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Re: [kictanet] [NYSA:7509] The Cleanest Estate in Africa; Nyayo Embakasi Estate
by Shem Ochuodho 05 Oct '11

05 Oct '11

Bro. Haron, Yes the 'Umuganda' are a unique, great thing. But for such to have the kind of impact experienced in Rwanda, the top leadership must be truly on the driving seat. I personally experienced and heard of many good hands-on things President Kagame (my today's Africa's role model President) does. Apart from Umuganda, Rwanda to the best of my knowledge remains the only country in the world where non-biodegradable polythene bags are outlawed, and strictly enforced. Rwanda has many 'firsts' we could all learn from - place where rule of law is honoured, zero-tolerance to corruption, techno-savvy, people-centred (as opposed to political elite-centred), only world country with more female than male MPs, some of the best maintained city/countryside roads (at least they were 4 years ago when I left), very likely Africa's safest city, and possibly cleanest city, Africa's no doubt only major Internet-ready city (you can access broadband wireless Internet literally from any part of the city/Kigali), etc. The only reason: Rwanda has visionary, selfless, servant leadership which Kenya sorely lacks. Isn't this reason enough for us to replace all those pretenders we call 'leaders' in Kenya? PNU/ODM IS THE PROBLEM, G47+1 IS THE ANSWER! Rgrds, Shem Shem J. Ochuodho, MSc (Eng), PhD, LLD (Hon) Senior Advisor Ministry of Telecom & Postal Services Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Juba Commonwealth Telecom Organization (CTO/RSS) 2010 African Internaut Award Recipient Kenya Community Abroad (KCA) 2007 Excellence Award Winner AfricaOnline 2005 Industry Pioneer Award Recipient Father of Internet in Kenya (Computer Society of Kenya - CSK 2000) Cell: +249-955-021-040/+256-477-232025/+254-725-016679 Skype: shem.ochuodho ________________________________ From: Mutwiri Haron <mutwiriabuana(a)yahoo.com> To: nysa1(a)googlegroups.com Sent: Friday, 30 September 2011, 17:57 Subject: RE: [NYSA:7509] The Cleanest Estate in Africa; Nyayo Embakasi Estate Lets keep our country clean. i live in Rwanda where National cleanup 'muganda' is practised very last saturday of the month. Civil servants,youth,NGO workers,soldiers and verybody takes part.Even slum area are very clean coz this muganda thing has created an awareness of cleanliness.They say Kigali;CLEAN,GREEN AND SECURE. Why not Nairobi and all our towns and villages? CLEANLINESS IS NEXT TO GODLINESS. Haron Mutwiri Abuana --- On Fri, 9/30/11, joseph lunani <blessedkal(a)hotmail.com> wrote: >From: joseph lunani <blessedkal(a)hotmail.com> >Subject: RE: [NYSA:7506] The Cleanest Estate in Africa; Nyayo Embakasi Estate >To: nysa1(a)googlegroups.com, mwanyagetinge(a)yahoogroups.com >Cc: newvisionkenya(a)yahoogroups.com, nvk-mageuzi(a)yahoogroups.com, progressive-kenyans(a)googlegroups.com, progressiveminds(a)yahoogroups.com, siasa-kenya(a)yahoogroups.com, thelastwordtokenya(a)yahoogroups.com >Date: Friday, September 30, 2011, 6:40 AM > > > >Mr. Oketch, > >We all agree Kenya needs direction in garbage collection and disposal. We laud the efforts of a few Kenyans that have kept sections of towns, estates and homesteads tidy & clean. Given your passion & vocation on the matter would you work with estate welfare association like Komarock etc to harmonise the disparity between the likes of Nyayo Estate & Mathare for example? > >I am certain the is goodwill but many need to be reminded that cleanliness is next to Godliness. And that they might be in a ghetto but maintain cleanliness, hygiene, plant flowers, dig trenches to ease drainage flow etc. > >I appreciate the efforts of your organisation and welcome you to our offices so as to redo your we site at no charge. Your work speaks for itself and you require a customised website that will celebrate & better showcase that. > >Regards, > >Lunani Joseph > >www.in-synque.com > > > > > >________________________________ >Date: Wed, 28 Sep 2011 08:17:59 -0700 >From: komarockswatch(a)yahoo.com >Subject: [NYSA:7485] The Cleanest Estate in Africa; Nyayo Embakasi Estate >To: mwanyagetinge(a)yahoogroups.com >CC: NewVisionKenya(a)yahoogroups.com; NVK-Mageuzi(a)yahoogroups.com; nysa1(a)googlegroups.com; progressive-kenyans(a)googlegroups.com; ProgressiveMinds(a)yahoogroups.com; Siasa-Kenya(a)yahoogroups.com; thelastwordtokenya(a)yahoogroups.com > > > > >Friends, >>When I called Mr. Ephantus Njeru to inform him that the PC Nairobi and The Consultative Team will be visiting Nyayo Embakasi Estate on the 13th October 2011 as a Best Practice for Kenyans, he told me; 'Welcome to the Cleanest Estate in East and Central Africa.' Mr. Njeru is the Estate Supervisor and he works with his colleagues Peter and Ann. >> >>I laughed and dismissed him as a typical bragging Kenyan. >> >>Outside the Kiragu & Mwangi Limited officesToday, after briefing the DC Embakasi Mr. Peter Mbugi, I went to Nyayo Embakasi Estate. My, this is the Cleanest Estate in Africa, not just East and Central Africa. And I want to challenge anybody who thinks otherwise to let us know. >>The Estate is managed by Kiragu $ Mwangi Limited- registered valuers and property managers. The Estate is one of the Flagships of the National Social Security Fund- NSSF and Phase one of the Estate was built in 1999, the same time Buru Buru Phase 5 was being built. >> >>Just look at this.... >>The Managers had a very clear vision and focused management style from the word go. They decided that they wanted to bring Muthaiga to Embakasi and that is what they have done. They have worked as a team with the Residents and this has seen clear decisions being made on the 4 key areas namely; >> >> 1. Garbage Collection >> 2. Estate Cleaning >> 3. Gardening and Tree Planting and >> 4. Estate Security.It is important to note that this is one area where even the Police confirm, there are no muggings and no theft. >>The Residents in Partnership with the Management ensures that water flows, street lights are working, and services for which they are paying are provided. And the key words here is Team Work. >>As at now, Nyayo Embakasi Estate has 2,505 units and a further 688 units will be commissioned within 3 Months. This makes Nyayo Embakasi Estate the 2nd largest Estate in Africa after one in Natal Province of South Africa. >>At optimum level next year, the Estate will boast of 4,774 units. >>If this is note a Best Practice, then I do not know what that should be. And we at The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign are truly happy to pay a visit to this Estate that is the Cleanest in Africa on the 13th October 2011. >>In the same vein, we are inviting Kenyans, if Nyayo Embakasi Estate can do it, we can also do it wherever we are. >>Congratulations and you take the Trophy hands down. >>We at KCDN firmly believe that we the People of Kenya can help Clean Kenya. >>This is a campaign for Kenya by Kenyans. Let us make it a huge success...... >>If it is to be, it is up to me. A Clean Kenya Starts With me. A Peaceful Kenya is my Responsibility. >>Disclaimer; The Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign is about us Kenyans. It involves all Kenyans from the various regions, religious persuasions, political thinking and we do not discriminate against any Kenyans nor any region. >> >>Peace and blessings, >> >>Odhiambo T Oketch >> >>CEO KCDN Nairobi >> >>Nationwide Coordinator - Monthly Nationwide Clean-up Campaign >>National Coordinator- Friends of KNH Maternity Unit >>PO Box 47890-00100, >>Nairobi Kenya. >>Tel; 0724 365 557, 0735 529 126 >>Email; oto(a)kcdnkenya.org, komarockswatch(a)yahoo.com >>www.kcdnkenya.org >>http://kcdnkomarockswatch.blogspot.com >>friendsofkcdn(a)yahoogroups.com >>Facebook; Odhiambo T Oketch >>Facebook; Monthly Nationwide Clean Up Campaign >> >-- >Thanks for Supporting the National Youth Sector Alliance >To post to this group, send email to nysa1(a)googlegroups.com >http://groups.google.com/group/nysa1?hl=en?hl=en > -- >Thanks for Supporting the National Youth Sector Alliance >To post to this group, send email to nysa1(a)googlegroups.com >http://groups.google.com/group/nysa1?hl=en?hl=en > -- Thanks for Supporting the National Youth Sector Alliance To post to this group, send email to nysa1(a)googlegroups.com http://groups.google.com/group/nysa1?hl=en?hl=en

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Safaricom Limited adjusts its tariffs
by Harry Hare 05 Oct '11

05 Oct '11

This has been long coming http://bit.ly/oYOiHr Enjoy your weekend. Harry

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Re: [kictanet] SEMINAR ON IMPORTANCE OF SECURITY STANDARDS IN A GLOBALISED ECONOMY
by Esther Wanjau 04 Oct '11

04 Oct '11

Dear All, Attached please find an information brochure and registration form for the above seminar to be held on 14th October, 2011 at KICC. Please fill the form and return it by 9th October 2011. Esther

