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Villagers to host digital world in East Africa
by Edith Adera 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Villagers to host digital world in East Africa (http://www.dailynews.co.tz/home/?n=2530&cat=home) JAMES MPINGA in Lugoba, Coast Region, 14th June 2009 The dateline is an unlikely sleepy village called Lugoba now sitting on a super global 'knowledge highway' - whose residents did not know they have a high-level delegation of scientists and policy-makers from five East African Community (EAC) member states in their midst to prove just that. The EAC citizens - and technical partners from Sweden - were out here to demonstrate that villages could soon be playing host to the most advanced technological networks across the world. The delegates from Burundi, Kenya, Rwanda, Uganda and hosts Tanzania were attending a regional 'hands-on' training workshop on community fibre networks at the Peacock Millennium Hotel in suburban Msasani in Dar es Salaam (June 9-12, 2009). At the end of the workshop, they declared in a joint communiqué: "Community fibre networks are not only within reach to serve and empower our communities in the region but also, the cost of implementation is now cheaper and affordable. "With emerging national fibre infrastructure now under implementation and the launching of submarine cable to link east Africa with the rest of the world for the first time on fibre, it is necessary for the communities to prepare to take advantage of this fibre infrastructure to stimulate socio-economic development," The regional workshop convened and organised by the Tanzania Commission of Science and Technology (COSTECH) and sponsored by Canada's International Development Research Centre (IDRC) was inspired by the availability of emerging national fibre networks in the region built by governments, national operators, power and energy utilities, rail companies as well as water organizations among others. However, there weren't any illusions that all this will happen tomorrow. "Services may take a long time to reach the 'last mile' in each country and therefore it is important for the community to be sensitized on other possibilities of building their own networks bottom-up," they cautioned, adding that the 'first mile' was the greatest challenge in creating awareness about the benefit of community fibre networks among them. The events in rural Tanzania provided a fitting backdrop to neighbouring Kenya which celebrated its ascent to a major technological take-off after the much-awaited East African Marine System (Teams) fibre optic cable landed in Mombasa. The cable, launched by Kenyan President Mwai Kibaki yesterday at Fort Jesus in the seaside city, the country's second biggest, connects the East African nation to worldwide cable networks. On June 27, 2009 Tanzania will be connected to another artery on the global highway - the Seacom - linking it to its SADC neighbours in South Africa and Mozambique. In both Kenya and Tanzania, the cable will improve Internet connectivity and reduce the cost of data transmission - and create thousands of jobs, especially in the telecommunications sector. Tanzania alone has more than 7,000km of fibre 'jealously' guarded by public utilities unaware of the immense opportunities that ICT now provides due to outdated legislative frameworks - or simply unwilling to share it out. The delegates therefore called on governments to live up to the "important role of creating an enabling environment for community networks to thrive." "Here in Lugoba village... not even the president knew that his own village had gone 'digital' until someone sent him an e-mail message from his own place of birth (Lugoba) ... the president was then in Washington, DC," narrated Theophilus Mlaki, who took some of the delegation on a field trip to Chalinze and Wami last week - where ICT is changing lives among the villagers. The regional workshop also recommended that all stakeholders should take advantage of emerging national fibre networks now under implementation to work with rural communities yet to be covered with communication services. Unfortunately, the emerging projects are often not interconnected and hence fell short of appropriate synergy. However, where the networks traversed, they provided an opportunity to serve the rural communities. The objective of the event was therefore to: . Build awareness on the potential for customer/ community fibre deployment in helping to meet connectivity needs; .Lay grounds to effect policy changes that may be required to allow for community owned fibre infrastructure developments, and Encourage the use of fibre for improving connectivity. The regional workshop brought together 28 participants who included ICT regulators, ICT ministries, Chair ICT Parliamentary Committee Kenya, managers of community owned networks and members of academia. The Royal Institute of Technology of Sweden facilitated the workshop.

