- KICTANet - KICTANet

Community Broadcasters
by Alex Gakuru 23 Jul '08

23 Jul '08

Good morning, I need to connect and correspond with community broadcasters. I recall KochFM had their representatives attend kictanet meetings last year.Does SIDAREC have representatives on the list? All help contacting other community stations is most appreciated. Regards, Alex

4 4

NATIONAL WORKSHOP FOR ICT POLICY REVIEW
by Esther WANJAU 23 Jul '08

23 Jul '08

My Name is Esther Wanjau. I am the head of ICT in the Ministry of Information and Communications. The PS has requested me to invite all of you to the National ICT Policy Review Workshop on 28th - 29th July 2008 at Hilton Hotel to discuss the EA Harmonized ICT Policy. The PS will use the occasion to briefly present the Kenya ICT Policy Review Framework and invite you to contribute before the drafting begins. Attached is the Invitation Letter. Esther Esther Wanjau Assistant Director/ICT Ministry of Information and Communications Tel: +254 20 251152/250517 Cell: +254 722 867361 email: esther.wanjau(a)information.go.ke

5 4

Flip Video Captures Kenya's Jimi Hendrix
by Brian Munyao Longwe 23 Jul '08

23 Jul '08

Nairobi Buzz: Flip Video captures Kenya's Jimi Hendrix The day I picked up the Flip Video camera I had a late dinner/drink with Harry Hare at Rezorus, a restaurant in Westlands. We innocently walked in and took our seats not knowing that that night was slated for a special performance by one of Nairobi's hottest bands. Within a very short time we realised that this was no ordinary evening as people kept streaming in and the place got fuller. But we cared less as the band kept belting out their own renditions of popular songs, both old as well as new. The hottest was probably "Hotel California" - during which the guitarist played the guitar solo Jimi Hendrix style with his teeth. As he was doing this, Harry punched me and pointed at the Flip - "Go catch that!" he shouted. And here is the result. http://mashilingi.blogspot.com/2008/07/nairobi-buzz-flip-video- captures-kenyas.html

1 0

Re: [kictanet] Expensive Software Systems [Update]
by tyrus＠icsit.jkuat.ac.ke 23 Jul '08

23 Jul '08

> > "Windows Explorer" browser? Who wrote this document??? > Am also equally astounded at the level of technical aptitude these technical writers have and this is not the first time a glaring fact error has been made in this section of the BD. Honestly, if some one will write an IT article, will they atleast get their facts right? Tyrus Muya Kamau. Systems Administrator, eLearning Jomo Kenyatta University of Agri & Techology Kenya, Cell Phone: +254-721292936. Mail:tyrus@icsit.jkuat.ac.ke [DISCLAIMER] This message may contain confidential information and must not be copied, disclosed or used by anybody other than the intended recipient. If you have received this message in error, please notify us by e-mail (noreply(a)jkuat.ac.ke) and then delete the e-mail and any copies of it. E-mail may be susceptible to data corruption, interception and unauthorised amendment, and no liability is accepted for any such corruption, interception or amendment, or the consequences thereof. No liability or responsibility is accepted for viruses - it is your responsibility to scan

1 0

IDS Research Fellows in Knowledge...]
by alice 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