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Re: [kictanet] [ke-internetusers] Fw: CONGRATS 'UNCLE' VINT... BUT WHERE ARE THE AFRICAN OLDIES? (WAS Vin Cerf @ ihub: Internet Oldies meeting young techies)
by Barrack Otieno 04 Oct '11

04 Oct '11

Dr Ochuodho, With all due respect i find your statements to be in bad taste (Mediocrity and God help Kenya), i resisted making a post because we respect you for your role in the internet space in Kenya and for your information Stephano and co paid tribute to your role and that of Charles Musisi in the internet space in this part of the world alongside many other African oldies, i would wish to state a few things and i have no intention of starting a flame war for that matter you may correct me if i am wrong. First i was among the many young people at the i-hub for the side event after which we had a fireside chat. Our very own engineer James Rege Chair of the Parliamentary commitee on energy was at hand and he took the trouble to travel with Vint in the same car (devoid of all the Parliamentary trappings) to spend time with the youth and i can assure you they did not dissapoint. The event was one of its kind and all the young people present attested to this, to know where you are going you need to know where you have come from, why must we learn about people like Musisi from visitors from Europe?, i asked engineer Rege the same question when he told us the history of the telecom industry in Kenya and we agreed that there is need to document such information for future generations and i challenge you and the other African oldies to do the same, how else will knowledge be transfered to future generations. At another regional meeting that had Youth from all over East Africa courtesy of IDRC and Makerere University there was unanimity on the need for the Youth and oldies to work together to transfer knowledge but where are the African oldies have you abandoned us in pursuit of self actualisation?, well Egypt was a good scenario of the potential of youth and technology. It is common knowledge that the world abhors a vacuum and this is a challenge to the oldies in Africa to take your rightfull place and mentor the youth, a parent has to be deliberate in terms of making time and and investing resources to bring up great sons and daughters and as the bible describes them , they are arrows in his hands. Finally i wish to thank Vint Cerf and all those who made the the event a success, we hope to have another one soon with African oldies, God Bless Africa. Proudly Kenyan On Sun, Oct 2, 2011 at 11:52 PM, Shem Ochuodho <shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com>wrote: > Congrats 'Uncle Vint' and 'Uncle Stefano'..... > > But where were/are the African 'Oldies': 'Mzee' Mike Lawrie, Ibikun > Odusote, Bill Sangiwa, Tieni Bah, Prof. Venancio Mansingue, Musa Fall, > Charles Musisi, Mark Bennett, Nejib Abida, etc? > > Mediocrity the bane of Africa's problem. God help Kenya! > Shem > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga(a)hotmail.com> > *To:* shemochuodho(a)yahoo.com > *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > *Sent:* Thursday, 29 September 2011, 21:05 > *Subject:* [kictanet] Vin Cerf @ ihub: Internet Oldies meeting young > techies > > *Vin Cerf at ihub: Internet Oldies meeting young techies * > *By Mutwiri Mutuota* > > NAIROBI, Kenya, September 29- The pioneers of the information age met with > their young disciples on Thursday in an eye opening assembly held as a side > event of the ongoing 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi. > > The session was held appropriately at a venue where technologists, > investors, tech companies and hackers congregate in Nairobi , known as iHub, > the global IT gurus led by Google vice-president and one of the acknowledged > founders of the internet, Vint Cerf. > > “The enormous social impact of the internet was evident even before the > e-mail was invented in 1971. Now, internet and mobile technology drives the > world and the potential for industry are limitless,” Cerf stated in one of > his moving insights into the gift his invention alongside Bob Khan in the > early 70s gifted the world. > > While re-counting in detail how the thesis developed by the two computer > scientists turned to be a tool that billions transact their daily lives > almost 30 years on, Cerf challenged Africa to be at the forefront of > capitalising on the expanding cloud computing opportunities for business and > economic growth. > > As young techies gathered scrambled to store the large volume of > information being passed from the living IT icon, the gathering also proved > to be a think tank on the next generation innovations that will maintain the > info age bubble. > > “I hope than on January 1, 2013, IPv6 will be turned on to run alongside > IPv4 to mark exactly 30 years since internet was turned on. I’m so excited > and I cannot wait for this to be realised," Cerf enthused. > > For the uninitiated, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next edition > that is designed to succeed the 32-bit predecessor, IPv4 and it will see the > Internet operating by transferring data between hosts in small packets that > are independently routed across networks. > > The award winning Google vice-president who joined the tech giant in 2005, > said the company had designed products specific to the needs of Africans > with the continent’s native languages incorporated to make them appeal to > all spectrums of the populations. > > “We have made it easy for African businesses to advertise on Google Ads by > developing the system that sees users pay for the adverts once they are > clicked on. This model has appealed to many enterprises particularly those > in Africa ,” Cerf offered. > > He added: “We continue to encourage more user friendly content and creating > volume for locally generated content since I believe content generated in > Africa for example should circulate within Africa, not through Europe or > America .” > > Adel El Zaim from the Global Alliance for ICT and Development in the UN > Department of Economic and Social Affairs who was also in the assembly dwelt > on the economic aspect of the advancements in information technology. > > “It is the responsibility of individual entrepreneurs to archive their data > on the internet but research on how content is being uploaded, the risks > that posses and how it is stored and privacy should be done to give the > correct picture on the risks,” said El Zaim. > > “Cloud computing should be opened up to be free to all but there is need > for reaching acceptable level of internet and mobile technology. There is > also need to understand better how technology can be used and for business > opportunity in Africa , local content products should be offered by using > local languages,” he added. > > Laura Abba, who was involved in the RINAF project mooted in the 90s that > was tailored to usher Africa into the ICT age recalled the efforts that were > spearheaded by the UN led initiative that fast tracked internet development > in the continent. > > “Today the internet is no longer about the infrastructure but the content. > When we started this project, 90 percent of content concerning Africa was > generated in Europe and other parts of the world but this has changed and > should be encouraged,” Abba told the gathering. > > Engineer James Rege, the Member of Kenyan Parliament for Karachuonyo > Constituency who is one of the first IT specialists in the country observed > that Africa and Kenya in particular was catching up in IT innovations. > > “However, there is need for democracy in communication. Development of ICT > in Africa has been hampered by political hurdles and they need to be freed,” > Rege advised. > > “Even old women in Karachuonyo have email accounts and I urge tech > companies such as Google to view Kenya as a remote part coming up and should > help it advance,” the legislator added. > > He singled out the Kenya ICT Board for the positive steps it had taken to > ensure the country was in tune with development as well as generation of > local content for the Internet. > > Kaburu Kobia, who is in charge of generating local content at the board > acknowledged more Kenyans were contributing content conversant to them > particularly in social networks such as Facebook. > > There was concern about ownership of data in the cloud. > “At Google we believe you own your data. With cloud computing, there > will be substantial amount of support since data will be shattered into > small pieces,” Cerf explained. > > Cloud computing will see shared resources, software, and information > provided to computers and other devices as a utility like the electricity > over a network. > “We need to find standards where clouds can communicate with each other, > use the high speeds between them in the backbone of the internet to transfer > data and I’m very much in favour of use of clouds for this purposes". > > “But with concerns on cyber security, we all need to ensure it is compliant > with the rules in the jurisdiction they operate with the kind of protection > people should have,” the tech sage added. > > > ----------------KICTANet----------------------------------- > > > > ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- > 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! > > _______________________________________________ > 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/shemochuodho%40yahoo.c… > > 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. > > > > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > > -- Barrack O. Otieno Afriregister Ltd (Kenya) www.afrire <http://www.afriregister.com>gister.bi, www.afriregister.com<http://www.afriergister.com> <http://www.afriregister.com>ICANN accredited registrar +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Fwd: Fellowship Application Round Opens for ICANN International Public Meeting 43 in San Jose, Costa Rica
by waudo siganga 03 Oct '11

