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Govt Operations To Go online
by Bill Kagai 24 May '07

24 May '07

24-May-2007: Transparency is finally beckoning for land and court registries – two of the most difficult institutions to do business with in Kenya – following the signing of a $135 million (Sh9 billion) World Bank loan to build an information super highway that will put all government operations online. http://bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1170&Itemid=4… -- -- With Kind Regards, Bildad Kagai MD - MediaCorp Limited Suite B2, Tetu Apartments StateHouse Avenue P. O. Box 20311-00200 Tel. 254 20 272 8332 URL. www.mediacorp.co.ke --

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Kenya wins UN award
by Alex Gakuru 24 May '07

24 May '07

[Hypothetically, supposing the government become more efficient than the private sector, what would happen?] Kenya wins UN award By Susan Anyangu Kenya has won the 2007 United Nations Public Service award for introducing performance contracts. The award is divided in three categories and Kenya scooped the top honours in the first category of "improving transparency, accountability and responsiveness in the public sector". Minister for Public Service, Mr Moses Akaranga, announced the award during a luncheon in Nairobi on Wednesday. Said he: "The performance contracting process was subjected to competition with other management systems from the rest of the world and we managed to win." Kenya came top of category one, beating Singapore, India, Austria, Chile, Azerbaijan and Australia. Four years ago the Government embarked on implementing broad Public Service reforms, which were geared at improving efficiency and transparency. The reforms focused on various aspects, including performance contracting in the Civil Service, computerisation and implementation of the Public Officer Ethics Act 2003. The Head of Public Service, Mr Francis Muthaura, said the success of performance contracts has been evident and the Government is still keen on its resolve to transform the public service. To this regard, the Government will soon extend the process to other public agencies and Government institutions that are not on performance contract. <http://www.eastandard.net/hm_news/news.php?articleid=1143968999> --------------------------------- You snooze, you lose. Get messages ASAP with AutoCheck in the all-new Yahoo! Mail Beta.

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Invitation to the Meeting of High-Level Experts on Competitive Platforms for the Delivery of Digital Content, to be held on 21-22 June 2007, at EBU Headquarters , Geneva, Switzerland]
by alice 23 May '07

23 May '07

------------------------------------------------------------------------ *De :* DigitalContent(a)itu.int [mailto:[email protected]] *Envoyé :* mercredi 23 mai 2007 10:25 *À :* DigitalContent(a)itu.int *Objet :* Invitation to the Meeting of High-Level Experts on Competitive Platforms for the Delivery of Digital Content, to be held on 21-22 June 2007, at EBU Headquarters , Geneva, Switzerland Dear Madam/Sir, Under the aegis of the Shaping Tomorrow’s Networks Initiative <http://www.itu.int/stn>, we are pleased to invite you to a Meeting of High-Level Experts entitled “*Competitive Platforms for the Delivery of Digital Content <http://www.itu.int/digitalcontent>*”, to be held in Geneva (Switzerland) on 21-22 June 2007. The digital landscape has been transformed over the past decade. New communication technologies, modern media, the Internet and devices with new functionalities are expected to meet consumers’ demand for seamless, converged and user-friendly digital tools providing access to a broad range of services and content. In order to respond to the challenges of convergence, media players and standardization bodies need to understand better trends in the creation and delivery of content. Soon, there will be a wide range of alternatives for delivering content, which are rapidly converging and it is not yet clear which systems and services will succeed. In line with the stated objectives of the WSIS Geneva Declaration of Principles (December 2003), which affirms /“…the common desire and commitment to build a people-centred, inclusive and development-oriented Information Society, where everyone can create, access, utilize and share information and knowledge, enabling individuals, communities and peoples to achieve their full potential in promoting their sustainable development and improving their quality of life…”/ the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) will jointly organize a Meeting of High-Level Experts to identify global trends and to address the new technological and policy challenges in the digital content delivery environment. Thematic papers will be commissioned in advance of the meeting, as the basis for discussion. Written contributions are welcome and may be sent to digitalcontent(a)itu.int <mailto:[email protected]> The draft agenda, the meeting concept document as well as regularly updated information concerning the meeting may be found on the ITU website at http://www.itu.int/digitalcontent. You are invited to register at http://www.itu.int/osg/spu/stn/digitalcontent/registration_form.html or by fax (No. +41 22 7474 736). The registration form is enclosed (one form to be completed for each participant) and should be sent as soon as possible but not later than 15 June 2007. We hope you are able to accept our invitation to participate in this meeting and can join us in June. If you have any questions or require further information, please do not hesitate to contact Ms Cristina Bueti (ITU) or Ms Lina Vanberghem (EBU) at digitalcontent(a)itu.int <mailto:[email protected]> We look forward to welcoming you at this important event. Yours faithfully, /(signed)/ /(signed)/ Hamadoun I. Touré Secretary-General Jean Réveillon Secretary-General