Begin forwarded message: Message from Lawrence Haddad Dear Alumni: Warm greetings from IDS. I would be most grateful if you could circulate this advertisement for 2 IDS Research Fellows within your networks. Closing date for applications is July 29. Best wishes, Lawrence IDS Research Fellows in Knowledge, Information and Communication in International Development (closing date, July 29, 2008) http://www.ids.ac.uk/go/about-ids/working-at-ids/current-vacancies What roles do knowledge, information and communication play in positive social change? The Institute of Development Studies (IDS), Sussex, has launched a new research theme to advance understanding in this area (including the contribution of associated technologies) and is looking to appointtwo Research Fellowsto lead this work, linking research and practice within its Information Department, Communications Unit and Research Teams. IDS is looking for researchers interested in exploring this theme from an issue perspective, or equally as processes in themselves, for example, how information, communication and knowledge shape, and are shaped by, power relationships; how they affect the ways in which groups and individuals know, express and engage with development ideas. The two Research Fellows will be located within the IDS Information Department which runs several Knowledge Services (www.ids.ac.uk/info) that act as information and knowledge intermediaries. We therefore have a special research interest to develop thinking and practice in this area, closely linked to our capacity development work to support intermediaries around the world. Required qualifications and skills: Applicants will need to demonstrate their capacity for leadership, innovation and fund-raising and have a strong track record of independent research and publication and/or equivalent practical experience in a relevant field. They will also need to demonstrate how they would link analysis and research findings to practice and policy. Candidates should have a doctorate or equivalent demonstrable experience in research or practice, with at least one years experience post-doc. A commitment to working collaboratively and in teams with people from a range of cultural, disciplinary and organizational backgrounds is essential. Lawrence Haddad Director Institute of Development Studies www.ids.ac.uk good with research ------- End of forwarded message ------- _______________________________________________ AAW-Network mailing list AAW-Network(a)lists.apcwomen.org http://lists.apcwomen.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/aaw-network

1 0

Inside Nairobi, the Next Palo Alto?
by alice 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/20/business/worldbusiness/20ping.html?ex=121… Inside Nairobi, the Next Palo Alto? Jacob Wire/European Pressphoto Agency Google has mapped Nairobi and wants to add similar detail for other African cities. Other places must be content with technologies made by others. Yet people in these areas are dreaming of more. Consider Wilfred Mworia, a 22-year-old engineering student and freelance code writer in Nairobi, Kenya. In the four weeks leading up to Apple’s much-anticipated release of a new iPhone on July 11, Mr. Mworia created an application for the phone that shows where events in Nairobi are happening and allows people to add details about them. Mr. Mworia’s desire to develop an application for the iPhone is not unusual: many designers around the world are writing programs for the device. But his location posed some daunting obstacles: the iPhone doesn’t work in Nairobi, and Mr. Mworia doesn’t even own one. He wrote his program on an iPhone simulator. “Even if I don’t have an iPhone,” Mr. Mworia says defiantly, “I can still have a world market for my work.” Nairobi’s challenges are many. Internet use is relatively expensive and slow. Power failures are common. The city also lacks a world-class technical university. Mr. Mworia’s professors don’t offer lessons in the latest computer languages; he must learn them on his own. Political instability can be a problem, too. Earlier this year, Kenya suffered widespread violence after its disputed national election. For weeks, work in Nairobi came to a halt. “If you have a bright idea in Nairobi, you can’t just turn it around,” says Laura Frederick, an American working on an online payment system in the city. Still, Nairobi is home to a digital brew that invites optimism about its chances for creating unusual innovations. The city has relatively few wired phone lines or networked personal computers, so mobile phones are the essential digital tool. Four times as many people have them as have bank accounts. Text messages are far more popular than e-mail. Safaricom, the dominant mobile provider, offers a service called M-pesa that lets customers send money with text messages. Nokia sells brand-new phones here for as little as $33. While engineers in the United States lavish attention on expensive phones that boast laptoplike features, in Kenya there are 10 million low-end phones. Millions more are used elsewhere in Africa. Enhancements to such basic phones can be experimented with cheaply in Nairobi, and because designers are weaned on narrow bandwidth, they are comfortable writing compact programs suited to puny devices. “Applications are heavy in America,” says Michael Wakahe, a Nairobi code writer. “Here we have to make them light,” because simpler hardware requires smaller programs. These can have advantages in wireless systems. The distinctive digital experience in Nairobi inspires confidence in its youthful community of programmers, bloggers and Web enthusiasts. Over the past year, about 600 people in Nairobi — most under 25 — have coalesced into a group called Skunk Works, sharing ideas and encouraging new businesses. In June, it held an all-day workshop that included sessions on using the Android phone operating system from Google, developing applications for digital maps and creating content for mobile phones. “Possibilities are opening up for us,” says Josiah Mugambi, one of the group’s organizers. The prospect of marrying low-end mobile phones with the Internet is earning Nairobi notice from outsiders, who wonder whether the city might emerge as a test-bed for tomorrow’s technologies. One intriguing possibility is broadcasting local television programs on mobile phones. In Nairobi’s highest-profile validation, Google opened a development office here last September. “Africa is a huge long-term market for us,” Eric E. Schmidt, Google’s chief executive, said by e-mail. “We have to start by helping people get online, and the creativity of the people will take care of the rest.” Google hired seven recent university graduates, who digitally mapped the streets and structures of Nairobi for Google Maps. The company is now doing the same for other African cities. A leading Nairobi television broadcaster, NTV, has made a deal to present whole episodes of its programs on YouTube, a Google property. Google plans to hire more people in Nairobi and is recruiting staff in half a dozen other African cities. In Nairobi, Google chose a veteran of the city’s Internet-access industry to lead its office. The company assigned two Americans here; like the presidential candidate Barack Obama, each is the child of a Kenyan and an American. The company’s presence has raised ambitions. “When I interview people for jobs in this office,” explains Chris Kiagiri, a Google technology officer in Nairobi, “I ask them, ‘What would you like to see Google do in this market that it has not attempted anywhere else in the world?’” “A lot of people assume Google is trying to replicate in Africa what it has done elsewhere,” adds Mr. Kiagiri, who transferred last year from Google’s head office in California. “Sure, we want to bring existing products into this market. But we also want to organize information locally in a way we haven’t done elsewhere.” To be truly creative in a technological backwater is to defeat geography. Even as powerful a technological force as Google might not succeed. But dreaming of greatness, Kenyans are pushing Google to expand into completely new areas. One local programmer, Timothy Mbugua, wants Google to enhance its communication backbone so he can use it to build a money-transfer business that would charge lower rates than existing services. While it sounds daunting, Mr. Mbugua explains, “I’m only saying to Google, ‘This is what I need from you in order to execute my idea.’” G. Pascal Zachary teaches journalism at Stanford and writes about technology and economic development. E-mail: gzach(a)nytimes.com.