03 Oct '11

This could be of interest to some; those interested in seeking sponsorship to participate in the 43 ICANN meeting. [1]http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-30sep11-e n.htm Fellowship Application Round Opens for ICANN International Public Meeting 43 in San Jose, Costa Rica Program Ensures Global Representation at ICANN's Public Meetings 30 September 2011 MARINA DEL REY, California: The Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers is now accepting online applications for the 15th round of the Fellowship program. Successful candidates will participate in the ICANN meeting to be held in San Jose, Costa Rica from 11-16 March 2012. The Fellowship program is open to applicants who are current residents of developing and least developed nations and interested in participating in ICANN and its supporting organizations, constituencies and stakeholder groups. Priority is given to individuals new to the ICANN environment from government and the ccTLD community, as well as those from academic, civil, business and non-profit entities, which are NOT involved in or associated with other ICANN supported travel programs. The program provides the support and opportunity for these participants to gain knowledge on how to have their voices heard in the Internet community and ICANN. More information regarding terms and conditions, as well as eligibility is available online at [2]http://www.icann.org/en/fellowships/ or email at [3]fellowships(a)icann.org regarding any questions about this process or program. The Fellowship program arranges the airfare, hotel and a stipend for those individuals selected to participate in this ICANN meeting. Recipients are expected to actively participate in and contribute to ICANN processes, both at the meeting and in the future. As always, registration for ICANN's meetings is free for anyone wanting to attend. Applications for the meeting in Costa Rica will be accepted from 00:00 UTC on 1 October 2011 until 00:00 UTC on 14 November 2011. Successful candidates will be posted on the ICANN Fellowship webpage by 22 December 2011. What Is ICANN? To reach another person on the Internet you have to type an address into your computer – a name or a number. That address has to be unique so computers know where to find each other. ICANN coordinates these unique identifiers across the world. Without that coordination we wouldn't have one global Internet. ICANN was formed in 1998. It is a not-for-profit public-benefit corporation with participants from all over the world dedicated to keeping the Internet secure, stable and interoperable. It promotes competition and develops policy on the Internet's unique identifiers. ICANN doesn't control content on the Internet. It cannot stop spam and it doesn't deal with access to the Internet. But through its coordination role of the Internet's naming system, it does have an important impact on the expansion and evolution of the Internet. References 1. http://www.icann.org/en/announcements/announcement-2-30sep11-en.htm 2. http://www.icann.org/en/fellowships/ 3. mailto:fellowships@icann.org

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Country Code +211/South Sudan Goes Live
by Shem Ochuodho 03 Oct '11

03 Oct '11

The country code "+211" (Republic of South Sudan) went live yesterday, 1st October, 2011, 2 months ahead of the set deadline for switchover, 15th December. Below was the speech of the Chief Guest - Hon. Minister for Telecom & Postal Services. Rgrds, Shem Shem J. Ochuodho, MSc (Eng), PhD, LLD (Hon) Senior Advisor Ministry of Telecom & Postal Services Republic of South Sudan (RSS), Juba Commonwealth Telecom Organization (CTO/RSS) 2010 African Internaut Award Recipient Kenya Community Abroad (KCA) 2007 Excellence Award Winner AfricaOnline 2005 Industry Pioneer Award Recipient Father of Internet in Kenya (Computer Society of Kenya - CSK 2000) Cell: +211-977-232025/+249-955-021-040/+254-725-016679 Skype: shem.ochuodho ------ begin ------ TALKING POINTS BY HON. MAJ. GEN. MADUT BIAR YEL, MINISTER FOR TELECOMMUNICATIONS & POSTAL SERVICES, RSS, ON THE OCCASION OF THE NEW COUNTRY CODE LAUNCH BY GEMTEL, QUALITY HOTEL, JUBA, 1ST OCTOBER, 2011 Hon. Ministers of the Republic of South Sudan (RSS) here present Hon. Members of Parliament The Managing Director & CEO, GEMTEL Green Network, Mr. Gadafi, Excellencies, Distinguished Ladies & Gentlemen: I am most elated to be with you here today in making history at this auspicious occasion as we launch our sole and exclusive country code for the Republic of South Sudan (RSS), “+211”. Am delighted to note that the network suitably branded ‘The Roots of South Sudan’ is once more living up to expectation by being the first network to implement, test and launch this new country code. I am equally thrilled to note that close on the heels, at least one other telecom operator will also be doing the same within a week from now! Just like a national flag, the country-code is a national monument that will live with many generations to come in the future. It is no doubt one of the strongest symbols of our sovereignty, freedom and independence, and the full recognition by the whole world of South Sudan as a Full Member of the Community of Nations. Ø The historic signing of the Comprehensive Peace Agreement (CPA) in 2005 heralded a new beginning in South Sudan. While on the whole this milestone enabled us to reap peace dividends including the experience of this unique event, the opportunities created also brought about implementation pressures and challenges. On formation of government, we committed ourselves to providing basic services to the people, such as clean water, reasonable housing, healthcare, education, good roads, efficient transport, security, and equally important too, modern telecommunications and postal services. That today even in some of the very remotest villages of South Sudan you can make a phone call is itself a clear testimony that with the continued cooperation and partnership of all major actors, including the private sector, even the said challenges can be overcome as today attests. Ø As the dynamics of the global and regional economies evolve, information and communication has become an indispensible pillar for competitiveness as well as a growth-engine. South Sudan has to play catch-up with the global trends, and today marks a major milestone. Recognizing the importance of communications & ICTs in socio-economic development, wealth generation, job creation, poverty alleviation, and citizen’s access to government services, the Government promptly issued policy and regulatory guidelines to stimulate sector growth. It is our declared policy to promote investment, private sector development, and to espouse partnerships (including public-private-people-partnerships) that are recognized as important elements in meeting the millennium development goals (MDGs). This is part of why from day one, we decided that private enterprise was the way to go for our telecommunications sector, hence the five licensed operators. Ø In anticipation of a positive referendum vote, the Government tasked me to travel to Guadalajara, Mexico to to meet the Secretary General of the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), and also to attend the meeting of its highest decision-making body (Plenipotentiary), which convenes every four years. The Secretary-General, himself an African (heading this oldest UN Agency for the first time since inception in 1865) assured me that should the People of South Sudan vote for separation, he would issue the country code within 48 hours (i.e. two days). In fact, when this happened, he long beat the self-set deadline; he instead issued the country code within 2 hours of the UN General Assembly recognition of South Sudan. The ITU also was one of the VERY first organizations to congratulate our President and the People of South Sudan. To deepen our friendship further, I am pleased to inform my countrymen and women, and indeed our friends here present that yesterday, a very high-powered delegation from the ITU ended a 3-day visit to South Sudan – yet another historic visit as we join the Global Community. Ø The one question most people ask me these days is “When are we going to use our country code?”. To ease the pressure on our engineers and ensure the new code is implemented with razor-precision, I ensured the public that the country code will become operational by 15th December. Indeed, that is the absolute deadline I gave to the operators also. I am much delighted that the Green Network has broken that set record by leaps and bounds. It is now incumbent upon each and every one of us to inform our friends and allies of the transition to our new country code. You will recall that we now have a very easy, and lucky number ‘211’; don’t forget the 1st month of the year 2011 was when South Sudanese voted decisively for separation! And today we launch also the new code on first day of the month. I want to request all of us here present today to give a hearty clap to ITU for having favoured us with our number of choice. Few nations enjoyed this privilege! Ø In the same vein, join me in congratulating Gemtel for once more leading the way to hasten the implementation of this new country code. Finally, I want to request you to join me also in congratulating and indeed thanking the Government and People of Uganda for having permitted us to use their “+256” code at a time our own then regulator could not! Ø Distinguished Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen: I cannot sit down before I inform you that we have also received our Alpha-numeric Country Codes “SS” (Alpha-2) and “SSD” (Alpha-3) from the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), and will soon be advising you of arrangements to implement our Internet domain (dotSS). As you may have heard, these Alpha-codes have many applications, including the national currency (SSP) and passports (SSD), among others. In the same vein, we are advanced with arrangements to join the Universal Postal Union (UPU) that will permit Juba to have its own International Postal Exchange for mail and parcel delivery. Ø As for today, enjoy our new country code. Long live the Republic of South Sudan. Long live President Salva Kiir. Long live Gemtel. South Sudan Oyee!.. +211 Oyee!.. Gemtel Oyee!.. The People and Friends of South Sudan Oyee!.. Shukran! --- end ----

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Vin Cerf @ ihub: Internet Oldies meeting young techies
by Grace Githaiga 02 Oct '11

