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Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pacifying Angry Bashir
by Cleophas Barmasai 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

Jane, I concur on a number of issues you raise. It almost feels like those bashing a number of other African leaders are dancing to some Western tune. Why should Kenya media be the ones at the at the forefront of this? We know fighting our own neighbours will affect us directly. Cleophas On 12/6/11, Info <info(a)amwik.org> wrote: > My two cent contribution to this discussion is that one, we should be open > minded and receive divergent issues without resulting to making demeaning > statements about the contributors. Everybody is entitled to their points of > view as articulated in our constitution. No body’s arguments is the winning > one and this forum is supposed to be a “market of ideas” which we can all > contribute to with decorum. > > > > The other thing and this is my perspective is that Africa must start to > define what democracy is all about without looking to the west because as > Winston Churchill observed, democracy was seen as a good option just because > other forms of leadership had been tested and weaknesses emerged while the > concept of democracy was largely new and untested during his times > (historians can correct me on this). I have a very strong reservation to > what the west want to prescribe to all and sundry with little respect that > other contexts and structures had been in existence and working. Just > because they may have had inherent weakness do not however subjugate them. > In fact, the reasons why our leaders are in problems is because they have > tried to ape western leadership principles without a thorough understanding > of them and their contexts, and of course there is the pressure to conform. > My take is that unless we change our strategies, we will continue to fail > miserably. > > > > When western powers invade other countries that is viewed as acceptable yet > when African states try to assist their fellow “continent” mates like what > Kenya and the other African troops is doing in Somali, it is demonized. I > strongly believe that circumstances presented Kenya with an opportunity to > assist the Somali govt and not purely because our tourists were attacked. > Whether the operation will be successful or not, only time will time but at > least what’s critical is that efforts have been made whether belatedly or > otherwise. > > > > What also troubles me is the way the West will push in their cronies to > power in Africa just to ensure that their strategic interests are taken care > off with no respect of what the citizens really want. Yet we applause for > being democratic! For those have lived abroad, truth be told that there is > just a pretext of respect for human rights especially for minorities and > other marginalized communities. Even the citizenry struggle to make ends > meet as life is so expensive. > > > > Coming to the media, a lot is expected and the media should be balanced in > presenting the different narratives, being critical of what’s happening > locally but also what is happening abroad. Its unfortunate that the western > media see nothing good from Africa and when I look at our local media, it > appears to most of the time be giving credence to that. Of course our > training is western oriented but am challenging ourselves to stretch > ourselves a little more and be contextual and relevant in our approach. > > > > As a I have mentioned earlier, let’s keep this discussion healthy and lively > and maybe from some of the ideas shared here, it could actually > inform/influence our thinking and work positively. > > > > Jane > > > > From: kictanet-bounces+info=amwik.org(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > [mailto:kictanet-bounces+info=amwik.org@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of > David Makali > Sent: Tuesday, December 06, 2011 3:11 PM > To: info(a)amwik.org > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry > Bashir > > > > why is it presumed that when africans think alike with the westerners, or > publish views similar to western media, then we are aping them or we have > read and been influenced by them? isn't that self demeaning? and how did > you, ndemo, know of the Banyamulenge atrocities you allude to except > through the same media which you shamefully quote as gospel truth? And isn't > Jean Pierre Mbemba charged at the ICC for the atrocities in eastern Congo? > > > > Even more, the conclusions you extrapolate from the Financial Times on why > Tshisekedi has no foreign backing is a reversal of the writer's argument: > the fact that western powers want to back leaders who can first turn around > their countries to be peaceful and economically prosperous, but also > manipulable to enable them exploit their potential. But to say they do not > back Tshisekedi merely because he is his own man, even though it is apparent > he is not that popular, is a little overstretched. > > > > my arguments against appeasing Sudan are basic but founded on very clear > facts. What you are advocating in your winded argument is that the rule of > law should be suspended to mollify a dictator in the interest of trade. > Well, a lot can be said about that, and history is rich with examples of > people who sit pretty and enjoy the oppression of others as long as it > benefits them or does not affect their comfort. > > > > by the same twisted logic, we should not be in somalia? why? we followed the > cue of the international community and stood by as the the country > degenerated into a banana republic. now we have rushed in because some > tourists were kidnapped. the dividends of this adventure will become > apparent in March when a supplementary budget is tabled in the House but was > it worth going into Somalia if we are spending over Sh200m a week to keep > 3000 troops there? I would love to have you pronounce your opinion on that. > > > > the fundamental issue at hand with Sudan should not be lost with futile > rationalisation. a court was confronted with a case seeking the arrest of > Bashir if he ever sets foot in Kenya. the facts of the law were laid before > him. what was he expected to do? according to the wise men in govt, ndemo > included, he should have ruled otherwise or somehow found a reason to avoid > the verdict he made. so why are we wasting time talking about an independent > judiciary? yuck! > > > > if that is what machuhi calls "partisan" and "populist emotions" of > journalists then he is welcome to propagate his views. but i doubt they will > be more than the usual conformist and self preservation arguments - "bend > and let it pass" - that never changed the world. > > > > repeat: am totally ashamed at the humiliation we as a country are being > subjected to by sudan's ultimatums. > > david > > > > _______________ > > "If my doctor told me I had only six minutes to live, > I wouldn't brood. I'd type a little faster." > — Isaac Asimo, Columbian Author and Scientist > _______________ > > > > PO Box 3234 > 00200 Nairobi, Kenya > cell: +254 722 517 540 > > _____ > > From: samuel ochanji <sochanji(a)yahoo.com> > To: dmakali(a)yahoo.com > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 11:21 AM > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry > Bashir > > Daktari, I completely agree with you on this. Our media does not set the > agenda on global events/issues and give a Kenyan or an African perspective > on these issues. Instead it simply regurgitates whatever the global media > provides us with.Anything from CNN or New York Times is the default position > of the Kenyan media. > > > > _____ > > From: "bitange(a)jambo.co.ke" <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > To: sochanji(a)yahoo.com > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 6:48 AM > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry > Bashir > > Grace, > Our media too needs to set the agenda right. Much of what David wrote was > heavily influenced from what he read in foreign media. Earlier I made a > comparison between what happened in Daffur and in Congo. In 2003 some 5 > million people died in the Congo. You may recall the Banyamulenge > atrocities inside Congo but in spite the fact that there were indictable > people by ICC, the issue was brushed under the carpet. > > Congo is a mineral rich country with a government that hadly know what is > going on in their country. Some people want it that way. Below see a quote > from the Financial Times and see why I made that conclusion. > > "Given the muted response to the evolving fiasco in Congo, there is > much less international appetite for outrage, or even for an accurate > count. Western countries are less enchanted with Mr Kabila than they > were in 2006, when he won a UN-supervised election, promising to bring > peace and economic recovery. He has done neither. > > But unlike Mr Ouattara in Ivory Coast, Mr Tshisekedi does not enjoy > significant backing from anyone outside the Congo. > > He is his own man. That is one reason a large number of Congolese > persist in believing that he might turn things round. At 78, he is > representative of a generation of opposition leaders who dedicated > decades to the fight against dictatorship. Most, including Mr Gbagbo > have proved disastrous in government." > > > You cannot be your own man in Africa if you need the support of Western > countries. This is a worrying statement and confirms that our media has > largely failed in setting the African agenda and begin to influence the rest > of the world. > > Virtually all mineral rich African countries are at war from the west to > central and eastern Africa. Is is a coincident? > > > Ndemo. > > > > Sent from my BlackBerry® > > -----Original Message----- > From: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com> > Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.keDate: Mon, > 5 Dec 2011 17:30:12 > To: <bitange(a)jambo.co.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac > ifying Angry Bashir > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/sochanji%40yahoo.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/dmakali%40yahoo.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > > -- Sent from my mobile device Sincerely, Cleophas Barmasai "For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age..." (Titus 2:11,12, NKJV)