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Re: [kictanet] [Bpoteam] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Good afternoon everyone, Like other issues that have been discussed (Day 1 to day 6), my take is that we must have things right from the beginning. A BPO-specific outfit (like the BPO society) should have the mandate to enforce (or at least lobby the law enforcers) labour laws for this young industry. This way, issues like the one that appeared on the Standard Newspaper sometime back (http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244 <http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244&ci> &ci) will be unheard of. Furthermore, some clients especially from the US are concerned about how the vendor he/she is giving work to treats employees. On a light note; could we begin re-thinking this whole issue of interpretation gender issues to mean women issues; men are threatened too! Muthoni ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Catherine Adeya Sent: 10 June 2009 08:08 To: muthoni(a)uonbi.ac.ke Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Thanks Walu, will do so shortly. Best, Nyaki (aka Dr. C. Adeya, C. Nyaki Adeya and C. Adeya-Weya) ________________________________ From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 7:58:41 AM Subject: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Dear Listers, As per the schedule, I am pleased to hand-over the rest of the moderation to Nyaki who will introduce the remaining themes starting with the "Youth and Gender" theme today. Nyaki's CV is too long to fit in one email but its suffice to say that she belongs to this breed of Researchers that wants to bridge the gap between Academia and Socio-economic realities of out times. The rest of her story can be googled, but remember to use her official "handle" - Dr. Catherine Adeya. Over to you Nyaki. Plse tell us about today's theme. walu. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/elizaslider%40yahoo .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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------------------------------------- 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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Re: [kictanet] [Bpoteam] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Muthoni, Two issues here but I think we should focus more on the first paragraph that you discuss so well. However, I will allow the occasional digression on the second issue of interpreting gender issues but that debate has been on in various fora and for now we know that gender issues in Kenya seem more inclined to women's issues though we know the definition includes both. For now listers delve on the questions and if the definitional issues come up in the course of answering them then that is an added bonus. Why the silence? Why the silence? Why the silence? We are almost there just 3 days left in a very successful discussion so far. Please write...... Nyaki ________________________________ From: Muthoni Masinde <muthoni(a)uonbi.ac.ke> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 2:14:43 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] [Bpoteam] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues Good afternoon everyone, Like other issues that have been discussed (Day 1 to day 6), my take is that we must have things right from the beginning. A BPO-specific outfit (like the BPO society) should have the mandate to enforce (or at least lobby the law enforcers) labour laws for this young industry. This way, issues like the one that appeared on the Standard Newspaper sometime back (http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244 <http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244&ci> &ci) will be unheard of. Furthermore, some clients especially from the US are concerned about how the vendor he/she is giving work to treats employees. On a light note; could we begin re-thinking this whole issue of interpretation gender issues to mean women issues; men are threatened too! Muthoni ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Catherine Adeya Sent: 10 June 2009 08:08 To: muthoni(a)uonbi.ac.ke Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Thanks Walu, will do so shortly. Best, Nyaki (aka Dr. C. Adeya, C. Nyaki Adeya and C. Adeya-Weya) ________________________________ From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 7:58:41 AM Subject: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Dear Listers, As per the schedule, I am pleased to hand-over the rest of the moderation to Nyaki who will introduce the remaining themes starting with the "Youth and Gender" theme today. Nyaki's CV is too long to fit in one email but its suffice to say that she belongs to this breed of Researchers that wants to bridge the gap between Academia and Socio-economic realities of out times. The rest of her story can be googled, but remember to use her official "handle" - Dr. Catherine Adeya. Over to you Nyaki. Plse tell us about today's theme. walu. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/elizaslider%40yahoo .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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------------------------------------- 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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Re: [kictanet] New Mobile Phenomenon
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Interesting article... "For Teens, later to bed, the Worse the Outlook" by Greg Toppo, USA Today Teens whose parents let them stay up after midnight on weeknights have a much higher chance of being depressed or suicidal than teens whose parents enforce an earlier bedtime, says research being presented today at a national sleep conference. The findings are the first to examine bedtimes' effects on kids' mental health - and the results are noteworthy. Middle- and high-schoolers whose parents don't require them to be in bed before midnight on school nights are 42 percent more likely to be depressed than teens whose parents require a 10 p.m. or earlier bedtime. And teens who are allowed to stay up late are 30 percent more likely to have had suicidal thoughts in the past year. The differences are smaller but still significant - 25 percent and 20 percent, respectively - after controlling for age, sex, race and ethnicity. A team led by Columbia University Medical Center's James Gangwisch examined surveys from 15,659 teens and their parents who took part in a National Institutes of Health (NIH) adolescent health study. Previous research has established a firm connection between teens getting less sleep and feeling depressed or suicidal. The NIH survey found that kids whose parents called for a 9-10 p.m. bedtime said they were in bed, on average, by 10:04 p.m. They slept for 8 hours and 10 minutes on average, compared with 7 hours for kids allowed to stay up past midnight. The lesson for parents is simple, Gangwisch says: try to sell teenagers on the importance of getting enough sleep. They need about nine hours, the NIH says. Rafael Pelayo, an associate professor of pediatric sleep medicine at Stanford University, agrees. "They've got to think it's in their own best interest to get to sleep," says Pelayo, who read the study. Says Gangwisch, "We feel like we can just eat into our sleep time, but we pay for it in many different ways." The data come from analyses of NIH surveys from 1994 to 1996. Gangwisch believes disparities between teens with and without prescribed bedtimes are greater today, given greater distractions. In 1996, for instance, teens couldn't stay up late texting and checking Facebook. "I would guess that there are more kids getting less sleep," he says. Gangwisch is presenting the findings in Seattle at SLEEP 2009, the annual meeting of the Associated Professional Sleep Societies. Disclaimer: Views expressed here (except those quoted or referenced) are the authors own On Tue, Jun 9, 2009 at 11:34 AM, Gakuru Alex <alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com> wrote: Mwende, Let's get touch base, locally. I am investigating a compliant report where mobile companies through the Sunday Nation (last page) reportedly caused to be published invitation to (SMS) content that would contravene Section 84(d) of Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act. I shall revert with my findings. regards, Alex On Tue, Jun 9, 2009 at 5:36 AM, mwende njiraini<mwende.njiraini(a)gmail.com> wrote: > Dear all, > > Given that most people including children have access to mobiles, there is > now a growing problem being referred to as 'sexting'. > (View CBS news > clip: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xOZ81dXzdA <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xOZ81dXzdA&feature=channel_page> &feature=channel_page). > > Are there the parental control services available in Kenya? > > Kind regards > Mwende > > > Disclaimer: Views expressed here (except those quoted or referenced) are the > authors own > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: alexgakuru.lists(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/alexgakuru.lists%40 gmail.com >

