This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> >> >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------- >> >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> >> dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is >> >> believed to be clean. >> >> --------------------------------------------- >> >> "easy access to the world" >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> kictanet mailing list >> >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> >> >> This message was sent to: jwalu(a)yahoo.com >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jwalu%40yahoo.com >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------- >> >> 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" >> > >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > kictanet mailing list >> > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> > >> > This message was sent to: jamesrege(a)rocketmail.com >> > Unsubscribe or change your options at >> > >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/jamesrege%40rocketmail… >> > >> > >> > >> > >> > ---------------------------------------------- >> > This message has been scanned for viruses and >> > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is >> > believed to be clean. >> > --------------------------------------------- >> > "easy access to the world" >> > >> > _______________________________________________ >> > kictanet mailing list >> > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> > >> > This message was sent to: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke >> > Unsubscribe or change your options at >> > >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke >> > >> >> >> >> ---------------------------------------------- >> This message has been scanned for viruses and >> dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is >> believed to be clean. >> --------------------------------------------- >> "easy access to the world" >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: timwololo(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/timwololo%40gmail.com >> > -- Sent from my mobile device Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau ***************************************************** 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://smiley2.wordpress.com http://mburu.sikika.co.ke

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INVITATION TO THE 2010 KENYA INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM (KENYA IGF)
by alice 28 Jul '10

28 Jul '10

Reminder Kenya IGF Date: 29th July 2010 Venue: Panafic Hotel Time: 8.00-13.00hrs For more information visit: http://www.eaigf.or.ke/nigfs/kigf.html. -------- Original Message -------- Dear All, The Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC), the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and other participating organisations wish to invite you to the 2010 Kenya IGF to be held at the Panafric hotel in Nairobi, on the 29th of July 2010 7.00 Am to 1:00 Pm The 2010 Kenya IGF is a follow up to the 2009 national IGF and the regional East Africa Intrenet Governance Forum 2009 (EA-IGF2009), as well as preparation for the EA-IGF 2010. The national and the regional forums aim at creating awareness, instituting a consensus building process to develop a common understanding of local IG issues as well as building capacity in order to enable meaningful participation in global Internet policy, governance and development processes and initiatives. The Kenya IGF will therefore provide Kenyan Internet stakeholders with an opportunity to increase understanding of Internet governance issues and the links with socio-economic, political and cultural development and strengthen the internet governance community of practise evolving in the East Africa region. Further, Kenya has expressed interest in hosting the 2011 global United Nations Intrenet Governnace Forum (UN-IGF) the Kenya and EA IGF will support the goals of the IGF and the continued evolution of the open, multi-stakeholder internet. The outcomes of the K-IGF will be submitted and presented at the 2010 East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF 2010) to be held in Kampala, Uganda from the 11th to the 13th of August 2010 and subsequently to the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September 2010. On behalf of all participating organizations, it is my pleasure to invite you to the Kenya IGF. More information can be found on the National IGF website http://www.eaigf.or.ke/nigfs/kigf.html. we hope you will be able to participate as per the attached proposed programme. For planning purposes, kindly send an email to kenya(a)eaigf.or.ke <mailto:kenya@eaigf.or.ke> confirming your attendance.

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Kenya IGF 2010 e - Discussions Report
by Barrack Otieno 28 Jul '10

28 Jul '10

Dear Listers, We wish to thank all participants for the time and effort they put towards participating and contributing to the third Kenya Internet Governance Forum e discussions, Your contributions and insight has made all of us more informed and better equipped to tackle emerging trends in the Information Society. Attached please find a draft report of the proceedings which will be validated during the face to face meeting scheduled for Thursday 29th July 2010 at the Panafric Hotel. Kind Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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INVITATION TO THE 2010 KENYA INTERNET GOVERNANCE FORUM (KENYA IGF): ADVANCING THE INTERNET GOVERNANCE DEBATE IN KENYA: STRENGTHENING EAST AFRICAS CRITICAL INTERNET RESOURCES
by Joe Kiragu 27 Jul '10

27 Jul '10

The Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC), the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and other participating organisations wish to invite you to the 2010 Kenya IGF to be held at the Panafric hotel in Nairobi, on the 29th of July 2010 7.00 Am to 1:00 Pm The 2010 Kenya IGF is a follow up to the 2009 national IGF and the regional East Africa Internet Governance Forum 2009 (EA-IGF2009), as well as preparation for the EA-IGF 2010. The national and the regional forums aim at creating awareness, instituting a consensus building process to develop a common understanding of local IG issues as well as building capacity in order to enable meaningful participation in global Internet policy, governance and development processes and initiatives. The Kenya IGF will therefore provide Kenyan Internet stakeholders with an opportunity to increase understanding of Internet governance issues and the links with socio-economic, political and cultural development and strengthen the internet governance community of practice evolving in the East Africa region. Further, Kenya has expressed interest in hosting the 2011 global United Nations Internet Governance Forum (UN-IGF) the Kenya and EA IGF will support the goals of the IGF and the continued evolution of the open, multi-stakeholder internet. The outcomes of the K-IGF will be submitted and presented at the 2010 East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF 2010) to be held in Kampala, Uganda from the 11th to the 13th of August 2010 and subsequently to the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September 2010. On behalf of all participating organizations, it is my pleasure to invite you to the Kenya IGF. More information can be found on the National IGF website http://www.eaigf.or.ke/nigfs/kigf.html For planning purposes, kindly send an email to kenya(a)eaigf.or.ke confirming your attendance. for Sammy Buruchara Chairman Kenya Network Information Centre -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)

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FW: Job opportunities
by Harry Hare 27 Jul '10

27 Jul '10

Some of you may be interested in these opportunities. Kindest Regards Harry 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 ------ Forwarded Message > From: "Kwami Ahiabenu, II (penplusbytes)" <kwami(a)penplusbytes.org> > Date: Tue, 27 Jul 2010 01:06:20 -0000 > To: Harry Hare <harry(a)africanedevelopment.org> > Subject: Fw: Job opportunities > > Harry, > for your FYI and pass on to your network > cheers > kwami > > ------ End of Forwarded Message

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Privacy vs National Interest
by Edith Adera 27 Jul '10

27 Jul '10

Today I received a promotional sms from the "YES" campaign. Can Safaricom explain how our phone numbers were leaked? Edith

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Kenyan minister calls for dumping alert
by alice 26 Jul '10

26 Jul '10

*Kenyan minister calls for dumping alert* > > > BY EVELYNE NJOROGE > Updated 1 hours 23 minutes ago > *NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 26 - African ICT regulators have been urged to be > more stringent in vetting equipment that gets into the continent as > one way of dealing with electronic waste.* > > > > Information Minister Samuel Poghisio said on Monday this was one of > the sustainable ways that should be adopted to ensure that Africa is > not used as a dumping ground for e-waste. > > "One way of dealing with this problem is by strengthening our national > regulatory bodies to bar the entry of sub-standard equipment into our > markets," he said. > > The demand for ICT technology in the continent - driven mainly by the > need to keep up with the rest of the world - has seen electronic waste > rise to unprecedented levels as developed countries move to dispose > off their obsolete equipment to Africa. > > Old computers, mobile phone handsets and now television sets (as the > world prepares to migrate from analogue to digital broadcasting) are > some of the electronic gadgets that are increasingly finding their way > into the African market. > > The issue is further compounded by the fact that many African > countries do not have legislation to manage the waste which has both > environmental and health implications. Despite this threat, however, > not much focus is being given to this issue. > > "In the last 10 years, African governments have been preoccupied with > the issue of universal access but this aspiration is yet to be > realised. Given the high sales of cheap mobile handsets, their short > life span and the customers' desire to keep up with the latest trendy > handsets, this problem will remain with us for a long time," the > minister regretted. > > Kenya, through an organisation called 'Computer for Schools Kenya', > has however devised a way of managing this problem mainly through > recycling old computers. This involves extracting reusable parts from > the machines and using them to assemble 'new' computers which are then > distributed to schools at a fee. > > Mr Poghisio spoke during an International Telecommunication Union > (ITU) workshop on the provision of quality telecommunication services > in a safe environment where participants heard that mobile operators > in the continent are yet to meet the minimum threshold of quality of > service. > > "This could be partly ascribed to high rates of service subscription, > which have exerted pressure on the mobile network resources of service > providers," he said. > > He however pointed out that this calls for regulators to sensitise > consumers on the best ways to take advantage of the competitive > environment in the telecommunications sector to get value for their money. > > ... > > http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/Kenyabusiness/Kenyan-minister-calls-for… > > ___

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ICANN Meetings Fellowship Programme: Application Round Opens for Cartagena Meeting Fellowships]
by alice 26 Jul '10

26 Jul '10

*Application Round Opens for Cartagena Meeting Fellowships* Program ensures global representation at ICANN’s International Public Meetings 22 July 2010 *MARINA DEL REY, Calif.*: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers has launched the 11th round of the Fellowship program applications for its 39th International Public Meeting to be held Cartagena, Columbia on 5-10 December 2010. Over the last 10 meetings, the Fellowship program has proven to be a successful method of capacity building for the ICANN community, making sure global voices are heard in the wide variety of public forums that it holds. As CEO Rod Beckstrom said when addressing the Russian Internet Governance Forum in Moscow last May, /“The Internet is a work in progress. It feeds and grows off ideas, and new ideas greatly affect its direction. Its most influential contributors are those who can see the possibilities that others don’t. And the most powerful are those whose ideas trigger the imagination of others.”/ We see the Fellowship program playing a major role in bringing those great ideas and idea makers into the Internet community. Priority in selection is given to applicants who are current residents of developing and least developed nations and interested in participating in ICANN and its supporting organizations, such as the Governmental Advisory Committee, the Country Code Names Supporting Organization, the At-Large and the Generic Names Supporting Organization. The Fellowship program will assist in covering airfare, hotel and a stipend. Recipients will be expected to actively participate in and contribute to ICANN processes. As always, registration for ICANN’s meetings is free for anyone wanting to attend. *Applications for the meeting in Cartagena will be accepted from now until 1200 PDT (UTC -7) on 1 September 2010. More information, as well as a link to the application for a fellowship, is available online at: https://forms.icann.org/fellowship/applications/icann39/ or email at fellowships(a)icann.org <mailto:fellowships@icann.org>* *What Is ICANN?* To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer - a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet’s unique identifiers. ICANN doesn’t control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn’t deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet’s naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet.

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SIM card registration - anecdotal evidence
by Andrea Bohnstedt 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

I wrote this short piece recently, looking at the benefits of SIM card registration (e.g. fighting crime) versus the fact that it's an admin headache. SIM Card Registration: Crime Prevention, Administrative Headache, or Both? <http://www.ratio-magazine.com/201006243475/Kenya/SIM-Card-Registration-Crim…>I have a suspicion that it's going to come down on the side of the admin headache: I went to register my SIM cards yesterday. Safcom's forms have no duplicate, so I basically walked away with no evidence that I had tried to comply with the regulations. I noted down the number on the form, but that's no good if someone loses the form, which appears entirely possible. The lady at the outlet told me that the forms would be passed on to CCK and she 'hoped that the information would be processed.' The 'hope' in that sentence gave me nervous visions of stacks of forms. Like the immigration card stacks at the airport. Zain at least have a duplicate that you can take with you, but no stamp or anything showing that you have really submitted your details. Neither one actually checked the copy of my passport against the details I put down on the form, or just checked the passport copy itself against the passport (I could have probably taken someone else's passport. Or faked the information on it. I could have also just made up my postal and residential address since there's no way of checking this via my passport. Good thing I'm lazy). My colleague reported something similar from her trip to Orange Telkom and another mobile operator outlet: The first outlet she went to didn't insist on seeing her ID (she didn't have a photocopy), and since she just came out of the first operator's outlet, the people at the second one said that she must be ok, and so took her registration form without even asking for the ID. Yes, really. I'm not sure what the provisions are for keeping that new subscriber data base updated, but I do wonder about the accuracy of that data base in the first place. That's without even thinking about data security and the capacity of the police to intervene and follow up in case of any crime. Anecdotal evidence from Tanzania: 'I registered one of my lines with a shopping centre security guard for a TZS500/= facilitation fee. And he made sure I got the duplicate. I can't work out whose interests this exercise benefits, apart from entrepreneurial security men.' Happy Furahiday everyone! Andrea

1 0

mobile tariffs?
by Michael Ouma 23 Jul '10

23 Jul '10

How come Safaricom still charges Kshs 8/min for on-net and Kshs 12/min for off-net calls while the competition has reduced it's rates, with Zain Kenya now charging just Kshs 6/min for off-net calls and Kshs 3/ min for on-net? ...what's the rationale for all these? Michael Ouma Journalist Kenya Tel:+254-725-537823 "Do not go where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail," - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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FW: Job Vacancy with AVOIR
by Edith Adera 21 Jul '10

21 Jul '10

http://www.ict-innovation.fossfa.net/blog/%5Buser-raw%5D/vacancy-network-ma… FOSSFA, InWEnt and AVOIR are pleased to announce the vacancy for the "MIP Network Manager". In order to qualify software developers and enable the creation of innovative local FOSS solutions, a mentored internship programme in software development will be implemented, matching persons interested in improving their programming skills with suitable mentors guiding them through the coding of specific software projects relevant to local African contexts. For the first phase of this Mentored Internship Programme from October 2010 till March 2011 nine universities from the AVOIR network will be participating. TERM The initial contract will be from 1 September 2010 - 30 June 2011, but may be renewed for a second phase. During the first two months the position will require full time engagement. However, following this phase it will be possible to perform the tasks on a part-time basis. APPLICATION Interested candidates should send their CV as well as an application letter as soon as possible, to Mr. George Nyambuya, Programme Manager ict@innovation (george.nyambuya[at]inwent.co.za), with copy to Petra Hagemann, Programme Coordination ict@innovation (petra.hagemann[at]inwent.org) Last date of application: August 8th, 2010 OVERVIEW OF TASKS The TOR for the position of manager for this internship programme (MIP Network Manager) includes the following main components: Preparation of internship programme: - Supporting Host Organisation Coordinators in identifying and matching interns, projects and mentors as well as networking with the local IT industries - Development of an educational concept and internship curricula - Compiling possible additional activities for interns and creating linkages between other AVOIR and ict@innovation activities - Creating an overview of local FOSS Industries and projects Implementation of internship programme: - Supervision of Intern and Mentor cooperation and monitoring of activities, - Assure regular exchange within and between the different groups and stakeholders - Creating linkages with international partners and similar schemes, - Actively contributing to the AVOIR and ict@innovation community through mailing list activities, writing news stories and marketing of programme Evaluation and follow-up to internship programme: - Evaluating the programme and design improved programme components - Designing an internship alumni programme, - Supporting further exchange via an online community of practice of FOSS developers The detailed Terms of Reference (TOR), including a detailed job description, qualification criteria, and application procedures, for this position can be downloaded as a PDF here, als well as the, as well as the time line for this position. We look forward to receiving your application!

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Internet Policy Survey in Kenya
by Barrack Otieno 20 Jul '10

20 Jul '10

Dear Colleagues, There is an ongoing regional survey on Internet Policy, some of you may have come across this on other lists but just in case you did not kindly spare a few minutes and fill it, as the saying goes Information is power, we alll stand to benefit from this resource, you may access the questionaire through the following link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/QYTXSNZ. -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Fwd: Open Position at AfriNIC
by Adiel A. Akplogan 19 Jul '10

19 Jul '10

You may be interested. - a. Begin forwarded message: > From: AfriNIC HR Team <hr(a)afrinic.net> > Date: July 18, 2010 21:50:22 PM GMT+04:00 > To: announce(a)afrinic.net, members(a)afrinic.net > Subject: Open Position at AfriNIC > > [*** Apologies for duplicate e-mails ***] > > Dear Colleagues, > > We wish to inform you that we have a vacancy for the position of > Communications Area Manager at AfriNIC. > > This position will be based at our headquarters in Mauritius. > > Do not hesitate to visit http://www.afrinic.net/job/ for more > information or contact us at hr(a)afrinic.net. > > Sincerely > > AfriNIC HR team. > www.afrinic.net/job/ > WE VALUE YOUR COMPETENCIES & YOUR COMMITMENT

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Kenya IGF 2010, Discussions :Day 8 of 8 Summary
by Barrack Otieno 17 Jul '10

17 Jul '10

Dear Listers, Today we conclude 8 days of interesting discourse on Internet Governance issues in Kenya. As mentioned by some contributors in earlier posts, being a new area, there is a great need for capacity building and awareness to ensure that the country is able to reap the benefits of the new info-economy. We would like to invite listers who might not have had the chance to make their posts to do so under the respective subject lines in the next two days before compilation of the final report that will be presented during the face to face discussions scheduled for the end of this month. In a nutshell we explored the following areas: 1. Internet Governance rationale - What is internet governance and why internet governance at this point in time. 2. Infrastructure issues: Unified Licensing., Fibre Optic cable 3. Critical Internet Resources 4. Management of the dot KE cctld 5. IPv6 6. ecrimes, privacy, data security. Despite the limited time frame the discussion was exciting, i am sure the many that followed the debate silently would not their heads in agreement. Today and tomorrow will be dedicated to exploring other areas that might of interest in so far Internet Governance in Kenya is concerned one of them being cloud computing was which pointed out by Dr. Waudo Siganga. Thank you -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Invitation to the 2010 Kenya IGF Meeting Panafric hotel Nairobi 29.07.2010
by Barrack Otieno 16 Jul '10

16 Jul '10

Dear All, The Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC), the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) and other participating organisations wish to invite you to the 2010 Kenya IGF to be held at the Panafric hotel in Nairobi, on the 29th of July 2010 7.00 am to 1:00 Pm The 2010 Kenya IGF is a follow up to the 2009 national IGF and theregional East Africa Intrenet Governance Forum 2009 (EA-IGF2009), as well as preparation for the EA-IGF 2010. The national and the regional forums aim at creating awareness, instituting a consensus building process to develop a common understanding of local IG issues as well as building capacity in order to enable meaningful participation in global Internet policy, governance anddevelopment processes and initiatives. The Kenya IGF will therefore provide Kenyan Internet stakeholders with an opportunity to increase understanding of Internet governance issues and the links with socio-economic, political and cultural development and strengthen the internet governance community of practise evolving in the East Africa region. Further, Kenya has expressed interest in hosting the 2011 global United Nations Intrenet Governnace Forum (UN-IGF) the Kenya and EA IGF will support the goals of the IGF and the continued evolution of the open,multi-stakeholder internet. The outcomes of the K-IGF will be submitted and presented at the 2010 East Africa Internet Governance Forum (EA-IGF 2010) to be held in Kampala,Uganda from the 11th to the 13th of August 2010 and subsequently to the global Internet Governance Forum (IGF) meeting to be held in Vilnius, Lithuania, on 14-17 September 2010. On behalf of all participating organizations, it is my pleasure to invite you to the Kenya IGF. More information can be found on the National IGFwebsite http://www.eaigf.or.ke/nigfs/kigf.html. we hope you will be able to participate as per the attached proposed programme. For planning purposes, kindly send an email to kenya(a)eaigf.or.ke<http://us.mc578.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kenya@eaigf.or.ke><mailto: kenya(a)eaigf.or.ke<http://us.mc578.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kenya@eaigf.or.ke> > confirming your attendance. Kind Regards, Joe Kiragu Administrative Manger Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) kiragu(a)kenic.or.ke<http://us.mc578.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=kiragu@kenic.or.ke> -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Kenya IGF 2010, Discussions :Day 7 of 8 Theme:E-Crime, Online Privacy & Data Security- Continuation
by Judy Okite 14 Jul '10

14 Jul '10

Good Morning, As we near, closing these discussions we, feel free to contribute to the former threads by clicking on the correct subject/title. Today we continue with , - a) E-crime- situation in Kenya - b) E- Voting- where Kenya is @ And today we add c) c) Online privacy and data security i) Sim card registration- on the 21st June 2010 the government through CCK(Communication Commission of Kenya) declared it mandatory for all mobile users to register their Sim cards More info: http://www.cck.go.ke/news/2010/news_21june2010.html “The exercise is aimed at safeguarding the public against acts of insecurity, including the wide spread threats posed by terrorism, drug trafficking, money laundering, extortion, fraud, hate messages, and incitement that are now wide spread throughout the world, “said the Minister for Information and Communication. Currently we have 18million (I stand to be corrected ) mobile users in Kenya, In these forms, one has to give their residential area , their identity card number, their birth information etc… That is a whole lot of data on Kenyans… in short , a grand database! From yesterday’s discussions we saw that currently we have no LAW to guard this database. Q. What will stop the Authority from using my details wrongly? Q. What happens if I don’t register by 31st of July? I will be disconnected? Under what LAW? ii) When I send a SMS to 3007 with an ID card number, it returns with voter details, full names, place of voting and voter card number of the ID card holder, however, 1, the system put in place, does not verify in any way that it’s the real owner of the ID card, that has sent this query? a) Can this data be manipulated? Then what? A question, on top of my head, with all these ongoing, what creates demand for LAW?(if there is anything, like that) Your queries, comments, inputs, corrections are welcome! Kind Regards, -- “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” Kofi Annan