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Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pacifying Angry Bashir
by Grace Githaiga 09 Dec '11

09 Dec '11

Hey Listers This article may have nothing to do with ICTs but it dovetails into all concerns raised on the list today namely the need for: A value system Change of attitude, Divine intervention. Ndio hakuna maji, wala stima, wala gas, wala daktari. Pia swala la Bashir should concern us. Rgds Grace http://www.the-star.co.ke/opinions/david-makali/52460-why-it-is-wrong-to-pa… Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pacifying Angry Bashir Monday, 05 December 2011 00:06 BY DAVID MAKALI Sudanese President and genocide suspect Gen Omar al Bashir has scored a major diplomatic coup over Kenya. His threats of retaliation against the High Court’s arrest order that made Kenya’s executive arm squirm and whimper may go down as Kenya’s biggest diplomatic fiasco. Gen Bashir has been walking around with an arrest warrant on his head for the past five years. He has defied international law and tried to rope the continent’s fading club of dictators to his rebellion against the international criminal justice system. The hapless African Union has been browbeaten into accusing the ICC of being a racist, partisan and quasi-judicial process targeting the continent for humiliation. But those arguments fall flat for lack of alternatives and because their proponents are not credible. Its most vocal advocates have such appalling human rights records at home that nobody will listen to them. To avoid the prospect of the sad ending that his peers in the north have met, Gen Bashir has promptly promised not to seek re-election when his term expires in three years. But with every passing day and peers being routed by popular revolutions, his continued stewardship of the Sudan is even more shaky and untenable. Thanks to regional geopolitical considerations, the world continues to soft-pedal on Gen Bashir. But soon as the fragile Comprehensive Peace Agreement with the newly independent South Sudan is sewn up, he will have little room to rant and terrify pacifist neighbours like Kenya. Mr Bashir needs to ask Mr Laurent Gbagbo, now at The Hague, what happened to him. That Kenya’s ministers of Defence and Foreign Affairs could fly to Khartoum to appease the Sudanese President was a bizarre display of our impotence as a sovereign state. Who between Kenya and Sudan stood to lose the most from a fall-out? Is Kenya the underdog or why is the Kenya government so beholden to Bashir when in fact the world is on Kenya’s side? Bashir could as well go ahead and bar all aircraft from Kenya from landing in Khartoum, expel the Kenyan members of the UN peacekeeping mission in Sudan and all Kenyans studying or working in Sudan. He can withdraw all Sudanese investments and sever all trade ties. Costly as these actions may be, Kenya’s rush to pacify Bashir was astonishing. It had the option of sitting back to let Bashir further isolate himself and provide the impetus required to further push him to account for the dead and suffering thousands of Sudanese. Instead Kenya squandered an opportunity to provide exemplary African leadership in the quest for global justice by recapitulating and thinking small. The government has no business appealing the decision of the court on behalf of Bashir. Kenyan taxpayers money should not be expended to advance injustice or to frustrate the rule of law. President Kibaki and all his ministers are bound by the national values and principles of governance enunciated in Section 10 of our constitution, to wit, all their actions must advance the rule of law and democracy. Kenya need not fret and cower from Bashir’s tantrums because it is not the first time such a diplomatic row has occurred between countries. In February 2009, Uganda’s Red Pepper published a series of articles claiming that President Muammar Gaddafi had exhibited an unusual fondness of Best Kamigisha, then 42-year-old widowed queen of Toro, one of Uganda’s five traditional kingdoms. The paper alleged that the two were romantically involved and the pretty queen had been holidaying in Tripoli, and accompanying Gaddafi on foreign trips as he paid reciprocal visit to Uganda. The tabloid persisted in its love allegations but the government initially left it to the Libyan authorities to act and the ambassador in Kampala sued the rabid tabloid for defamation, demanding $1 billion (Sh89.8 billion) in damages. The government however jumped into the fray after Gaddafi complained to Museveni. The prosecutor moved to charge the editors with criminal defamation of a foreign dignitary with intent to disturb peace and friendship between Uganda and Libya. That intervention was unnecessary in a purely civil matter but Kenya’s actions show it would be inclined to borrow a leaf from Kampala. In another similar incident, a French court indicted nine (military) aides of President Paul Kagame for the 1994 Genocide in November 2006. Kagame characteristically leaped at the French government, cutting off diplomatic ties and recalling his envoy but a deal was soon struck that restored full diplomatic ties with President Sarkozy visiting Rwanda and Kagame reciprocating the gesture last year. That did not deter German Interpol from arresting one of the indicted aides, Rose Kabuye, then Rwanda’s protocol chief against whom warrants had been issued for actions that allegedly triggered the genocide. German police handed her to the French court for trial but she was released after France dropped the charges and undertook to initiate fresh investigations. These incidents only demonstrate that in a democracy, institutions such as courts and the media must be left to perform their function. They must not be interpreted to represent the executive, nor should they mirror the thinking of the political leadership of the day. But that logic is alien to tyrants who believe courts are an extension of the political state and must convey the will of the government of the day. That’s is the case in Sudan where judges, like Kenya of yore, must always second-guess the executive. In that context, one can see the foundation of Bashir’s baseless fury. Baseless because it betrays his lack of understanding of more functional democratic societies like ours. The Kenya constitution clearly stipulates that “the general rules of international law shall form part of the law of Kenya” and further, that “any treaty or convention ratified by Kenya (such as the Rome Statute) shall form part of the law of Kenya law (2)”. The same Constitution also mandates every citizen to defend it (sect 3) and grants any Kenyan, singly or organized as a group, company, civil society or community based organization, the right to institute measures to enforce the constitution in the public interest (Chapter 17). Seeing how the constitution and international law which we have domesticated was being violated, law-abiding citizens organized as the International Commission of Jurists took the initiative of ensuring justice is done for the citizens of Sudan by seeking the arrest of one Omar al Bashir, who happens to be the President of the great African republic of Sudan. High Court Judge Nicholas Ombija obliged. As long as the Court’s order, which according to Wetangula is incapable of obedience, stands, any good intentioned Kenyan can carry out a citizen arrest of Mr Bashir. The government’s paranoid response also raises fundamental questions about our foreign policy. Ideally, diplomatic relations are forged between countries represented by leaders who come and go as Bashir surely will. It is assumed that such leaders are popular (elected) which is not always the case. And as the Libyan example has recently shown, it is the people who are sovereign: the fatal rout of Gaddafi has not deterred Kenya and other African countries from relating with the Libyan people. Bashir’s tyrannical posture only lends credence to the obvious need to democratize the Sudan. Kenya’s rightful policy should be support to the people of Sudan, not necessarily its contested leadership, which Mr Wetangula and the Kenya government have elected to suck up to. It is not the business of the Kenya government to protect suspects wanted for genocide and crimes against humanity. Government officials who took an oath to protect the constitution cannot abdicate that responsibility without inviting sanctions from Kenyans. If the Attorney General and the Minister for Internal Security cannot execute the court order when Gen Bashir ever steps on Kenyan soil, they will be liable for contempt of court proceedings and other measures to remove them from office. It is unfortunate that the government should be speaking out of turn with our new Supreme Law and the reality of the new Kenya. It should tone down its panicky diplomatic rhetoric and refer the matter to the Attorney General to pen a polite notes verbates to el Bashir regretting that there is nothing that can be done about the court order and advice him to turn up at The Hague to clear his name or avoid visiting us. The new Kenyan Constitution is no respecter of persons, even foreign presidents. And that should be our rightful foreign policy — to promote human rights and rule of law globally. Bashir’s warrant of arrest is a standing testimony of the international community’s determination to ensure the rule of law and justice for all. Bashir seized power in a military coup and progressively morphed into a civilian President but he is still a runaway despot. Claims of brutal suppression of the fundamental freedoms of Darfurians and other western Sudanese require due legal process. That is not to say he should be convicted without trial or hanged unfairly. But he must accede to one simple request — appear before the ICC and confront those charges. His streak of defiance and hostility is the stuff of a man scared of justice. Kenya should not acquiesce to his threats and intimidation or bend its laws to shield him from justice. Until the warrants are lifted, Kenya is obligated to arrest and hand him over to the ICC. It cannot hide behind the resolution of the African Union not to cooperate with the ICC because that does not supercede our constitution. Nor should considerations such as the delicate Sudan peace process and our own appointment with the ICC interfere with the rule of law. The government’s cowardly actions are demeaning of our statehood and injurious to our pride as an aspiring democracy and champion of rule of law on the continent. I am very ashamed of my government. Makali is a journalist media consultant. --