02 Oct '11

Vin Cerf at ihub: Internet Oldies meeting young techies By Mutwiri Mutuota NAIROBI, Kenya, September 29- The pioneers of the information age met with their young disciples on Thursday in an eye opening assembly held as a side event of the ongoing 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi. The session was held appropriately at a venue where technologists, investors, tech companies and hackers congregate in Nairobi, known as iHub, the global IT gurus led by Google vice-president and one of the acknowledged founders of the internet, Vint Cerf. “The enormous social impact of the internet was evident even before the e-mail was invented in 1971. Now, internet and mobile technology drives the world and the potential for industry are limitless,” Cerf stated in one of his moving insights into the gift his invention alongside Bob Khan in the early 70s gifted the world. While re-counting in detail how the thesis developed by the two computer scientists turned to be a tool that billions transact their daily lives almost 30 years on, Cerf challenged Africa to be at the forefront of capitalising on the expanding cloud computing opportunities for business and economic growth. As young techies gathered scrambled to store the large volume of information being passed from the living IT icon, the gathering also proved to be a think tank on the next generation innovations that will maintain the info age bubble. “I hope than on January 1, 2013, IPv6 will be turned on to run alongside IPv4 to mark exactly 30 years since internet was turned on. I’m so excited and I cannot wait for this to be realised," Cerf enthused. For the uninitiated, Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next edition that is designed to succeed the 32-bit predecessor, IPv4 and it will see the Internet operating by transferring data between hosts in small packets that are independently routed across networks. The award winning Google vice-president who joined the tech giant in 2005, said the company had designed products specific to the needs of Africans with the continent’s native languages incorporated to make them appeal to all spectrums of the populations. “We have made it easy for African businesses to advertise on Google Ads by developing the system that sees users pay for the adverts once they are clicked on. This model has appealed to many enterprises particularly those in Africa,” Cerf offered. He added: “We continue to encourage more user friendly content and creating volume for locally generated content since I believe content generated in Africa for example should circulate within Africa, not through Europe or America.” Adel El Zaim from the Global Alliance for ICT and Development in the UN Department of Economic and Social Affairs who was also in the assembly dwelt on the economic aspect of the advancements in information technology. “It is the responsibility of individual entrepreneurs to archive their data on the internet but research on how content is being uploaded, the risks that posses and how it is stored and privacy should be done to give the correct picture on the risks,” said El Zaim. “Cloud computing should be opened up to be free to all but there is need for reaching acceptable level of internet and mobile technology. There is also need to understand better how technology can be used and for business opportunity in Africa, local content products should be offered by using local languages,” he added. Laura Abba, who was involved in the RINAF project mooted in the 90s that was tailored to usher Africa into the ICT age recalled the efforts that were spearheaded by the UN led initiative that fast tracked internet development in the continent. “Today the internet is no longer about the infrastructure but the content. When we started this project, 90 percent of content concerning Africa was generated in Europe and other parts of the world but this has changed and should be encouraged,” Abba told the gathering. Engineer James Rege, the Member of Kenyan Parliament for Karachuonyo Constituency who is one of the first IT specialists in the country observed that Africa and Kenya in particular was catching up in IT innovations. “However, there is need for democracy in communication. Development of ICT in Africa has been hampered by political hurdles and they need to be freed,” Rege advised. “Even old women in Karachuonyo have email accounts and I urge tech companies such as Google to view Kenya as a remote part coming up and should help it advance,” the legislator added. He singled out the Kenya ICT Board for the positive steps it had taken to ensure the country was in tune with development as well as generation of local content for the Internet. Kaburu Kobia, who is in charge of generating local content at the board acknowledged more Kenyans were contributing content conversant to them particularly in social networks such as Facebook. There was concern about ownership of data in the cloud. “At Google we believe you own your data. With cloud computing, there will be substantial amount of support since data will be shattered into small pieces,” Cerf explained. Cloud computing will see shared resources, software, and information provided to computers and other devices as a utility like the electricity over a network. “We need to find standards where clouds can communicate with each other, use the high speeds between them in the backbone of the internet to transfer data and I’m very much in favour of use of clouds for this purposes". “But with concerns on cyber security, we all need to ensure it is compliant with the rules in the jurisdiction they operate with the kind of protection people should have,” the tech sage added. ----------------KICTANet----------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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Use ICTs to resolve food problems in Kenya
by Grace Githaiga 30 Sep '11

30 Sep '11

Use ICTs to resolve food problems in Kenya By Mutwiri Mutuota Nairobi, Kenya, September 30- Kenya can solve her food deficit problems by incorporating ICT in agriculture to stem the over reliance on erratic natural rainfall patterns currently favoured by most rural farmers. Ministry of Information and Communication Permanent Secretary, Dr. Bitange Ndemo urged the country’s universities to lead the way by using their land as models of how IT can realise the dream to eradicate drought. “The Government has already done the entire mapping of the country’s soils, and good use of the data can inform farmers when it is most appropriate to for example to plant potatoes, wheat or maize,” Ndemo told students from various Kenyan universities during an IGF Public lecture on Friday. Ndemo was emphatic that “the highest productivity in the farms will only be achieved when we incorporate advancements made in the information technology sector that can be used to create knowledge on hunger trends and food security solutions”. Turning to institutions of higher learning, Ndemo cited the Egerton University of Agriculture as a centre that could hatch a solution to the raving drought that continues to bite the country particularly in the Northern and Southern parts. “The Universities possess 2GB broadband and 5000 acres of land, and if these two resources were adequately used, Egerton could generate enough revenue to subsidise fees and research for their students as well as offering solutions to farmers countrywide.” The former ICT lecturer at University of Nairobi turned to his Alma Mater stating they could also take up the challenge in dairy farming since they possess enough land for agrarian research as well. “We must be able to see the opportunities that exist to solve the food shortage problem through research by using the available data and convert it to knowledge.” Shifting to the impact of the ICT evolution on governance, Ndemo observed that democracies in the world were feeling threatened by the rise of integration through Internet social media platform. “Only recently, Britain, one of the most stable democracies in the world almost shut down social media after the incidents in London, illustrating how governments are becoming increasingly confused by development of the democratic space in the Internet.” He stressed the need for governments to formulate policies aimed at bringing them in tandem with the unlimited freedoms of expression available on the internet. -------------------------KICTANet-----------------------------------------

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The 6th Internet Governance Forum Concludes
by Grace Githaiga 30 Sep '11

30 Sep '11

The 6th Internet Governance Forum Concludes By Mutwiri Mutuota Nairobi, Kenya, September 30- The 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) concluded in Nairobi on Friday as multiple stakeholders in the IT sector laid out the foundations of future global engagement in the ever expanding industry. Concerns on cyber security, the shift in Internet Protocols, the rapidly expanding mobile phone sector, IT and commerce, social impact of the growth, Internet content and the next generation innovations that will propel the next phase of the information age dominated the discussion forums. Over 2000 delegates from more than 100 countries, representing Governments, the private sector, civil society, the Internet community, International organizations and the media have been meeting in Nairobi since Tuesday. Their brief was to examine cross-border Internet governance challenges. This was the first IGF to be held in sub-Saharan Africa. “The Nairobi IGF was significant since Kenya has made significant progress in implementing internet development. What we have understood in the past three days is that everyone has an equal opportunity in the internet,” Vint Cerf, the pioneer of the Internet and Google vice-president noted. The IGF charted the policies needed by governments worldwide to position the globe as it prepares to usher in new frontiers in the ICT technology such as IPv6, O3B and Cloud Computing among others. Presentations, reports and statements emphasised the need to ensure cyber security what with everyday lives becoming more and more dependent on ICT particularly in the mobile phone sector. The IGF noted that women and children were at particular risk as governments and private sector agreed to forge partnerships to ensure the vulnerable groups continued to enjoy the benefits of the technological advancements. World bodies such as the International Chamber of Commerce as well as local and international leading tech companies such as Google, AT&T, Safaricom and Kenya Data Network gave input on the economic and financial implications in ICT development. Among the resolutions arrived at during the 6th IGF, is that stakeholders resolved to press policy makers to ensure there were no restrictions of the use and accessibility of the Internet with acceptable legal framework policies to protect users and innovators from cyber crime. The proactive role women were playing in the IT explosion was acknowledged with one forum in the IGF dedicated to discussing women’s integration in the Internet growth and development. “In Taiwan for example, more women are using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to report cases of domestic violence and their voices are being heard,” an APC representative told the forum. Being hosted in Africa, the 6th IGF challenged the continent to be at the forefront of capitalising on the open Internet to create applications and generate local content to suit their need. “Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa have shown leadership in innovation. In the developed world and we are seeing a shift of innovation from the South to the West and this levels the playing field if ultimately replicated worldwide with the world doing business,” Gabriel Solomon, the Head of Public Policy at GSMA, the worldwide umbrella body for all mobile phone operators said. Education and more research on ICT were not far off the deliberations as the conundrum that is the Internet continues to demand more and more inventions with the world becoming a digital pot. While most of the participants agreed that the Nairobi IGF was an overwhelming success, it remains the challenge for all stakeholders to ensure the implementation of the hundreds of policy ideas meant at ensuring compatibility to new information systems. --------------------KICTANet---------------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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Be innovators: Kenyan Universities Challenged
by Grace Githaiga 30 Sep '11

