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Fwd: Google and Kenya ICT Board organize G-funze for teachers
by Paul Kukubo ICT Board 29 Apr '11

29 Apr '11

G-Funze by Google for Teachers > Google and the Kenya ICT Board want to bring the skill of search and sort to Kenyan teachers. Through a one-day event named G-Funze, Google and the Kenya ICT Boardwill show teachers how they can use Google to bring interactivity and knowledge to the classroom. The event will be offered free of charge, open to 500 ICT- literate teachers from Nairobi and its environs. > > Objectives and Benefits > > G-Funze hopes to benefit teachers by giving them skills that would make them not only more confident to use ICT in the classroom, but expose them to knowledge and information that can be passed on to their students. The objectives of G-Funze are to: > > a) Expose teachers to Google tools – Google Search, Google Apps and Google Earth > > b) Increase efficiency in internet search including search for web-pages, articles, photos, news, books > > c) Enhance communication and collaboration between teachers and their classrooms through Google Apps > > d) Demonstrate the value of Google Earth to bring any topic with a geographical context to life > > Structure > > Date: Friday April 29, 2011 > Venue: KICC > Time: 7:00 am – 5:00 pm > Entrance fee: FREE – workshops, refreshments, lunch and take-away materials sponsored by Google > Guest of Honor: PS Ministry of Education, PS Ministry of Information and Communications > > The day long event will be opened by the PS Ministry of Education and the PS of Ministry of Information and Communications. The opening will be followed by a key-note address by a Google education specialist visiting from San Francisco. This keynote will address the value that technology can bring to teaching and will feature specific local case studies. > > Participants will then split into three working streams and spend the rest of the morning and afternoon in focused, intensive workshops. The workshops streams are: > > 1. Google search: how to find quality information online > > 2. Google Earth, Maps and YouTube: Bringing subjects alive through visual tools > > 3. Google Apps: increasing productivity through Google’s communication and collaboration tools > > The interactive and information-rich day will end in plenary with a final session to discuss lessons learnt. > > Participants > > The organizers invite Kenyan high school teachers to participate in the event. Teachers should have access to computers and the Internet at their school and be ICT and internet literate (i.e. experience and understanding of using the internet) > > Partners > > In organizing G-Funze, Google and the Kenya ICT Board are honored to partner with the Teacher Service Commission (TSC) and Association of Head Teachers who will support the event by organizing and managing the invitation of teachers. > > A request has also been made to the Kenya Institute for Education (KIE) to work with Google to ensure the content is localized and relevant for Kenyan teachers. > > In addition, the event is supported by the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Information and Communications. > > Budget > > Google Kenya will cover all costs for hosting the event including meals, conference package and giveaways > >> Background >> > Kenya’s vision 2030 aims to build Kenya into a knowledge society. At the core of a vibrant knowledge society is universal access to information—and currently the most powerful tool for information dissemination is the Internet. The internet is often described as the most democratic technology offering information to anyone with access. In Kenya, access to the internet has increased tremendously since the first fiber optic under sea cable landed in Mombasa in 2009. At the end of 2010, the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK)reported that 8.6 million Kenyans now have access to the internet. > > Among those with greater access to the internet are teachers and students. For teachers, the internet offers a variety of opportunities to support self-development and teaching in the classroom through access to information. Once universal access to information is achieved, what will separate the good from the great is the ability to efficiently search, sort and analyze the vast amounts of information made available. Being proficient in searching and sorting information is a key skill for Internet users. > > Contact > > For more information on G-Funze contact: > > Farzana Khubchandani > Country Marketing Manager, Google Kenya > email: farzanak(a)google.com > Mobile: 0732 629 393 | office: 020 360 1100 > > KaburoKobia > Project Manager Local Digital Content, Kenya ICT Board > email: kkobia(a)ict.go.ke > mobile: 0729466260 | office: 0202211961 > > > kenya ICT Board > Teleposta Towers, 12th Floor, Kenyatta Ave > P.O. Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya > t: + 254-020-2093040 | m: + 254 (0)729466260 | e: kkobia(a)ict.go.ke > > Visit: www.ict.go.ke > Become a fan: www.facebook.com/tandaakenya > Follow us on twitter: @tandaakenya > --------------------- > Our Vision: Kenya becomes a top 10 ICT hub > Our Mission: To champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment > > > >

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Re: [kictanet] UCC attempts to block social networks
by bitange＠jambo.co.ke 29 Apr '11