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Consequences of Media Regulation??
by Bill Kagai 22 May '07

22 May '07

Bwana PS, Taking que from your latest post, allow me to express myself in 4 quick/short bullets regarding my personal concern on Media Regulation. 1. I run a company <www.mediacorp.co.ke> whose business is modelled in doing research on capital markets including the NSE and selling our findings to subscribed clients. The proposed regulation that researchers and analysts including their families not to trade in shares is of great concern. 2. Regulating local companies will give international competition undue advantage. e.g. Will the same rule apply to researchers and analysts employed by Reuters, Bloomberg, CNBC who run similar services and are busy setting up shops in Kenya?? 3. If our main mode of dispatch is via internet, will regulation still be enforced because our website is locally registered?? If we change to a <.com>, and register the company outside the country, will we enjoy immunity enjoyed by foreign competition?? 4. Is media sent via internet also within the regulation ambit?? Will this apply only to <.co.ke> or will Kenyans prefer to use <.com> to 'avoid' regulation. Sir, before the proposed regulation, our concern was getting accurate research to many Kenyans who have invested in stocks especially those in the diaspora who do not have access to newspapers and local news. Many were requesting more infomation on how the law protects their investments if say.. a brokerage closes down...but it seems our efforts will be nipped right in the bud by the proposed regulation. Sir, Please guide me if my fears are unfounded...Source of my concern is from the story posted on Business Daily here <http://bdafrica.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=1070&Itemid=3…> -- With Kind Regards, Bildad Kagai MD - MediaCorp Limited Suite B2, Tetu Apartments StateHouse Avenue P. O. Box 20311-00200 Tel. 254 20 272 8332 URL. www.mediacorp.co.ke --

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How the ODM presidential hopefuls 'answered' quiz
by Alex Gakuru 22 May '07