30 Sep '11

Be innovators: Kenyan Universities Challenged By Mutwiri Mutuota NAIROBI, Kenya, September 30- Kenyan universities have been challenged to play their role as innovators of internet applications and content to spur the country’s economic growth through the rapidly expanding global ICT sector. This was the keynote message delivered by the eminent panel that addressed University Students during a Public Lecture at Nairobi’s Kenyatta International Conference Centre, organised by the Kenya’s Internet Governance Forum (IGF) Steering Committee. The eminent panellists were Vint Cerf, one of the co-founders of the Internet and vice-president of tech giant Google, Fernando Perini, the Senior Programme Officer at the IDRC, Jeff Bruegmann of American Communications AT&T and Bitange Ndemo, the Permanent Secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Information and Communications. “The Internet is a highly distributed de-centralised communication system where everybody has an equal opportunity to use and the potential it holds for economic empowerment is enormous,” Cerf, who together with Bob Khan are acknowledged as the fathers of the internet said. “With advancements in cloud computing, mobile internet and shift in Internet Protocols giving rise to devices that can become part of the internet; it creates an interesting set of opportunities that can accommodate a new range of products and devices,” he added. Cerf underscored the importance of research and education as governments continue to lay the necessary infrastructure to support the new age of ICT that will see the Internet capacity increased in the near future. “Systems such as IPv6 and 03B networks are almost here with us and there is an available market for applications that is not confined to any market. I’m enthusiastic about the possibilities that exist to such young people as you.” The Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6) is the next edition that is designed to succeed the 32-bit predecessor, IPv4 and it will see the Internet operating by transferring data between hosts in small packets that are independently routed across networks. Similarly, the O3B system that will involve 12 satellites is aimed at making the internet accessible to the ‘Other 3 Billion’ people without broadband access to making the total number of net users reach 5 billion, half of the projected world population by 2015. In his remarks Bruegmann stressed mobility is the future for IT networks with 1 billion mobile users worldwide that constitutes half of the internet users. He added research into IT needs to be re-taught at the university level since existing journals had been overtaken by development, citing the Ushahidi Forum in Kenya as a model example. “There are many creative industries such as music, movies, publishing and gaming with cheap gadgets for consumer being made that create potential for new developments,” Bruegmann stated. “Transformation to new systems is not enough. There is need to understand new business models, what networks we want in future and the power and possibilities available in the community.” While stating the IGF as an example of how values in the global Internet are maintained with greater freedoms of expression, privacy and increased access of the web, Perin said there were key issues that the world needed to grasp as it makes transformations in technology. “We need to discuss the relationship between governance, the open science required, creative industries and cyber security,” he said. With 220,000 plus students in Kenyan universities believed to own smart phones, Ndemo expressed concern that the community was not leading the nation in coming up with inventions required to place their country on the economic ICT path. “It’s my hope that what you learn here will make you walk out and make money. We need to emulate the US university fraternity that has brought forth billion dollar IT inventions such as Google, Yahoo! And Facebook,” the American trained former IT lecturer challenged. He added: “This is the time for you since the moment you hit 26 and get married, it is said you can no longer invent anything. The government has done well in building broadband infrastructure and supported universities with up to 2GB bandwidth.” Ndemo further pressed them to establish You Tube channels for their lecturers to aid in the generation of local content as well as in monitoring the knowledge they are receiving from their tutors. “The Government has released so much of its data under the Open Government policy and what we need is someone to package this as an application that can compile it for release. This is an opportunity our universities can capitalise on to generate revenue.” ----------------------------KICTANet-------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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Shaking a leg at IGF Gala night
by Grace Githaiga 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Shaking a leg at IGF Gala night By Mutwiri Mutuota NAIROBI, Kenya, September 29- Techies worldwide are known more for their devoted love of gadgets and fiddling with the same for hours on end. However, they too have their human side and on Wednesday night, participants at the 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi tucked away their laptops, iPhones, iPads and any portable electronic gadget at their disposal to put their best foot forward. The occasion was the gala opening of the IGF hosted by the Kenyan government where only intermitted short speeches (tech savvy folk prefer to do most of their talking by fingers, mind you) interrupted the explosion of fan. Top Kenyan Ministry of Information and Communication led by the minister, Samuel Poghisio, his Permanent Secretary, Dr. Bitange Demo and Alice Munyua, the chair, Kenya IGF Steering Committee are among those that addressed the gathering. Participants from all over the world then got down to sample the best Kenyan cuisine prepared by the famed Carnivore Restaurant of the Tamarind Group in a buffet package served from seven points that sampled delicacies from coastal communities in Kenya. The Village Band was at hand and belted out local traditional tunes as the international guests took the opportunity to engage in social banter away from computer related talk. And once peoples tummies were full, it was time to be entertained by an enchanting mix of African pop tunes that simply drove the crowd to frenzy. Young techies relished the moment to display their dancing skills as songs from various ethnic communities in Kenya including Kalenjin, Agikuyu, Akamba, Abaluhya and Dhuluo, as well as popular numbers from Nigeria, Uganda and Liberia among others blazed the speakers. “This is the chance we wanted to give all our visitors to sample what Kenya has to offer,” Poghisio said in his brief remarks. For sure, the Gala that earned rave reviews for those who made to the giant tent gave a credible rendition of the vibrancy of the Kenyan society to echo the advancements in information technology that are seeing the development of ever miniature gadgets. Sheila Mwanyigha, a celebrated Kenyan media personality was the Emcee of the night that most visitors at the 6th IGF will remember. ----------KICTANet-------------------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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capital and economic empowerment discussion @igf
by Grace Githaiga 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Capital and economic empowerment By Mutwiri Mutotia NAIROBI, Kenya, September 29- One of the revolving assertions in the ongoing 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi is the linkage between information technology and business. In many sittings at the IGF, making capital and economic empowerment for businesses and ordinary people has resonated across the plenary as stakeholders in IT and commerce seek the way forward. In one of the sessions, the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC), the world business organisation delivered its message to the IGF where it spelt out its measures aimed at accelerating the realisation of the global tech and economic development agenda. Under its Business Action to Support the Information Society (BASIS) initiative, ICC stated its continued commitment to supporting the IGF. “The strength of the multi-stakeholder IGF model is that it brings together governments, business, the internet technical community, civil society and international and inter-governmental representatives with all participants in equal footing,” the report presented to the 2011 IGF emphasised. It called on governments to be fully incorporated in the information development strategy formulation for rapid realisation of the stated goals. “Engaging governments from around the world in Internet policy discussions is essential to ensure informed policymaking and decisions by stakeholders.” On national and regional IGF initiatives, the ICC said, “Business applauds the growing number of national and regional initiatives that have characterised the IGF. These initiatives give national and regional stakeholders the opportunity to discuss internet governance issues from national and regional perspectives.” The report underscored the benefits of the implementation of sound IGF policies on development and business contributions. “Effective internet related policies from both supply and demand perspectives improve economic recovery and growth as evidenced by the many national stimulus packages that include Internet and initiatives linked to ICTs.” It cited from the McKinsey & Company estimates that a ten percent in broadband household penetration delivers a boost to the country’s GDP that ranges from 0.1 to 1.4 percent as well as the Booz & Company findings that ten percent higher broadband penetration in a specific year correlates to a 1.5 percent greater labour productivity growth in the next five years to illustrate the assertion. “An environment that enables the development of new business models is the way to attract investment, promote innovation, build necessary infrastructures to cope with the booming data traffic and bring the benefits of the next billion internet users,” ICC intoned. The chamber however, urged policy makers to ensure the Internet growth is not checked by state or any other intervention. “Business strongly agrees that the growth and stability of the international Internet backbone infrastructure is best served when Internet interconnection agreements are left to competition forces. “In fact, business encourages the promotion of the open and interconnected nature of the internet as it fosters industries and new business models.” And in living up to one of the major concerns of the 6th IGF, that of cyber security, ICC threw its weight behind efforts geared towards ensuring Internet consumers are protected from elements keen on criminalising the web. “Business considers it crucial for lawful intercept laws and regulations to be clear and for associated regulatory processes to be transparent in order to avoid uncertain lawful intercept obligations to be a deterrent to Communication Service Providers seeking to innovate, enter or remain in new markets.” On mobile internet services, the Chamber prescribed, “Governments and regulators should adequately plan for the expanding demand for mobile broadband data to ensure that sufficient spectrum is available to support the increasing demands.” ICC offered its backing for the Internationalised Domain Names (IDNs) saying they would foster an inclusive, democratic, legitimate, respectful and locally empowering Information Society. On the forthcoming switch from IPv4 to IPv6 with the two internet protocol systems planned to co-exist for a few years, the business organisation called for government support for the adaptation stating; “The integration of IPv6 does not have a hard deadline like the system changes as Y2K did, but it is essential to prioritise its deployment to ensure that it occurs on time and inter-working with IPv4 to be accommodated.” ---------------------KICTANet--------------------------------- ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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Social Impact of mobile phone
by Grace Githaiga 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Social Impact of mobile phone By Mutwiri Mutuota NAIROBI, Kenya, September 27- In the often stated world order, innovation is ‘ordained’ to flow from Western nations to their Southern counterparts. However, the mobile phone industry has provided the South, particularly Sub-Saharan Africa, the rare opportunity to impart on their illustrious Western counterparts pioneering advancements in Information and Communication Technology (ICT) that if replicated worldwide, the social impact would be astronomical. On Monday night, a report released by GSMA, the umbrella body of all mobile phone operators worldwide in Nairobi spelt out the staggering scale of what Government initiatives aimed at promoting mobile phone use can have on their populations. The GSMA conducted two studies, titled Mobile Telephony and Taxation in Kenya and Mobile Taxation: Surtaxes on International Incoming Traffic where the positive and inhibitive impact government policy can have on the advancements of the industry were spelt out. In the first report, the decision by the Kenyan government in June 2009 to exempt mobile handsets from Value Added Tax (VAT, pegged at 16 percent in the country) spurred unprecedented growth in the industry that in turn accelerated economic growth. That pronouncement was made by the country’s Minister for Finance, Uhuru Kenyatta, tucked in his long annual budget speech and its importance was lost at the moment. “The social impact has been astounding. Economic growth has been boosted by eight percent in Kenya as an example with services such as M-Pesa and Airtel Money making such a huge difference in people’s lives,” Gabriel Solomon, the Head of Public Policy at GSMA said. He was alluding to the mobile money transfer services pioneered by Kenya’s leading communication service provider, Safaricom (M-Pesa) and rivals Airtel (Airtel Money) who followed suit with the concept catching on worldwide. “It has improved production efficiency and social cohesion tremendously and such an impact can be replicated worldwide if mobile phone and mobile broadband technology is adopted worldwide,” Solomon added. According to the report, the economic impact of the growth in mobile telephony in Kenya has seen contribution to the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) shoot up by whooping 250 percent since 2006 with the industry expected to churn some $3b (Ksh300 billion) or 5.6 percent of the entire GDP to the nation’s breadbasket in 2011. The decision to slash VAT on mobile handsets has led to a 200 percent growth in sales in the past two years. It also saw the market expand to include two other Mobile Network Operators (MNOs) namely Orange and Essar (YU Mobile) added to the Safaricom and Airtel duopoly. The corresponding price drop on the handset pegged at 70 percent has seen mobile coverage increase to cover 96 percent of the population, one of the highest penetration rates worldwide. “Kenya and sub-Saharan Africa have shown to be leaders in innovation in the developed world and we are seeing a shift of innovation from the South to the West and this levels the playing field if ultimately replicated worldwide with the world doing business,” Solomon remarked. Subsequently, MNOs in the country have played their part in motivating the growth in productivity of the country’s economy as a whole by contributing such increases by providing services such as mobile banking, M-Agriculture and M-Education in addition to initiating a number of social projects in Kenya’s rural areas. Events such as the annual Safaricom Lewa Marathon held at the Lewa Downs Wildlife Conservancy where besides promotion of the rare black Rhino at the 5,000 acre lush of Savannah in Northern Kenya, the race also raises money for eradication of eye disease trachoma among the nomadic Samburu community. “The experience of the Kenyan government’s removal on taxation on handsets indicates there could be significant benefits for consumers from removal of mobile specific taxes,” the report features. On the other side of the spectrum, the second study on Surtaxes on International Incoming Traffic (SIIT) illustrated the adverse effects state levies on mobile telephony were having on particularly rural African society that continues to be left behind by the digital boom. Gabon and Congo Brazzaville have borne the brunt of the introduction of SIIT by their governments with the price of inbound mobile call traffic rising by 111 and 82 percent in that order. “MNO in Senegal noted that the number of international call minutes terminated on its network decreased each month the taxation is in place when the prices rose by 50 percent,” the report cited. Similar reversals were witnessed in Ghana where prices rose by 58 percent when SIIT was introduced where in addition to the reduction of incoming calls, operators in African countries are reciprocating by higher termination prices. Of more worrying concerns, the findings state, “Operators have reported significant cases of illegal traffic since the introduction of SIIT. This takes away the revenue from operators and governments since illegal SIM boxes work in a way that congests a disproportionate amount of spectrum and reduces the average quality of service for illegal calls.” “Governments should liberate the mobile phone industry to allow private sector investment for the benefit of the consumer as Kenya demonstrated by dropping the tax on mobile phone handsets,” Solomon asserts. During the launch of the report where Kenya was cited as a model example of government’s active involvement in advancing mobile telephony, the country’s Information and Communication Minister, Samuel Poghisio, noted; “The world should think of mobile technology as an agent of social development and there is need to worry about cyber security and such steps are for the sake of mankind.” While proclaiming the country was in the process of rolling out an ambitious M-Education and M-Health programme, he added, “We should think of the mobile phone as an agent of rural development.” While the figures stated above are beyond the comprehension of the commoner, Jane Mwai, who owns a small stall for mobile phone handsets and accessories in Kinoo, a settlement 15km from Nairobi’s Central District perhaps best sums the impact of devices whose stated average weight are given between 200 to 800 grams. “Before I ventured into mobile phone business three years ago, I used to operate a shop on this very premises that was not bringing much and I had to rely more on my husband,” she narrates. “However, since I changed to phones, I’m making enough to keep me going and with my savings, I’m looking forward to opening another stall in Kikuyu (some 5km away). Every day, there is a new mobile product in the market and customers are always there so I made the right choice,” she added. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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The death of print media
by robert yawe 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Hi All, I have finally realised that the print media is dead for all intent but the distribution of political propaganda here is my proof; 5 years ago I could place an advert in the classified section of the Nation or Standard newspapers and receive over 500 responses, 2 years ago I would place a one eighth page full colour advert only to receive 150 responses, last week a placed a quarter page advert in the Nation and only received 5 responses. Interestingly, I placed a link on facebook and my website received over 700 hits within 4 hours, that's the final straw I will no longer spend a penny on print advertising and fully embrace online. 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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Public Lecture for University Students with Dr. Vint Cerf Father of the Internet - September 30, 2011 9 -11 am
by Barrack Otieno 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Dear Listers, The 6th IGF Steering Committee in conjunction with KENET invites you to a public lecture at the KICC tomorrow (30th September) starting from 8.30am to noon. The meeting is open to the Public, the theme being Broadband Internet and the New World Wide Web - Opportunities for Student Led innovations and entrepreneurship. Dr vincent Vint Cerf will give a talk on the future of the Internet in Africa - Lessons from the US University Community. The agenda for this lecture can be found here: http://igf.or.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=… Kind Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno -- Barrack O. Otieno Afriregister Ltd (Kenya) www.afrire <http://www.afriregister.com>gister.bi, www.afriregister.com<http://www.afriergister.com> <http://www.afriregister.com>ICANN accredited registrar +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Re: [kictanet] Public Lecture for University Students - September 30, 2011 9 -11 am
by Barrack Otieno 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Dear Listers, The 6th IGF Steering Committee in conjunction with KENET invites you to a public lecture at the KICC tomorrow (30th September) starting from 8.30am to noon. The meeting is open to the Public, the theme being Broadband Internet and the New World Wide Web - Opportunities for Student Led innovations and entrepreneurship The agenda for this lecture can be found here: http://igf.or.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=category&layout=blog&id=… Kind Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno