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Kenya IGF 2010, Discussions :Day 6 of 8 Theme:E-Crime, Online Privacy & Data Security.
by Judy Okite 13 Jul '10

13 Jul '10

Good Morning, I hope that we all, had a restful weekend! unless you were @ the campaign trails :-) To the FIFA world cup2010 winners,SPAIN, CONGRATULATIONS!! To the rest, lets keep an eye on 2014…yet another chance to better our skills J As we continue with our discussions, your comments and contributions to the former threads are welcome, just respond to the correct subject/title. The next two days (Monday & Tuesday) we will be discussing: a) a) e-crime- Definition: E-crime is where a computer or other electronic communications device (eg mobile phone) is used to commit an offence. Looking at this definition, the question on top of my head, is how many transactions do we do through our mobile phones, in Kenya. a) MPESA, ZAP- transfer of money To my knowledge (I stand to be corrected) MPESA /ZAP still rides under the umbrella of Telecommunication, banking and IT. Lately, you can pay your electricity bill, water bill etc…through this medium. Their usage has increased and we have branded it innovation, creativity, but are we being oblivious of the implications? Where or who do you approach in loss of your money? KPLC or Safaricom/Zain?etc and many other services that we are paying for using MPESA/ZAP b) b) E-voting Definition: is an election system that allows a voter to record his or her secure and secret ballot electronically. Currently we have a pilot project on e-voting that will first be tested, during the referendum on 4th August 2010.there are at least 1.5 million new voters in the 18 EVR pilot constituencies. more info: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/InsidePage.php?id=2000007579&cid=4&ttl=Kenya… In the recent days, we have experienced instances of ‘computer error’ within the Ministry of Finance and Education, what happens when the same happens with the IIEC? What do we have in place as a country, to ensure that this does not happen and if it does, does IIEC have the technical know-how? and as Kenyans, are we assured that such a case will have ‘e-evidence’ on how and when and where the ‘computer error’ took place? I hope that these two are bound to see our inboxes full as it touches on each and every one of us. Your thoughts, corrections, inputs, queries, reactions are welcome! Kind Regards, -- “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” Kofi Annan

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FW: THE ECONOMIST: This Time, Kenya Might Be On Top of This List...
by Edith Adera 12 Jul '10

12 Jul '10

See The Economist article - Kenya tops the list of the most expensive politicians!!! what a shame with the level of poverty in the country! Edith ________________________________ FYI [cid:image001.gif@01CB1F49.A93B98C0] Politicians' Salaries Leaders of the fee world How much a country's leader is paid compared to GDP per person Jul 5th 2010 ON MONDAY July 5th Raila Odinga, Kenya's prime minister, rejected the pay increase he was awarded by the country's parliament last week. MPs had granted Mr Odinga a rise to nearly $430,000 a year, while giving themselves a 25% increase to $161,000. This boost would place Mr Odinga among the highest-paid political leaders in the world. More worryingly, his salary would be some 240 times greater than the country's GDP per person (measured on a purchasing-power parity basis). Lee Hsien Loong, the prime minister of Singapore, tops our list of selected leaders' salaries. He is paid more than 40 times the city-state’s GDP per person. At the other end of the scale, Manmohan Singh, the prime minister of India, reaffirms his reputation for saintliness by taking a modest sum from Indian taxpayers. [cid:image002.jpg@01CB1F49.A93B98C0]

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Kenya IGF 2010, Discussions :Day 5 of 8 Theme : Critical Internet Resources- Continuation
by Judy Okite 12 Jul '10

12 Jul '10

Greetings All, Thank you, for all your inputs to the previous threads. Feel free to post your belated remarks on the previous themes, by clicking on the correct subject/title. Today, we continue to discuss Critical Internet Resources, 1. DNSSEC 2. IPV6- the regulatory angle, Yesterday,on Regulation McTim,said and I quote “I am of the opinion that if a person or org wants to live in a v4 world, then a nation state sholdn't preclude them from doing that. Having said that, I think it would be useful to point out that most (if not all) kit imported (new and used) is either v6 ready or with a few software changes, can be made v6 ready.” What is your thought? Should we be concerned about e.g the hardware getting into our country ? And if we should, who should be in charge of that? Reactions? Today , we add 3. .ke ccTLD management (Kenya Country Top Level Domain) *Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)* was borne through a broad based consultative process of the "Local Internet Community" with an aim to institute a local non-profit organization to manage and operate the .KE ccTLD. This was an initial step to facilitate growth of the Internet sub-sect and foster the uptake of ICT's in the country through a public private partnership (ppp's). www.kenic.or.ke KENIC has been managing the .ke , since its inception, but last year, The Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act of 2009 mandated the Commission to provide public policy oversight on the administration and management of the dot KE country code Top Level Domain (ccTLD). http://www.e- government.go.ke/index.php?option=com_docman&task=doc_details&gid=1&Itemid=119 1. A message sent by Mr. Walubengo, before the discussions begun and I quote “ I just have an update from yesterday's KENIC AGM (www.kenic.or.ke) where the Chair, Sammy Buruchara made some clarification on the role of the regulator (CCK) with regards to the management of the 2nd level Kenyan domain name space. While he conceded that the Kenya Comm. Act (2009) does mandate the Regulator to oversee these subdomains, the Minister had yet to issue regulations on how it would be done because most stakeholders have shown concern and reservations on that specific clause...meaning status quo remains where the multistakeholder, public private partnership that makes up KENIC still manages and oversees all levels of the .KE namespace untill hopefully some consensus is reached on the way forward...” Why has it taken this long for the Minister to act? Is there a system/process and is it underway? I would love to hear from the knowledgeable people, what effect has this had in the market, more especially for the Registrars. Your thoughts, inputs, corrections, are most welcome… Kind Regards, -- “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” Kofi Annan

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Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Kenya IGF 2010, Discussions :Day 4 of 8 Theme : Critical Internet Resources
by Barrack Otieno 11 Jul '10

11 Jul '10

Zacs, Your intervention is timely and makes a lot of sense, might this involve MOIC in any way, it would be nice to hear what the 'Government' says on this matter, i hope bwana PS comes is listening, and what do the consumers say? On Fri, Jul 9, 2010 at 9:51 AM, Zacs <mwatha_zacs(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > allow me to comment on item 2 (a) as raised. my comment come as a layman > not as an authority in the field. > > Flashback: In order to implement KS1515 (Code of practice for inspection > of road vehicles.) i believe it was a concerted effort between the > ministry of finance and Kebs. the minister imposed a tax on the importation > of vehicles above the age of 8 yrs which made it prohibitively expensive to > make such an importation. > > Comment: i therefore posit it that both KEBS and KRA (on behalf of the MoF) > must work out a formula to implement a "ban" on the importation of none IPv6 > compliant equipment. > > > > > --- On *Thu, 7/8/10, Judy Okite <judyokite(a)gmail.com>* wrote: > > > From: Judy Okite <judyokite(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [ke-internetusers] Kenya IGF 2010, Discussions :Day 4 of 8 Theme : > Critical Internet Resources > To: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>, > "ke-users" <ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net>, "Skunkworks forum" < > skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke> > Date: Thursday, July 8, 2010, 2:48 AM > > > > Greetings All, > > As we continue with our online discussions, I would like to remind you that > you can still post your belated remarks on the previous themes, just > remember to click on the right subject/title. > > For the next two days (Thursday & Friday) we will be looking at Critical > Internet Resources, Kenya perspective: > > 1) DNSSEC > > Definition: introduces security at the infrastructure level through a > hierarchy of cryptographic signatures attached to the DNS records. Users > are assured that the source of the data is verifiably the stated source, and > the mapping of name to IP address is accurate. > > > > The stability, reliability and security of DNS data is paramount to any Top > level domain (TLD) > > > > In non- technical terms, what is in it for Kenya? why should we discuss it? > > > > 2) IPV6 – > > Definition: is the culmination of over a decade's worth of work, mainly > inspired by the IPV4 address* exhaustation *and is designed to enable the > global expansion of the Internet.(http://www.afrinic.net/IPv6/) > > I would like us to delve into IPV6, discussions from two perspectives: > > a) Regulatory- > > Last year, there was a suggestion that KEBS or KRA should ensure that no > hardware or software should be allowed into the country that is not IPV6 > compliant. > > Any updates on that? Who should be in-charge? > > b) How prepared are we (Kenya) any statistics? Are there any > benefits? What are they? > > In short the challenges and milestone. > > I hope that our responses will put Solomon’s mind to rest, as he > rightfully asked on day 1: > > > > “One thing that I struggle to understand is IPV6. There are a number of > essentials that will help the society fully migrate and adapt the IPV6 > equipment. One thing that beats logic is how does one really know an > equipment is IPV6 compliant? I posit this question because it emerged that > all the so-called digital television in Kenya were not digital after all! > “ > > > > > > Your thoughts, inputs, querries, comments, corrections are most welcome! > > > > Kind Regards, > > -- > “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and > what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” > Kofi Annan > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net <http://mc/compose?to=ke-internetusers@bdix.net> > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

4 4

Web Editor - Job description
by Wainaina Mungai 11 Jul '10

11 Jul '10

*Job Description* *Position : Web Editor, TV/radio station* Reporting to the Head of ICT, the successful candidate will support the news team, marketing and other departments in editing, developing and promoting the organisation's website. The web editor will: • liaise with in-house and external authors, edit their articles, reports and ensure continuous renewal of the site. • write summaries and brief descriptions for the organisation’s website • edit and compose the company’s newsletter • write or edit promotional material • write or edit press releases • format documents and web brochures using desktop publishing software • publish website articles using the company’s content management system • support the news and communications teams in keeping the databases up to date • promote the company’s website by networking with other institutions, bloggers and communications professionals. • support the news, public relations and communications teams in developing the company’s web presence. • ensure the referencing of the company's publications on external websites • manage web users feedback • promote interactivity, SEO and the use social media • promote a blogging culture amongst the company's staff • liase with the sales and marketing team in selling banner advertisements *Requirements and Qualifications* • University degree or equivalent in communications, media or information sciences • Experience in blogging and use of social media such as twitter, facebook, youtube etc • Good knowledge of development in new media tools integration of audio, video, maps etc • First-class writing and editing skills in English • Experience in web publishing and SEO, CMS • Ability to deliver on obligations work with minimal supervision • Good communication and interpersonal skills To apply, please forward a complete CV and covering letter, including salary requirements to: *hr(a)mediamax.co.ke* * * *Applications should be submitted by end of day Monday, 12th July 2010.*

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Kenya IGF 2010 Mailing List Discussions Day 3 of 8 Theme : Infrastructure Issues - Impact of the Unified Licensing Model IGF Mailing List Discussions
by Barrack Otieno 09 Jul '10

09 Jul '10

Listers, We will carry on with discussions on Infrastructure issues, feel free to comment on other threads as we move on. Today we review the impact of the Unified Licensing Model. ICT industry stakeholders gave the Communications Commission of Kenya the green light to implement a unified technology licensing framework. We may all agree that to a good extent the regulator has done well in so far as the promises it made are concerned, however there has been a lot of hue and cry in the industry lately as players flex their muscles using the provisions of the model to gain the most in terms of market share, however according to David Rogerson a technology expert Unified Licensing is no Panacea, in a article posted on http://www.ovum.com/go/content/c,62120,68257, he points out the fact that Unified Licensing model will not magically transform the moribund fixed networks in Africa or elsewhere, as to whether we agree or not…the floor is open Reference Sources : http://www.mulonga.net/forum/index.php?topic=442.0;wap2

3 5

Kenya IGF 2010, Discussions :Day 4 of 8 Theme : Critical Internet Resources
by Judy Okite 09 Jul '10

09 Jul '10

Greetings All, As we continue with our online discussions, I would like to remind you that you can still post your belated remarks on the previous themes, just remember to click on the right subject/title. For the next two days (Thursday & Friday) we will be looking at Critical Internet Resources, Kenya perspective: 1) DNSSEC Definition: introduces security at the infrastructure level through a hierarchy of cryptographic signatures attached to the DNS records. Users are assured that the source of the data is verifiably the stated source, and the mapping of name to IP address is accurate. The stability, reliability and security of DNS data is paramount to any Top level domain (TLD) In non- technical terms, what is in it for Kenya? why should we discuss it? 2) IPV6 – Definition: is the culmination of over a decade's worth of work, mainly inspired by the IPV4 address* exhaustation *and is designed to enable the global expansion of the Internet.(http://www.afrinic.net/IPv6/) I would like us to delve into IPV6, discussions from two perspectives: a) Regulatory- Last year, there was a suggestion that KEBS or KRA should ensure that no hardware or software should be allowed into the country that is not IPV6 compliant. Any updates on that? Who should be in-charge? b) How prepared are we (Kenya) any statistics? Are there any benefits? What are they? In short the challenges and milestone. I hope that our responses will put Solomon’s mind to rest, as he rightfully asked on day 1: “One thing that I struggle to understand is IPV6. There are a number of essentials that will help the society fully migrate and adapt the IPV6 equipment. One thing that beats logic is how does one really know an equipment is IPV6 compliant? I posit this question because it emerged that all the so-called digital television in Kenya were not digital after all! “ Your thoughts, inputs, querries, comments, corrections are most welcome! Kind Regards, -- “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” Kofi Annan

6 16

Re: [kictanet] Kenya IGF 2010 Mailing List Discussions Day 2 of 8 Theme : Infrastructure Issues - Impact of the Fibre Optic Cable IGF Mailing List Discussions
by Barrack Otieno 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

Dear Listers, Apologies for starting the thread late and thanks to all those who responded actively on the first day, the thread is still open. Today we look at Infrastructure issues, a quick glance through last years report brings to mind the Pomp that greeted the TEAMS and SEACOM initiative, one year down the line, it would only be good to review the milestones we have made this far, going through an earlier discussion on this list, i noted an interesting article posted by listers that mentioned the fact that the undersea cable has led to a boom in Spam coming from the this region, the study was conducted by Symantec, i know this is just a tip of the ICEBERG and would like to look at the issue from a Social perspective as well as an economic perspective, are there real (tangible benefits) that the cables have brought or is it euphoria, do we have indicators that show how the country has benefited?, what do the various consituencies have to say? Consumer advocates, Youth Representatives, the Private Sector?..the discussion is open -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

9 23

where can i get an orange modem for Kshs 1,000?
by Michael Ouma 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

...can anyone direct me to where i can get an orange modem for Ksh 1,000? i'll really appreciate. Michael Ouma Journalist Kenya Tel:+254-725-537823 "Do not go where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail," - Ralph Waldo Emerson

1 0

Re: [kictanet] Kenya IGF 2010 Mailing List Discussions Day 2 of 8 Theme : Infrastructure Issues - Impact of the Fibre Optic Cable IGF Mailing List Discussions
by charles nduati 07 Jul '10

07 Jul '10

Hi Walu and fellow listers, Once again we are back to the typical debate of whether the glass is half full or half empty. But if you ask bharti airtel who spent 1 trillion shs to buy out zain and located their head office in nairobi or telkom south africa who bought afsat and africa online and are also locating their head office in nairobi and ken tech data who recently got a 20 million bpo deal and many other examples, they will tell you the glass is 3/4 full A revolution doesn't happen over nigt it just explodes one nigt after many years of buid up lets keep the eye on the prize good day all Charles Nduati

1 0

diplo internet governance
by meshack emakunat 06 Jul '10

06 Jul '10

looking forward to the achievement of vision 2030 through the aid of the internet.

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Re: [kictanet] Kenya IGF 2010 Mailing List Discussions Day 2 of 8 Theme : Infrastructure Issues - Impact of the Fibre Optic Cable IGF Mailing List Discussions
by Barrack Otieno 06 Jul '10

06 Jul '10

Dear Listers, Apologies for starting the thread late and thanks to all those who responded actively on the first day, the thread is still open. Today we look at Infrastructure issues, a quick glance through last years report brings to mind the Pomp that greeted the TEAMS and SEACOM initiative, one year down the line, it would only be good to review the milestones we have made this far, going through an earlier discussion on this list, i noted an interesting article posted by listers that mentioned the fact that the undersea cable has led to a boom in Spam coming from the this region, the study was conducted by Symantec, i know this is just a tip of the ICEBERG and would like to look at the issue from a Social perspective as well as an economic perspective, are there real (tangible benefits) that the cables have brought or is it euphoria, do we have indicators that show how the country has benefited?, what do the various consituencies have to say? Consumer advocates, Youth Representatives, the Private Sector?..the discussion is open On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 4:45 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com>wrote: > Thanks Walu for providing insight in so far as capacity building is > concerned. Grace, your compliments are appreciated, i would also like to > acknowledge the fact that you ably represented the youth in the last IGF at > Sharm El Sheikh as one of the panelists in the Social Networking session. We > shall be discussing e crimes, privacy and Data Security on day 6 and your > input is welcome. > > On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 4:40 PM, Grace Bomu <nmutungu(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Dear All, >> Let me start by congratulating the choice of moderators for this year. It >> is heartening to see the youth in action because today is the leadership >> platform promised to us yesterday. I hope the discussions shall be as >> interactive as in the past. >> >> I believe we need the Kenya IGF as a learning, lobbying process. While I >> cannot say the duration it should go on for, for sure it is a current need, >> and we should keep having it as long as the need exists. >> >> Looking at the suggested topics and those that were discussed last year, >> it is apparent that the issue of (internet) *rights *keeps coming up. I >> hope that since it is a cross cutting issue, we shall discuss it in more >> detail and even add a voice to the main IGF on these issues. >> >> Looking forward. >> Regards, >> >> On 5 July 2010 15:32, Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> >>> >>> On 5 July 2010 14:39, Judy Okite <judyokite(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Thank you, Gentlemen, >>>> >>>> However, my question still remains, does or should KI-IGF have a >>>> stipulated mandate/time...where its tasks can be evaluated? has it been >>>> instrumental in achieving something to/for the stipulated Multi-stakeholders >>>> mentioned? >>>> >>>> can K-IGF be part of Kenya's vision 2030? >>>> >>>> ???? >>>> >>>> Interesting thought here. KIGF's mandate should go beyond the EAIGF and >>> as you've suggested, be part of Vision 2030, since this is the only document >>> that has long term priorities for making Kenya a middle level society by >>> 2030, or earlier, of course, unless, politicians mutilate it as they did >>> with our beloved proposed new constitution of Kenya. >>> In addition, what does the East African Community Protocol have in store >>> for the EAIGF? I see situations where we can exploit opportunities for >>> strengthening the forum in line with the protocol for the betterment of the >>> citizenry. I wouldn't like to believe that the Protocol is just limited to >>> products and not services! >>> >>>> your thoughts are welcomed and appreciated. >>>> >>>> Kind Regards, >>>> >>>> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 2:31 PM, Solomon Mburu Kamau < >>>> solo.mburu(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On 5 July 2010 14:18, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> Thank you for raising this interesting perspective Judy. In my humble >>>>>> opinion there is a local perspective to Internet Governance Issues and a >>>>>> Global Perspective to the same. The Local initiative is not tied to the >>>>>> global one and i suppose this might give us some leeway to review whether we >>>>>> need to continue with it or not. In my opinion, i do feel with or without >>>>>> the global initiative we have to carry on with our local version of the >>>>>> Internet Governance Forum. I might not have an authoritative opinion in so >>>>>> far as Internet usage statistics are concerned but as far as i know we still >>>>>> have less than ten million Internet users which leads me to ask the question >>>>>> why? to attempt to answer myself i will attempt to identify the various >>>>>> constituencies on the Internet >>>>>> Children >>>>>> Youth >>>>>> Small and Medium Enterprises >>>>>> Banks >>>>>> Academia >>>>>> Technical Community >>>>>> Governmnet >>>>>> all this are sources of income for the governmnet and if we are to >>>>>> grow our GDP it is imperative that we get all this stakeholders together and >>>>>> identify their priorities in so far as Internet Usage is Concerned. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> Why should education be expensive with e-learning?, why should >>>>>> healthcare be costly with e-health, why should banking be costly with >>>>>> e-banking? >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> It think the main issue here is the classified into two aspects: the >>>>> willing buyer versus the willing seller (as-is) and the imposed buyer. >>>>> Logically, the reason as to why we find anything e-something is costly >>>>> than physical appearance, is because the society has not fully appreciated >>>>> and acknowledged the need for adapting to change. >>>>> In essence, mass education can work well in changing the mindset. >>>>> >>>>> >>>>>> , i hope this makes a case for the vailidity of the Kenya IGF forum, >>>>>> differing perspectives are invited though :-) >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 1:09 PM, Judy Okite <judyokite(a)gmail.com>wrote: >>>>>> >>>>>>> Dear Barrack,All, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> thank you for this introduction and I look forward to these >>>>>>> deliberations, however my question is >>>>>>> >>>>>>> "how long is the mandate for the Kenya IGF?" >>>>>>> >>>>>>> this year's focus on the global event is reviewing their 5year >>>>>>> mandate and look at its possible extension and why.....having borrowed the >>>>>>> 'not a decision making ,model' from the global event, are we looking at a >>>>>>> possible time lapse as well? >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> Kind Regards, >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 8:32 AM, Barrack Otieno < >>>>>>> otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Dear Listers, >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> Another year has gone by and it is time to review the deliberations >>>>>>>> that were made during last years discussions which was moderated by Walu and >>>>>>>> Mwende Njiraini. While reflecting on this it is important to note that the >>>>>>>> IGF process is not a decision making mechanism but a platform for >>>>>>>> multistakeholder dialogue, the idea is to bring together organisations and >>>>>>>> persons involved in Internet public policy formulation. It is this >>>>>>>> organisations and persons that make the decisions or implement the changes >>>>>>>> that are required in the public space. This notwithsatnding, the Kenya IGF >>>>>>>> has made immense contribution to the East African IGF which is by far one of >>>>>>>> the best regional initiatives globally and provides a benchmark for other >>>>>>>> Regional initiatives that are coming up in Africa and the Global IGF >>>>>>>> process. Last years report is attached to this thread and i would like to >>>>>>>> invite listers to skim through it an identify issues that might need to be >>>>>>>> revisited and or reviewed. In addition you may propose areas that need to be >>>>>>>> taken into consideration as we prepare for the face to face discussions at >>>>>>>> the end of this Month. Please note that discussions around this theme will >>>>>>>> take one day however you may continue with the thread even after we have >>>>>>>> moved to the next theme which will look at Infrastructure issues. >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>>>> kictanet mailing list >>>>>>>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>>>>>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> This message was sent to: judyokite(a)gmail.com >>>>>>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>>>>>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/judyokite%40gmail.com >>>>>>>> >>>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> >>>>>>> -- >>>>>>> “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are >>>>>>> and what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” >>>>>>> Kofi Annan >>>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> -- >>>>>> Barrack O. Otieno >>>>>> +41767892272 >>>>>> Skype: barrack.otieno >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> kictanet mailing list >>>>>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>>>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>>>> >>>>>> This message was sent to: solo.mburu(a)gmail.com >>>>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>>>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/solo.mburu%40gmail.com >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> -- >>>>> Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau >>>>> >>>>> ***************************************************** >>>>> 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://smiley2.wordpress.com >>>>> http://mburu.sikika.co.ke >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>> kictanet mailing list >>>>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>>> >>>>> This message was sent to: judyokite(a)gmail.com >>>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/judyokite%40gmail.com >>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>>> >>>> -- >>>> “To live is to choose. But to choose well, you must know who you are and >>>> what you stand for, where you want to go and why you want to get there.” >>>> Kofi Annan >>>> >>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau >>> >>> ***************************************************** >>> 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://smiley2.wordpress.com >>> http://mburu.sikika.co.ke >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> kictanet mailing list >>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>> >>> This message was sent to: nmutungu(a)gmail.com >>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/nmutungu%40gmail.com >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) >> Kenya >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail… >> >> > > > -- > Barrack O. Otieno > +41767892272 > Skype: barrack.otieno > -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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[Fwd: Re: [governance] curious note on nairobi and brussels...]
by alice 05 Jul '10