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Re: [kictanet] [Bpoteam] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Good afternoon everyone, Like other issues that have been discussed (Day 1 to day 6), my take is that we must have things right from the beginning. A BPO-specific outfit (like the BPO society) should have the mandate to enforce (or at least lobby the law enforcers) labour laws for this young industry. This way, issues like the one that appeared on the Standard Newspaper sometime back (http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244 <http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244&ci> &ci) will be unheard of. Furthermore, some clients especially from the US are concerned about how the vendor he/she is giving work to treats employees. On a light note; could we begin re-thinking this whole issue of interpretation gender issues to mean women issues; men are threatened too! Muthoni ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Catherine Adeya Sent: 10 June 2009 08:08 To: muthoni(a)uonbi.ac.ke Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Thanks Walu, will do so shortly. Best, Nyaki (aka Dr. C. Adeya, C. Nyaki Adeya and C. Adeya-Weya) ________________________________ From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 7:58:41 AM Subject: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Dear Listers, As per the schedule, I am pleased to hand-over the rest of the moderation to Nyaki who will introduce the remaining themes starting with the "Youth and Gender" theme today. Nyaki's CV is too long to fit in one email but its suffice to say that she belongs to this breed of Researchers that wants to bridge the gap between Academia and Socio-economic realities of out times. The rest of her story can be googled, but remember to use her official "handle" - Dr. Catherine Adeya. Over to you Nyaki. Plse tell us about today's theme. walu. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/elizaslider%40yahoo .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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------------------------------------- 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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Re: [kictanet] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Nyaki, It would be nice to be reminded (in some cases informed) of the Kenyan labour law and implications within the context of BPO sector Edith ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.or.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Catherine Adeya Sent: 10 June 2009 08:12 To: Edith Adera Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues - Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues - Morning all, Walu has done a fantastic job moderating so far and now you are stuck with me for the next four days. Todays theme is on Youth and Gender issues. It is obvious we have touched on a number of issues that focus on this theme in the last few days; however, it is still pertinent to address it as an exclusive issue. Some of you have wondered why we keep referring to S. Africa, Mauritius and India. I would like to re-emphasize that those are the countries where the research was conducted but views from other countries are welcome. The idea is not to compare Kenya per se but to bench-mark on our (or potential) competitors. Views based on other countries are very welcome, the researchers could not visit more countries due to funding constraints. It is useful to begin by noting that the researchers found that the unemployment rate (2008 est) was 40% in Kenya, 21.7% in S. Africa, 7.6% in Mauritius and 6.8% in India. The researchers also found that the minimum qualification for professional staff was a Bachelors degree in all four countries. However, the minimum qualification for operators/agents varied. In Kenya it was a certificate, diploma or degree depending on operation; in S. Africa it was Grade 12; Mauritius school certificate or below and in India it was a High school certificate. The common work related challenges include project management (especially meeting deadlines) and long hours. Some employees in Kenya complained about challenges with transportation. The detailed summary findings will be availed. Generally there were more women in call centres than male but more males in the professional cadre. The youth are mostly found in the agent/operator jobs. The following are some country specific issues: 1. In, India there is the Equal Remuneration Act ensures that there is equal remuneration to men and women for same jobs. Under this law, no discrimination is permissible in recruitment and service conditions except where employment of women is prohibited or restricted by the law. NASSCOM has launched the Women in Leadership-IT Initiative to enhance participation of women in the workforce and ensure there are more women leaders in the IT-BPO industry. 2. In South Africa, there are 40% more females than males below 25 years working in the BPO sector. However, there are 7% more males than females above 25 years old. There is no gender or age based discrimination in the work place. There exists no law or policy that prefers youth from other groups of people in employment. 3. In Mauritius, there is no 24 hour work culture. In addition, the Labor Act prohibits employment of female employees in industrial undertakings between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m; while youth are not allowed to work between between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Interestingly, there is clause that no person shall, except with the Permanent Secretary's written consent, transport a female worker or cause a female worker to be transported in a goods vehicle; any other vehicle, unless the vehicle is provided with an easy means of entering and alighting which does not involve climbing. In Kenya we have the Employment Act which many of you know. This leads us to the following discussion questions: Discussion Q9: Are the Kenyan laws adequate to protect the youth and women from exploitation by BPO&O employers? Discussion Q. 10: The BPO sector is not seen as a long term source of employment for most employees. Most believe it is a stepping stone to other lucrative opportunities. What needs to be done to ensure the youth and women view the industry as attractive, especially in terms of quality of employment and career progression? Discussion Q11: Attrition and poaching are prevalent in most countries studied. What mechanisms should employers adopt to attract and retain their staff? Let the games (oops! Discussion) begin! Thanks Nyaki To be Encl: Synthesis 4 Youth and Gender Issues