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Mentorship Talks @iHub - Saturday
by Phares Kariuki 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

For anyone interested... This Saturday at iHub, from 9 am... 1. *Jyoti Mukherjee - Founder & CEO of IST Limited,* one of the largest Oracle resellers/trainers/integrators in EA. Will be talking about her entrepreneurial journey. 2.* Suru Shah - Founder & Chairman - Blowplast Limited.* Will be giving a talk on how he built the business, work ethics and personal ethics. Blowplast is a plastic manufacturer that has grown to revenues approaching 3 Billion KES annually. Additionally, he will be talking about his use of Kaizen & BI to improve business performance, which led to his company to win CoYA IT 2010. -- With Regards, Phares Kariuki | T: +254 720 406 093 | E: pkariuki(a)gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype: kariukiphares | B: http://www.kaboro.com/ |

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Re: [kictanet] Hello - PC* Communications - Event consultancy
by Muthoni Masinde 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Thank you very much Priya, Please resend the profile; I cant seem to get it. I will then review it and get back to you with the finer details of the Conference. Kind regards, Muthoni On 9/27/11 5:06 PM, "Priya" <priya(a)priyachanacommunications.com> wrote: > Good evening Muthoni > > I received an email from Andrea regarding a conference you need organized. > > Please find attached my company profile. > > Kindly advise a convenient time and date to meet to discuss the details. Upon > the provision of the scope of work we will present you with a cost proposal to > arrange the conference. > > I have copied in Doreen who is my logistic partner on conferences, she and I > will attend the meeting. > > Warm regards, > > > Priya Chana > PC* Communications Ltd > M. 0724 716 397 > M. 0770 300 714 > E. priya(a)priyachanacommunications.com > > PILLAR AWARDS AFRICA http://www.pillarawardsafrica.org > Nominate your heroine today!! send an sms to 4665 - category, name, > mobile number > ie. Entrepreneur, Priya Chana, 0724 716 397 > ~Pillar Awards Africa looking to recognise the everyday Heroine~ > > KENYA BELIEVE IT CHARITY www.kenyabelieveitcharity.org > Do YOUR bit!!! Personal Social Responsibility (c) > > > > > > DISCLAIMER: All the information contained in this e-mail message is strictly > confidential and may be legally privileged. Such information is intended > solely for the use of the designated recipient. Any disclosure, copying or > distribution of all or part of the information contained herein to or by third > parties is prohibited and may be unlawful. PC* Communications Limited accepts > no liability for the contents of this message or attachments therein whether > official or personal. PC* Communications Limited reserves the right to monitor > all e-mail communications through its networks. Please note that any opinions, > express or implied, presented are solely those of the author and do not > necessarily represent those of PC* Communications Limited. > > If you have received this e-mail message in error please delete it immediately > and notify PC* Communications Limited through e-mail > info(a)priyachanacommunications.com > > > ----------------------------------------- > This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner > <http://www.mailscanner.info/> , and is believed t o be clean. > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI IS ISO CERTIFIED > > The University of Nairobi is committed to providing quality services to all > its clients. The University will monitor and review its quality performance > from time to time through an effective implementation of the Quality > Management System based on ISO 9001:2008 standard. > > University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ > +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ > ----------------------------------------- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ UNIVERSITY OF NAIROBI IS ISO CERTIFIED The University of Nairobi is committed to providing quality services to all its clients. The University will monitor and review its quality performance from time to time through an effective implementation of the Quality Management System based on ISO 9001:2008 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Refugee Camps to Benefit from Resource Centers
by Grace Githaiga 29 Sep '11