05 Jul '10

Sorry top break the discussion thread on the Kenya IGF. But could not help sharing this with you, particularly considering that Kenya has expressed interest in hosting the 2011 UN-IGF. very best alice -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Re: [governance] curious note on nairobi and brussels... Date: Mon, 05 Jul 2010 12:01:16 +0200 From: Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette(a)apc.org> Reply-To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org,Anriette Esterhuysen <anriette(a)apc.org> Organization: Association for Progressive Communications To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org, "Carlos A. Afonso" <ca(a)cafonso.ca> References: <9A36AD43-07B6-43B6-B348-6B5E8CCE9F7B(a)ipjustice.org> <AANLkTikUmS1d3DoLM6Q3L4NXzpolgKQYeGaWl5Zhsno-(a)mail.gmail.com> <D96FE7A3-C573-465D-B831-5435D137C5B9(a)ipjustice.org> <75822E125BCB994F8446858C4B19F0D705AC3E73BB(a)SUEX07-MBX-04.ad.syr.edu> <9D151813-00C1-46CE-9CFA-DBCF466AE29E(a)IPJUSTICE.ORG> <4C150EFE.3020704(a)cafonso.ca> <75822E125BCB994F8446858C4B19F0D705AC3E73EE(a)SUEX07-MBX-04.ad.syr.edu> <4C232E42.6010708(a)cafonso.ca> <4C232FC4.7090502(a)seltzer.com> <AANLkTinPESZIDdepCYUq-khrQaLF4D-ehcPLh-TXaoqb(a)mail.gmail.com> <4C30B533.60503(a)cafonso.ca> Dear c.a. Yes.. good question. Let's hope that we don't have the same paranoia emerge again when the IGF is being hosted in Kenya. Anriette On Sun, 2010-07-04 at 13:22 -0300, Carlos A. Afonso wrote: > Dear people, > > When ICANN proposed to hold their meeting in Nairobi, there came an > avalanche of reports and fears -- above all, a statement from the US > government warning all of us not to go due to serious security concerns. > > The ones who went (I was there) found a wonderful people, a nice > country, we learned a lot visiting museums and other places -- above > all, we were at least as safe as in our home towns. > > Now, in Brussels, one of us had its bag forcefully stolen at the central > train station. Nothing of this sort happened in Kenya. Our NCUC friend > Marcelo Fernandes Costa had about Eu5,000 in equipment and money stolen > in the capital of Europe. When he approached a policeman to report the > robbery, the Belgian shook his shoulders as if saying "nothing new...". > > Why didn't the US government and other "mandarins of worldwide security" > warn us about the serious risks we run when in civilized Europe??? > > --c.a. > ____________________________________________________________ > You received this message as a subscriber on the list: > governance(a)lists.cpsr.org > To be removed from the list, send any message to: > governance-unsubscribe(a)lists.cpsr.org > > For all list information and functions, see: > http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance > > Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t -- ^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ anriette esterhuysen - executive director association for progressive communications p o box 29755 melville - south africa 2109 anriette(a)apc.org - tel/fax + 27 11 726 1692 http://www.apc.org APC 1990-2010 www.apc.org Thank you for helping make APC what it is today! ¡Gracias por hacer de APC lo que es hoy! Merci d'avoir contribué à faire d'APC ce qu'elle est aujourd'hui! ____________________________________________________________ You received this message as a subscriber on the list: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org To be removed from the list, send any message to: governance-unsubscribe(a)lists.cpsr.org For all list information and functions, see: http://lists.cpsr.org/lists/info/governance Translate this email: http://translate.google.com/translate_t

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Re: [kictanet] Kenya IGF 2010 Mailing List Discussions Day 1 of 8 Theme : Review of the 2009 IGF Mailing List Discussions
by Barrack Otieno 05 Jul '10

05 Jul '10

Dear Listers, Another year has gone by and it is time to review the deliberations that were made during last years discussions which was moderated by Walu and Mwende Njiraini. While reflecting on this it is important to note that the IGF process is not a decision making mechanism but a platform for multistakeholder dialogue, the idea is to bring together organisations and persons involved in Internet public policy formulation. It is this organisations and persons that make the decisions or implement the changes that are required in the public space. This notwithsatnding, the Kenya IGF has made immense contribution to the East African IGF which is by far one of the best regional initiatives globally and provides a benchmark for other Regional initiatives that are coming up in Africa and the Global IGF process. Last years report is attached to this thread and i would like to invite listers to skim through it an identify issues that might need to be revisited and or reviewed. In addition you may propose areas that need to be taken into consideration as we prepare for the face to face discussions at the end of this Month. Please note that discussions around this theme will take one day however you may continue with the thread even after we have moved to the next theme which will look at Infrastructure issues.

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Re: [kictanet] Kenya IGF 2010 Mailing List Discussions Day 1 of 8 Theme : Review of the 2009 IGF Mailing List Discussions
by Barrack Otieno 05 Jul '10

05 Jul '10

Thanks Emmanuel, we shall be tackling the issue of Cyber Security on day 6 and your comments are welcome. With regard to Internet access from remote locations i have been following keenly Chrystal ``Naliaka's`project, (hope i got the spelling right ) which has received a lot of International recognition i am tempted to include the expansion of 3 G by Mobile Telcos, i wonder if Chrystal would be willing to share her achievements on this thread and if we can get some info on the Pasha centres, in so far as Growth of Internet enabled conference sessions is concerned i suppose the Academic community should lead the way in popularising this, (e-learning). Hon Rege also set a good example for Mps with the recent initiative in Karachuonyo, more comments are welcome though On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 3:01 PM, Emmanuel Khisa <oloo.khisa(a)googlemail.com>wrote: > Well on the issue of bambanet, the only penalty is that you will not be > able to use it. So whenever you are in the country it would be useful to > walk into MNO shop and get yourself a bambanet simcard or whatever your > network calls them. > On to the very useful discussion on the IG and regional space, I guess it > may be important to bring onboard the media into these discussions this time > round so that these issues can be broken down. I would propose as a followup > townhall setting like sessions to help build this case especially as we look > forward to hosting the next IGF both as a country and as a region in 2011. > > Key issues that continue to dominate this discourse from my standpoint are > Cyber Security, Internet Access for the remote locations as well as growth > of Internet enabled conference sessions. > > This is a great start. > > On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 2:09 PM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com>wrote: > >> Many thanks Solomon for your insightfull points notably on *IPv6, >> Registration of Sim Cards* and Mass education AKA capacity building, on >> another note i just realised i havent registered my Sim Card on the >> Bambanet, will this attract some form of punishment as well?. I have also >> been looking at an interesting debate on number Portability and its effect >> on Value added Services. We discuss IPV6 issues for 2 days beginning July 12 >> to July 13 and i would like to invite you to prepare your submissions for >> the same in advance. >> Kind Regards >> >> >> On Mon, Jul 5, 2010 at 1:02 PM, Solomon Mburu Kamau <solo.mburu(a)gmail.com >> > wrote: >> >>> Listers, >>> >>> This is indeed another great opportunity to understand the journey since >>> the last of such a discussion (2009). considering that there are a number of >>> things that have taken place in as far as internet governance/security are >>> concerned. >>> For instance, there is a call by the government of Kenya to have all the >>> SIM Cards registered before July 31st 2010, to avert issues such as crime >>> (kidnapping, electoral violence etc). >>> There is quiet a lot of diversities which we need to embrace and prepare >>> the citizens into understanding the multiple effects of internet. >>> One thing that I struggle to understand is IPV6. There are a number of >>> essentials that will help the society fully migrate and adapt the IPV6 >>> equipment. One thing that beats logic is how does one really know an >>> equipment is IPV6 compliant? I posit this question because it emerged that >>> all the so-called digital television in Kenya were not digital after all! >>> >>> Mass education on the findings regarding IGF need to be conducted so that >>> it does not look like only technical people define, actualize and implement >>> IGF, just like it is said, the common person need to have a technical >>> understanding of IGF, at least in the basic level. >>> >>> I look forward to more challenging perspectives and views regarding this >>> discussion. >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> On 5 July 2010 08:32, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Dear Listers, >>>> >>>> Another year has gone by and it is time to review the deliberations that >>>> were made during last years discussions which was moderated by Walu and >>>> Mwende Njiraini. While reflecting on this it is important to note that the >>>> IGF process is not a decision making mechanism but a platform for >>>> multistakeholder dialogue, the idea is to bring together organisations and >>>> persons involved in Internet public policy formulation. It is this >>>> organisations and persons that make the decisions or implement the changes >>>> that are required in the public space. This notwithsatnding, the Kenya IGF >>>> has made immense contribution to the East African IGF which is by far one of >>>> the best regional initiatives globally and provides a benchmark for other >>>> Regional initiatives that are coming up in Africa and the Global IGF >>>> process. Last years report is attached to this thread and i would like to >>>> invite listers to skim through it an identify issues that might need to be >>>> revisited and or reviewed. In addition you may propose areas that need to be >>>> taken into consideration as we prepare for the face to face discussions at >>>> the end of this Month. Please note that discussions around this theme will >>>> take one day however you may continue with the thread even after we have >>>> moved to the next theme which will look at Infrastructure issues. >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> kictanet mailing list >>>> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >>>> >>>> This message was sent to: solo.mburu(a)gmail.com >>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at >>>> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/solo.mburu%40gmail.com >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> Solomon Mbũrũ Kamau >>> >>> ***************************************************** >>> 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://smiley2.wordpress.com >>> http://mburu.sikika.co.ke >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >>> >> >> >> -- >> Barrack O. Otieno >> +41767892272 >> Skype: barrack.otieno >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> This message was sent to: oloo.khisa(a)gmail.com >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/oloo.khisa%40gmail.com >> >> > -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Re: [kictanet] 12th Real Time Linux Workshop to be held at Strathmore University
by Maina Olembo 05 Jul '10

05 Jul '10

Good afternoon, This may be of interest to some... Kindly circulate as appropriate. ****************************************************************************************** The 12th edition of the Real Time Linux Workshop will be held at Strathmore University, Nairobi Kenya from October 25th- 27th 2010. The Real Time Linux Workshop which is focussed on real-time and embedded systems, is dedicated to free-software solutions in this area as well as spreading technology by providing seminars by key Linux kernel developers. We are trying to locate embedded and real-time projects and researchers in Africa that would be interested in presenting their work at the workshop. If you know of projects in the area of embedded and real-time systems, as well as educational efforts focused on this domain we would be happy to hear from them. Further during this workshop we will have seminars be key kernel developers as well as developers of Linux extensions (RTAI, Xenomai, XtratuM). The seminars will be predominantly hands-on session introducing core free-software technologies in the area of real-time kernels, debugging, real-time networking and development related issues. As all the trainings are based on open-source/free-software, support materials will also be available. In addition this workshop also is a forum to link the local FLOSS community to the kernel developers. Additional information about the workshop can be found at: http://www.strathmore.edu/rtlws12/ http://www.osadl.org/RTLWS-2010.rtlws-2010.0.html

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Re: [kictanet] Kenya IGF 2010 Mailing List Discussions
by Barrack Otieno 05 Jul '10

05 Jul '10

Dear Listers, The Kenya ICT Network KICTANet is pleased to announce commencement of the Kenya IGF Mailing list discussion. The discussion will provide input to the Kenya National IGF that will be held on 29th July 2010. The discussions are aimed at identifying and exploring National level Internet Governance Issues. As key players in the Internet Industry, it is my pleasure to invite you to the online discussions which start on Monday 5th July 2010 and will end on 17 th July and will be moderated by myself and Judy Okite. Discussions will focus on Critical Internet Resources which is the theme in this years regional discussions to be held as from 11th to 13th August in Kampala Uganda, other topics on the agenda include: - Impact of the undersea cable and the National Fibre optic Backnbone --Lessons Learnt - Impact of the Unified Licensing Model - Management of the dotke CCTLD---Challenges and Milestones - Adopting IPv6 ----Challenges and Milestiones - e--crimes, Privacy, Data Security Looking forward to an interesting discourse over the two weeks period. Thank you -- Barrack O. Otieno +41767892272 Skype: barrack.otieno

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CHAKULA Issue No. 19: Innovating access – a special focus on CPRafrica
by Chakula 04 Jul '10