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eGovernment Coordination in Counties.
by Muchiri Nyaggah 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

Listers. With the country set to move into a county government model, I'm wondering whether there's a framework in place (or in development) to ensure that the use of ICT in those governments is harmonized and that e-Government remains coordinated. My concerns are mostly about: 1. The level of autonomy county governments will have in regard to choice of platforms for e-Government. For instance, will they be allowed to choose their own health information system to manage healthcare delivery or disparate systems for the collection and management of local taxes? 2. The likelihood that different county governments may adopt varying standards for data formats, operating systems etc making inter-operability at the Government-to-Government (G2G) level difficult. 3. How the transition will affect human resource capacity to support existing systems such as those electronic medical records systems running in some hospitals and whether there's a way of mitigating the risk of systems with no local (county) support. Kind regards, *Muchiri* Nyaggah Principal Partner @muchiri +254 722 506400 Semacraft.com

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ONLINE PERSONAL BRANDING THIS FESTIVE SEASON
by David Wambua 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

PERSONAL BRANDING ONLINE   Brand yourself with a .me.ke domain name this festive season Dear Listers, Did you know that the use of .me.ke domain name can provide a unique identity for you on the Internet space, hence giving you personal branding advantage and by extension a competitive edge in the market compared to generic names ? Are you also aware that the use of .me.ke domain name has the effect of improving your personal image and creates greater opportunities for business, provides distinct and fast access on the Internet due to the .KE identity , uniqueness and above all protecting your name space on the internet When people go to search for you, what comes up? If you don't have a .me.ke domain name or haven’t built a website for yourself, then other people will control your brand. You need to create a website under your full name (e.g paul(a)kamau.me.ke) so that you know what people will find when they search for you and you will be proud of it. You would be surprised by how many people will search for your name as a way to learn more about your business or vocation. This is therefore an opportunity to give people multiple ways to learn about you. Your personal website should promote and link back to your business website and should have links to your social network profiles, a professional headshot, press links, articles you’ve written, a bio and depict you as an expert in your field. This way, your online presence will have all the assets your customers or peers need.   Key Benefits DISTINCT: You will get a domain name that is distinct UNIQUE: You will get a customized email address PERSONAL website  This offer runs from 9th December to 31st December 2011 all at a discounted price of Kshs. 999/-.VAT Incl. Please contact our Marketing and Communications Manager Mr. Dick Waswa for more information on how to brand yourself this festive season on admin(a)kenic.or.ke. Regards, ............................. David I. Wambua [W] www.kenic.or.ke 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)

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A chip off the old block!
by robert yawe 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