22 May '07

[Daily Nation] Story by MACHARIA GAITHO Publication Date: 2007/05/22 <snip> THOSE RUNNING, OR pretending to run, on an ODM-Kenya presidential ticket are having to return application forms with answers to a very interesting quiz. I suspect the quiz was designed by an enemy of the party. For if the aspirants were to be rated on how they have answered the questions, then the whole lot and caboodle of them will be disqualified. The questionnaire has a lot of trick questions, designed to catch all the applicants off-guard. Some of them have expressed fear that the questionnaire is designed to favour one candidate. They have also wondered whether being allowed to vie for the nomination will hinge on how satisfactorily they have responded to the queries. And, as is well known, they are concerned about how the questionnaire will be assessed and by whom, all linked again, to the fears, that the party secretariat and the so-called Council of Elders are organs serving one candidate who has virtually declared victory. One item that really irks them is where they are supposed to outline the role they played in the fight for the second liberation. But what they are not seeing is that the questionnaire is not just about the second liberation, but also about germane issues such as commitment to democracy and human rights. I repeat, below, some of the questions in the quiz and how I imagine they have been answered: Provide evidence of your performance promoting democracy, human rights, people's rights and the Second Liberation. RAILA ODINGA: I was in at the very beginning when my rivals were still learning to walk. The 1982 military coup attempt speaks for itself. KALONZO MUSYOKA: I faithfully served the Moi regime in resisting attempts to subvert democracy . UHURU KENYATTA: I learnt to respect democracy under the feet of the Father of the Nation, and his successor. WILLIAM RUTO: I was still in school when all these things were happening. And when I came of age, I democratised Kanu from within. MUSALIA MUDAVADI: I faithfully served the Moi regime in resisting attempts to subvert democracy. Have you ever been convicted in a court of law on a criminal offence? RAILA: No. My 1983 treason case was withdrawn. But I hold the record for the longest stints in detention without trial. KALONZO: No. But that little matter of the 1991 High Court finding that a land case my law firm was involved in amounted to fraud was dredged out of old files by Mr Odinga's dirty tricks campaign squad. UHURU: No. And all the land my family holds was legitimately acquired. We have been accused, but never convicted, of land-grabbing. RUTO: No. The court case I am presently facing is politically motivated. So are all those unfounded allegations in the Ndung'u report. MUSALIA: No. I was Finance minister during part of the Goldenberg scandal, but I was not personally culpable. I have been cleared by the courts. Have you ever been declared bankrupt? RAILA: Me? the owner of a Sh40 million Hummer and the Kisumu Molasses plant? KALONZO: No. I served in the Moi Cabinet from the mid-1980s. UHURU: Bankrupt? The son of Jomo? RUTO: No. I was in YK '92. MUSALIA: No. I was Moi's Finance minister. Would you describe yourself as a corruption free leader committed to achieving a corruption free Kenya? RAILA : Pass KALONZO : Pass UHURU: Pass RUTO: Pass MUSALIA : Pass <snip> http://www.nationmedia.com/dailynation/nmgcontententry.asp?category_id=25&n…

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Re: [kictanet] Media Bill
by bitange＠jambo.co.ke 21 May '07

21 May '07

Dear All, I feel compelled to respond to Kanja's surprising response to the Media Bill. Media especially MOA has decided to distort information with blatant disregard of a journalist's cardinal rule (objectivity) to poison the People of Kenya with lies and propaganda; Here are the Facts . The Bill was drafted by stakeholders among then Kanja himself; The content especially on the code of conduct for journalist were transposed from the current code of conduct with the Media Council; All stakeholders were kept informed throughout the stages of the Bill and Kanja as the former Chair of MOA received letters informing him of the progress; The Bill does not seek to control, it simply gives some teeth to the Media council to regulate professional journalists; Regulation is not control (think, we all are free to drive but we must drive on the left hand side); Without regulation you have quacks as journalists who may plunge the country into chaos (just listen to Venacular FM stations to understand why we need professionalism in Journalism and remember what happened with Hope FM); The controversy in the Bill arises from funding. MOA and KUJ did not want to fund the Advisory Board and the Media Council instead they asked the Government to finance; and Government funding comes with certain strings as you all understand and even if you were to fund you will expect the recipient to adhere to certain rules (we have gone through this with the World Bank even though we did not like it). Bitange Ndemo ---------------------------------------------- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by Jambo MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. --------------------------------------------- "easy access to the world"

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Holding our Leaders Accountable
by Lucy Kimani 21 May '07

21 May '07

All, I am just venting on the dismal performance of our aspiring presidential candidates, I have noticed a trend where those in leadershipship positions let alone those aspiring for the same confirm their attendance to a certain function and then not show up or best case scenario show up 2-3 hours late. I keep asking myself why do we as Kenyans accept this behavior, and I am at a loss! Actually, my pesa nane is that we as the citizens need to start demanding accountability in that when one says they will attend a function then they should keep to their word, after all why are electing people whose word doesnt count for much? Additionally, most of us also have busy work lives and the fact that we were willing to stop what we were doing to sit down to hear what these aspiring candidates have to say about ICT is a testament to how important we feel ICT to be to the country. I am one for making strong statements, and a one page ad expressing our displeasure and questioning why the candidates are scared of facing a serious group of citizens wanting to know where each of them stands in ICT would be in order! I am sure if it was one of those meetings where fans are shouting at the top of their voices, and no one is asking any serious questions they probably would show up, we need to start demanding more from our politicians! Just my thoughts! LK ----------------------------------------- This email was sent using Communicatons Solutions LTD WebMail. " " http://www.accesskenya.com/