04 Jul '10

CHAKULA Issue No. 19, July 2010: Innovating access – a special focus on CPRafrica CONTENTS 1. The need for competitive research for policy influence – e- interview with Alison Gillwald 2. Balancing convergence: using Constitutional rights as a framework for policy decisions – e-interview with Indra de Lanerolle 3. Levelling the playing field through benchmarking – e-interview with Christoph Stork 4. ‘Disruptive competition’: the case of One Network in East Africa – e-interview with Muriuki Mureithi 5. Innovation through competition: the budget telecom network model - e-interview with Rohan Samarajiva //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ What is CPRafrica? Communication Policy Research (Africa) – or CPRafrica – is a new forum that seeks to strengthen the contribution of African academics and researchers in the global debates around information and communications technologies (ICTs). CPRafrica’s inaugural conference, entitled “Looking back at a decade of communications reform: Looking forward to 2020”, was held in Cape Town, South Africa, from 18-21 April. It was attended by 50 participants from 25 countries, with some 23 papers presented. The forum intends to encourage intellectual endeavour and research in the area of ICT policy and regulation in Africa and allow African academics and researchers to engage and profile their research. The conference provided an opportunity for senior, junior and mid-career scholars to meet face-to-face and exchange ideas, network, and included a two-day session of tutorials for young scholars. Thirteen young scholars participated in these tutorials. This issue of Chakula focuses on four papers from the conference. It also highlights a paper that was presented at an Organisation for European Economic Co-operation (OECD) and InfoDev conference in Paris, 10-11 September 2009, and references a 2008 policy paper on mobile banking (M-banking) prepared by Research ICT Africa (RIA). In different ways all of these papers deal with the issue of innovation in ICT access in Africa through policy and business model innovation. //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ The need for competitive research for policy influence e-interview with Alison Gillwald ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- “[H]igh quality, rigorous research…is required to compete and complement with each other for policy influence… In mature economies researchers from multiple universities would be debating and refining the positions governments should be taking on everything from regulating next generation networks to demand stimulation for broadband.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Alison Gillwald is Executive Director of RIA. She is also Adjunct Professor at the UCT Graduate School of Business, Management of Infrastructure Reform and Regulation, and a member of CPRafrica’s organisation and selection committee. CHAKULA: You have just held the CPRafrica conference in Cape Town. What are you hoping to achieve through the conference? ALISON GILLWALD [AG]: There is almost no scholarly research being undertaken in the field of ICT policy and regulation on the continent. A Google scholar search on the subjects throws up around five scholars on the continent who are published in peer reviewed or accredited journals. It is this kind of high quality, rigorous research that is required to compete and complement with each other for policy influence. In mature economies researchers from multiple universities would be debating and refining the positions governments should be taking on everything from regulating next generation networks to demand stimulation for broadband. Although there are pockets of applied research being undertaken there is no tradition of critical intellectual engagement in this area on the continent. The purpose of CPRafrica is to provide a forum for nurturing and showcasing research in the area of ICT policy and regulation on the continent and enhancing its quality through rigorous academic review and debate. The conference is complemented by a young scholars programme to expose young scholars who may be excluded from such peer-review, paper- acceptance-only style conferences without such a category. Some of these are part of the IDRC- [International Development Research Centre] funded PhD programme to encourage doctoral research in ICT policy and regulation. The idea here is to build a cadre of policy intellectuals on the continent able to critically engage government on the basis of relevant research and contribute meaningfully to research and policy excellence. This will further enhance Africa’s standing in international research and governance fora, in which its participation has historically been suboptimal. CHAKULA: Reviewing some of the papers presented at the conference, it strikes me that there are a couple of threads that are emerging. Two in particular stand out: the notion of “innovation” in the telecommunications space, and the challenges around convergence and policy when two distinct sectors with different ways of doing things are brought into conflict with each other. I also went back to Research ICT Africa’s 2008 M-banking policy paper, which raises similar themes, and I would like to use that as a starting point. First, on the issue of ‘innovation’. In the M-banking paper, the following assertion is made: “Policy-makers and regulators need to ensure that evolving systems serve the broader objectives of economic growth and development as well as protect consumer interests, while creating an environment that encourages and rewards innovation”. In what ways can policy inhibit or encourage innovation in the telecommunication’s sector? AG: Indeed, providing certainty to investors and operators while retaining the levels of flexibility to enable innovation in a fast- changing environment is one of the most difficult balancing acts that policy-makers and regulators have to perform. I think the linkages and catalysts between technology, market and regulatory innovation are becoming clearer all the time. New technologies and service offerings have prized open markets and the entry into less policy and regulatory constrained markets has made taking certain technologies to market more viable. This has triggered further possibilities across historically distinct platforms, not only between broadcasting and telecommunications, but between fixed and mobile services and even entirely separate sectors such as telecommunications and banking. The challenges to the expansion of such services are really regulatory now rather than technological – and that is not to say that one does not want or need public interest regulation either in the telecommunications or banking sector, but it has to be done in new, innovative ways that enable to extension of these services to those who currently don't enjoy them. Once these various forces are unleashed they are able to intersect and create new opportunities and innovative ways of doing things that have not been done before. CHAKULA: Innovation here seems necessarily to be tied to market gain – the objective is to increase or capture market share. In both your M- banking paper, and the case study of the mobile operator One Network in Kenya, preconditions exists that facilitate innovation. With M- banking there are low-income earners who are ‘unbanked’ and who could benefit from some kind of low-cost transactional instrument, and with One Network, there is a significant level of cross-border traffic that makes a seamless network attractive. AG: It is true that innovation is often driven by market forces and pursuit of profits, and, traditionally, with new technologies have focused on high-end markets. But much of the ICT innovation we are witnessing in developing markets is focused on what has been referred to as the ‘gold at the bottom of the pyramid’ – very profitable turn- over of high volumes of sometimes minuscule margins on products that, by breaking them up or making them available at cost, the masses at the bottom of the economic and social pyramid can enjoy things like pre-paid phone vouchers, or transferable airtime vouchers. And many of these products have been commercialised innovative practices by the poor in order to access and affordably use communications services – such as missed calls, multiple sim card usage that allows for same net rates, or 'plastic roaming'. CHAKULA: If we consider Indra de Lanerolle’s fascinating case study on the South African convergence scenario, we see two sectors (broadcast and telecommunications) in conflict with each other because policy decisions are made according to different frameworks: simply put, economic versus public interest. In fact, Indra does seem to suggest that these are in competition with each other, and resolves this in an interesting way. It feels hard to believe that ‘consumer interest’ is the same as ‘public interest’? AG: I think with the shift from public utilities to competitive markets many of the public interest objectives of delivery and service are met through serving the consumer interest. Nevertheless there is public interest regulation that is required to improve wider and collective consumer welfare – to provide access to 'uneconomic areas' for example – though with new more cost-effective, rapidly deployable wireless services, this concept in markets that enable competitive entry is regularly not proving to be the case. But as long as we have the large number of poor that we do, we will need some level of social regulation – even though a lot of the current pent-up demand could be met with greater market efficiency (more competitive markets offering better prices). And then there are the more traditional content regulation issues either to restrict certain 'harmful' content or activities or to enable it, such as local content regulation. That too may be found to be highly profitable, but may need either protection or encouragement. CHAKULA: Indra’s paper, like your M-banking policy paper, shows that regulating convergence is tricky because of the ‘convergence’ of two or even more sectors; whether broadcast/telecommunications or telecommunications/banking etc. What are some of the key challenges that policy-makers can expect to face in Africa? AG: The key challenge for African regulators is that they are still trying to deal with legacy regulation around first and second- generation infrastructure and access. At the same time, if they do not want the agenda to be set for them in international fora, they need to deal with next-generation issues, not only of converged IP [internet protocol] networks and services and the next-generation regulation issues of network and service-neutral regimes, but of cross-cutting issues of electronic commerce frameworks, intellectual copyright rights, security and privacy issues, and so on. And you have to do it all or be left behind... CHAKULA: One frustration is that when one reads a good paper that seems to offer a solution to a problem, one is also met with the feeling that those with decision-making powers are probably not going to read that paper, or seriously consider its arguments. Do you feel the same? If so, how do you think CPRafrica picks up on this challenge? Is it just a case of repeating issues until policy-makers take them on board? AG: No. CPRafrica is one of several strategic strands towards having evidence-based ICT policy on the continent. This is about organic and indigenous knowledge creation and contribution, at the national level, at the level of regional association and continentally, and also about global engagement and influence. For too long have the solutions come from the developed world. Of course, there are lessons to be learnt and we don't need to reinvent the wheel, but we also have different challenges and Africa has demonstrated remarkably innovative responses to these when they are informed by sound policy, effective regulation or thorough and appropriate business plans. The indicator research done by RIA and its analysis in order to assess policy and regulatory outcomes is fed into several initiatives, globally and locally. RIA provides the only comprehensive public domain demand-side data on ICT access and usage on the continent. This is used in national, regional and continental meetings on ICTs, and in the database and reports of multilateral agencies such as the OECD and the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), to better inform their understanding of developments in Africa. It is true that sometime decision-makers do not like to hear of the widespread policy and institutional failure on the continent, but many do – especially those that are rapidly improving and beginning to see the rewards of their reforms. This research is also used to develop training curricula that address the needs of policy and regulators in a developing country context. So, for example, as part of the global research and training collaborative LIRNE.net we conduct a professional development course on alternative regulatory strategies at the UCT Graduate School of Business Infrastructure Reform and Regulation Programme to build institutional capacity on the continent. So CPRafrica is just one arm of a multi- pronged strategy of research and education, institutional capacity building and technical assistance and dissemination and advocacy, through our website database, policy papers and workshop and public presentations. CHAKULA: What is the way forward for the conference? Will there be more? AG: Yes, in order to build and sustain this much-needed capacity we will have to find a way for CPRafrica to become an annual institution. Related links: M-Banking the Unbanked: RIA Policy Paper No. 4: http://www.researchictafrica.net/new/images/uploads/RIA_Mobile-banking.pdf CPRafrica conference details: http://www.researchictafrica.net/index.php/news/38-cprafrica-looking-back-a… //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ Balancing convergence: using Constitutional rights as a framework for policy decisions e-interview with Indra de Lanerolle Paper link: Please e-mail the author at indra(a)delanerolle.net ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- “[N]o country I know of has completed the project of aligning all regulation and law to [the possibilities of convergence]. But some countries and regions are moving far more swiftly than others. Among those that are moving more swiftly would be the EU countries. Among those that are moving slowly are many African countries.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Indra de Lanerolle is an adjunct Lecturer at the University of Witwatersrand Journalism and Media Programme. An award-winning film and television producer, he is a regular speaker and commentator on the impact of the information society on organisations, media, social development and the economy. CHAKULA: The South African government has committed to promoting convergence in the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors. So much is clear from the 2005 Electronic Communications Act, and the merging of the telecommunications and broadcasting regulators in 2000. But you point out that there is a fundamental difference in approach between how the two sectors are seen at a policy level, which is standing in the way of ‘pure’ convergence of the sectors. In your paper, you argue that the telecommunications sector policy process has largely been justified on economic grounds, while broadcasting policy has been governed by political and social considerations. I am paraphrasing here, but can you say more about this distinction? INDRA DE LANEROLLE [IL]: Most 'utility' regulation (applying to electricity, trains, telephones, for example) was originally justified on economic grounds – usually that these industries were monopolies and that as such, without regulation there would not be sufficient competitive pressures to keep prices as low as they could be. Many economists went further and argued that these utilities were 'natural monopolies' so that the most efficient services would be provided by a single regulated provider rather than allowing many (less or unregulated) competing providers. Broadcasting regulation was sometimes justified on similar grounds but in my view these economic arguments were and are very weak when applied to broadcasting. The stronger argument (and the better explanation in historical terms of why broadcasting regulation has continued to the extent that it has) is that it is motivated and justified on social and political grounds. These justifications include: a desire or need to preserve national cultures and languages (in the face of globalising forces in mass media, especially television); a desire or need to provide specific genres of programming (e.g. educational programming, children's programming); and, less high-mindedly, a political desire on the part of governments to control information and news. The distinction in these justifications or motivations is important for convergence. Convergence increasingly challenges economic justifications for regulation in telecommunications as monopolies fall away. But the social and political justifications for broadcasting regulation do not necessarily fall away in synchrony. CHAKULA: You review various tests to see how well policy convergence has faired. First, there is the assessment of policy alignment – or the alignment of policy processes; then there is the test of technological neutrality; and finally, the ‘level playing field’ test. South Africa has not faired well in any of these – can you elaborate? [IL]: The first test I suggest (from Alison Gillwald) is whether policies in telecommunications and broadcasting are being developed together. In the face of convergence it is important that they are. As I show, in fact these policies are being developed autonomously. The second test is that of technological neutrality. Here I argue that while the Electronic Communications Act acknowledges convergence and attempts to develop 'technologically neutral' licensing criteria, it in fact maintains two separate regimes – one for telecommunications and the other for broadcasting. In applying content regulation, for example, it treats the two as entirely separate. So overall, South Africa remains far away from achieving the goal of technologically neutral regulation. The third test – of a level playing field for competition follows closely from the lack of technological neutrality. One example of the lack of a level playing field can be seen in the treatment of voice – where VoIP [voice-over-internet protocol] and packet-switch telephony, for example, are treated entirely differently in law and regulation. CHAKULA: Does ‘pure’ convergence exist anywhere – or is convergence in reality always a push and pull of many factors, economic, political social etc.? [IL]: As I argue in my paper the best definition of convergence sees it as a set of technological possibilities. On this definition, the question could and maybe should be put rather differently. We might ask whether any country is fully adapting their regulatory frameworks to this set of possibilities. The answer would then be that no country I know of has completed the project of aligning all regulation and law to these possibilities. But some countries and regions are moving far more swiftly than others. Among those that are moving more swiftly would be the EU countries. Among those that are moving slowly are many African countries. CHAKULA: You offer what appears to be a powerful guiding principle to make policy decisions based on a fluid and changing environment – one based on public interest, rather than sectoral interest. This involves using Section 16 of the South African Constitution to guide policy decisions, which states that “Everyone has the right to freedom of expression, which includes …freedom to receive or impart information or ideas…”. Can you say more about how this would work? [IL]: We could say that the Freedom of Expression clause represents a test for measuring the benefits and dis-benefits of changing regulation and policy to promote convergence. Lets take the issue of the (limited) number of broadcast licences – especially television broadcast licences. As broadband take-up increases there is likely to come a point where there is the possibility of Video on Demand as broadcast video services become economically viable via the internet. This is a classic case of convergence. So if convergence is to be promoted we might want to see a couple of things: firstly, we would certainly want these new services to be allowed and, indeed, encouraged; secondly we might want these services to be treated in a similar way to 'traditional' broadcasting. Unless we wanted to artificially restrict the number of new internet-based services, the only way to achieve neutrality would be to significantly lighten the regulation of broadcasters, or at least greatly increase the number of new licences issued for 'traditional' broadcast television services. Given the social and political justifications for broadcast regulation though, this would probably be greatly resisted. To give one example as to why this would be the case we could see that increasing competition in 'traditional' television broadcasting would have a significant economic impact on the public broadcaster and thus diminish its ability to fulfill its public broadcasting mandate. My suggestion is that we could use the Constitution as a basis of balancing these issues. We would be able to compare, for example, the potential loss of people's rights to receive information (because, say SABC might reduce its news services) with the potential gain of people's rights to receive and impart information via the internet. This would require judgements, but these judgements could be based on research of real benefits. CHAKULA: It seems to me that as things stand you have enormous competing interests that stagnate the convergence policy process. On the one hand, the interests of telecom operators (including the state), and on the other, the interests of broadcasters (the state and private enterprises). How do you think a decision-making framework where the public/consumer would have the dominant interest would go down with these powerful stakeholders? What was the reaction to your paper from those gathered at CPRafrica? [IL]: Most of the participants at CPRafrica were researchers and academics rather than the 'powerful stakeholders' that you describe. I'm not an objective witness but the paper appeared to be well received! Of course in all issues concerning regulation, there are always significant economic interests involved and there is always the danger of 'regulatory capture'. Whether such 'public interest' arguments as the one I advance in the paper are pursued is largely a matter of political will – in government and in the independent regulator. When some of the ideas included here were presented on behalf of the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) and Association for Progressive Communications (APC) amongst others to the South African regulator ICASA, it appeared there was significant interest. I have also argued elsewhere that there is little chance of 'public interest' arguments holding sway in the development of policy and regulation if there is no interest shown by the public! The Save our SABC (SOS) coalition that has brought together a range of organisations in South Africa, including the major union federation, to campaign on public interest questions on broadcasting is a helpful start. //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ Levelling the playing field through benchmarking e-interview with Christoph Stork Paper link: www.researchictafrica.net (or e-mail the author at: christoph.stork(a)googlemail.com ) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- “Operators are not accountable to the public beyond the audited financial statements that do not include detailed cost data. That could be changed given that telecom operators have the privilege of operating in a sector with restricted market entry.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Christoph Stork is a Senior Researcher at Research ICT Africa (RIA), and also a consultant to LIRNEasia’s Teleuse@BOP3 project. His responsibilities at RIA include designing and conducting quantitative and qualitative research and interacting with policy-makers and regulators. CHAKULA: You were commissioned by the Namibian Communications Commission (NCC) to conduct a benchmarking study in Namibia in 2009, following a dispute about interconnection charges. You have used the case of Namibia to illustrate and argue for setting interconnection benchmarks. As you argue, benchmarking is possibly a more efficient way of determining a fair termination rate (based on an efficient operator). For the layperson, some of this terminology is tricky. The standard way of determining termination rates is to look at the “forward-looking long-run incremental cost” (LRIC). The problem with termination rates – or the cost one provider charges another to carry its calls – is that operators have been burying inflated profits at this link in the communications chain; they have been charging competitors more than they needed to, with the knock-on effect to the consumer. Can you explain what LRIC is exactly? And then how does benchmarking model differ from this? CHRISTOPH STORK [CS]: LIRC is a way of calculating the cost of termination. There are many different approaches to it. In short, it is a method to calculate the cost of terminating a call based on current technologies and only including costs that arise from terminating a call. Dominant operators often argue that access infrastructure such as base stations need to be part of termination costs. However, base stations are being built to provide services to their own subscribers. The incremental cost of termination is the cost difference between an operator that does not offer termination services and one that does. Implementing LRIC is challenging, expensive, time-consuming, and the required information is often not available in developing countries. The benchmarking methodology benchmarks termination rates, termination costs and regulatory best practice. CHAKULA: In your experience in Namibia are operators open to cost- based termination rates to level the competitive playing field? Or do they want to milk the termination of calls for as much money as they can get? For instance, you point out that operators have typically been quite fickle, arguing against cost-based termination when they have a market advantage, but arguing for it when they are a market entrant… [CS]: Operators that are net receivers of termination payments will always try to maintain the status quo, anywhere in the world. New entrants and small operators are often the net payers and are keen to get to cost-based termination rates quickly. In Namibia, South Africa and most other countries, cost-based termination rates are required by law or licences or both. In Namibia, reducing termination rates increased competition and led to lower prices for consumers and an expansion of the market. The result for the incumbent operator MTC has been: more subscribers, more traffic and higher EBITDA [Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortisation] margins. CHAKULA: What is the link between cost-based termination rates and IP- based Next Generation Networks (NGNs)? You say that leveling the playing field when it comes to termination rates will help with the transition to NGNs? [CS]: NGNs are technological and service neutral. Billing will no longer be based on minutes but on MBs [Megabytes]. Cost-based termination rates help implement service neutrality and are a stepping stone towards NGNs. NGNs might however require a different billing system altogether that would not require termination rates. In a NGN environment receiving and sending data would be billable. In Africa and Europe, the receiver of a call does not have to pay. CHAKULA: You point out that one of the challenges is getting good data. What are the difficulties around getting this data from operators (or regulators, for that matter) in Africa, and elsewhere? [CS]: Most countries in Africa have not conducted detailed cost studies yet. Those that did use information from operators that are considered confidential. ICASA [the South African regulator] collects very detailed information from operators and would probably be sued by them if it were to pass it on to third parties. Operators are not accountable to the public beyond the audited financial statements that do not include detailed cost data. That could be changed given that telecom operators have the privilege of operating in a sector with restricted market entry. Regulators could prescribe cost reporting for annual statements that need to be made public. //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ ‘Disruptive competition’: the case of One Network in East Africa e-interview with Muriuki Mureithi Paper link: www.researchictafrica.net (or e-mail the author at: mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke ) ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- “One advantage Africa has is the policy and the regulatory framework are not yet cast in stone; in some cases it is not there and with few administrative nods some uncooked products can launch in the market.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Muriuki Mureithi is an independent ICT consultant based in Nairobi Kenya with a passion to help exploit the benefits of ICTs for Africa with a career now spanning 27 years. His interest is policy, regulatory , strategy evolution and competitive issues on ICTs in Africa with special focus on the rural and disadvantaged communities and strategies to empower the communities using ICTs. He is currently completing his PhD. CHAKULA: Your paper, which you co-wrote with Alison Gillwald, offers a case study of how Zain’s One Network disrupted the mobile market monopolies in East Africa (and beyond). They did this by removing roaming charges and letting their customers access a seamless and comparatively cheap service across its networks in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda. This then forced the other operators to offer similar services. What do you mean by 'disruptive' competition – you also go on to suggest that One was not entirely disruptive, because it failed to keep its competitive advantage? Muriuki Mureithi [MM]: Disruptive competition in our context and conventional language is a game changer. Operators had perfected the game of increasing numbers and profits by charging for all services, all trudging alone on a strategy path set by the leader. Risk reduction was a key factor. The Zain One network was a game changer and the big operators had to look back and go back to the drawing board. Unfortunately for Zain, the big boys came back with ‘hammer and tongs’. Their solution covered more networks (Safaricom, MTN Uganda, MTN Rwanda, Vodacom Tanzania and UTL [Uganda Telecom Limited]), more countries in East Africa (Rwanda, not covered by Zain) and more customers (the competition are market leaders in all the markets apart from UTL). Zain briefly increased numbers in all the markets but soon fizzled under the pressure of the bigger operators. Its gamble that the other operators could not work together failed. It had never been tested before and the risk it took did not pay off. The customers were, however, the beneficiaries in the long run. CHAKULA: The point you are making in your paper is that given the right regulatory environment, market forces can quite quickly result in lower prices and better access options for the consumer. The regulatory ‘kick’ here was the granting of an international gateway license to One in all three countries. What were some of the other enablers that allowed One to be so successful? For instance, you mention historical factors, and the cross-border movement of people that pre-dated its market offering... [MM]: One is an innovation without doubt. However this is founded on some features or drivers that pre-existed, and Zain took advantage of the institutional memory of some of the out-of-the-box initiatives that it had exploited successfully. The first case is direct cross border connectivity between Brazzavile and Kinshasa by Celtel, instead of through Belgium. Celtel, later bought by Zain, had operations in both countries. Tariffs fell by 80% overnight, and this was to be extended to all border towns between the two countries with similar dramatic effect. It is noteworthy that the private sector could see an opportunity, but that opportunity could only be realised when the regulatory environment changed. That gave Celtel a head start as an innovator in both countries. In East Africa, the conditions were there: highly integrated communities travelling across the porous borders, formal and informal trade, and a legacy backbone linking the three countries. Zain also had licences in all the three countries, but no gateway in Kenya. Their performance was failing in all the three markets, and was a catalyst. So it was time to do something. When the international gateway was liberalised in Kenya, it was time to jump and they did. With similar branding and ease of use across the borders, the product was a scare to the bigger operators. They had to act – and they did by launching competing products. An interview with Safaricom indicated that the traffic is not a major consideration, but the marketing advantage that Celtel stood to gain as an innovator is. CHAKULA: One of the main points of your case study is to offer a comparison to the European Union where they have attempted to force operators to lower their international roaming charges, with great resistance, it seems? [MM]: European consumers were keenly aware of the high cost with no justification for roaming charges. The tariff setting was and still is very opaque and the consumer had no choice. The European Commission (EC) carried out studies confirming the same. Unfortunately, despite the overwhelming evidence, operators refused to play ball opting to continue reaping off the consumer. The EC came back and set the tariffs to bring the tariffs down over a three-year period and committed to review another downward reduction if it still found it warranted. What is surprising is that the competition did not trigger such dramatic options as it did in Africa. Perhaps the positioning of the operators is fixed and each is comfortable with their space. What Celtel (now Zain) showed is that operators have a wide range of options to compete, and it takes tough going to think out of the box and take a daring option. They did and changed the game forever. All Zain countries in Africa and Middle East are on the One network. It is growing: one operator in Egypt joined the network this year though they are not a Zain operator, and Cell C in South Africa was joining the One network in time for the World Cup. Not to be left behind, MTN has been implementing a similar package. What was even more innovative is that very different operators Safaricom (Kenya) MTN (Uganda and Rwanda), UTL (Uganda) and Vodacom (Tanzania) worked together and eliminated roaming. Today, an East African travels without roaming, apart from Burundi. Regulators have some work to do where the operators do not see a competitive advantage. In the case of Burundi this is forgotten. CHAKULA: You suggest that it is not always fruitful to look to developed countries for regulatory and requirements in order to stimulate market growth – in fact One offers a useful case that other regions could follow? [MM]: The legacy networks and conformist approach sometimes is a disadvantage. The raw battle for the customer is bruising and those who pass the post spell doom to those behind. In Kenya, one operator has an 80% market share. Its profit before tax in 2009 is equal to the revenues of the other three competitors, and they have mounting losses. The future is tough. Of the top 15 major cellular markets in Africa 10 markets have a dominant operator with over 80% market share. With those market dynamics, Africa provides a cooking pot for out-of- the-box solutions, because the option is dire. At present One network, the runaway M-PESA [M-PESA is a Safaricom service allowing you to transfer money using a mobile phone] were born in Africa and are being exported to the rest of the world. I believe more will come. One advantage Africa has is the policy and the regulatory framework are not yet cast in stone; in some cases it is not there and with few administrative nods some uncooked products can launch in the market. This may not happen in developed countries. CHAKULA: In your recommendations, you talk about actions to expand the “innovation space”. What are some of the key actions? [MM]: The operators have control of most of the resources they need in search of the customer. The policy and regulatory space is out of their control – this is space that governments can expand as illustrated by Zain’s One. MPESA would not have succeeded if the government did not do the same in the banking regulatory space. Governments need to regularly review the regulatory space with active engagement of a multi-stakeholder process. //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ Innovation through competition: the budget telecom network model e-interview with Rohan Samarajiva Paper link: http://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=1564529 ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- “The status quo must be unbearable.” ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- Rohan Samarajiva is the Chair and CEO of Lirnasia. His paper, “How the developing world may participate in the global Internet Economy: Innovation driven by competition” was presented at a workshop organised by the OECD and InfoDev in Paris, 10-11 September 2009. CHAKULA: In your paper, you talk about the Budget Telecom Network Model (BTNM), which is brought about by competition allowing operators to reduce the transaction costs of low-end clients. This, as you point out, is different to the standard Average Revenue Per User (ARPU) model. How does it make the ARPU model redundant? Rohan Samarajiva [RS]: ARPU is a short-hand that outside observers use to see if the firm is doing well, whether its prospects are good, etc. It is, like any indicator, imperfect. You get it by taking total revenue (preferably without extras like roaming) and dividing by number of subscribers. Of course no one really knows what a subscriber is any more, with even poor people holding up to five SIMs, foreigners having SIMs, no agreement on what an active SIM is and so on. You can get better results by looking at revenue per minute. Take total revenue (less roaming and other stuff) and divide by Average Minutes of Usage per User per Month (MOU). This is a better indicator. But investment analysts are still not used to this and it would require disclosing MOUs to calculate. CHAKULA: Can ARPU be used as a business model? [RS]: Operators do not actually do much with the ARPU. It is not a business model as such, just an indicator. But getting more from each subscriber (if this is known) is not a bad idea. Just that it does not predict whether the company will make money or not. The best indicator for that is EBITDA [Earnings Before Interest, Taxes, Depreciation and Amortization] margin. Sri Lanka in 2007 had an operator with LKR311 (approximately USD3 at the time) ARPU making close to 50% EBITDA margin. In the end, the success of a business model lies in whether it generates profit. CHAKULA: What is your understanding of ‘innovation’ in the telecommunications space? You talk of “business innovation”, rather than, say, technological innovation? [RS]: Tech innovation is important, but it is not the only thing. Pure tech innovation is done by manufacturers of network equipment and handsets. That is good. Business process innovations (e.g. lowering the costs of base stations through software) are done by operators. These include technical aspects, but are not limited to them. Shifting from one business model to another (discovering the latter) is also innovation, but it may or may not not have a tech aspect at all. CHAKULA: What are the preconditions for innovation, do you think? [RS]: The status quo must be unbearable. The BTNM innovation occurred when competition got so intense that there was no way to gain market share or even survive without doing something new. CHAKULA: Does BTNM have implications for increased access to broadband internet for the majority of people on a continent like Africa? [RS]: Yes. The latter part of the paper is entirely on the extension of BTNM to broadband. Some headlines are that operators must have enough money from voice that can be invested in the 3G plus networks. Once the overlay network is built out the operators have to offer low prices. Prepaid sachet pricing is best, where one buys packages of connectivity in minutes or in capacity. Here, because of lower transaction costs and prices there should be an influx of new customers. This is already on offer in Asia. Africa has to lower prices. Access will be over mobile networks, using dongles or built in modems, for laptops and other devices, including phones. ADSL will be a niche product. Wireless access is the future. //\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\//\\ CHAKULA is a newsletter produced by the Association for Progressive Communications (APC). It aims to mobilise African civil society around ICT policy for sustainable development and social justice issues. We welcome your opinions about this newsletter. Send your comments, feedback or contributions to chakula(a)apc.org. To subscribe or unsubscribe e-mail chakula(a)apc.org or go to: http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/chakula