I would like to be clear that I have no malice or ill intentions towards Safaricom, just that they set very high standards initially and therefore changed the expectations of their clients. All that I am is a creation of Safaricom and when my existence is threatened I have no option other than to scream, yell and kick. With the move of my last remaining domains to Safaricom I have all my eggs in one basket which makes me very edgy when someone threatens to drop the basket. A month ago I gave up on Telkom/Orange/Jambo in as far as their domain and mail hosting services are concerned and decided to move over to Safaricom. The migration was a nightmare, in this case the source of the problem was Safaricom and not the other fellows as would usually be the case. I finally had the migration done after 2 or so weeks and escalating e-mails short of my namesake. A month ago I got a notification for renewal of my domain from KENIC and I proceeded to request Safaricom to send me the procedure, I finally received that today after my domain has been suspended for 1 an entire week. The interesting part being that the person who responded was actually referring to an email I sent 2 months ago concerning the transfer of the domain. The most interesting issue that has go me raving is the following message (classic Telkom/Orange)' ______________ Dear Robert, Please make Transfer payment equivalent to the domain renewal fee in addition to the renewal fee Kindly send us a scanned copy of the receipt for this to be effected. Payment is made at A Safaricom Retail outlet against the respective item codes below, There are various types of domains as below with different costs as indicated. _______________ Please see highlighted text, for a company that has been feted as a leading implementer of technology this message speaks volumes. Such instructions are standard with Telkom/Orange and also KPLC (pay then report upstairs to notify reconnection department) but I did not think I would actually see day that Safaricom would get to that level and only hope into will not permeate to the voice service This is a sign of disintegration at a time when integration is called for, Safaricom has a major task ahead as it tries to breakdown the silos that are developing before they become fully entrenched and become a culture. Many times we blame individuals for situations when the main problem is with the systems in force. Is this a case of one step forward, two steps back? "You are better having me on the inside pissing out than on the outside pissing inwards" - Anonymous Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Safaricom & Product Control
by robert yawe 08 Dec '11

08 Dec '11

Want to know where I will be during the Jamhuri Day celebrations? http://quadrantshift.co.ke/wp-content/uploads/2011/12/mast-climber.jpg This is not for the fun or thrill of being 100 feet off the ground on a swaying pool but to buy data bundles for monitoring devices mounted at the top various masts. Around the same time last year, or was it the year before, I raised an issue on this list about how Safaricom keeps launching and killing features without notification to those using the service, the bone of contention then was the ability to buy bundles from the credit on one phone to another. The feature was reactivated and worked brilliantly until sometime 3 months ago when I noticed that it was down and I had to use the out of bundle rates for my remote monitoring equipment. It took Safaricom 2 months to actually realise that the service was not working and this only after making me jump through hops with instructions like remove SIM card then stand on one foot as you slide it back in, remove modem then reboot the computer (the device is 100 feet of the ground on a mast), reinstall software (my devices run linux & other proprietary operating systems but I would never mention that to customer service and more recently that my post paid service limit had been exhausted. Over the years we complained about Telkom's (17,000 staff at one point) inefficiency and also the government (500,000 employees) but from the deteriorating service levels from Safaricom (3,500 employees) I believe our problem as members of the "nyele ngumu" race is being incapable of scaling, Safaricom was lean and mean now with its increasing size and staff count as it tries to scale the cracks are starting to show. My advice to Safaricom, please improve on your level of documentation as relates to features and functionalities you decide to bring to market. Your business analysts need a better helicopter (no relation to a certain church) view if you are to reduce the number of half baked products you keep spewing out. Back to the issue at hand, should I expect this feature to be reactivated or not, I need this information by the end of the week so that I know if I am leaving the Safaricom SIM cards plugged in up on the various masts I will be climbing over this long weekend or should I just drop them off? Have a wonderful Jamhuri Day Celebration on solid ground and remember the Alcoblow should be out this weekend. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Preventing Land Ownership Fraud by "Crowd-Sourcing" information
by Thomas Kibui 07 Dec '11

07 Dec '11

Dear Listers, I am not sure if this has been discussed here or better still if it has been implemented somewhere but I will go ahead and talk abt it.... We have a constitution and land laws that are being flouted by corrupt officials entrusted with enforcing them for material gain. For instance if you do a search for a piece of registered land, and you get a search results duly signed and stamped by the registrar of lands at that office then the information there is in binding and should also BIND the government who is the final authority in land governance because the buyer commits his/her funds to a purchase based on the information given at the registry. We have very MANUAL registries where documents are stored in files in a library like setup and the core of those registries is a binder that holds the so called "green cards". One could liken the green card to the primary key in a DB. Due to the physical / manual methods used to change information on these paper documents and the fact that they have to be "physically" accessed, removed, edited and returned, they create a loop-hole for unscrupulous lands officials to change the content thus destroying the written history associated with a parcel of land and consequently depriving the real owners of their property / inheritance. A simple solution would be to digitize the registry .. but as you can imagine there would be a lot of resistance from the Lands officials because that completely takes away their source of corrupt funds. I know it will eventually be digitized BUT what can we do in the interim ... between now and the time that the registries will eventually be digitized ... ? Land does not move... its is people who do the moving... One can never fail to get the history of a piece of land from the surrounding neighbourhood and this is one of the "social" searches that one is advised to do when considering the purchase of a parcel somewhere. So why can't we tap into this free source of information as a way of counter checking the already tampered information which exists in local land registries I was thinking that using the technology available today we could create a free online database or use one of the existing social media sites to create an online "Land Search" resource where everyday ordinary Kenyans can check the "social" status and history of a parcel , correlate it with the information from the registry before making a decision to purchase.. The information from this DB or Social Media site will not be "legally" binding BUT it will raise red flags prevent the fraud considerably given that most land fraud cartels use deception and mis-information of "Government held information" to convince their victims. To populate it, I am thinking in the lines of "crowd-sourcing" this information and if possible tie it in on Google maps just like in www.ushahidi.com. This way , the database can show a piece of land as Red, Amber or Green depending its social history eg, - who initially owned it, - was it inherited properly, - was there a dispute, - are there wives or children who were dis-inherited who might come out of the wood-work after the purchase . Mapping it directly on google maps will alow the would be buyer to do a GPS search of sorts when he or she is "viewing" physically on the ground . This will also prevent the other form of fraud where the victim is shown a parcel which is not the one on the purported papers. There are other uses for such a database .. If YOU owns a piece of land somewhere, you can also flag it as RED to prevent fraudsters selling it with out your knowledge and fleecing an innocent victim out there. Look at it like putting a legal Caution of Caveat Emptor on a registered property etc etc This idea has its CONS .. Malicious relatives, mpango was kando husbands/wives, neighbours etc can stop you from selling or getting a bank loan from your genuine land by flagging it red or mis-informing the public about it. etc Now I am basically a Network / Security guy and I have never written a line of code so I can't tell you how this can be implemented "technically" otherwise it would be online as we speak .... But having seen the destruction peoples dreams and hard earned money in the demolition of structures in Syokimau and Eastleigh .. I can't just sympathize with the victims and stop there ... They were conned yet some were holding "genuine" papers from the government they trusted as the most trusted land ownership authority. I believe that there is something that can be done to prevent it and I am throwing this to the listers to build on and if possible .. IMPLEMENT it.. I am open to contribute wherever I can. PS: Since the framework for Ushahidi.com. already exists, maybe Ory and his team could assist .. karibu ...