1 0

Is Africa the safe haven for Cyber-Criminals?
by John Walubengo 22 Jul '08

22 Jul '08

The rapid developments within the ICT sector across Africa may be happening faster than the corresponding development within the Information Security space. The uptake of mobile and internet services in Africa is considered one of the fastest globally yet governments, businesses and consumers have adopted various e-Services with little or no regard to the underlying security challenges. check out the rest of story @ http://politics.nationmedia.com/Blog/default.asp?Display=310 walu.

1 0

[Fwd: Unravelling the Basics of Regulation under Convergence]
by alice 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

FYI -------- Original Message -------- Subject: Unravelling the Basics of Regulation under Convergence Date: Thu, 17 Jul 2008 19:11:29 +0100 From: The Commonwealth Telecommunications Organisation <programmes(a)cto.int> Reply-To: tdrtchrdpbgjr(a)email-reply.co.uk To: alice(a)apc.org Dear Sir/Madam, *Regulation and Applications Under Convergence, 25-29 August 2008, Nairobi, Kenya* Here's your chance to gain deep insights into an industry buzzword and to learn how it impacts your business and the industry as a whole. What do we really mean by convergence and what are its key drivers? What regulatory and legal frameworks should apply to converging networks and services? Perhaps you are an operator seeking to analyse how to consolidate networks into a single network capable of handling different kinds of traffic? Or you may be an IT technician or an engineer looking to broaden your understanding of application, network and service convergence and how these interplay within an existing non-converged regime? Or you may be from a forward-thinking regulator looking to develop conducive regulatory and legal approaches to convergence? You could also be in an executive decision making, advisory or policy making role and feel the need to better understand the different types of economic regulation, tariff regulation and pricing mechanisms in order to come up with the most cost-efficient and competitive mix. Answers to these and many more questions will be answered by this high-level course with a focus on implementation issues. *ABOUT THE COURSE* This highly relevant industry course is designed to offer a clear understanding of the following aspects in convergence: Regulation and market structure Regulatory and legal frameworks in a converged environment, conflicting issues, and how these have an impact on competition Models of new regulatory options in converging, competitive environments Licensing, standards of enforcement, service interoperability Unbundling, pricing mechanisms, tariffs regulation Interconnection pricing and regulation, universal access and universal service obligations, regulation and pricing of spectrum Converged applications, networks and services *WHO IS IT FOR?* The course is developed for staff of regulatory agencies, fixed and mobile operators, and economists and policy makers. *ABOUT THE COURSE LEADER* This course will be delivered by Christie Christelis, a senior associate at Alliances Consulting Group Inc. Christie brings over 20 years of international experience in ICTs including convergence technologies, wireless and mobile technologies, internet, broadcast interactive TV, IPTV, VoIP, satellite communications, fixed line and fixed wireless technologies. He has extensive experience in regulatory capacity building to address newly liberalised telecommunications and broadcasting environments. Through the CTO Christie has delivered training in the areas of convergence technology and regulatory issues, financial and economic considerations around carrier selection, number portability and the unbundling of the local loop, price cap formulation and implementation, and competition and privatisation. Christie holds an MBA, a B.Sc. (Eng.) in electronics, a graduate diploma in engineering and a diploma in programme management. *HOW TO PARTICIPATE* *To access full course information including the Registration Form please* *click here * <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…> *To view other courses and the latest Training Schedule for 08-09 please **click here * <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…> For any enquiries please contact Nomita Das at +44 20 8834 1573 or n.das(a)cto.int <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…> Click here to unsubscribe <http://mailer.eddiction.co.uk/_webscripts/emaillog.php?dbid=29&caid=215&coi…>