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Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Dear Listers, As per the schedule, I am pleased to hand-over the rest of the moderation to Nyaki who will introduce the remaining themes starting with the "Youth and Gender" theme today. Nyaki's CV is too long to fit in one email but its suffice to say that she belongs to this breed of Researchers that wants to bridge the gap between Academia and Socio-economic realities of out times. The rest of her story can be googled, but remember to use her official "handle" - Dr. Catherine Adeya. Over to you Nyaki. Plse tell us about today's theme. walu. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/mureithi%40summitstrate gies.co.ke

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Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

- Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues - Morning all, Walu has done a fantastic job moderating so far and now you are stuck with me for the next four days. Todays theme is on Youth and Gender issues. It is obvious we have touched on a number of issues that focus on this theme in the last few days; however, it is still pertinent to address it as an exclusive issue. Some of you have wondered why we keep referring to S. Africa, Mauritius and India. I would like to re-emphasize that those are the countries where the research was conducted but views from other countries are welcome. The idea is not to compare Kenya per se but to bench-mark on our (or potential) competitors. Views based on other countries are very welcome, the researchers could not visit more countries due to funding constraints. It is useful to begin by noting that the researchers found that the unemployment rate (2008 est) was 40% in Kenya, 21.7% in S. Africa, 7.6% in Mauritius and 6.8% in India. The researchers also found that the minimum qualification for professional staff was a Bachelors degree in all four countries. However, the minimum qualification for operators/agents varied. In Kenya it was a certificate, diploma or degree depending on operation; in S. Africa it was Grade 12; Mauritius school certificate or below and in India it was a High school certificate. The common work related challenges include project management (especially meeting deadlines) and long hours. Some employees in Kenya complained about challenges with transportation. The detailed summary findings will be availed. Generally there were more women in call centres than male but more males in the professional cadre. The youth are mostly found in the agent/operator jobs. The following are some country specific issues: 1. In, India there is the Equal Remuneration Act ensures that there is equal remuneration to men and women for same jobs. Under this law, no discrimination is permissible in recruitment and service conditions except where employment of women is prohibited or restricted by the law. NASSCOM has launched the Women in Leadership-IT Initiative to enhance participation of women in the workforce and ensure there are more women leaders in the IT-BPO industry. 2. In South Africa, there are 40% more females than males below 25 years working in the BPO sector. However, there are 7% more males than females above 25 years old. There is no gender or age based discrimination in the work place. There exists no law or policy that prefers youth from other groups of people in employment. 3. In Mauritius, there is no 24 hour work culture. In addition, the Labor Act prohibits employment of female employees in industrial undertakings between 10 p.m. and 5 a.m; while youth are not allowed to work between between 6 p.m. and 6 a.m. Interestingly, there is clause that no person shall, except with the Permanent Secretary's written consent, transport a female worker or cause a female worker to be transported in a goods vehicle; any other vehicle, unless the vehicle is provided with an easy means of entering and alighting which does not involve climbing. 4. In Kenya we have the Employment Act which many of you know. This leads us to the following discussion questions: Discussion Q9: Are the Kenyan laws adequate to protect the youth and women from exploitation by BPO&O employers? Discussion Q. 10: The BPO sector is not seen as a long term source of employment for most employees. Most believe it is a stepping stone to other lucrative opportunities. What needs to be done to ensure the youth and women view the industry as attractive, especially in terms of quality of employment and career progression? Discussion Q11: Attrition and poaching are prevalent in most countries studied. What mechanisms should employers adopt to attract and retain their staff? Let the games (oops! Discussion) begin! Thanks Nyaki To be Encl: Synthesis 4 Youth and Gender Issues