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Local Kenyan Content on the Internet
by Brian Munyao Longwe 07 Dec '11

07 Dec '11

I must say that I have been truly amazed at finding the "Kulahappy" series of videos on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/user/kulahappy . This is great local content, taking a humorous look at rural and urban life, and also in local languages too. They seem to have a pretty regular release schedule for the various episodes. The Kamba versions "Mukamba Kivindyo" have really cracked me up - very authentic and typical village scenarios. Brian

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2063 - Kenya @ 100 Essay and Short Story Contest
by Matunda Nyanchama 07 Dec '11

07 Dec '11

Friends See press release from our sister business; it is almost a coincidence that we have my friend Mugo Kibati joining the discussions here. 4 ways you can participate - sponsor, contestant, judge/reviewer or advertiser: send your inquiry to kenya2063(a)nsemia.com. Kindly cascade this including the attached flyer. ---------------------------------------------------------- Nsemia Inc. Publishers announces 2063: Kenya @ 100 Short Story and Essay Contest that will run in the months of December 2011 and January 2012. The contest intends to task writers’ imagination and thought to paint a picture of the country at 100 years of age. Predicting the future has its dangers, but writers are encouraged to take creative license and imagine the journey to the 100th birthday of the country: its socio-economics, politics/freedoms, urban/rural society, pastoral/farming/working life, the family, relationships, marriage, divorce, births, deaths, child/ health care,, education system, science/research/technology/inventions; the young/old, name it! Think of how Kenya would have changed and the society that it would become. Writers are free to choose their style of presentation (persuasive, comparative, descriptive, narrative or otherwise) dictated by scenes, events, places, personalities, conditions and the like. Writers’ aim is to tell an interesting, logical story that grips readers’ attention. Preference will be given to short stories and essays that are believable with high creative elements, readable, and able to hold the interest of the reader; stories that paint a comprehensive picture the state of life of the time. The awards for the winning five essays are $1000, $750, $500, $250 and $100, respectively. In addition the top five winners will be offered publishing contracts for book length versions of their essays and short stories. The next 20 essays will be published an anthology 2063: Kenya at 100 Perspectives. We are actively seeking sponsors to broaden the award categories as such more awards will be announced as we get respective sponsors. The contest report will be published as a book of between 100 and 150 pages, featuring the top 25 contestant profiles and abstracts of their short stories and essays. Other report content will include a historical background of Kenya and developments to date, highlighting major milestones in the making of the Kenyan nation. Further, the report will have short history the Kenyan literary scene and ongoing trends; and opinions on the future of Kenyan literature in the face of globalization. A few chosen works from the Kenyan literary scene and (where relevant) from outside the country will be featured. There is limited advertising space for entities wishing to advertise in the contest report. Opportunities for participation include being a sponsor, a contestant or a judge/reviewer. Proposed categories for sponsorship include Top Female Contestant; Top Contestant Under 18 ; Top Urban Contestant; Top Urban Contestant Over 18 ; Top Contestant from rural Kenya; Top Contestant from the Diaspora ; Top Contestant from the Diaspora under 18; Top Male Contestant over 65 years and Top Female Contestant Over 65 years; Top Contestant on the subject of the girl child Interested parties can get further information, including contest rules, sponsorship information, advertising and entry form from kenya2063(a)nsemia.com. The contest closes on January 31st, 2012. - 30 ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda; Skype: okiambe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared to face ICT Security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info(a)aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk I have a workstation…" - Anonymous ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail, including attachments, may be privileged and may contain confidential or proprietary information intended only for the addressee(s). Any other distribution, copying, use, or disclosure is unauthorized and strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete the message, including any attachments, without making a copy. Thank you.

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Internet "Kadonye" charges
by robert yawe 07 Dec '11

07 Dec '11

Hi, I am one of the those very fortunate people who rarely buy Internet access by the bandwidth or minute as I enjoy a flat rate unlimited access whether at home or in the office. Today morning I needed to use one of the dongle devices as I needed to work off-site at one of my few clients who do not have dedicated internet access. I loaded airtime on the device and proceeded to purchase a bundle, within 3 minutes of launching my browser (all 12 tabs) I noticed that I had already utilised 1.2 MB @ a rate of Kes. 0.83/- per MB. Note that I was yet to do any useful work as I waited for my desktop to settle. As you might have guessed, by the time I was ready to do some serious income generating work the bundle was over. It is now clear to me why so many of our youth who should be making productive use of the Internet are stuck to using only facebook because the costs for access are either subsidised or free which reduces an entire generation to a single web site. The kadonye economy definitely transcends to technology products at which rate the technology divide is not narrowing any time soon. I assume that the cost of bandwidth is mainly related to the international leg therefore is it possible to have a bundle that allows you unlimited access to local sites. Such a model would encourage the development and hosting of content locally. KENET could set-up peering with educational sites across the world whose access would be treated as local and our students would be able to benefit from the Internet. Please accommodate this rant from an occasional dongle user. 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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LTE & the frequencies debate
by John Gitau 07 Dec '11

07 Dec '11

Over at the EANOG <http://www.thirdworldnetworkers.com/2011/11/east-african-network-operators-…> (http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/eanog) we had an uninformed debate on LTE and its frequency allocation. I believe most of the issues that came up can be better answered on this list. 1: How will the LTE spectrum be allocated? The media had alot to say some time back. What's valid, whats not? http://allafrica.com/stories/201109060017.html http://www.intomobile.com/2010/11/23/kenya-lte/ (just a few examples I picked out) 2: Is the millitary still using/holding onto the 2.6GHz? 3: Apart from mobile operators, who else is or should be interested in LTE and why? 4: Would someone with this information be open to a seating with us at the IHUB at our next meeting for an open Q&A. 5: How far into the process of freeing up the necessary frequencies are we? I'm sure more questions will come up but for now I believe we are more curious about no:1 because it raises questions like: if a consortium will be formed, how will maintenance and general network management be done? Gitau

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Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some answers.....
by alice＠apc.org 06 Dec '11

06 Dec '11

Very frustrating frequent blackouts, rain or no rain. Bumper sticker doing rounds 'kenya hakuna matata, hakuna maji, hakuna stima, hakuna gas' Best Alice -----Original Message----- From: aki <aki275(a)gmail.com> Sender: skunkworks-bounces(a)lists.my.co.ke Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2011 08:17:12 To: Skunkworks forum<skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke> Reply-To: Skunkworks Mailing List <skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke> Subject: [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some answers..... _______________________________________________ Skunkworks mailing list Skunkworks(a)lists.my.co.ke ------------ List info, subscribe/unsubscribe http://orion.my.co.ke/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks ------------ Skunkworks Rules http://my.co.ke/phpbb/viewtopic.php?f=24&t=94 ------------ Other services @ http://my.co.ke