29 Sep '11

Refugee Camps to Benefit from Resource Centers By Mutwiri Mutotia NAIROBI, Kenya, September 28- Software manufacturing giant, Microsoft Corporation has established three computer resource centres in Kenyan refugee camps to ensure the displaced are in tune with the information technology age. This was disclosed by the company’s senior vice-president, Prad Smith, who led a high powered delegation to the Kenyan deputy leader, Kalonzo Musyoka at his office on Wednesday. “This centres will help them access information about their families and relatives besides helping them access to online education as well as update the refugees in their respective camps on the day-to-day activities in other parts of the world,” Smith proclaimed. He said the organisation was working closely with the United Nations High Commission for Refugees in ensuring that refugees become computer literate. Kenya has borne the majority of refugees fleeing the strife-torn Horn of Africa with the Kakuma and Daadab refugee camps in the Northern part of the country hosting almost a million displaced persons. The Community Technology Learning Centres (CTLC) as the project is known, was mooted in 2003 with the pilot at the Daadab camp that now host close to half a million refugees. CTLCs have also been launched in Afghanistan. But with Kenya hosting the 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) the stalwarts of the global tech industry have taken advantage of the gathering to seek new markets for their products. During the visit, Musyoka lauded the role played by Microsoft in the provision of knowledge, information and communication which is critical to the development of any country. “The Kenyan Government is doing everything possible to ensure that every child in the country gets access to a computer and internet connection as one way of preparing them to face the challenges of the modern world,” the vice-president stressed.

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Thoughts developing at the IGF 2011, 26th to 30th September 2011
by Philip Adar 28 Sep '11

28 Sep '11

Sharing thoughts at the IGF 2011, in Nairobi. http://isoc.org/wp/igf/?cat=4567 -- Regards Philip Adar

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Re: [kictanet] [Shujaa Solutions] Shujaa Solutions - September 2011 Digest
by Sean Moroney 28 Sep '11

28 Sep '11

Hi Michael, Congratulations on the progress you are making in so many different directions. I’d like to invite you to make a presentation on your Apps Store in the Mobile Apps stream of our East Africa ICT Summit over 2-3 November. The programme of confirmed presentations so far is attached for your reference. In addition, would you like to make a short (10-min) Innovation Showcase presentation on the M-Ganga project at our AfriHealth conference over 30 November – 1 December (programme attached) delegates from other countries would also find this interesting and it may open opportunities for collaboration across the region. I hope you can contribute to both conferences and look forward to having your response. Regards, Sean Moroney Chairman AITEC Africa seanm(a)aitecafrica.com UK Tel: +44(0)1480-880774 UK Fax: +44(0)1480-880765 UK Mobile: +44(0)7973-499224 Skype: seanmoroney www.aitecafrica.com From: shujaa-bounces(a)shujaa.co.ke [mailto:shujaa-bounces@shujaa.co.ke] On Behalf Of Michael Wakahe Sent: 28 September 2011 10:33 To: shujaa(a)shujaa.co.ke Subject: [Shujaa Solutions] Shujaa Solutions - September 2011 Digest Greetings folks. It has been a while since I posted on our mailing list but now intend to do so more regularly. A lot has been happening on the local and international scene. In the diaspora we have seen the acquisition of Motorola by Google, the Windows 8 BUILD conference and the exit of Carol Bartz from Yahoo! and Leo Apotheker from HP. The "Kenyans for Kenya" campaign was very successful and goes to show that the solutions for Africa's problems lie in Africa. The shilling has slid against the dollar in a big way and we want our economy restored - "Haki Yetu" ;-) Some of the activities we have had since I last blogged include: * Setting up to be a Premium Rate Services Provider (PRSP) with Airtel Kenya and Safaricom Kenya. This means we are now offering short code, bulk SMS, USSD and IVR services with the mentioned operators. With our Safaricom line, you can send any message to the short code 2024 and will get an automated response from us. The cost is KES 5/- and we will not subscribe you to any services; * I facilitated the module 'Mobile Web' at the Safaricom Academy <http://www.safaricomacademy.org/> this July and August; * We have been applying for various grant requests and competitions including the Kenya ICT Board Grant Round 2 <http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php/component/content/article/74-books/366-grant…> , the Enablis Business Plan Competition 2011 <http://www.businesslaunchpad.co.ke> and the Ashoka Changemakers More Health Competition <https://www.changemakers.com/morehealth/entries/m-ganga-mobile-healer> . This Friday is the deadline for the Orange African Social Venture Prize <http://www.starafrica.com/en/news/orange-african-social-venture-prize/the-c…> and the 2012 Innovation Prize for Africa (IPA); <http://aip.uneca.org/aif> * We were at a training for Safaricom Content Providers this August as we are set up to provide them with mobile apps. I must say kudos to their efforts on creating a content management platform. Am prodding them to release it as soon as they can so that apps can be a big phenomenon here; * As usual working with business partners and seeking collaboration with universities and other institutions. Some of the commercial activities we are now undertaking include: * Revamping our website and social networks to expose our products, activities and social events; * Building up our product dubbed the Shujaa SMS Gateway. This will be our management system for SMS services. Some of the features will be an HTTP API to send and receive SMS, reporting through graphs and email briefs, documentation, SLA and other legals. It will allow you to set up your code to call our API to trigger and receive SMS through the local operators; * We have just formed an exciting team to put out a fully fledged app store under the Mobisoko <http://mobisoko.com/> flagship. The focus is Kenya and then Africa. An app store concept that we developed last year can be seen by clicking this link: http://appstore.shujaa.mobi. With the experiences learnt from this initiative I believe we are well placed to contribute a lot. More details coming soon. On the community side, some upcoming activities include: * I will be a mentor <http://garage48.org/nairobi/mentors> for the Garage48 <http://garage48.org/nairobi> event this Saturday here in Nairobi; * We are putting out the M-Ganga <http://mganga.shujaa.mobi> healthcare project which aims to conserve traditional medicine in our country. We will request for volunteers to use our mobile app to take interviews and photos of medicine men and herbs and submit to the database. This project is inspired by Shikoh Gitau who is now working in Google Kenya. * We will be doing some interviews with players in the tech industry and putting them on our Youtube page. Essentially just to get a feel of the local scene from people in different areas including SME, large corporate and government. Our quote for this month is from Archimedes, a Greek mathematician and inventor (c. 287 BC – c. 212 BC): "Give me a place to stand and with a lever I will move the whole world". I believe IT is our lever for this task and we are standing here in Kenya B-) -- Regards, Michael Wakahe Director, Shujaa Solutions Software & Mobile Land: +254 (0) 20 250 9260 Web: www.shujaa.co.ke Mobile: shujaa.mobi

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Women and Internet Governance @ IGF
by Grace Githaiga 28 Sep '11

28 Sep '11

Women and Internet Governance By Mutwiri Mutuota NAIROBI, Kenya, September 28- While many sectors struggle to achieve gender parity, women have played a proactive role in the development, advancement and consumption of the internet. The Women and Internet Governance session at the 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) in Nairobi recognised and hailed the role female leaders and consumers of ICT have played in the global growth of cyber space. Interventions from some of the world’s leading female ICT policy makers at government and private sector as well as web technology based entrepreneurs acknowledged that women were not shying away from being part and parcel of the digital revolution. The Association of Progressive Communicators (APC) while making an intervention on Women access to the internet for instance, told the meeting that many women in Asia countries such as Taiwan and China had turned to the internet to highlight gender bias and injustices to great effect. “In Taiwan for example, more women are using social networks such as Facebook and Twitter to report cases of domestic violence and their voices are being heard,” an APF representative told the forum. Nigerian entrepreneur, Nnenna Nwakanma stated during her intervention that while women were making significant strides in attaching themselves to the policy making machinery in ICT, there was need to make many more able to generate web content. “We need to create more women to generate content tailored to their needs so that they can enjoy (cyber) space. I’m an example of how one can make a living from churning content for the internet and my firm runs from the table room and kitchen,” she intoned. With millions of women accessing ICT through mobile phones and computers, the cyber world has unfortunately opened another front for gender violence against them. The keynote intervention during the Women and Internet Governance session was the presentation of a report by the Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANET) titled Study on Women and Cyber Crime in Kenya: The Dark Side of ICTS presented by Alice Munyua, Muriuki Mureith and Grace Githaga. It tabled grim findings on how the internet was being used to make women the subject of gender abuse at an alarming scale as Githaiga explained when she presented the report. “Women continue to be at risk of being victims of psychological violence through the internet and mobile technology,” she summed. In her illustration, she recounted the tribulations of Patricia Kihoro, a Kenyan contestant at the reality television show, Tusker Project Fame. “Patricia had to change her Facebook account settings after receiving thousands of hate messages on her inbox after voting out one of the audiences favourites. She told us she was so afraid of moving out to the streets when she returned home the show ended. The other rising technology induced violations of women’s rights was through sending abusive text messages that had evolved to include images with the advent of multimedia enabled phones. “The lack of specific cybercrime/cyber security legislation makes it even more difficult to punish those who use ICTs tools to conduct violence against women. “While, the review of the Kenya Communications Amendment Act, enacted in January 2009, begins to deal with the problem, it does not explicitly deal with all cyber crime and cyber security issues on the person and specifically women,” Githaga quoted the expansive report commissioned last year. With all present resolving to press for enactment of policies to safeguard women from cyber crime, Eunice Kariuki of the Kenya ICT Board stressed the urgent need to develop programmes to ensure global e-justice. “We need more women leaders in IT space as a lasting intervention to ensure e-justice. Women leaders in ICT will play a key role in formulation of policies meant to safeguard their interests in addition to making the advancements more user friendly to them,” Kariuki said. Drawing from her personal experience, she conceded the path towards ensuring gender parity in ICT was still long. The KICTANET report highlighted, “Cyber violence is more difficult for police to handle because people do it in the privacy of their homes. People can use the internet and email facilities wherever they find themselves and in this way hide what they do. It can be anonymous and therefore more dangerous.” “There is need to ensure a proper balance between the interests of law enforcement and respect for fundamental human rights. Such rights also include the right to freedom of expression and the rights concerning the respect for privacy,” it recommends. Alice Munyua, the Chair of Kenya IGF Steering Committee lead the women present in paying tribute to the late Nobel peace laureate Wangari Maathai. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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Re: [kictanet] Kalonzo Opens the IGF
by meshack emakunat 28 Sep '11