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Re: [kictanet] [Bpoteam] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Muthoni, Two issues here but I think we should focus more on the first paragraph that you discuss so well. However, I will allow the occasional digression on the second issue of interpreting gender issues but that debate has been on in various fora and for now we know that gender issues in Kenya seem more inclined to women's issues though we know the definition includes both. For now listers delve on the questions and if the definitional issues come up in the course of answering them then that is an added bonus. Why the silence? Why the silence? Why the silence? We are almost there just 3 days left in a very successful discussion so far. Please write...... Nyaki ________________________________ From: Muthoni Masinde <muthoni(a)uonbi.ac.ke> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 2:14:43 PM Subject: Re: [kictanet] [Bpoteam] Day 7 of 10- BPO Discussions, Youth and Gender Issues Good afternoon everyone, Like other issues that have been discussed (Day 1 to day 6), my take is that we must have things right from the beginning. A BPO-specific outfit (like the BPO society) should have the mandate to enforce (or at least lobby the law enforcers) labour laws for this young industry. This way, issues like the one that appeared on the Standard Newspaper sometime back (http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244 <http://www.eastandard.net/sciencetech/InsidePage.php?id=1144013244&ci> &ci) will be unheard of. Furthermore, some clients especially from the US are concerned about how the vendor he/she is giving work to treats employees. On a light note; could we begin re-thinking this whole issue of interpretation gender issues to mean women issues; men are threatened too! Muthoni ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+muthoni=uonbi.ac.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Catherine Adeya Sent: 10 June 2009 08:08 To: muthoni(a)uonbi.ac.ke Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Thanks Walu, will do so shortly. Best, Nyaki (aka Dr. C. Adeya, C. Nyaki Adeya and C. Adeya-Weya) ________________________________ From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 7:58:41 AM Subject: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Dear Listers, As per the schedule, I am pleased to hand-over the rest of the moderation to Nyaki who will introduce the remaining themes starting with the "Youth and Gender" theme today. Nyaki's CV is too long to fit in one email but its suffice to say that she belongs to this breed of Researchers that wants to bridge the gap between Academia and Socio-economic realities of out times. The rest of her story can be googled, but remember to use her official "handle" - Dr. Catherine Adeya. Over to you Nyaki. Plse tell us about today's theme. walu. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/elizaslider%40yahoo .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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ ----------------------------------------- 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 9001:2000 standard. University of Nairobi Website: http://www.uonbi.ac.ke/ +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

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Re: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator
by muriuki mureithi 14 Jun '09

14 Jun '09

Thanks Walu, will do so shortly. Best, Nyaki (aka Dr. C. Adeya, C. Nyaki Adeya and C. Adeya-Weya) ________________________________ From: Walubengo J <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> To: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> Sent: Wednesday, June 10, 2009 7:58:41 AM Subject: [kictanet] Handing over to Nyaki - 2nd Moderator Dear Listers, As per the schedule, I am pleased to hand-over the rest of the moderation to Nyaki who will introduce the remaining themes starting with the "Youth and Gender" theme today. Nyaki's CV is too long to fit in one email but its suffice to say that she belongs to this breed of Researchers that wants to bridge the gap between Academia and Socio-economic realities of out times. The rest of her story can be googled, but remember to use her official "handle" - Dr. Catherine Adeya. Over to you Nyaki. Plse tell us about today's theme. walu. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: elizaslider(a)yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/elizaslider%40yahoo .com

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