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Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some answers..
by Matunda Nyanchama 06 Dec '11

06 Dec '11

On these problems, one young man of 20 years of age, Justus Siage, wrote a long letter of complaints and "advice" to the Prime Minister. We published it as a book duly termed"Letter to the Prime Minister" by Justus Siage; check it in bookshops in Nairobi. Even our own young generation knows the solution to our problems; we just need leadership to make it happen. Back to my quiet corner as we await topics on ICT. Kind regards. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda; Skype: okiambe ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared to face ICT Security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info(a)aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk I have a workstation…" - Anonymous ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail, including attachments, may be privileged and may contain confidential or proprietary information intended only for the addressee(s). Any other distribution, copying, use, or disclosure is unauthorized and strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete the message, including any attachments, without making a copy. Thank you. ________________________________ From: "kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke" <kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> To: mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Sent: Tuesday, December 6, 2011 6:47 AM Subject: kictanet Digest, Vol 55, Issue 24 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. Re: [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some answers..... (Dennis Kioko) 2. Re: Why It's Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry Bashir (Andrea Bohnstedt) 3. Re: Why It?s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pac ifying Angry Bashir (Andrea Bohnstedt) ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Message: 1 Date: Tue, 6 Dec 2011 14:02:21 +0300 From: Dennis Kioko <dmbuvi(a)gmail.com> To: "S.M. Muraya" <murigi.muraya(a)gmail.com> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some answers..... Message-ID: <CADfbAQS3SqwzyesRujXAwsDU_PCx6=ebYxNUq4Q0T-vSD++vRQ(a)mail.gmail.com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" In Africa we want change, but few understand the cost of change and are willing to pay for it. Change demands more, the same way freedom demands more responsibility. As for Kenya Power, isn't it weird that we all complain, but it is only the island of Jersey that is concerned with how a Kenyan Parastatal was managed in the past ?

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Open Data: United States and India to build an open government platform, the U.S. team has deposited open source code
by Flavio Zeni 06 Dec '11

06 Dec '11

If you have not read it already United States and India to build an open government platform<http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2011/12/05/datagov-goes-global#.Tt5EeXfxRPA.…>, the U.S. team has deposited open source code<http://www.data.gov/opengovplatform>

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Re: [kictanet] Why It’s Wrong For Kenya To Try Pacifying Angry Bashir
by Dennis Kioko 06 Dec '11

06 Dec '11

Also note that Eritrea recently escaped sanctions as Western firms exploiting minerals in the country would be affected -- with Regards: blog.denniskioko.com <http://www.denniskioko.com/>

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Re: [kictanet] We certainly need divine intervention
by Barrack Otieno 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

Listers, I have refrained from complaining despite the inflation and heavy rainfall that has caused havoc despite being a blessing when looked from another perspective. This afternoon i drive into a basement parking in one of the cities shopping malls, clearly the guys at the entrance seem to be aware that there is no space but alas i am allowed to drive in and drive around, on realising there is no space i choose to drive out and behold, i am asked to pay? pay for what i enquire?, the attendant calmly tells me that it is is the way the system is configured even though she agrees that since i didn't find a slot i am not supposed to pay, this is the second time i am having issues with www.kaps.co.ke and i hope the two Consumer watchdogs are taking note, this is plain dishonesty why should a consumer pay for a service not rendered even hawkers will tell you kuangalia ni bure (seeing is free), worse still where is this form of injustice configured in your systems? I wonder how much Kenyans could be losing through what i have observed today anyway Justice be our shield and defender. Have a great week! -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno

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DiploFoundation IGCBP 2012 Call for applications
by Grace Githaiga 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

Listers Kindly circulate to your networks. Rgds Grace ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- If you have the strength to survive, you have the power to succeed. Life is all about choices we make depending upon the situation we are in. Go forth and rule the World! From: gpaque(a)gmail.com Date: Mon, 5 Dec 2011 10:08:12 -0430 To: governance(a)lists.cpsr.org Subject: [governance] DiploFoundation IGCBP 2012 Call for applications Hi everyone, Please pass this information on to any interested colleagues or groups. Gracias, Ginger Call for applications: Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme 2012 Who owns the cloud? Is my data secure there? Who manages Internet domains and addresses, and how? What is network neutrality? How can states provide for Internet security without breaching our basic human rights - or can they? Can we have an Internet that is both safe and open? Diplo's Internet Governance Capacity Building Programme 2012 will give you a solid base from which to discuss these and other questions, and to work towards policy solutions for users, organisations, and governments. This online programme is designed to improve Internet policy and governance-related knowledge and skills for participants from both developed and developing countries, and to enhance their participation in the global decision-shaping debates on Internet governance. The call for applications for the 2012 Introduction to Internet Governance course is now open. Please visit the call for applications for more information and to apply (deadline: 1 February 2012). Ginger Ginger (Virginia) Paque Diplo Foundation www.diplomacy.edu/ig VirginiaP(a)diplomacy.edu Join the Diplo community IG discussions: www.diplointernetgovernance.org

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Re: [kictanet] [Skunkworks] <OT> : No Electricity, No Fuel, No Cooking gas! I need my hot coffee or need some answers.....
by Dennis Kioko 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

The biggest tragedy in Kenya is not the government, but we as the people. We support systems that do not work, and reward the same. A pal of mine says that she cannot purchase or rent a Penthouse suite in Nairobi - they always seem to leak and have rat infestations. In the US, she could cause such a purchase came with a warranty - point here is that even private sector will do sub standard work - seems to be more of the rule than an exception. As for Kenya Power, I don't know about mots areas, but where I live, a few months back we were guaranteed of a blackout if any form of precipitation happened to take place. Kenya Power did maintenance a few months ago and even in the recent strong rains in Nairobi, we have had power all through. I think blackouts nowadays are mostly maintenance and vandalism in our area. Had also talked to Kenya some people from Kenya Power HQ who informed me that the firm is on schedule to stabilise power supply through various methods including use of underground cables/insulated conductors. This though looks like will take several years to be rolled out within Nairobi. In areas under rural electification in Ukambani, I have seen them use the insulated conductors rather than the familiar bare conductors. Road construction is mostly a sham, with most roads lacking drainage, or having the drainage blocked by construction. Water logging weakens tarmac. On the same point, I am quite suspicious of the quality of Lot 3 of Thika road, by Shengli, someone should check this before its completed and results in a similar situation as the Milimani courts. Back to where I started. In the morning, I saw a matatu at the Tom Mboya Walk (joins Tom Mboya Street to Moi Avenue at the statue). The matatu was picking passengers next to a large City Council sign that read "No picking or dropping of Passengers here". People were boarding the matatu as normal. That is where Kenya's largest problem lies.