28 Sep '11

Dear lister. I find the issue of protecting the children on the internet of great importance especially in an african setting considering the igf is being held right here in africa. If we want to have ict for development in a set up that is opinionated on a more traditional foundation of moral ethics, then the issue of moral ethics has to be adressed in policy fomulation and advocacy. We heard from mr. Karim Toure from gambia that people dont take there children to school not because of any other reason but they just shun the western education. regards. On Tue Sep 27th, 2011 4:44 PM PDT Grace Githaiga wrote: > > > >Kalonzo Opens the IGF > >NAIROBI, Kenya, September 27- Kenya’s vice President Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday underscored the importance of internet and related technologies as a potential tool for economic growth and social change. > >Musyoka consequently noted that internet has played critical role in the promotion of good governance through access to information thus restoring the public trust in political process. > >Addressing the ongoing 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at the United Nations Office in Nairobi as it marked its official opening, the deputy leader stated, “This significant development creatively interfaced with mobile telephony can achieve enormous results in record time and to a great majority.” > >Kalonzo stressed the net has become an indispensable facet of modern day life and singled out information and education resource, commerce, employment, design and deployment of efficient administrative systems and access to public and official information as some of the benefits. > >The Vice president observed that access to knowledge, information and communication is critical to the development of any country and initiatives such as the Open Data Portal could give great impetus to public participation in translating government data and information into a reservoir of development ideas. > >He underscored the need for concerted effort in tackling emergent cyber-based security issues as he urged all stakeholders to come up with innovative ways of protecting children online. > > “I call upon all stakeholders to pay special attention to protect children on line as well as develop ways to address other forms of attacks against the integrity of the infrastructure, networks and services of the internet” Mr. Musyoka said. > >The three-day IGF, the first in Sub-Saharan Africa has the theme of “Internet as a catalyst for change, Access, Development, Freedom and Innovation and has drawn over 1,500 participants from across the world to share ideas on the emerging trends in the cyber world. > >“The impact continues to have dramatic effects including the overwhelmingly successful mobile telephony cash transfer platform M-Pesa pioneered in Kenya a few years ago. In Kenya, we have made great strides towards making Internet accessibility readily and cost effectively available to every region in the country,” he stated. > >He said this had been possible by the installation of three undersea fibre optic cables along the coast of East Africa. > >The Vice President added that the fibre connectivity via long-distance wireless communication technologies such as WiMAX and 3G has increased internet access tremendously, and encouraged more initiatives and partnership on the use of the internet for development purposes and in particular, in areas such as healthcare and education. > >He told the IT experts to come up with innovative programmes that will make the internet the watershed of ideas that will determine how effectively human capital, talents, skills and other resources could provide solutions to challenges facing them. > >Musyoka lauded the Kenya Internet Governance Forum for actively representing Kenya in all Internet governance processes. > > >----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- >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! >

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Kalonzo Opens the IGF
by Grace Githaiga 27 Sep '11

27 Sep '11

Kalonzo Opens the IGF NAIROBI, Kenya, September 27- Kenya’s vice President Kalonzo Musyoka on Tuesday underscored the importance of internet and related technologies as a potential tool for economic growth and social change. Musyoka consequently noted that internet has played critical role in the promotion of good governance through access to information thus restoring the public trust in political process. Addressing the ongoing 6th Internet Governance Forum (IGF) at the United Nations Office in Nairobi as it marked its official opening, the deputy leader stated, “This significant development creatively interfaced with mobile telephony can achieve enormous results in record time and to a great majority.” Kalonzo stressed the net has become an indispensable facet of modern day life and singled out information and education resource, commerce, employment, design and deployment of efficient administrative systems and access to public and official information as some of the benefits. The Vice president observed that access to knowledge, information and communication is critical to the development of any country and initiatives such as the Open Data Portal could give great impetus to public participation in translating government data and information into a reservoir of development ideas. He underscored the need for concerted effort in tackling emergent cyber-based security issues as he urged all stakeholders to come up with innovative ways of protecting children online. “I call upon all stakeholders to pay special attention to protect children on line as well as develop ways to address other forms of attacks against the integrity of the infrastructure, networks and services of the internet” Mr. Musyoka said. The three-day IGF, the first in Sub-Saharan Africa has the theme of “Internet as a catalyst for change, Access, Development, Freedom and Innovation and has drawn over 1,500 participants from across the world to share ideas on the emerging trends in the cyber world. “The impact continues to have dramatic effects including the overwhelmingly successful mobile telephony cash transfer platform M-Pesa pioneered in Kenya a few years ago. In Kenya, we have made great strides towards making Internet accessibility readily and cost effectively available to every region in the country,” he stated. He said this had been possible by the installation of three undersea fibre optic cables along the coast of East Africa. The Vice President added that the fibre connectivity via long-distance wireless communication technologies such as WiMAX and 3G has increased internet access tremendously, and encouraged more initiatives and partnership on the use of the internet for development purposes and in particular, in areas such as healthcare and education. He told the IT experts to come up with innovative programmes that will make the internet the watershed of ideas that will determine how effectively human capital, talents, skills and other resources could provide solutions to challenges facing them. Musyoka lauded the Kenya Internet Governance Forum for actively representing Kenya in all Internet governance processes. ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 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!

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Uwezo app
by Ory Okolloh 27 Sep '11

27 Sep '11

Is there a link somewhere to the app? Thanks, Ory On Thu, Sep 22, 2011 at 7:24 PM, <kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke>wrote: > Send kictanet mailing list submissions to > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > To subscribe or unsubscribe via the World Wide Web, visit > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > or, via email, send a message with subject or body 'help' to > kictanet-request(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > You can reach the person managing the list at > kictanet-owner(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > > When replying, please edit your Subject line so it is more specific > than "Re: Contents of kictanet digest..." > > > Today's Topics: > > 1. Vizualisations on Student Teacher Ratio (bitange(a)jambo.co.ke) > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Thu, 22 Sep 2011 20:32:02 +0300 (EAT) > From: bitange(a)jambo.co.ke > To: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Cc: k-internetusers(a)bdix.net, KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: [kictanet] Vizualisations on Student Teacher Ratio > Message-ID: > <244efa5e3b9fafd3b7abd46be35c5c81.squirrel(a)mail.jambo.co.ke> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" > > Listers, > Uwezo has deveoped a visualization tool on the distribution of teachers in > the country. If you carefully review this piece of open data, you will > find that teachers had no case in the recent strike threat. What is > disturbing is the growing number of decisions made without proper > scientific methods. > > I am glad media tried to dismiss the teachers' case. What the public did > not know is that once the contract teachers are confirmed, the same union > officials will demand transfers for their relatives from marginal areas > (often with teacher deficit) to surplus regions. They will then use > marginal or deficit areas to ask for more recruitments. The cycle will > continue. Further the union dues will increase but education in marginal > areas will decline. > > Can we be ever embrace rational approaches to decision making especially > on critical development programmes? Where I come from teachers have > outsourced their services as they do their businesses or visit relatives > in far flung areas as in the US. KNUT knows this and nobody bears > responsibility on the declining standards. There is no performance > apparisal and if it was ever introduced 50% of teachers will go home. > Last year myself and three other friends randomly gave the past KCPE exam > to 10 teachers in five districts, only one scored 350. We can do this on > large scale but I doubt that the result will be any different. Can we > stand up and be counted on this. Education is the foundation of any > nation. > > > Regards > > > 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" > > > ---------------------------------------------- > 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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