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FW: President Obama Outlines New Approach to Development
by alice 02 Jul '10

02 Jul '10

This might be of interest. best alice http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/a-new-approach-advancing-develop… The White House Office of the Press Secretary For Immediate Release June 25, 2010 *A New Approach to Advancing Development* At the Muskoka G8 Summit, President Obama outlined his views on a new approach to development. In his recently released National Security Strategy, development is recognized as a moral, strategic, and economic imperative for the United States and our partners. Development, diplomacy, and defense are components of a comprehensive, integrated approach to the challenges we face today. Countries that achieve sustained development gains make more capable partners, can engage in and contribute to the global economy, and provide citizens with the opportunity, means and freedom to improve their lives. President Obama launched a study of U.S. development policy in September 2009 and will be issuing a new policy directive in the near future. The new U.S. development policy builds on two signature initiatives launched by the Obama Administration in 2009 to focus on results-based, strategic investments aimed at promoting meaningful and lasting results: • *Feed the Future:* At the London G20 Summit in 2009, President Obama announced a global food security initiative that has the support of the world’s major and emerging donor nations, includes strong roles for our multilateral institutions, and is led by partner countries that are ready and willing to develop comprehensive plans and commit their own resources to agricultural and market development. Secretary Clinton launched the comprehensive U.S. strategy – “Feed the Future” – to implement this groundbreaking effort in May 2010. To date, the United States has led international efforts to review nine comprehensive country strategies, commit new resources in support of those strategies, collaborate in the establishment and initial capitalization of the World Bank-led Global Agriculture and Food Security Program, and launch a new research and development program. • *Global Health Initiative:* In May 2009, President Obama announced the Global Health Initiative (GHI), which builds on the progress and success of PEPFAR (the President’s Emergency Program on AIDS Relief) and also expands our global health effort and impact by including investments to strengthen health systems, improve maternal child health, address neglected tropical diseases, and foster increased research and development. The GHI will integrate our health programs in order to reduce inefficiencies and expand impact, and is designed to save lives and achieve sustainable outcomes. This new, integrated approach will be fast-tracked in eight countries. President Obama’s new development policy will: • *Foster the Next Generation of Emerging Markets: * The U.S. will intensify efforts to promote sustainable economic development and support good governance by making targeted investments in countries and/or regions where the conditions are right for progress. • *Invest in Game-Changing Innovations:* By leveraging the power of research and development, the U.S. will work to create and scale-up technologies for health, green energy, agriculture, and other development applications. • *Meet Basic Human Needs in a Sustainable Fashion:* The U.S. will continue to be a global leader in the meeting of basic human needs, but will place increasing emphasis on building sustainable public sector capacity to provide basic services over the long-term. • *Tailor Development Strategies:* The U.S. will tailor development strategies in countries in or recovering from conflict to reflect the unique conditions on the ground, and will join efforts to promote stabilization and achieve security with those designed to promote our long-term sustainable development goals. • *Hold all Aid Recipients Accountable:* The U.S. will seek sustained development progress in all countries receiving U.S. economic assistance by placing a greater focus on policy reforms key to development. In addition, in pursuing these objectives, the U.S. will pursue a new approach to development that: • *Is More Selective:* The U.S. will seek a division of labor with other donors and focus its efforts on select countries, regions, and sectors - while ensuring critical development needs are met. • *Leverages other Donors, Philanthropy, Diaspora and the Private Sector:* The U.S. will seek a division of labor with other donors and make a concerted effort to partner with other actors to leverage U.S. investments. • *Underscores Country Ownership and Mutual Accountability:* The U.S. will place a premium on partnering with countries that are well governed and will work to strengthen their institutions and support their development strategies. • *Strengthens Multilateral Capabilities:* The U.S. will support multilateral development capabilities and support key reforms and the creation of new capabilities, where required. • *Drives Policy with Analysis:* The U.S. will adopt metrics and set in place rigorous standards for monitoring and evaluation, and use data and analysis to drive decision-making. --- You are currently subscribed to ipdet as: alice(a)apc.org To unsubscribe send a blank email to leave-2623636-5022085.a7e639bb5366523941efc294503e488a(a)lists.worldbank.org

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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 38, Issue 3
by ALEX OWITI 02 Jul '10

02 Jul '10

it is high time we went the same way.we have a lot of bandwidth in this country since the arrival submarine cables.what are we doing the available bandwidth? On Fri, Jul 2, 2010 at 12:00 PM, <kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>wrote: > Send kictanet mailing list submissions to > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > kictanet-owner(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. BBC > Finland makes broadband a 'legal right'] (alice) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 01 Jul 2010 18:40:24 +0300 > From: alice <alice(a)apc.org> > To: Kenya ICT Action Network - KICTANet > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: [kictanet] BBC > Finland makes broadband a 'legal right'] > Message-ID: <4C2CB6E8.9020202(a)apc.org> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed > > Finland makes broadband a 'legal right' > > http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10461048.stm > Page last updated at 23:59 GMT, Wednesday, 30 June 2010 00:59 UK > > > Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a > legal right for every citizen. > > >From 1 July every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit > per second) broadband connection. > > Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015. > > In the UK the government has promised a minimum connection of at least > 2Mbps to all homes by 2012 but has stopped short of enshrining this as a > right in law. > > The Finnish deal means that from 1 July all telecommunicatons companies > will be obliged to provide all residents with broadband lines that can run > at a minimum 1Mbps speed. > Broadband commitment > > Speaking to the BBC, Finland's communication minister Suvi Linden > explained the thinking behind the legislation: "We considered the role of > the internet in Finns everyday life. Internet services are no longer just > for entertainment. > > Finland has worked hard to develop an information society and a couple of > years ago we realised not everyone had access," she said. > > It is believed up to 96% of the population are already online. > > In the UK internet penetration stands at 73%. > > The British government has agreed to provide everyone with a minimum 2Mbps > broadband connection by 2012 but it is a commitment rather than a legally > binding ruling. > > "The UK has a universal service obligation which means virtually all > communities will have broadband," said a spokesman for the Department for > Culture, Media and Sport. > > Making broadband a legal right could have implications for countries that > plan tough action on illegal file-sharing. > > Both the UK and France have said they may cut off or limit the internet > connections of people who persistently download music or films for free. > > The Finnish government has adopted a more gentle approach. > > "We will have a policy where operators will send letters to illegal > file-sharers but we are not planning on cutting off access," said Ms > Linden. > > A poll conducted for the BBC World Service earlier this year found that > almost four in five people around the world believed that access to the > internet is a fundamental right. > > > > ======================================= > APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and > institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with > APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, > equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and > communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more > democratic and egalitarian societies. > > _______________________________________________ > apc.forum mailing list > apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org > http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum > > > > > > > ------------------------------ > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > > End of kictanet Digest, Vol 38, Issue 3 > *************************************** >

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BBC > Finland makes broadband a 'legal right']
by alice 01 Jul '10

01 Jul '10

Finland makes broadband a 'legal right' http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10461048.stm Page last updated at 23:59 GMT, Wednesday, 30 June 2010 00:59 UK Finland has become the first country in the world to make broadband a legal right for every citizen. >From 1 July every Finn will have the right to access to a 1Mbps (megabit per second) broadband connection. Finland has vowed to connect everyone to a 100Mbps connection by 2015. In the UK the government has promised a minimum connection of at least 2Mbps to all homes by 2012 but has stopped short of enshrining this as a right in law. The Finnish deal means that from 1 July all telecommunicatons companies will be obliged to provide all residents with broadband lines that can run at a minimum 1Mbps speed. Broadband commitment Speaking to the BBC, Finland's communication minister Suvi Linden explained the thinking behind the legislation: "We considered the role of the internet in Finns everyday life. Internet services are no longer just for entertainment. Finland has worked hard to develop an information society and a couple of years ago we realised not everyone had access," she said. It is believed up to 96% of the population are already online. In the UK internet penetration stands at 73%. The British government has agreed to provide everyone with a minimum 2Mbps broadband connection by 2012 but it is a commitment rather than a legally binding ruling. "The UK has a universal service obligation which means virtually all communities will have broadband," said a spokesman for the Department for Culture, Media and Sport. Making broadband a legal right could have implications for countries that plan tough action on illegal file-sharing. Both the UK and France have said they may cut off or limit the internet connections of people who persistently download music or films for free. The Finnish government has adopted a more gentle approach. "We will have a policy where operators will send letters to illegal file-sharers but we are not planning on cutting off access," said Ms Linden. A poll conducted for the BBC World Service earlier this year found that almost four in five people around the world believed that access to the internet is a fundamental right. ======================================= APC Forum is a meeting place for the APC community - people and institutions who are or have been involved in collaboration with APC, and share the APC vision - a world in which all people have easy, equal and affordable access to the creative potential of information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve their lives and create more democratic and egalitarian societies. _______________________________________________ apc.forum mailing list apc.forum(a)lists.apc.org http://lists.apc.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/apc.forum

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FW: Mozambique ICT policy should move towards increased digital inclusion, says Panos London
by Edith Adera 01 Jul '10

01 Jul '10

This may be of interest ________________________________ From: Panos London [mailto:Panos.London@panos.org.uk] Sent: Thursday, July 01, 2010 4:16 PM Subject: Mozambique ICT policy should move towards increased digital inclusion, says Panos London Dear Sir/Madam, A new review of Mozambique's policies for digital inclusion reveals that while some progress has been made, it has a long way to go before achieving widespread and effective use of ICTs. The policy brief, based on a research report prepared by the Eduardo Mondlane University Informatics Centre (CIUEM), was commissioned by international development charity Panos London and funded by the Open Society Institute for Southern Africa (OSISA). It is the first in a series of Panos London briefs to boost debate on the future of ICT policy in the Southern Africa region as part of the Thetha ICT Forum Project. It was recently launched at a workshop jointly organised by Panos London and CIUEM in Maputo, to which media practitioners, policy makers and civil society organisations were invited. The attached Panos London brief is a vital resource for anyone interested in the issues around ICT development in Mozambique. It summarises the successes and weaknesses of policy and implementation to date, reviews the challenges, opportunities and priorities for digital inclusion in Mozambique today and makes recommendations to update the policy to best serve the needs of Mozambicans. Big strides have been taken since the introduction of the ICT policy in 2000. For example, infrastructure developments have ensured that citizens have better access to mobile networks and the internet, and community multimedia centres have been established. However, work needs to focus on making these policies fit for purpose and reaching the very people ICTs need to serve. The infrastructure is in place and the focus should shift towards increasing the capability to use ICT, availability of services, the financial resources to pay for use and increased citizen participation in policy formulation. Panos London believes that communication is at the heart of development. Mozambique's experience offers pointers for other African governments and organisations concerned to maximise the value of ICTs within development. I hope that you find this Panos London brief provides an essential insight into the progress of ICT development in Mozambique, and we would welcome your feedback. If you require any further information then please do not hesitate to get in touch with me. Best wishes, Murali Shanmugavelan Programme Manager, Information Society Panos London murali.shanmugavelan(a)panos.org.uk tel. +44 (0)20 7239 7608 info(a)panos.org.uk<mailto:info@panos.org.uk> PANOS LONDON | ILLUMINATING VOICES Promoting dialogue, debate and change Communication: At the heart of change<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xxFn2Loim9Q> - Panos London's new animated film explains why access to information and communication plays an essential role in sustainable development Register online to receive email updates and to access special web features www.panos.org.uk/register<http://www.panos.org.uk/register> This e-mail (and any attachments) is confidential and may contain personal views which are not the views of Panos London unless specifically stated. If you have received it in error, please delete it from your system and do not use, copy or disclose the information in any way nor act in reliance on it and notify the sender immediately. While we make every effort to keep our network free from viruses, you need to verify that this email and any attachments are virus-free, as we can take no responsibility for any computer virus which may be transferred by way of them. Panos London is registered in England as a charity (charity number: 297366) and a company limited by guarantee (company number: 1937340) under the name Panos London with its registered office at 9 White Lion Street, London, N1 9PD, UK. Tel + 44 (20) 7278 1111 Fax: +44 (20) 7278 0345. Email: info(a)panos.org.uk<mailto:info@panos.org.uk> Web: www.panos.org.uk<http://www.panos.org.uk>

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Fwd: [Registrar-announce] NOTICE OF THE SEVENTH KENIC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
by paul museeh 01 Jul '10

01 Jul '10

FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Begin forwarded message: *From: *"KENIC" <admin(a)kenic.or.ke> *Date: *June 24, 2010 3:26:30 PM GMT+03:00 *To: *registrar-announce(a)kenic.or.ke *Subject: **[Registrar-announce] NOTICE OF THE SEVENTH KENIC ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING* *Reply-To: *admin(a)kenic.or.ke The KENIC board is pleased to invite you to the seventh KENIC Open Public Forum to be held on Friday 2nd of July 2010 at the Sarova Panafric Hotel from 0800hrs. The forum will be a focal point for bottom-up multi-stakeholder discussions of the KENIC policies and developments. Thereafter, the same venue will host KENIC's seventh Annual General Meeting (AGM) to which you are invited to witness. Details of the AGM shall be availed on the KENIC website http://www.kenic.or.ke We look forward to your participation at the events. Kindly confirm your attendance by sending an email to : agm(a)kenic.or.ke. Kind Regards, Joe Kiragu, For: Chairman, KeNIC ........................................ Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) http://www.kenic.or.ke +254-20-4450057/8 +254 733 790073 " dot KE for every name in Kenya" -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC) -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by * KeNIC MailScanner* <http://www.kenic.or.ke/>, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC).

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Information Security Conference- Johnny Long
by Evans Kahuthu 29 Jun '10

29 Jun '10

Dear Listers, Just a reminder that renowned computer security expert, author, and public speaker Johnny Long will be among this years' Keynote Speakers at the upcoming Information Communication Technology & Network Security Conference (Secure ICT 2010) to be held on Sept 8-9, 2010 at the Pan Afric Hotel. Long is well known for his background in Google hacking, a process by which vulnerable servers on the Internet can be identified through specially constructed Google searches. He has gained fame as a prolific author and editor of numerous computer security books. Johnny is a professional hacker and security researcher by trade. Although the art of breaking into buildings and bypassing computer security sounds like the stuff of Hollywood movies, Johnny has made a career of just that. By wielding real world attacks against hundreds of Government and Fortune 100 companies, Johnny has uncovered and exploited security weaknesses in the world's most secure facilities and networks. To register online as an attendee for this conference, please visit http://secureict.co.ke/registration.aspx For more information on Johnny Long, please visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Long http://johnny.ihackstuff.com/ Regards, Evans

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Re: [kictanet] GoK-Telkom-France Telecom agreement
by Eric M.K Osiakwan 28 Jun '10

28 Jun '10

Dr. Ndemo, I would STILL give you the benefit of the doubt....hopefully, we can pick up this conversation again in early 2011. Good day. Eric here On 28 Jun 2010, at 13:43, bitange(a)jambo.co.ke wrote: > Eric, > Wait and see if the SLAs will be messed up in favour of the managing party in six months. They must work within the terms provided by the GOK otherwise they lose the whole thing. We did not give the network as part of the deal. We had already requeted them to manage the project. The cost of broadband here will drop significantly within six to one year's time. Economically most operators will have attained a critical base to lower the cost without signficantly affecting their revenue. > > My friend we have multiple competititors at all levels and the good thing is that the market is beggining to dictate terms. Depending on your size, I have seen sub 200 dollar per MB. As we continue to set up POPs here, it will not surprise to see offers of over 10 MBs for less 50 dollars. The challenge always is how to get this to ordinary mwananchi on the street. > > Regards. > > Ndemo. > > Regards. > > Ndemo. > Sent from my BlackBerry® > > -----Original Message----- > From: "Eric M.K Osiakwan" <emko(a)internetresearch.com.gh> > Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Date: Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:51:41 > To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] GoK-Telkom-France Telecom agreement > > Dr. Ndemo, > > Hope your morning is well. > > I would take it that the media report is subtantive in which case, what we have is not different from what happened in Ghana re: the Vodafone transaction in which the Ghana government threw in the national fiber backbone (under NCBC - an independent national backbone provider) to sweeten the deal except in this case, it is after the facts. That decision soo compromised the idea of an open access national fiber backbone that MTN, tiGO and now Glo are building their own competiting national fiber backbones. While this means that there is competition in that layer of the network, it begs the question of market uptake against multiple investments of the same dollar which is transfered to the enduser as high cost? > > Giving the management and maintenance contract to an active competitor in the market just gives room for abuse of incumbency and compromises the ability of the regulator to be active in a market as ours, even in more matured markets Rory Macmillan in the attached piece underlines the multiple challenges the regulator faces so am afraid to conclude that in your bid to salvage the Telkom Kenya deal, you have skewed the market in their direction which raises the question of the real intent at play. I hope you forgive my blantness..... > > Good day. > > Eric here > > > ---------------------------------------------- > This message has been scanned for viruses and > dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is > believed to be clean. > --------------------------------------------- > "easy access to the world" > > Eric M.K Osiakwan Director Internet Research www.internetresearch.com.gh emko(a)internetresearch.com.gh 42 Ring Road Central, Accra-North Tel: +233.21.258800 ext 7031 Fax: +233.21.258811 Cell: +233.24.4386792

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GoK-Telkom-France Telecom agreement
by Andrea Bohnstedt 28 Jun '10

28 Jun '10

Dear all, I have been quite intrigued by the negotiations between GoK and France Telecom over their Telkom acquisition that were covered nicely consistently by the East African in recent weeks. The latest instalment here: http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/news/How%20the%20French%20got%20their%20way… The article states that GoK and France Telecom have come to an agreements under which - GoK will pay the USD10m fee for the 3G license for Telkom - in that context, I'd be curious to know if CCk will refund USD15m to Safaricom as, from what I understand, they had initially promised to do if the license fee will be lowered from its initial USD25m? - GoK will clear overdue bills to Telkom, contributions to the pension fund, overdue payment to KBC: no issue with these since it appears fair enough that GoK clears liabilities that precede the privatisation (never mind the question why GoK/parastatals have been let to accumulate such obligations in the first place). - Telkom to manage and control GoK's 20% stake in TEAMS. - France Telecom to be granted an exclusive operational and maintenance contract for the government-owned, multimillion-dollar nationwide optic fibre network. Since we had all these elaborate discussions recently in the context of the new tariff regulations regarding competition and level playing field, I wonder how this helps to create a level playing field? I haven't read much from GoK/CCK/Min of Information on this so far, so first of all, I'd be curious to know how much of the East African coverage is accurate, and if not, what the facts are - if the PS Information is reading along? And then I'd be interested to hear opinions on how this will affect the competitive landscape. Anyone thoughts? Have a good day and keep warm :) Andrea