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NEW RULES FOR TELECOM OPERATORS EXPECTED IN KENYA
by alice 20 May '07

20 May '07

NEW RULES FOR TELECOM OPERATORS EXPECTED IN KENYA The Kenyan Government is preparing new licensing regime for operators of telecommunication services. Information and Communications minister, Mutahi Kagwe further revealed that the process of searching for the Second National Operator (SNO) and third mobile operator would begin again soon. He said the changes would be as a result of the planned review of the sector's 1997 policy statement. It was this document that introduced the threshold for equity participation by local investors in the telecommunications companies. Under the rule, any foreign firm entering the telecom market must offer 30 per cent sharehoding to locals."We are formulating new regulations for licensing national telecommunication operators and will gazette the new rules soon," he said. The minister was speaking after the launch of Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) Information Centre - Geographic Information System (GIS) and Quality of Service Monitoring System - in Nairobi on Tuesday. The facilities are expected to enhance CCK's capacity to serve communications industry and improve service delivery to subscribers of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) services. Kagwe, however, ruled out abolishing the requirement that foreign companies investing in the telecommunication sector allocate 30 per cent shareholding to locals. He said the Government is keen to uphold the 30 per cent rule to ensure Kenyans have a share of the institutions. He said the Government would adopt measures to relax the requirement to quicken the process of appointing a Second National Operator (SNO). Kagwe warned telecommunication service providers to brace stiff competition as more players join the market and challenged them to deal with existing inadequacies and align themselves to the demand patterns in the market. "I believe that efficiency and reliability in the delivery of telecommunications services requires consistent pro-active response to customers' needs. This is the foundation of consumer satisfaction and ultimately the driver of service quality," he said. The review is seen as the Government's response to the perennial disputes between local and foreign investors that have frustrated the conclusion of major telecoms projects. CCK chairman, Joseph Njagi, said the new quality service monitoring system would enable CCK verify the quality of services offered by cellular mobile operators. "It will now become easier for CCK to determine the service and network availability in various parts of the country, their accessibility and whether the call completion rate is up to the expected standards." (SOURCE: The East African Standard)

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IGP proposal to decentralize authority over the, Internet domain name system (DNS)
by alice 20 May '07

20 May '07

IGP has published a proposal to decentralize authority over the Internet domain name system (DNS) as it transitions to a new, more secure technology known as DNS Security Extensions (DNSSEC).View the paper here <http://internetgovernance.org/pdf/SecuringTheRoot.pdf> At a symposium in Washington DC last Thursday (May 17), the Internet Governance Project (IGP) unveiled a plan to decentralize control over the process of digitally signing the root zone file using public key encryption. The need for the plan was made clear recently when news of a U.S. Department of Homeland Security report on DNSSEC implementation triggered international controversy by raising fears that the US government planned to control the "master keys" to the Internet. The IGP proposal would distribute control over the process of signing the root zone file to multiple organizations, all of them nongovernmental in nature, defusing fears that U.S. national security agencies will control the Internet's DNS root zone keys. The proposal increases the resilience of the system, eliminates the threat of political interference in Internet administration, and diffuses liability among the entities involved. The international meeting in Washington, "Internet Governance and Security: Exploring Global and National Solutions," was jointly hosted by Syracuse University's School of Information Studies, the George Mason University Law School's Critical Infrastructure Protection Program, and the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology at Lausanne's Executive Master's Program in e-Governance. The event brought together legal and policy experts in Internet governance, representatives of the IETF, ICANN, DHS, the U.S. Commerce Department, the Internet Systems Consortium, and students from the e-Governance program.