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Local Content
by Dennis Kioko 05 Dec '11

05 Dec '11

This animation was shared today, some hard work gone into it http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y8LcybdCNdA&feature=player_detailpage -- with Regards: blog.denniskioko.com <http://www.denniskioko.com/>

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Why is KRA (Customs) Application is Hard-Wired Microsoft?
by Walubengo J 04 Dec '11

04 Dec '11

I was at JKIA cargo this morning trying to get in some cargo. Ofcourse it is still a nightmare operation but eventually I got some Agent to help out and we sat down at his office to key the data into the Kenya Revenue (Simba System). For some reason, his Microsoft-Explorer was giving him some trouble so I told him to just try the Firefox instead. Believe it or not- the KRA system screamed at him and said "YOU CAN ONLY USE MICROSOFT INTERNET EXPLORER ver 6 AND ABOVE!!!!". What?? Folks, if this is not intimidation, tell me what is. Who in the 21st Century writes software ONLY for one platform? Software today should be read from your Windows/Linux/Android/Mac/etc/ Platforms. It should be accessible from your laptop, smart-phone, dump-phone,tv/etc. Now how comes a critical public system is ONLY accessible through Microsoft platform? I am not against Microsoft - I still use alot of it at a corporate level; HOWEVER, we cannot allow a Publicly Procured system to be tied to a single platform.(review procurement rules). I recall one Lister raising this issue 3years ago and I thought it had been addressed! Either the PS Ndemo + eGovt Sec, Dr. Getao helps us out or we task Steve Mutoro to open a file on this issue. Forcing clearing agents to BUY Microsoft products (when they can use a free one) to clear goods for customers is not a proper way of developing a country. walu.

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Invite: Leveraging Information for Prosperity
by Marie-Ann Kinyanjui 02 Dec '11

02 Dec '11

Dear Listers, It gives me great pleasure to announce that our very own Bitange Ndemo has been chosen to feature in a global Smarter Government briefing to talking about Kenya's experiences in using open data and information to deliver targeted services to citizens. If you would like to attend this event, please feel free to register here: http://events.unisfair.com/rt/ibm~opengov?code=salese (Embedded image moved to file: pic51175.gif) (Embedded image moved to file: pic10536.jpg) Fiscal and economic uncertainty is growing. Even as governments scramble to cut costs, they are seeking new recipes to kick-start new economic growth. They may already have one. (Embedded image moved to file: pic62518.gif) A new report on this issue by the IBM Institute for Business Value says that if we think about it differently, "opening up" to leverage information and intelligence might just give governments the opportunity to drive outcomes like innovation, jobs, new economic growth with citizens, while avoiding costs. But "open" can mean something different to each government around the world, and at each level of government. It's time to reset the perspective and "open" for outcomes. Join us on December 14, 2011 at 10:00 a.m. EST, in a webcast where you will hear the highlights from one of the authors. You also will hear from innovative leaders as they share the steps they took to "open up", the results they achieved and lessons they have learned and what they think needs to happen next. Their experiences will enrich the discussion and, we hope, stimulate your own creative actions. (Embedded image moved to file: pic29410.jpg) Please check the registration page for agenda and speaker updates. (Embedded image moved to file: pic08685.gif) Copyright IBM Corporation 2011. All rights reserved. IBM, the IBM logo, ibm.com and the Smarter Planet icon are trademarks of International Business Machines Corp., registered in many jurisdictions worldwide. Other product and service names might be trademarks of IBM or other companies. A current list of IBM trademarks is available on the Web at "Copyright and trademark information" at ibm.com/legal/copytrade.shtml. Other company, product, or service names may be trademarks or service marks of others.© Copyright IBM Corporation 2011. All Rights Reserved. Kind Regards, Marie-Anne (Kui) Kinyanjui External Relations Specialist IBM Growth Markets Unit, STG Mid-Markets Phone: +254 721 676543 (Embedded image moved to file: E-mail: MARIEKIN(a)ke.ibm.com pic57091.gif)IBM Find me on: (Embedded image moved to file: pic56534.jpg)LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/mkinyanjui (Embedded image moved to file: pic03229.jpg)Twitter: http://twitter.com/KuiKinyanjui

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Resolved: e-commerce; a matter of trust
by robert yawe 02 Dec '11

02 Dec '11

Hi, The issue was resolved promptly, I would like to than George Ikua for his inspiring presentation at the CIO100 Symposium on how social media is changing how business do business. "He who leaves by social media dies by social media" Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696 ________________________________ From: Joshua Mwaniki -MiH IA <Joshua(a)mocality.com> To: "robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk" <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Sent: Wednesday, 30 November 2011, 11:56 Subject: FW: [kictanet] e-commerce; a matter of trust Hi Robert I refer to the mail below. I'd like to apologize for the inconvenience. This is actually the first I am hearing of this. I did some basic follow up, and I am told there was a problem with the invoicing. If this was the situation, then I hope you understand that from out Finance departments point of view, they cannot release any payments without receiving any invoice. We have had situations previously that brought up some questions with auditing. If you were not appraised of this in good time, then kindly let me know, so that I can follow up with the responsible people. However, if there is anything else that you think came into play that I may not be aware about, kindly let me know. We strive to ensure that we build a business based on 'good relationships' and this situation is obviously not an example of this. Looking forward to hearing from you. -- Regards, Joshua Mwaniki Country Manager – Kenya |Mocality.com Block C (8), Saachi Plaza| Argwings KodheK Road. (Opp. Radar Security) |Kilimani,Nairobi. +254 733 55 44 88 | +254 701 114 119 Twitter: Mwaniki Skype: Mwaniki 10 From: Muchiri Nyaggah <muchiri(a)semacraft.com> Date: Wed, 30 Nov 2011 09:20:40 +0300 To: <joshua(a)mocality.com> Subject: Fwd: [kictanet] e-commerce; a matter of trust Fyi. Sent from my Android device ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: "robert yawe" <robertyawe(a)yahoo.co.uk> Date: Nov 30, 2011 9:07 AM Subject: [kictanet] e-commerce; a matter of trust To: <muchiri(a)semacraft.com> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Hi, I think many of those promoting e-commerce and related solutions are doing the initiative a disservice by by being transparent and trustworthy actions that we keep us aware from fully exploiting the opportunities that keep presenting themselves. I recently interacted with a site called Mocallity both as a vendor and consumer of the their deals (a product similar to groupon) unfortunately the experiences have left me with a sour taste in my mouth. If anyone our there knows how to get in touch with the managers/owners of Mocality please forward this on to them before the issue blows out of proportion and rubbishes the gains we have made so far in e-commerce. Vendor - I used the service to promote a seminar I was ran about 2 months ago, the response was impressive as I got 11 registrations, unfortunately I am yet to receive the payments from Mocality even though they received payment from the participants on registration for the seminar. Things have gotten so scary now that they are not even responding to my emails Consumer issue 1 - I participated in one of the deals and bought tickets for ice skating, they send me confirmation by SMS but when I arrived at Panari to redeem the coupons they insisted that I bring printouts of the coupons. I wonder why send me the coupons details by SMS then still expect me to carry physical coupons. It would be like safaricom sending you a SMS confirming receipt of funds then sending you a cheque to bank by post. We need to either embrace technology wholly as Mama Mboga has or not at all. Consumer issue 2 - More recently I again participated in a deal by Mocality, I must be the sucker for pain, where I bought some glass storage bowls. After the deal closed it took them 3 days to finally deliver them to me but only after 5 phone calls, 10 emails and a post on their website otherwise it would have taken longer. Let us get it clear that e-commerce is commerce and in both cases you need a reliable supply chain system even if what you are supplying is a service. In addition you cannot maintain the brick on mortar mentality when dealing with an online business, in Mocalities case the customer service works from 8:30-4:30 Monday to Friday for both voice and email requests. I am generally an advocate of an industries self regulation but when it fails I will not hesitate to pull out the "sirikali tusaidie" trump card. Regards 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 Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/muchiri%40semacraft.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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International Open Data Day
by Phares Kariuki 01 Dec '11