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Fwd: Kenya: ARTICLE 19 Recommends Amendments to "Hate Speech" Laws and Proposed Constitution
by Grace Bomu 25 Jun '10

25 Jun '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ARTICLE 19 <press(a)article19.org> Date: Fri, 25 Jun 2010 17:13:34 +0100 Subject: Kenya: ARTICLE 19 Recommends Amendments to "Hate Speech" Laws and Proposed Constitution To: nmutungu(a)gmail.com For immediate release – 25 June 2010 Kenya: ARTICLE 19 Recommends Amendments to “Hate Speech” Laws and Proposed Constitution The legal framework regulating hate speech in Kenya falls short of international human rights standards and raises serious concerns regarding the protection of the right to freedom of expression. In a Commentary released today, ARTICLE 19 recommends amendments to the provisions on hate speech contained in existing laws and to the proposed Constitution. The Commentary examines the existing Constitution, and that proposed on the 6th of May 2010, as well as the Penal Code, the Media Act of 2007, the Broadcasting Regulations of 2009 and the National Cohesion and Integration Act of 2008. It shows that Kenya’s existing laws on the regulation of hate speech go beyond what is required under international human rights law and have the potential effect of restricting legitimate forms of expression. ARTICLE 19 notes that the proposed Constitution reflects “an unclear and confused picture of Kenya’s international legal obligations”. The Commentary states: “During this period of heightened constitutional reflection in Kenya, which has itself been a response to inter-ethnic tensions and violence, Kenya’s state organs should seize the opportunity to repeal or amend Kenya’s legislative and constitutional provisions regulating hate speech according to international standards on freedom of expression.” ARTICLE 19 recommends, among other measures, that: • Key provisions of the proposed Constitution (Section 33(2)) and the National Cohesion and Integration Act be amended to reflect international human rights standards, in particular Article 20 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights on the incitement to discrimination, hostility and violence. • Section 138 of the Penal Code, dealing with “offences relating to religion,” be repealed. • The Code of Conduct for Journalists and Media Enterprises contained in the Second Schedule of the Media Act be repealed and redrafted by media representatives as a self-regulatory and voluntary code of conduct. NOTES TO EDITORS: • The full text of the Commentary is available here: http://www.article19.org/alists/lt.php?id=bEkHV1RUDlAeBAgESwAFCAs%3D <mailto:http://www.article19.org/alists/lt.php?id=bEkHV1RUDlAeBAgESwAFCAs%3D> • The full text of ARTICLE 19’s Comment on the Prohibition of Hate Speech Bill, 2007, which was published in November 2009, is available here: http://www.article19.org/alists/lt.php?id=bEkHV1RUD1QeBAgESwAFCAs%3D • For more information please contact: Sejal Parmar, Senior Legal Officer sejal(a)article19.org <mailto:sejal@article19.org> +44 20 7324 2500 . -- Powered by PHPlist, www.phplist.com -- -- Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) Kenya

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Zain Kenya gets 3G license
by Harry Hare 25 Jun '10

25 Jun '10

Interesting development...read on. http://tinyurl.com/2vv49cj Harry 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

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Will SA recoup the investment
by Per-erick Mulamba 24 Jun '10

24 Jun '10

Dear All, We are in the middle of the World Cup which so far its thumps up for SA on how they have organized it. They have spend over 4trillions to get it to where it is and the expected return is less than 1trillion. Greece are broke cause of hosting Olympics will we be seeing another repeat of Greece on the African continent and if it happens are we prepared? I believe the impact will be felt in 2 to 3 years from now. Regards Per-Erick

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INTERNET SOCIETY FORUM TO ENABLE AFRICAN INTERNET LEADERS UNLOCK THE CONTINENT'S POTENTIAL
by alice＠apc.org 23 Jun '10

23 Jun '10

INTERNET SOCIETY FORUM TO ENABLE AFRICAN INTERNET LEADERS UNLOCK THE CONTINENT'S POTENTIAL New regional community to address key interconnection opportunities and challenges in Africa [Nairobi, Kenya, 15 June 2010] - The Internet Society (ISOC), today announced the launch of the African Peering and Interconnection Forum (AfPIF), established to help address the operational, regulatory, and business challenges facing the growing African Internet industry. Organized by the Internet Society, in partnership with the Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya (TESPOK), the inaugural meeting of the forum, entitled "Unlocking Africa's Regional Interconnection", will be held in Nairobi, Kenya, from 11-12 August 2010 and is expected to attract some of Africa's key business leaders, technical experts, policy makers, and infrastructure builders. Until now, Internet growth in the region has been slow, hampered by poor infrastructure and low levels of investment. But the signs of change are now on the horizon. "To date, gradual, ongoing policy and regulatory changes have made a positive impact on the region, where we are seeing many new opportunities for regional and global connectivity," said Michuki Mwangi, Regional Development Manager for Africa at the Internet Society, and recipient of the 2010 African Network Operators Group (AfNOG) Network Information Infrastructure award. "Supporting the recent momentum in Africa by facilitating these positive discussions plays a vital role in delivering against one of the Internet Society's key strategic initiatives; enabling access in emerging markets," added Mwangi. "Africa has also seen major investments in submarine cables, terrestrial fiber infrastructures, and mobile and wireless data technologies, all of which are addressing some of the challenges that previously restricted Internet growth in the region." Critically, the new infrastructure developments create the opportunity for much higher levels of local and regional interconnection. This exerts a multiplier effect on the economic and technical performance of regional networks, as well as opening the door to higher levels of local content production, all of which are necessary elements in enabling Internet access to Africans across the continent. The African Peering and Interconnection Forum will create a regional community to address the key cross-border Interconnection opportunities and challenges in Africa and discuss global and regional insights on maximizing regional development. In addition to local and regional support provided by TESPOK, the event has received international sponsorship from expert organisations including the Amsterdam Internet Exchange (AMS-IX), the Deutscher Commercial Internet Exchange (DE-CIX), the German Internet exchange, and Netnod, the Swedish Internet exchange provider, For more information, details about sponsorship opportunities, and to register for this event, see: https://www.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/africanforum2010/ About the Internet Society The Internet Society (ISOC) is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. ISOC is the organizational home of the Internet Engineering Task Force (IETF), the Internet's premier technical standards body. With offices in Washington, D.C., and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. For more information see: http://InternetSociety.org Media contact Greg Wood wood(a)isoc.org +1-703-439-2145

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FW: Consumers: Ghana: Thousands protest poor mobile phone services (thanks to Russell Southwood)
by Edith Adera 22 Jun '10

22 Jun '10

FYI ________________________________ From: consumers-bounces(a)lists.wits.ac.za<mailto:consumers-bounces@lists.wits.ac.za> [consumers-bounces(a)lists.wits.ac.za] On Behalf Of Charley Lewis [Charley.Lewis(a)wits.ac.za] Sent: 07 June 2010 17:51 To: consumers(a)lists.wits.ac.za<mailto:consumers@lists.wits.ac.za> Subject: Consumers: Ghana: Thousands protest poor mobile phone services (thanks to Russell Southwood) Thousands protest poor mobile phone services http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=182961#<http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/NewsArchive/artikel.php?ID=182961> ACCRA, May 27, --Thousands of mobile phone users took to the streets of Accra on Thursday to show their disapproval and displeasure with the poor services by mobile telecommunication companies operating in the country. The Consumer Protection Agency (CPA), together with other consumer right groups, called on all mobile phone users in the country to switch off their mobile phones from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. local time on Thursday as part of its protest to express their demand for quality services from mobile phone service providers, MTN, Tigo, Kasapa, Vodafone, and Zain in the West African country. Protesters gathered at the famous Kwame Nkrumah circle at the down town area, where they were briefed by their leaders on the routes and regulations for the demonstration. The organizers made sure that all protesters put off their mobile phones as a warning sign to the operators that their services were nothing to write home about before they embarked on the protest march. The demonstrators, mostly students, danced and sang as they passed through the main streets of the capital city with placards, some of which read "we are tired of your poor services", "stop tricky promotions" and "MTN, Tigo, Kasapa, Vodafone and Zain, the value is the same." A heavy presence of armed policemen guaranteed the safety of both the organizers and protestors. The protest ended at the premises of the Ministry of Communications, where the head of the CPA, Nana Prempeh Aduhene, on behalf of the protesters, presented a petition to the deputy communications minister, Dr Nartey Siaw Sapore. Sapore assured the gatherers that the Ghanaian government would look into the petition and take necessary actions. He said the government would ensure that telecom operators in the country did not short-change Ghanaian mobile phone users. Prempeh Aduhene told Xinhua that the response they got from the public during the demonstration was an indication that Ghanaians were indeed fed up with the poor services of the telecom companies. He said the agency would embark on a second demonstration to serve as a reminder if the Ghanaian authorities failed to caution and sanction the operators for their poor services to the general public. Experts in the communications industry in Ghana estimated that the six-hour off-phone protest would cost the telecom companies a total loss of 6 million U.S. dollars in revenue. Some protesters said that they anticipated total transformation and rightness in the operations of the telecom companies. Charley Lewis Senior Lecturer, LINK Centre Degree Convenor, MM(ICTPR) Tel: + 27 11-717-3784 Fax: + 27 86-529-5562 /+ 27 11-717-3910 Mobile: + 27 83-539-5242 Post (personal): Box 81185, Parkhurst, 2120, SOUTH AFRICA Skype: charley.lewis URL: http://link.wits.ac.za Mwalimu House, School of Public & Development Management, University of the Witwatersrand 2 St David's Place, Parktown, 2193, SOUTH AFRICA ==> Master of Management in ICT Policy & Regulation: http://link.wits.ac.za/training/training4.html<UrlBlockedError.aspx> ==> Certificate in Telecomms Policy, Regulation & Management: http://link.wits.ac.za/training/tc1.html ==> African Journal of Information & Communication: http://link.wits.ac.za/journal/journal.html<http://link.wits.ac.za/training/tc1.html> <image001.gif> This communication is intended for the addressee only. It is confidential. If you have received this communication in error, please notify us immediately and destroy the original message. You may not copy or disseminate this communication without the permission of the University. Only authorized signatories are competent to enter into agreements on behalf of the University and recipients are thus advised that the content of this message may not be legally binding on the University and may contain the personal views and opinions of the author, which are not necessarily the views and opinions of The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. All agreements between the University and outsiders are subject to South African Law unless the University agrees in writing to the contrary. <GhanaWeb-20100528-Thousands protest poor mobile service.pdf><ATT00001.c> Eric M.K Osiakwan Executive Secretary AfrISPA LTD T: + 233.21.258800 ext 7031 F: + 233.21.258811 C: + 233.24.4386792

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Battle shifts to 3G arena as CCK levels playing field
by Michael Ouma 21 Jun '10

21 Jun '10

here's a link: http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/Battle%20shifts%20to%203G%20arena%… Michael Ouma Journalist Kenya Tel:+254-725-537823 "Do not go where the path may lead, but go instead where there is no path and leave a trail," - Ralph Waldo Emerson

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Why Do Businesses Invest In ITIL Training?
by Moses Kamau 21 Jun '10

21 Jun '10

Why Do Businesses Invest In ITIL Training? The Information Technology Infrastructure Library, more commonly referred to as ITIL, dates back almost thirty years. Essentially, it is a set of procedures and standards that govern the way in which IT services are managed within a business set up. It came about as the British Government recognized a growing reliance on IT by businesses and saw that some set standards were required to ensure its most optimum usage. At that time, businesses were becoming increasingly dependent upon information technology systems. It was a relatively new, but fast developing area at that time and as the British Government saw increasing numbers of companies become ever more reliant, it saw that this was the time for a set of standards relating to its application and usage. This is what became ITIL. Let's fast forward to 2010, though and today countless companies across the world use ITIL as a means of ensuring the most effective use of Information Technology services within their company. From local businesses through to multinational corporations such as VISA Europe, the standards have been implemented by companies looking to ensure the optimum application of IT within their setup. This has led to an increased demand for ITIL training. But is investing in training for staff worth the money? Quite simply, yes it is. ITIL, when its practices are applied in the right way, offers a host of benefits. But the learning, outside of any formal training courses, would compromise only of quite heavy reading material, as all the information is contained within ITIL books. As applies to anything we want to learn, organized and structured tuition can often be the most effective means of doing so. It's worth the investment as the correct application of ITIL within a business of any size comes with a range of benefits. This includes better cost effectiveness where IT is concerned, overall improved information technology standards, a far more efficient use of time by IT staff, better customer service and complaint management and an overall improved way in which staff skills and experienced are used within the business. (c) Garmin Forerunner For more information on ITIL training and consultancy, contact Quintica Kenya: Tel: +254 20 4442900/1 Email: sales.ke(a)quintica.com<mailto:sales.ke@quintica.com> Regards, Moses www.quintica.net Moses Kamau Sales & Service Manager Kenya Office: +254 20 444 2900 Kenya Mobile: +254 720 416 564 Email: moses.kamau(a)quintica.com<mailto:moses.kamau@quintica.com> Skype: moses_kamau [cid:image001.jpg@01CB1122.AF375370]

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15, 500 univeristy students to get laptops under ICT Board program
by Brian Munyao Longwe 19 Jun '10

19 Jun '10

US$2 Million shilling grant will allow 15,500 Kenyan university students to have a personal laptop http://bit.ly/bei54W -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Announcement for African Peering and Interconnection Forum
by Fiona Asonga 18 Jun '10

18 Jun '10

Dear Listers As a follow up to earlier communication on the AFRICA PEERING AND INTERCONNECTION FORUM, TESPOK invites all those who qualify to participate in the discussion to register on the following link: https://www.isoc.org/isoc/conferences/africanforum2010/ It is important for you to note that advance registrations are encouraged. Your participation in this inaugural meeting is highly appreciated. Kind Regards Fiona Asonga Chief Executive Officer Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya/ Kenya Internet Exchange Point 14th Floor, Bruce House Standard Street Tel: +254 20 2245 036 Cell: +254 721 713 504 "Industry voice in Telecommunications, Providing Policy and Direction within the Industry and Government" -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean.

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Fwd: Reminder: Call for Nominations: Highway Africa New Media Awards 2010
by Wainaina Mungai 18 Jun '10

18 Jun '10

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Moagisi Letlhaku <m.letlhaku(a)ru.ac.za> Date: Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 2:24 PM Subject: Reminder: Call for Nominations: Highway Africa New Media Awards 2010 To: wainaina.mungai(a)kamemefm.com, wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org, votindo(a)gmail.com (Hi Wainaina and Violet. Please help us spread the news through your networks/website/blog. Closing date is 18 June. You should enter too! Thanks, Moagisi.) [ENGLISH] Dear Friends of Highway Africa Highway Africa is pleased to announce the call for entries for the *10thedition of the Highway Africa New Media Awards *. The Awards were pioneered to highlight the role that digital technologies play in journalism and the media, are unique and prestigious awards within the profession of journalism on the continent. The awards reward pioneering, innovative and creative use of technology in doing journalism that serves Africa and its citizens.. *Highway Africa New Media Awards* The 14th edition of the Highway Africa Conference, 4-7 July 2010 at Rhodes University, calls for the submission of nominations for the Highway Africa New Media Awards in 3 categories: · *Individual/Student* – awarded to individual persons who design or appropriate new affordable applications of communication technologies to overcome the limitations of existing infrastructure and/or capital resources. · *Not-for-Profit* – awarded to users of appropriate media technology to advance and assist communities and persons limited by infrastructure and/or technological access. · *Corporate *– awarded to corporate groups for creative and appropriate adaptation of technologies within the continent to complete effectively in the wider environment. Please find attached the Highway Africa Awards 2010 Call for Entries, as well as the Electronic Application Form*. *Forms can also be found at www.highwayafrica.com. * Submissions are to be made electronically to: awards(a)highwayafrica.com copied to c.kabwato(a)ru.ac.za. * * * The closing date for the nominations is *18 June 2010, 16:30 Pretoria Time*. Winners will be announced at the prestigious Highway Africa New Media Awards ceremony on the evening of *Sunday, 4 July 2010*. Visit www.highwayafrica.com for more info. [FRENCH] Chers Collègues, Highway Africa a le plaisir de vous annoncer l’*Appel à nominations de sa * 10ème édition de Highway Africa New Media Awards. Les prix ont été lancés pour mettre en exergue que le rôle que les technologies numériques jouent dans le journalisme et dans les médias, sont uniques et prestigieux dans la profession du journalisme qui serve l’Afrique et ses citoyens. *Highway Africa New Media Awards* La 14ème édition de la « Highway Africa Conference » qui se tiendra du 4 au 7 juillet 2010 à Rhodes University lance un appel à soumissions de nominations pour la Highway Africa New Media Awards dans trois catégories: • *Individu/étudiant*- offert à des individus qui conçoivent ou s’approprient de nouvelles et abordables applications des technologies de la communication pour surmonter les insuffisances de l’infrastructure/ressources ou capitales existantes. • *Non-lucratif*- offert aux utilisateurs de la technologie de media appropriée pour avancer et assister les communautés et les personnes limitées par l’accès aux infrastructures et à la technologie. • *Entreprise*- offert aux groupes d’entreprises pour une adaptation créative et appropriée des technologies sur le continent pour compétir efficacement dans un environnement plus large. * * Ci-joint est l’appel à nominations Highway Africa Awards 2010 avec plus de détails : critères de sélection etc. *Les soumissions doivent être faites par voie électronique à: awards(a)highwayafrica.com copié sur c.kabwato @ ru.ac.za.* La date de clôture pour les nominations est fixée au 18 juin 2010 à 16h30 heure de Pretoria. La liste des lauréats sera publiée à la prestigieuse cérémonie de Highway Africa Awards, dans la nuit de dimanche, 4 juillet2010. Visite www.highwayafrica.com pour plus d'informations. Moagisi Letlhaku Training Manager Highway Africa Rhodes University School of Journalism and Media Studies Tel: +27 (0)46 603 7139 Fax: +27 (0)46 603 7189 Cell: +27 (0)73 381 5227 e-mail:m.letlhaku@ru.ac.za <e-mail%3Am.letlhaku(a)ru.ac.za> www.highwayafrica.com *14th Highway Africa Conference, 5-7 July 2010. Theme: "African Voices in the Global Media Space"* *Reporting Development Network Africa (RDNA): *http://reportingDNA.org<http://reportingdna.org/>

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Fwd: WCIT 2012 primed for success - See our brand new video and photos
by waudo siganga 18 Jun '10

18 Jun '10

The information in this newsletter could be of interest to colleagues particularly those targeting BPO partnerships with Canadian business. Kind Regards, Waudo ----- Original message ----- From: "WCIT 2012 Montreal" <mail(a)mail.zd01.com> To: emailsignet(a)mailcan.com Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 20:06:59 GMT Subject: WCIT 2012 primed for success - See our brand new video and photos To view this message as a web page, [1]click here [2]dégradé [3]Subscribe to our newsletter | [4]Visit our Website June 2010 Canada’s ICT innovation promoted at WCIT 2010 Canada’s 65-person delegation, led by Ministry of Industry Tony Clement, has returned from the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT 2010) in Amsterdam where they promoted Canada as an ideal business and investment environment for information and communications technology (ICT) to representatives from around the world. “WCIT has provided a valuable opportunity to highlight the important investments our government has made in ICT and the digital economy to strengthen the global economic recovery," said Minister Clement. "I look forward to welcoming delegates to WCIT 2012 in Montréal and showcasing Canada's strong ICT industries and our digital economy strategy." Mr. Clement and the Canadian delegation met with a variety of politicians, senior business leaders, high-level officials, academics and opinion leaders over a three-day period, as well as participated in a ceremony handing over this “Olympics of ICT” event to Montreal in 2012. Mr. Bernard Courtois, Chair of WCIT 2012 and speaker at the Amsterdam event, gathered best practices, feedback and ideas from people for hosting a successful event in Montreal. “We brought an impressive delegation to Amsterdam and we got great reception,” said Mr. Courtois. “I was really energized by people’s expectations that Canada will host a high-caliber WCIT event in 2012 that will draw strong representation from around the globe.” [5]CLICK HERE TO SEE OUR VIDEO»» Canada’s Participation at WCIT 2010. WCIT 2012 The governments of Alberta, Manitoba, Quebec and Saskatchewan, receive international delegates at the Canadian pavilion. Minister of Industry, Tony Clement, promotes Canada’s ICT innovation at a keynote speech at WCIT 2010. WCIT 2012 WCIT 2012 Canada accepts hosting privileges for next WCIT 2012 event in Montreal at official hand-over ceremony. [6]CLICK HERE TO SEE MORE PHOTOS»» See Canada’s Contribution to ICT. Canada’s reputation for developing innovative technology solutions is world-renowned. Research and development in the field represents 39% of all R&D investment in Canada and drives more than $140 billion in annual revenue amongst the country’s 30,000 ICT firms. Click [7]here to see a short video highlighting some of Canada’s many contributions to the field, and why WCIT 2012 in Montreal will be an event you don’t want to miss. Get Timely Information About WCIT 2012. Subscribe to our newsletter to be notified when you can start scheduling meetings via the WCIT 2012 website, or to learn about new B2B opportunities and receive conference updates. [8]CLICK HERE TO REGISTER »» dégradé [9]Signature [10]Click here to unsubscribe. References 1. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=1 2. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=2 3. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=3 4. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=2 5. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=5 6. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=6 7. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=5 8. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=3 9. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=9 10. http://lnk.zd01.com/a/l.x?T=kpmdccpeibccefkdnmkohkoelm&M=10