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Tue, 24 Oct 1995 12:16:28 -0400
by Matunga 19 May '07

19 May '07

These are some fo the email volleys that would be worth alot on e-bay today. I now can understand the motivation around KCA award to Ochuodho. I am sure Shem can share the very first packets from Kenyan soil. Rev From: Shem Ochuodho <shem(a)ARCC.OR.KE<mailto:[email protected]>> To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <DEVEL-L(a)AMERICAN.EDU<mailto:[email protected]>> Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 21:52:18 -0500 Subject: Re: KENYA finally on FULL Internet Just to inform that after several years of "agony", Kenya has finally joined Cyberspace with a full Internet access through a dedicated leased line to Oregon from the African Regional Centre for Computing (ARCC, Nairobi). This has been possible through the kind support of the Overseas Development Agency (ODA -UK). The National Science Foundation (NSF US) supported Randy's trip for the engineering. Special thanks to: John Sutherland, Peter Hoare (ODA), Steve Goldstein (NSF), Lenore Blum (ICSI Berkeley), and Randy Bush (NSRC). Shem, ARCC, Nairobi -------------------------------------------------------------------------- - Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 12:16:28 -0400 From: Steve Goldstein <sgoldste(a)NSF.GOV<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: KENYA finally on FULL Internet X-To: Shem Ochuodho < shem(a)arcc.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>> X-cc: africana-l(a)warthog.cc.wm.edu<mailto:[email protected]>, wg94-l(a)uku.fi<mailto:[email protected]>, afrik-it(a)ir.ucd.ie<mailto:[email protected]> , randy(a)psg.com<mailto:[email protected]>, sgoldstein(a)nsf.gov<mailto:[email protected]>, lblum(a)icsi.berkeley.edu<mailto:[email protected]>, sghuter(a)nsrc.org <mailto:[email protected]> To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <DEVEL-L(a)AMERICAN.EDU<mailto:[email protected]>> At 2:52 AM 1/4/80, Shem Ochuodho wrote: >Just to inform that after several years of "agony", Kenya has finally joined >Cyberspace with a full Internet access through a dedicated leased line to >Oregon from the African Regional Centre for Computing (ARCC, Nairobi). Congratulations, and WELCOME, Shem! This was a surprise to us all, but a very pleasant one. We had expected that Randy would be visiting Kenya to help set up a UUCP-net. --Steve ___________________________________ Steve Goldstein, National Science Foundation +1(703)306-1949 Ext. 1119 "Let's not procrastinate until tomorrow!" -------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------ Date: Tue, 24 Oct 1995 09:47:00 PDT From: Randy Bush <randy(a)PSG.COM<mailto:[email protected]>> Subject: Re: KENYA finally on FULL Internet X-To: Steve Goldstein < sgoldste(a)nsf.gov<mailto:[email protected]>> X-cc: Shem Ochuodho <shem(a)arcc.or.ke<mailto:[email protected]>>, africana-l(a)warthog.cc.wm.edu<mailto:[email protected]>, wg94-l(a)uku.fi<mailto:[email protected]>, afrik-it(a)ir.ucd.ie<mailto:[email protected]>, lblum(a)icsi.berkeley.edu<mailto:[email protected]>, sghuter(a)nsrc.org<mailto:[email protected]> To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L < DEVEL-L(a)AMERICAN.EDU<mailto:[email protected]>> > We had expected that Randy would be visiting Kenya to help set up a > UUCP-net. Damn! Blew it again. The whole month has been like that. Well, we still have a day and a half to fix it. But I had hoped to get a bit of sleep. Ah well. Thanks for catching the bug. BTW, thanks for saying 'help'. The folk here are a sharp, pretty organized, and hard working lot, and had layed years of groundwork. While a few days of a UNIX and router geek can help accellerate the process, IMIHO parachute jobs and heros don't stick. There are a lot of wasted silver bullets in these countries. And, BTW, while am doing these jobs, I have amazing support from folk on the net who bail me out of panics by making fixes ftpable, advising on what are to me (a BSDoid) strange flavors of almost-UNIX and <shudder> DOS, even sending the occasional bits of hardware in diplomatic pouches. We stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before. randy

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