01 Dec '11

Come join us for a discussion on Open Data at the Business Lounge on the international open data day, this Saturday, 3rd December, from 9 am to 1 pm. Kenya is the first Country in sub-Saharan Africa and only the second in Africa to launch an open data portal. The opportunity for citizen engagement, government efficiency and for the developer community is huge. How can we take advantage of this opportunity? Come and: - Learn more about open data. - Find out how your local and national government could do more to release open data. - Engage local non-profits and companies in the uses of open data for the products and missions - Meet & network with tons of cool people in Nairobi - Voice your opinion & share your ideas with the people and media attending. - Find out about apps being created, and get to play around with them as well. - Help out with parts of the conceptualization, creation, design, advertisement and testing of apps. - Conduct an open tutorial sessions around using open data,like learning how to customize google maps to show the data you want to show. - Have lots and lots of fun. Thanks! -- Warm Regards, Phares Kaboro Kariuki

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"Nokia boss quits as regional office moves to Jo’Burg"
by Chris Foster 01 Dec '11

01 Dec '11

"Nokia boss quits as regional office moves to Jo’Burg" http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Nokia+boss+quits+as+regio… Seems a shame if this is confirmed to be true. From what I've seen, some of the sucess of Nokia can be connected to it being closely integrated in the region, not only as a sales force, but in pushing locally for appropriate products, marketing, policy and distribution. This seems particularly important in the mobile sector, given the need to be responsive to increasingly strong competition in the region, particularly from emerging Chinese firms. Nokia never had a huge workforce in Kenya, so I'm guessing this is not related to cost cutting, and as the article says, it seems to grow against the grain of other multinationals who are looking to become more connected locally into the Kenyan and regional market. Thanks Chris -- Christopher Foster PhD Researcher, Centre for Development Informatics (CDI) University of Manchester, UK Skype: cgfoster

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Fw: The African Executive Issue 345
by Matunda Nyanchama 30 Nov '11

30 Nov '11

FYI ----- Forwarded Message ----- From: The Editor <editor(a)africanexecutive.com> To: mnyanchama(a)aganoconsulting.com Sent: Tuesday, November 29, 2011 10:28 PM Subject: The African Executive Issue 345 30 - 07 December 2011 Articles in this Issue Write to the Editor Subscribe Now! Unsubscribe Our Contacts - ADVERTISEMENTS - ARTICLES IN THIS ISSUE Zambia Constitutional Review: A Reflection President Sata needs to be supported by all Zambians, especially when it comes to the fight against poverty. When he succeeds, we all benefit. When he fails, it is our children who will bear the ills. [Read More] Rusesabagina: Hero or Villain? It is sad to note that someone is given the prize for Human Rights and Justice but those that he “saved and did justice” are ignored. [Read More] Libya: The Tough, Slippery Road Ahead Libyans have a fighting chance to create a new, prosperous and united country. The ball is now in the court of Libyans of all walks of life to make a difference in the transformation of their country. [Read More] Kenya: Why MPs Must be Shown the Door It would be a great idea to begin focusing and helping reform minded Kenyans build credible campaign strategies. [Read More] Ernestina Naadu and Africa’s Expectant Women African cultural superstitions impinge on pregnancy so much so that, “It is believed that witches and evil spirits are capable of stealing the pregnancy or interfering with it. [Read More] Climate Change: Address Neglected Foods Conservation of genetic material good for food security [Read More] Invitation to Political Theory Seminar at Daystar The poor state of theoretical thinking in Kenya has bothered many people. To address this, a seminar will be held at Daystar University in January to April 2012 on African political thought. [Read More] Africa May Not Play China Against the West To escape the recurring episodes of global systems working against Africans; it’s urgent that analysts focus on systems and their impact on local challenges. [Read More] Kenya County Representatives Brainstorm on City Twinning The forum emphasized the need to use twinning for economic benefit rather than ceremonial agreements. [Read More] Domestic Tourism in Mombasa It is ironic that while domestic tourism ought to improve living standards of people in respective tourist circuits, this has not happened in Mombasa. [Read More] Climate Change Debate: Will Developing Nations Lose Out? The Climate change debate should include use of knowledge driven economy as a benchmark to sustainability. [Read More] Zimbabwe 2012 Budget Statement: A Review The finalisation of the securitised lease for A2 farmers will make it easier for farmers to secure lines of credit. [Read More] WRITE TO THE EDITOR We are always glad to hear from you and our team takes the contents of the letters we receive seriously in order to ensure that the magazine is beneficial to you. Do not hesitate to write to us and make our services better. You can do this through editor(a)africanexecutive.com. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Subscribe to The African Executive magazine now to start your business relationship with us by CLICKING HERE UNSUBSCRIBE We use your feedback to improve our magazine so that it is beneficial to you. However, should you still want to unsubscribe, please CLICK HERE OUR CONTACTS The African Executive - P.O. Box 135-00100 G.P.O Nairobi KENYA Phone: 254202731497 - Cel: 254733823062 - Fax: 254202723258 - Email: editor(a)africanexecutive.com

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