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Internet access as you drive down to South Africa
by Wainaina Mungai 17 Jun '10

17 Jun '10

Read about the ICT access challenges on the roadtrip to South Africa. All of these on http://www.k24.co.ke/roadtrip/ Wainaina ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: May Githua <maruamahiu(a)gmail.com> Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 11:36:17 -0700 (PDT) Subject: [K24 Roadtrip] Shida za Mtandao! To: wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org To any East African traveler coming down to S.A., be prepared for Internet drama. Wireless at Ifisi Community Centre in Mbeya, Tanzania is slow & cyber cafe's in town are quite expensive. However, there's an arcade in Lusaka, Zambia (Microlink I-Zone Cafe) that is awesome - in terms of speed & service. We also had an easy time using wireless at Fawlty Towers Guest House in Livingstone, Zambia till the wee hours of the morning. Kasane town, in Botswana, has wireless Internet in the C.B.D. area, though connection is a problem; we had no access at our Thebe River Lodge campsite. But, we managed to browse for a short while at Kasane Computers this morning. This is after being told that we can't use our flash disks at the Post Office cyber. We're hoping good things await us in Francistown's Tati River Lodge. -- Posted By May Githua to K24 Roadtrip at 6/17/2010 11:33:00 AM -- Sent from my mobile device Wainaina Mungai ----- http://www.bungesms.com http://www.madeinkenya.org http://www.wainainamungai.com "The HAPPIEST people DONOT necessarily have the BEST of all. They simply APPRECIATE what they find on their way”

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Community SANS East Africa
by Preston Odera 17 Jun '10

17 Jun '10

Please see the security course scheduled for October in Nairobi Preston

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Fwd: Fw: WORKSHOP FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS ON PROPOSED CONSTITUTION
by waudo siganga 17 Jun '10

17 Jun '10

This could interest some colleagues on the Kictanet list. Kind Regards, Waudo ----- Original message ----- From: "dourice ofisi" <bremack1(a)yahoo.com> To: "waudo siganga" <emailsignet(a)mailcan.com> Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2010 04:32:33 -0700 (PDT) Subject: Fw: WORKSHOP FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS ON PROPOSED CONSTITUTION --- On Thu, 6/17/10, Apsea <apsea(a)apsea.or.ke> wrote: From: Apsea <apsea(a)apsea.or.ke> Subject: WORKSHOP FOR MEDIA PROFESSIONALS ON PROPOSED CONSTITUTION To: kujkenya(a)yahoo.com, journalistskenya(a)yahoo.com, afrolinemedia(a)yahoo.co.uk, info(a)afrolinemedia.com, info(a)mediacouncil.or.ke, jak.kenya(a)gmail.com, bremack1(a)yahoo.com, info(a)ycskonline.org, mediainst(a)wananchi.com, info(a)awcfs.org, info(a)kujkenya.org, kenyacorrespondents(a)yahoo.com, williamjanak(a)yahoo.com, mosesradoli(a)yahoo.com, MDAKenya(a)hotmail.com. Cc: apsea(a)apsea.or.ke Date: Thursday, June 17, 2010, 2:19 AM Kindly circulate to your members and ask them to attend this very important workshop. Facilitators shall be Yash Pal Ghai and Macharia Gaitho of Kenya Editors Guild. Association of Professional Societies in East Africa (APSEA) Parliament Road, The Professional Centre, P.O. BOX 43663-00100 , GPO, Nairobi Tel: (020) 2241230/2212660 Fax: 341883 Email: [1]apsea(a)apsea.or.ke Website: [2]www.apsea.or.ke 7^th June, 2010 Dear all, PROPOSED CONSTITUTION: INVITATION TO SECTOR BASED WORKSHOPS FOR PROFESSIONALS The Proposed Constitution of Kenya has certainly entered a critical and crucial stage of the roadmap towards completion. The planned civic education has unfortunately been marred by logistical hurdles culminating in distortion of information as well as peddling of untruths by both sides of the referendum divide. It is disheartening that half truths and outright misleading information are being given to the unsuspecting members of public in a bid to lure them into taking positions on the proposed constitution. Fears are beginning to emerge that once again, the outcome of the August 4^th Referendum will leave Kenyans divided as was the case in 2005. As professionals and indeed professional bodies, we have a responsibility to ensure that Kenyans are properly informed particularly on issues that are within the realm of our expertise. There is need for active engagement to ensure that this process does not leave the country badly scarred and divided but rather emerge from the constitution making process stronger and united. APSEA is organizing a series of sector based workshops for professionals in order to interrogate the proposed constitution and how it affects the various sectors of professionals. At the end of the workshops, it is expected that professionals will serve as agents of change. The main Objective of the workshops is to enlighten Professional bodies and their members on the state of play in the constitutional review process. Other more specific objectives include:- i. To encourage professionals to remain engaged and proactive in the constitution making process ii. To foster ownership of the entire constitution making process by the Professionals. iii. To advocate and promote dialogue and reconciliation between various divergent views, especially between political and religious leaders and the civic society with a view of bringing in harmony and unity of purpose in Kenya . We are therefore pleased to invite you to the sector based workshop for professionals at the Silver Springs Hotel starting at 8.30. am on the dates indicated below: 1. Management, Finance & Law 28^th June 2010 2. Built and Natural Environment 29^th June 2010 3. Medicine and Health Environment 30^th June 2010 4. Media and Public Relations 1^st July 2010 Key speakers including constitutional lawyers and renowned professionals in the specific sectors have been invited to make presentations at the workshops. Participation at the workshop is free and therefore limited chances are available. Kindly confirm your participation with the Secretariat on [3]apsea(a)apsea.or.ke or 2222119. Yours faithfully, Dr. Daniel W. Ichang’i, Ph.D. (McGill), R. Geol., O.G.W. Chairman, APSEA References 1. http://us.mc365.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=apsea@apsea.or.ke 2. http://www.apsea.or.ke/ 3. http://us.mc365.mail.yahoo.com/mc/compose?to=apsea@apsea.or.ke

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Nurturing IT Service Management Skills
by Moses Kamau 16 Jun '10

16 Jun '10

How training for IT professionals supports your business... That businesses in Kenya are experiencing a chronic skills shortage, is a well-known reality. However organizations must realize that a "head-in-the-sand" approach to training and skills development will not help them or the Kenyan community to become a serious force in world circles. Recent events in Kenya (namely the connection to the rest of the world through fiber optic cable) has bought the importance of information technology and customer focused solutions into the minds of business people looking to enhance and grow their operations. From the largest Government department to the smallest at home business there is a place for IT to both education, entertain and enlighten. Medium to large businesses are more aware of the opportunities in a commercial and customer satisfaction perspective, but the reality is that all the technology will do nothing if the right people do not have the right skills to support it. Skills development in most IT staff has historically focused on technical training in the various applications that are being used in the business. While such training is critical what is missing from IT professionals is a lack of understanding regarding the importance of services as they apply to the business user. This missing customer focus does nothing to help the credibility of the IT professionals who feel that they are working long days with little or no appreciation. Once IT professionals are educated in the way that business people think; then they automatically become aware of how to communicate better and in a language that the business can understand. The other aspect of managing technical solutions relates to the techniques required to support the IT infrastructure as a cohesive unit. This means that all IT professionals share a common view of how the infrastructure delivers services and how to behave to fix user issues, how to solve problems so they don't reoccur and how to implement change in a way that does not spell disaster for the business. So the question is: where can IT professionals learn the importance of customer service and proper process? The answer lies within the ITIL Framework. ITIL is an acronym for Information Technology Infrastructure Library. It introduces to all IT professionals the concepts of strategic, tactical and operational level thinking when it comes to communication to people and support of technology. ITIL teaches the pupil how to approach technical issues as they happen, how to reduce the possibility of anything going wrong and how to plan for growth and performance of the systems they support. Above all this, ITIL teaches the student that business people rely on services in order to deliver organizational objectives and that as a team the entire IT department is responsible for delivery of those services. The ITIL framework has a series of training courses that are suited to all levels of experience within the IT department. The framework is globally recognized and carries levels of certification that can ultimately lead to "ITIL Expert" status for the individual. By Roger Purdie Roger Purdie is certified as an ITIL v3 Expert and is a member of the ITIL Qualification Board. He is currently the Managing Director - Quintica Kenya as well as Group Projects Director for the Quintica Group of companies. Regards, Moses www.quintica.net Moses Kamau Sales & Service Manager Kenya Office: +254 20 444 2900 Kenya Mobile: +254 720 416 564 Email: moses.kamau(a)quintica.com<mailto:moses.kamau@quintica.com> Skype: moses_kamau [cid:image001.jpg@01CB0D3E.3D948C70]

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ITIL Foundation Course - July 2010
by Moses Kamau 16 Jun '10

16 Jun '10

Good Morning, Quintica will be running the next Public ITIL Foundation Course from July 12-14, 2010. Quintica is accredited to deliver ITIL courses by the APM-Group, the official International ITIL Accreditation Body (www.apmg-international.com<http://www.apmg-international.com>). The Course price is Ksh 35,000 and the Certification Examination is Ksh 16,000. These prices are inclusive of catering and all accredited course materials.<http://www.apmg-international.com> All prices are exclusive of VAT. Documents Attached: * Course Brochure * Course Info & Content * Public Course Calendar * Registration Form Please feel free to contact me for any further information or clarifications.<http://www.apmg-international.com> Regards, Moses www.quintica.net Moses Kamau Sales & Service Manager Kenya Office: +254 20 444 2900 Kenya Mobile: +254 720 416 564 Email: moses.kamau(a)quintica.com<mailto:moses.kamau@quintica.com> Skype: moses_kamau [cid:image001.jpg@01CB0CA8.46B42040]

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FW: [administrators-en] FW: Web 2.0 Learning Opportunity, 5-9 July, 2010, Nairobi, Kenya
by Edith Adera 15 Jun '10

15 Jun '10

FYI From: Rambaldi, G. [mailto:Rambaldi@cta.int] Sent: Monday, June 14, 2010 8:41 PM To: Media for Development (Media4Dev); Africa Community Mapping Network Subject: Web 2.0 Learning Opportunity, 5-9 July, 2010, Nairobi, Kenya [cid:image002.jpg@01CB0C1A.8772C5C0] <http://www.web2fordev.net/> Venue: World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF‎); United Nations Avenue; Nairobi, Kenya Date and time: Monday 5 July – Friday 9 July, 2010 at 9:00 – 17:30 Technological innovation is taking place at a breath-taking pace. Simple, open source internet-based applications and services designed to enhance on-line collaboration are now available to the wider public at little or no cost at all. These new online services known as Web 2.0 applications enable people to collaborate remotely in creating, sharing and publishing information. The Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Cooperation EU-ACP (CTA<http://www.cta.int>) has a mandate to facilitate access to and dissemination of information in the fields of agriculture and rural development in 78 countries in Africa, the Caribbean and the Pacific (ACP). Supporting the adoption of Web 2.0 applications represents a great opportunity for meeting it. CTA, in collaboration with the World Agroforestry Centre (ICRAF<http://www.icraf.org>), has organised a 5-day Web 2.0 Learning Opportunity starting on Monday 5 July 2010. Participants will be introduced to selected web 2.0 applications and learn on how to use them; hands-on. The Learning Opportunity will cover advanced online searching, getting information served via alerts and RSS, collaborating remotely using wikis and Google Docs, using VoIP, online mapping and social networking. Participants will get a chance to see what others have done, get hands-on experience on how to use innovative applications, and assess how they could adopt these innovations within the context of their work and organisation. These Learning Opportunities form part of CTA initiatives that support development partners in networking, accessing and disseminating information more effectively. Programme of the Learning Opportunity * Introduction to the participatory World Wide Web (Web 2.0) * Search Magic: How to conduct advanced multilingual online searches; * Information Self Service: How to get selected information served to you via alerts and RSS feeds; * Remote collaboration: How to develop content remotely using wikis and Google Docs; * Online mapping: How to locate your organisation and your projects on a online Map; · How to communicate voice over the internet at no cost · Online publishing (Blog) · Social networking (LinkedIn and Facebook) · Web 2.0 self-instruction (introduction to IMARK) Eligibility and responsibilities Participation in the Learning Opportunity is free of charge. Applications are subject of acceptance by the organisers. Eligibility criteria: · be computer literate and conversant with browsing the Internet; · have regular access to or better own a computer; · have active e-mail accounts; · be actively engaged in agriculture and rural development, natural resource management and biodiversity conservation, and / or ICT for development (ICT4D); · be self-sufficient in terms of transport, accommodation and subsistence during the event; · be in the position to carry your own WIFI-enabled laptop to the venue. Responsibilities Accepted participants will be responsible for all costs related to their subsistence, travel and accommodation and for bringing their own WIFI-enabled laptop. Additional information During the event the organisers will offer lunch and refreshments and distribute copies of CTA publications dealing with Web 2.0. To download the Application Form, please follow this link<http://www.web2fordev.net/component/docman/cat_view/45-forms>. Best regards [cid:image003.jpg@01CB0BFC.173A1E20] Giacomo Rambaldi Senior Programme Coordinator Technical Centre for Agricultural and Rural Co-operation ACP-EU P.O. Box 380, NL 6700AJ Wageningen, The Netherlands (ordinary mail deliveries) Visit web site<http://dgroups.org/dgroups/administrators-en> | Reply to sender<mailto:grambaldi@iapad.org> | Click here<mailto:leave.administrators-en@dgroups.org> to unsubscribe The email is intended only for the recipients. The owners of the Dgroups cannot be held responsible for the contents of the email message. --- You are currently subscribed to acacia-admin-cl as: [EAdera(a)idrc.or.ke] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-acacia-admin-cl(a)lyris.idrc.ca --- You are currently subscribed to acacia-admin-cl as: [EAdera(a)idrc.or.ke] To unsubscribe, forward this message to leave-acacia-admin-cl(a)lyris.idrc.ca

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Secure ICT 2010 Conference- Johnny Long
by Evans Kahuthu 15 Jun '10

15 Jun '10

Dear Listers, The Secure ICT 2010 Conference Committee is pleased to inform you that renowned computer security expert, author, and public speaker Johnny Long will be among this years' Keynote Speakers at our upcoming Information Communication Technology & Network Security Conference (Secure ICT 2010) to be held on Sept 8-9, 2010 at the Pan Afric Hotel. Long is well known for his background in Google hacking<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Google_hacking>, a process by which vulnerable servers on the Internet can be identified through specially constructed Google searches. He has gained fame as a prolific author and editor of numerous computer security books. Johnny is a professional hacker and security researcher by trade. Although the art of breaking into buildings and bypassing computer security sounds like the stuff of Hollywood movies, Johnny has made a career of just that. By wielding real world attacks against hundreds of Government and Fortune 100 companies, Johnny has uncovered and exploited security weaknesses in the world's most secure facilities and networks. For more information on Johnny Long, please see the attached document or visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Johnny_Long http://johnny.ihackstuff.com/ For more information on the conference including registration, please visit http://secureict.co.ke Regards, Evans Kahuthu

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Fwd: M4D in East Africa M4D2010 - 3rd call for paper
by Brian Munyao Longwe 15 Jun '10

15 Jun '10

FYI ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Johan Hellström <hellstrom.johan(a)gmail.com> Date: 2010/6/15 Subject: M4D in East Africa M4D2010 - 3rd call for paper To: Johan Hellström <johan(a)upgraid.org> Dear all, M4D2010 is an academic conference organised by Karlstad University (Sweden) and Makerere University (Uganda). Deadline for paper submissions is 1st of July. Please note that there will be some exciting side events too if you can't make it to the conference. More information about this will be posted on http://m4d.humanit.org/. Best regards, Johan Hellström ----------------------------------------- Apologies for cross-posting ----------------------------------------- * * *The 2nd International Conference on M4D* *M4D2010* *Mobile Communication Technology for Development* *Kampala, Uganda 10 – 11 Nov 2010* *http://m4d.humanit.org/* 3rd Call for Papers *Welcome to M4D2010!* HumanIT (Karlstad University, Sweden) in cooperation with Makerere University (Kampala, Uganda) invite you to the 2nd International Conference on M4D - Mobile Communication Technology for Development, following the inaugural conference in Karlstad, Sweden in 2008 (http://m4d.humanit.org/) and M4D workshop in East Africa 2008 (http://m4d.kcl.co.ug/) M4D2010 aims to provide a forum for researchers, practitioners and all those with interests in the use of Mobile Communication Technology for Development. Confirmed keynote speakers so far are *Richard Duncombe*(University of Manchester), *Ken Banks* (founder of kiwanja.net and creator of FrontlineSMS) and *Thomas Tufte* (Roskilde University, Ørecomm, MEDIeA). M4D2010 will combine two days of plenary sessions, peer-reviewed paper sessions, workshops, panel sessions, discussion forums, and demos. The conference will take place at *Protea Hotel* in Kampala ( http://www.proteahotels.com/protea-hotel-kampala.html) In conjunction with M4D2010, *MobileMonday Kampala* (MoMoKla, www.momokla.ug) will organise a special evening Monday, November 8th. MoMoKla is the Ugandan chapter of MobileMonday, which is a global network of mobile industry professionals and start-ups with chapters in over 100 cities around the world. M4D2010 participants will get a chance to network with and learn from professionals in Uganda's telecommunication, academia, media and ICT sectors. M4D2010 will include a workshop organised by *SPIDER* (* www.spidercenter.org/*) “A mobile in every hand- exploring mobile technology’s potential in increasing transparency”. SPIDER’s workshop will through a panel of experts explore the potentials of mobile technology in increasing transparency, as well as curbing corruption. The workshop will present innovative cases and invite the audience to participate in outlining concrete ways to use mobile technology in increasing transparency in general and the development sector in particular. Accepted papers will be published in the conference proceedings. We are currently negotiating with The *Journal of Information Technology for Development (ITD)* to publish best papers from the conference. *How to Participate?* We strive to have an event where all types of actors are included. As a participant you may therefore submit either to the *practitioner* or the *research track*. The research track has a traditional academic conference design while in the practitioner’s track industry, NGOs, and public bodies can disseminate their knowledge. You can choose whether to submit a *full paper* (maximum of 10 pages) or a *short paper* (4 pages). Submitting your papers and abstracts, use the template found here: http://m4d.humanit.org/m4d_template.doc There is also the possibility to submit a *poster* or a *demo* (with a 1 page abstract for conference proceedings) in order for smaller companies and other organisations to put on display their activities and graduate students to make presentations of work in progress. Poster size is max. 80 cm width and max. 120cm height. Roll-ups are also allowed. Use the following e-mail address to submit: submit-m4d(a)kau.se State in the subject line your name and either of the following: full research, short research, full practitioner, short practitioner, poster or demo. Inclusion of accepted papers/posters in conference proceedings is conditioned on payment of registration fee. Conference proceeding will be published in the Karlstad University Studies series, as well as on the websites of the university and the Centre for HumanIT. *How to Register?* To register for this exciting event go to http://www1.kau.se/konf/index.lasso?id=1536&to_do=register Conference fee is 300 US dollars with a reduced fee of 200 US dollars for Master and PhD students. Conference fee includes access to conference venue, workshops and demonstrations, keynotes, lunches, refreshments and receptions throughout the conference, conference dinner and social events. *Important Dates:* Submission deadline: 1 July 2010 Acceptance note: 31 August 2010 Final papers due: 30 September 2010 *Interested in Reviewing?* Interested in reviewing? Please contact Jakob.Svensson(a)kau.se and tell how many papers/short papers you are interested in reading, your areas of interest and your level of expertise. *Interested in Sponsoring?* Organisations providing funding for travel and accommodation costs for researchers and participants from developing countries to participate will be mentioned as sponsors of the conference – please write to Jakob.Svensson(a)kau.se to discuss the conditions giving details of the researchers (research students) and participants concerned by your kind offer. We are also happy to receive funding for social events, lunches, refreshments, conference proceedings, etc. Due mention will be made at the occasion and due credits will be made on the website, in the conference program, and in the conference proceedings. Please contact Jakob.Svensson(a)kau.se for more information. *Conference Committee:* General Chair: Gudrun Wicander (HumanIT/KAU) Local Steering Committee: Johan Hellström (SU) Jude Lubega (Makerere) Idris Rai (Makerere) Ali Ndiwalana (Makerere) Michael Niyitegeka (Makerere) Reviewer Chair: Jakob Svensson (HumanIT/KAU) Co-Chair: John Sören Pettersson (HumanIT/KAU) *Centre for HumanIT* *http://www.kau.se/en/humanit* ----------------------- Johan Hellström +46 736 892120 http://upgraid.wordpress.com/ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- New M4D report! http://upgraid.files.wordpress.com/2010/06/sr2010-12_sida_hellstrom.pdf ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "M4D in East Africa" group. To post to this group, send email to M4DinEA(a)googlegroups.com. To unsubscribe from this group, send email to M4DinEA+unsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com<M4DinEA%2Bunsubscribe(a)googlegroups.com> . For more options, visit this group at http://groups.google.com/group/M4DinEA?hl=en. -- Brian Munyao Longwe e-mail: blongwe(a)gmail.com cell: + 254 722 518 744 blog : http://zinjlog.blogspot.com meta-blog: http://mashilingi.blogspot.com