1 0

Re: [kictanet] Short Code spamming
by James Kagwe 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

I have a problem with the same media house and the most unfortunate thing is that they have a newspaper onto which they give instructions on subscribing but not unsubscribing. I know that they know themselves and if they do not willingly give both the instructions I think they should be taken to KACC on charges of fraud. They should give customers a chance to subscribe and subscribe in their own volition but not trap them in. Regards, James Kagwe ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+jkagwe=kippra.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+jkagwe=kippra.or.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of wesley kiriinya Sent: Friday, July 18, 2008 12:29 PM To: James Kagwe Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] Short Code spamming A guy I know is having problems with being spammed on his phone from a 6006 short code. Unfortunately it seems the mobile phone operator isn't getting to the bottom of it. Who handles these types of issues? Unfortunately I also had a similar problem with one of our media houses and I had to get rid of my sim card even after making 3-4 calls and following there instructions on how to stop. When I am working on a problem I never think about beauty. I think only how to solve the problem. But when I have finished, if the solution is not beautiful, I know it is wrong. -R. Buckminster Fuller.

2 1

Re: [kictanet] New DG
by Catherine Adeya 21 Jul '08

21 Jul '08

Correct Wainana and thanks for that! N ----- Original Message ---- From: Wainaina Mungai <wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org> To: Catherine Adeya <elizaslider(a)yahoo.com> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 5:40:24 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] New DG I would assume Nyaki meant "effective engagement" rather than "effective management" Regards Wainaina On Mon, Jul 21, 2008 at 4:45 PM, Catherine Adeya <elizaslider(a)yahoo.com> wrote: Walu, Your suggestion for 3.5 is good though I think it should simply be 'How to organize Associations for Effective Managment with the Government. Unless I heard wrong, KTN Sunrise news this morning announced Mr Charles Kinyanjui Njoroge as the new CCK DG. Nyaki ----- Original Message ---- From: John Walubengo <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Monday, July 21, 2008 2:31:33 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] Forum Agenda - Lets focus Harry, Indeed it would be a public forum - but to what extend has the message gone outside Nairobi given that most listservers have subscribers in NRB? Maybe there's need to have the traditional notice in the print media. As for the Agenda proposed and copied below, 1. Forum Objectives 2. Association presentations 3. General Discussion 4. Way forward I would add - 3.5. How to Organise the different Associations for effective engagement with Govt. walu. nb: meanwhile, unconfirmed reports from my moles indicate that a new DG for CCK has been unveiled. Anybody with such a copy? _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/wainaina%40madeinkenya… -- Made in Kenya Network P. O. Box 72031 - 00200 Nairobi. Kenya Tel: +254-20-3590451 Cel: +254-722-811171 Cel: +254-735-370840 www.madeinkenya.org www.bungesms.com www.pamonet.org

1 0