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Re: [kictanet] Law Enforcement / Information Systems
by S.Murigi Muraya 15 Jun '10

15 Jun '10

Good questions. Would we rather have no photos / video / audio recordings or not so good ones that give us an idea of various criminal activities / occurrences? On Tue, Jun 15, 2010 at 1:22 PM, Isaac Mutunga <scmutunga(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > In page 7 of today's Standard newspaper there is a picture of a policeman > using his mobile to take photos of the evidence he found at Uhuru Park after > the blasts. With my little knowledge photography and computer graphics, > several questions came to my mind: > 1. Is this the standard procedure for collecting photo evidence in a crime > scene? > 2. What is the quality of this phone camera? > 3.Is this personal or official phone camera? > 4.How would these photo be processed, stored and retrieved? > > Anybody with answers? > > --- On *Tue, 6/15/10, S.Murigi Muraya <murigi.muraya(a)gmail.com>* wrote: > > > From: S.Murigi Muraya <murigi.muraya(a)gmail.com> > Subject: [kictanet] Law Enforcement / Information Systems > To: scmutunga(a)yahoo.com > Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Date: Tuesday, June 15, 2010, 3:04 AM > > > Dear All, > > The Serial Killer case exposes that our criminal detectives are either > disconnected from court case databases (if any exist) or are poorly equipped > to deal with reality on the ground. Probably both. > > The Daily Nation yesterday revealed the Serial Killer had a pending Court > Case. > > The fact that he worked for G4S also leaves a lot to be desired - assuming > he had to *annually* get a Certificate of Good Conduct from the CID. > > There should be annual requirement for security guards to get Certificates > of Good Conduct if it is not the case already. > > Court case (basic) information should be at the fingertips of every cop on > duty not just the CID. Every cop on duty (whether stationary or mobile) > should be able to instantly access 'Occurence Book' (OB) details / data, > recorded at ANY police station in the country tied to a particular ID#, > Biometrics or even Aliases. Police transport (vehicles) should be equipped > with information & communication technology. Cops on the move should also > have all weather mobile devices to record (photo / video / audio) evidence. > Court cases being thrown out due to evidence not being collected well ASAP > should become an exception not expectation in Kenya. > > As the KICTB / World Bank funds various ideas producing digital content > helpful to governance let them keep some of these in mind. > > If cops know their work will be aided using ICT or analyzed on social (web > & mobile) media most will do a better job. Many will not leave crime scenes > without taking fingerprints, photographs, audio recordings - even if they > have to use mobile phones provided by the Government which can deal with a > mobile company with offices in Kenya e.g. Nokia. > > We may have lower standards of governance (public integrity) than > Westerners but Kenyans who demand one law to be passed and enforced for all > should be able to do so without being bombed / terrorized. > http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/about/ > > Technically this is not difficult to achieve but politics, bureaucracy & > bribery provide another angle. > > What are we doing about it? > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke<http://mc/compose?to=kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: scmutunga(a)yahoo.com<http://mc/compose?to=scmutunga@yahoo.com> > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/scmutunga%40yahoo.com > > >

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Law Enforcement / Information Systems
by S.Murigi Muraya 15 Jun '10

15 Jun '10

Dear All, The Serial Killer case exposes that our criminal detectives are either disconnected from court case databases (if any exist) or are poorly equipped to deal with reality on the ground. Probably both. The Daily Nation yesterday revealed the Serial Killer had a pending Court Case. The fact that he worked for G4S also leaves a lot to be desired - assuming he had to *annually* get a Certificate of Good Conduct from the CID. There should be annual requirement for security guards to get Certificates of Good Conduct if it is not the case already. Court case (basic) information should be at the fingertips of every cop on duty not just the CID. Every cop on duty (whether stationary or mobile) should be able to instantly access 'Occurence Book' (OB) details / data, recorded at ANY police station in the country tied to a particular ID#, Biometrics or even Aliases. Police transport (vehicles) should be equipped with information & communication technology. Cops on the move should also have all weather mobile devices to record (photo / video / audio) evidence. Court cases being thrown out due to evidence not being collected well ASAP should become an exception not expectation in Kenya. As the KICTB / World Bank funds various ideas producing digital content helpful to governance let them keep some of these in mind. If cops know their work will be aided using ICT or analyzed on social (web & mobile) media most will do a better job. Many will not leave crime scenes without taking fingerprints, photographs, audio recordings - even if they have to use mobile phones provided by the Government which can deal with a mobile company with offices in Kenya e.g. Nokia. We may have lower standards of governance (public integrity) than Westerners but Kenyans who demand one law to be passed and enforced for all should be able to do so without being bombed / terrorized. http://www.onelawforall.org.uk/about/ Technically this is not difficult to achieve but politics, bureaucracy & bribery provide another angle. What are we doing about it?

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ICT policy
by Okech 14 Jun '10

14 Jun '10

Hi Listers, In Kenya currently, do we have separate policies for broadcasting, telecommunication and Internet? Any link? Regards, Okech JMMy blog

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FW: BPO/ITES-Gazette Notice
by Edith Adera 14 Jun '10

14 Jun '10

Here's the Gazette Notice I made reference to. Edith

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Interim Board Updates
by Paul Kukubo 14 Jun '10

14 Jun '10

Dear Listers as you enjoy the World Cup, I hereby provide the Kenya ICT Board's programs update. Kenya ICT Board Interim Update 11th June 2010 *Pillar 1. BPO ITES* Project 1.1. National Capacity 1. Centre of Excellence. The 2nd Centre of Excellence Workshop and engagement with Kenya BPO Society, academia and industry practitioners. The COE framework presented for discussion and buy-in. Stakeholders agreed on the proposed timelines and strategy for the implementation of the COE which will selection of the anchor institution and selection of training by end January 2011. 2. Permanent Secretary Information and Communications established a BPO Skills Gap taskforce in 2009. This taskforce has now completed and presented an assessment report. 3. National Software Certification. Consultancy for the development of Certification and initial training awarded, pending contract signing. 4. Incubation. Project has yet to commence. Kenya ICT Board and the World Bank finalizing discussions on the model. Project 1.2. BPO/ITES Marketing/ Country Positioning 1. Confirmation from donor with donors to support Kenya Outsourcing day in (Bellagio) Europe in March 2011. This targets leading outsourcing and market analysts I n Europe with a view to making the case for Kenya outsourcing. 2. Direct Marketing. ICT Board finalizing support for a leading NGO to locate their shared services centre in Kenya. ICT Board is pursuing 4 leading BPO companies to locate in Kenya by mid 2011. 3. Stakeholders received a presentation by PS Ndemo on the initial case for Malili. Presentations were also received from IFC. 4. Kenya Positioning Marketing Initiatives undertaken as follows: Presentation to European Firms in Turkey in Feb 2010, participation at the UNDP International Conference on Interoperability in Rio De Janeiro Brazil, in May 2010, Participation at the HP Technology Conference in Frankfurt in April 2010. Commonwealth South South BPO Summit Mauritius 2010 (ICT Board Sponsored a member of the BPO Taskforce) 5. Kenya Positioning initiatives planned for2010. Call Centre expo Birmingham Sep 2010, BPO Visit to South Africa October 2010, CISCO CIO Global Summit October 2010, Shanghai Expo participation August, Harvard Business School, Shared Services and Outsourcing Summit July 2010, Accenture Global Outsourcing Conference Prague, June 2010. Project 1.4 Capacity Building and Sector Development *Pillar 2. Digital Inclusion* Program 2.1 KENET (Kenya Education Network) support 1. 200 MB Bandwidth disbursed to 64 tertiary institutions across the country. This subsided internet connectivity worth 200 MB of Bandwidth has substantially lowered the costs of connectivity. This commenced in January 2009 and will run end 2010. 2. Contract has been awarded for the development of a modern network operation centre (NOC) for the efficient management of the universities virtual network in line with global standards. 3. Kenya ICT Board has advertised for the procurement of IRUs (long term international bandwidth arrangement) for supply o bandwidth and connection to other national and regional education networks. 4. The Kenya ICT Board has facilitated training of university engineers in network design administration and management across all the tertiary institutions in Kenya. Project 2.2. Digital Villages (Pasha) 1. The ICT Board has trained 1000 people across every constituency in the county. Training has been in entrepreneurship to prepare them to run digital access centre efficiently. The trainees will be eligible for loans under the digital revolving fund to establish digital centers. 2. The Digital centre pilots have been undertaken in 5 areas, Nairobi, Garissa Kangundo, Meru, and Malindi. Preliminary findings are positive and will inform the larger roll out. The key learnings have been that the centers require excellent broadband communication, technical support, good equipment and capacity especially with respect marketing and service delivery. 3. The ICT Board is working with the Ministry of Nairobi Metropolitan Development to establish digital centres in the metropolis. Project 2.3 Wezesha (University Laptops scheme) 1. The ICT Board has commenced implementation of the Wezesha project. Advertising of the project will be done in July. This project to provide a financial subsidy for students in all universities to purchase a laptop. We intend to provide subsidy towards 16,000 laptops over a maximum of 2 years. *Pillar 3. Local Digital Content (Tandaa).* Project 3.1 Tandaa Local Digital Content Grants 1. Kenya ICT Board announces the launch of the grants for entrepreneurs in local digital content. Launch of awareness and dissemination campaign. This phase will disburse a third of USD 4 Million in batches of a maximum 10,000 USD per selected individuals and 50,000USD for firms towards the development of Project 3.2 Tandaa capacity and awareness for local content) 1. Held two successful Tandaa Symposium local content awareness symposiums which involved. First symposium had 80 participants and the second over 200. Participants shared experiences concerning local content development. 2. CEO presentation to Skunksworks 3. Suppoted the Launch of Eyeballs, an innovative mobile based advertising medium in May 2010. 4. Supported the launch of Mobile Monday in April 2010. 5. Supported the launch of Ihub. 6. ICT Board supporting Barcamp, The local developer meeting that brings together Kenya’s most innovative local software community. Takes place on 14 th and 15th of June at the Ihub. Project 3.2 Bashiri, National News information centers and government portal and intranet *Pillar 4. Egovernement Applications* Project 4.1 State Law Office Digitization of Key Achievements 1. Completion of the digitization process at the State Law office 25.5 Million paper records have been digitized. This is towards the eventual automation and online enablement of the company registry. Project 4.2 Ministry of Lands Digitization 1. Infrastructure capacity support for the Ministry of Lands where we have provided funding and helped implementation of the new banking hall. This has included providing furniture computers , scanners and local area network. Kenya ICT Board has engaged university students in an outsourcing arrangement to prepare the lands records for imminent digitization. Project 4.3 Government Bandwidth 1. Broadband Internet access worth 80 MB provided to all ministries at head offices under the Government’s Core Communications Network Project. This is costing 120,000 USD per quarter. Commencing March 2010 for 24 months to augment the government’s current broadband. 2. The ICT Board will be purchasing long term bandwidth commitments for the Kenya government towards reduced costs of international internet communications. We are planning a 15v year lease to be delivered via the TEAMs cable. Project 4.4.Judiciary 1. Trials have commenced for high end video teleconferencing links at the courts of appeal between Nairobi and Mombasa. Once this is trialed successfully over 10 months, this will be rolled out across key areas of the judiciary. 2. Contract has been awarded for digitizing 30 Million records for the High Court Registry. 2. Contract has been awarded for an interactive 2 way SMS platform for citizens to track the status of their cases before the courts. Project 4.5 KEMSA 1. Successfully implemented a new Enterprises Resource Planning System for Kenya Medical Supplies Agency. Project 4.6 Kenya Film Commission 1. The ICT Board will be funding the implementation of a content management system for the Kenya Film Commission. Kenya ICT Board has advertised for bids. Pillar 5. Government Shared Services (SHIRIKIANA) Project 5.1. Central Government Shared Services 1. The ICT Board has contracted Accenture Consulting to develop a shared services masterplan and pilot for the Kenya government. The scope of this work includes a pilot for public sector budgeting at the treasury. Interviews and data gathering are on-going. This project aims to create a high performance centre of excellence in the management and delivery of government back-end services such as HR, IT Procurement and Finance. This impact positively service delivery to citizens by government. Project 5.2 Local Government Shared Services 1. ITC Board has fundraised and received USD 300,000 towards the development of Local Government Shared Services, to support local authorities in financial, HR and IT shared services. *Communication and Capacity Building* 1. ICT board launches online newsletters for their various projects to ensure our communication are kept up to date. 2. Media workshop held in April 2010 in partnership with Kenya ICT Reporters Association for attended by 30 reporters. Major interest by media on government shared services and using online as a medium for extending traditional media. 3. ICT Board staff commence training and implementation of Project Management in partnership with Deloitte. Training is aimed at The Kenya ICT Board becoming Project Management Certified. 4. Presentation by CEO at the Marketing Africa Marketers Night in June 2010. Presented the opportunities for marketers in ICT with specific reference to entrepreneurship and to influencing the process of local outsourcing. Paul Kukubo Chief Executive Officer, Kenya ICT Board PO Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya 12th Floor, Teleposta Towers Koinange Street Tel +254 20 2089061, +254 20 2211960 Fax: +254 20 2211962 website: www.ict.go.ke local content project: www.tandaa.co.ke, www.facebook.com/tandaakenya twitter:@tandaaKENYA BPO Project: www. doitinkenya.co.ke Digital Villages Project: www.pasha.co.ke personal contacts _______________ Cell: + 254 717 180001 skype: kukubopaul googletalk: pkukubo personal blog: www.paulkukubo.co.ke personal twitter: @pkukubo ____________________ Vision: Kenya becomes a top ten global ICT hub 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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the budget and ICT
by ikua＠lpakenya.org 13 Jun '10

13 Jun '10

Listers, The Government will spend 1.3B to buy 300 computers in each of the 210 constituencies. That means that each of the 63,000 computers will cost the taxpayer KSh 20,634/=. This is a very good initiative. Now, they say that these computers will be assembled by institutions. I just hope this does not mean they will go for clones. They would do much better with branded, refurbished computers. As far as I know, the minister did not mention anything touching on used computers in the budget. Now then, at this price, there is absolutely no allowance for software purchases. Which is all well as these computers can be loaded with open source software that will give much more value to the investment anyway. So we will be watching keenly to see what kind of deals Microsoft will try to push at the government to include their software in these computers, probably at a ¨small price¨. The open source community is available and willing to advise the Government on the best way of ensuring that tax payer money is used prudently for the benefit of this country. Ikua LPA-Kenya

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(no subject)
by Gabby Kaba 13 Jun '10

13 Jun '10

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Fwd: [afrinic members] IPv6 Deployment Survey 2010
by Adiel A. Akplogan 11 Jun '10

11 Jun '10

Dear friends, Your input to this survey will be appreciated. - a. Begin forwarded message: > From: "Adiel A. Akplogan" <adiel(a)afrinic.net> > Date: June 11, 2010 15:30:47 PM GMT+04:00 > To: member-discuss(a)afrinic.net > Subject: [afrinic members] IPv6 Deployment Survey 2010 > > Dear Colleagues, > > The IPv6 Deployment Monitoring Survey, based on what has been carried > out in the RIPE NCC and APNIC service regions in 2009, is now open and > available for the AfriNIC and other regions. The survey can be > accessed at: > > http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IPv6deploymentmonitoring2010 > > The purpose of the 2010 survey is to better understand where the > community > is moving, and what can be done to ensure the Internet community is > ready > for the widespread adoption of IPv6. We encourage all organisations > in the > AfriNIC service region to participate in this survey, which we hope > will > establish a comprehensive view of present IPv6 penetration and > future plans > for IPv6 deployment. The survey is composed of 23 questions and can be > completed in about 15 minutes. For those without IPv6 allocations or > assignments, or who have not yet deployed IPv6, the questions will be > fewer in number. > > The survey will close on 1 July 2010. > > Results of the IPv6 Deployment Monitoring Survey will be presented and > discussed at AfriNIC-13, the next AfriNIC Public Policy Meeting, > scheduled > to take place 20 – 26 November 2010. > > Please provide your name and contact information on the survey form > if you > wish to receive the draft survey analysis when available. Please also > indicate whether you are willing to share additional data with the > TNO and > GNKS Consult IPv6 Deployment Monitoring team. > > We appreciate your time and interest in completing this survey. If > you have > any questions concerning the survey, please send an email to > <info(a)gnksconsult.com>. > > Link: http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/IPv6deploymentmonitoring2010 > > Sincerely, > > ----------------- > Adiel A. Akplogan > Chief Executive Officer > AfriNIC, www.afrinic.net

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Postal Corporation Closing Outlets
by robert yawe 11 Jun '10

11 Jun '10

Hi, It is with shock that I read about the closing of some of the post offices around the country by Postal Corporation. This is an indication of a management that has no vision or ambition maybe as a result of using the corporation as a retirement centre. With us trying to achieve universal access, http://www.cck.go.ke/services/universal_access/downloads/FinalUAreport.pdf, shutting down post offices is a step in the wrong direction. It is unfortunate that we have heard no reaction to this issue from the ministry of information, CCK or even Kenya ICTBoard. It is time Postal corporation was run by someone who understands the transitioning of the role of the postal corporation in the digital age, to me they are the perfect platform for rolling out digital villages, outsorucing service and e-commerce. This will avoid the appointment of executives who are more interested in the supply of fuel, tyres and insurance as opposed to moving the organisations to new heights. Implementation of e-mail to mail systems would reduce the costs of transport incurred by PCK which makes up over 60% of their operational costs. Unfortunately most of those who have been appointed to the post of post master general have no appreciation of the role of the postal services in the development of the nation. Do not listen to the myopic stories about the death of the postal service because of e-mail, facebok and twitter as you and I know that a physical item can never be delivered electronically. I believe the appointment of the next post master general and by extension the chief executive of the Kenya ICTBoard and CCK need to include vetting and recommendations from the private sector with clearly defined performance indicators. 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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Where is the nearest Lithuanian Embassy/Consulate in Kenya?
by Grace Bomu 11 Jun '10

11 Jun '10

Dear all, Although the IGF in Lithuania is about three months away, does anyone know where the nearest Embassy\Consulate of Lithuania is, where a Kenyan can apply for a visa? Regards, -- Grace L.N. Mutung'u (Bomu) Kenya

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Malta goes open source
by ikua＠lpakenya.org 09 Jun '10

09 Jun '10

Listers, The Government of Malta has issued a new directive instructing all of its agencies to give preference to the use of open source software (OSS) throughout government. According to the directive, Malta will adopt free software using the definition set by the Free Software Foundation (FSF) and it says that, "Where it is not possible to make use of OSS in the implementation of solutions, appropriate evidence shall be made available." Here is the link: http://geek2live.blogspot.com/2010/06/malta-government-prefers-open-source.…

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carrier pre-selection
by Christoph Stork 08 Jun '10

08 Jun '10

Dear colleagues: Does any one know about any African country that has implemented carrier pre-selection or considers implementing it? South Africa is required to implement by law but has not done so. Thanks Christoph ____________________________________________ Dr. Christoph Stork Senior Researcher Research ICT Africa (RIA) The Studios, Unit 414, Old Castle Brewery 6 Beach Road, 7925, Woodstock, Cape Town, South Africa Phone: +27214476332 Fax: +27214479529 Mobile: +27849990002 Email: christoph.stork(a)gmail.com Web: http://www.researchictafrica.net

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Council Of Europe Wants In On ICANN Government Body
by alice 08 Jun '10

08 Jun '10

* 7 June 2010* http://www.ip-watch.org/weblog/2010/06/07/council-of-europe-wants-in-on-ica… Council Of Europe Wants In On ICANN Government Body The 47-member Council of Europe wants to become an observer in the governmental advisory body of the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) and is pondering on a possible role as secretariat provider for the ICANN’s Governmental Advisory Committee (GAC). ICANN is the technical oversight body for the internet domain name system. Following a declaration adopted by the CoE Council of Ministers on “enhanced participation of member states in internet governance matters” at the end of May, the CoE secretary general is now asked to “arrange that the CoE becomes an observer at ICANN’s GAC.” ICANN is seen by the CoE, who in recent years did address internet governance issues more and more, as playing “a key role in ensuring the operational stability, security and resilience of the internet.” According to the Council of Ministers, the GAC could help to ensure “that the management of internet resources by ICANN takes full account of international human rights law.” In addition, the secretary general of the CoE has also been asked “to explore, in consultation with the GAC, ICANN and other relevant stakeholders ways,” how the CoE could contribute to arranging the GAC secretariat, according to a CoE press release. For years, the GAC secretariat has rotated among various GAC member states. According to the declaration of the CoE Council of Ministers <https://wcd.coe.int/ViewDoc.jsp?id=1627399&Site=CM&BackColorInternet=C3C3C3…>, efforts are “currently underway to establish a competent, independent and more stable secretariat for GAC.” /By Monika Ermert for Intellectual Property Watch/

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