29 Apr '11

Use of Kenyan Sim Cards may be the only option here. Bitange > Reporters Without Borders urges the Ugandan authorities to respect freedom > of expression and not obstruct online social networks and news media on > the eve of new opposition demonstrations. > It would be dangerous for the government to make unjustified use of > protection of national security as grounds for controlling information. > > The role of that Facebook and Twitter are playing in providing the public > with information about current developments is all the more important > given the restrictions that have been placed on journalists trying to > cover the demonstrations. > > Reporters Without Borders urges the Ugandan authorities to respect freedom > of expression and not obstruct online social networks and news media on > the eve of new opposition demonstrations. > It would be dangerous for the government to make unjustified use of > protection of national security as grounds for controlling information. > > The role of that Facebook and Twitter are playing in providing the public > with information about current developments is all the more important > given the restrictions that have been placed on journalists trying to > cover the demonstrations. > > The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) tried to block access to social > networks on 14 April, when "Walk to Work" demonstrations were held in > several cities in protest against food and gasoline price hikes. In a > letter (copy attached) signed by Quinto Ojok (standing in for the > executive director), the UCC ordered 10 telecom companies "to block the > use of Facebook and Tweeter for 24 hours as of now, that is 14th April > 2011 at 3.30 pm." > > The grounds given for the order was "a request from the security agencies > that there is need to minimize the use of the media that may escalate > violence to the public in respect of the ongoing situation due to the > demonstration relating to 'Walk to Work'." > > UCC executive director Godfrey Mutabazi told Reuters yesterday that he was > ready to give fresh orders to block Facebook and Twitter locally if they > were used "to fan unrest." The day before, thousands of people took to the > streets to protest against the arrests of opposition leader Kizza Besigye > and other demonstrators, who were accused of inciting violence. > > Reached by telephone, Mutabazi told Reporters Without Borders he would cut > off access to Facebook and Twitter only if it had to be done to protect > the public. He said his statements should be seen as an appeal to Ugandans > to be take care not to use social networks to issue calls for hatred or > violence. "The freedom to live is more important than the freedom to > express oneself," he added. > > As a regulator, the UCC cannot block websites without help from Internet > services providers. The 14 April letter was sent to Broadband (U), Foris > Telecom Uganda and Infocom, with copies to Orange Uganda, Uganda Telecom, > MTN Uganda, Warid Telecom, Airtel Uganda, Africaonline Uganda and ZAfsat > Communications. Reporters Without Borders has told some of these companies > that it opposes social networks being disconnected in a unilateral and > abusive manner. > > The blocking that the UCC ordered on 14 April was not implemented by all > the companies concerned. Some requested clarification. Some said they got > the letter too late. And some simply refused to comply. MTN Uganda, one of > the leading ISPs, announced on Twitter on 15 April that it would not carry > out the order: "@MTNUGANDACARE: @StoneAtwine Our stand is clear. We are > not closing down FB or Twitter. Thanks." > > Some users nonetheless experienced disruptions for several hours. > Different information has been circulating about the ISPs involved. > > Local NGOs have accused the security forces of using excessive violence to > disperse demonstrators - charges rejected by the government. > > The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has condemned the > restrictions imposed by the government on journalists, who have been > denied access to hospitals and certain places linked to the > demonstrations. Around 10 journalists have been injured and have had > equipment damaged while covering the protests, which began on 11 April. An > armed forces spokesman apologized publicly. > > Several sources have separately said that a UCC directive has also banned > TV and radio stations from providing live coverage of the "Walk to Work" > protests. > > Reporters Without Borders is very worried about the restrictions that the > Ugandan government is imposing on freedom of expression. > > "The authorities must not confuse the event itself with coverage of the > event," Reporters Without Borders said. "When media cover demonstrations, > they are not taking part in them; they are simply doing their job of > reporting the news. The media must not be prevented from working and > journalists must not be obstructed." > > source Reporters sans Frontières > > A > on 14 April, when "Walk to Work" demonstrations were held in several > cities in protest against food and gasoline price hikes. In a letter (copy > attached) signed by Quinto Ojok (standing in for the executive director), > the UCC ordered 10 telecom companies "to block the use of Facebook and > Tweeter for 24 hours as of now, that is 14th April 2011 at 3.30 pm." > > The grounds given for the order was "a request from the security agencies > that there is need to minimize the use of the media that may escalate > violence to the public in respect of the ongoing situation due to the > demonstration relating to 'Walk to Work'." > > UCC executive director Godfrey Mutabazi told Reuters yesterday that he was > ready to give fresh orders to block Facebook and Twitter locally if they > were used "to fan unrest." The day before, thousands of people took to the > streets to protest against the arrests of opposition leader Kizza Besigye > and other demonstrators, who were accused of inciting violence. > > Reached by telephone, Mutabazi told Reporters Without Borders he would cut > off access to Facebook and Twitter only if it had to be done to protect > the public. He said his statements should be seen as an appeal to Ugandans > to be take care not to use social networks to issue calls for hatred or > violence. "The freedom to live is more important than the freedom to > express oneself," he added. > > As a regulator, the UCC cannot block websites without help from Internet > services providers. The 14 April letter was sent to Broadband (U), Foris > Telecom Uganda and Infocom, with copies to Orange Uganda, Uganda Telecom, > MTN Uganda, Warid Telecom, Airtel Uganda, Africaonline Uganda and ZAfsat > Communications. Reporters Without Borders has told some of these companies > that it opposes social networks being disconnected in a unilateral and > abusive manner. > > The blocking that the UCC ordered on 14 April was not implemented by all > the companies concerned. Some requested clarification. Some said they got > the letter too late. And some simply refused to comply. MTN Uganda, one of > the leading ISPs, announced on Twitter on 15 April that it would not carry > out the order: "@MTNUGANDACARE: @StoneAtwine Our stand is clear. We are > not closing down FB or Twitter. Thanks." > > Some users nonetheless experienced disruptions for several hours. > Different information has been circulating about the ISPs involved. > > Local NGOs have accused the security forces of using excessive violence to > disperse demonstrators - charges rejected by the government. > > The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has condemned the > restrictions imposed by the government on journalists, who have been > denied access to hospitals and certain places linked to the > demonstrations. Around 10 journalists have been injured and have had > equipment damaged while covering the protests, which began on 11 April. An > armed forces spokesman apologized publicly. > > Several sources have separately said that a UCC directive has also banned > TV and radio stations from providing live coverage of the "Walk to Work" > protests. > > Reporters Without Borders is very worried about the restrictions that the > Ugandan government is imposing on freedom of expression. > > "The authorities must not confuse the event itself with coverage of the > event," Reporters Without Borders said. "When media cover demonstrations, > they are not taking part in them; they are simply doing their job of > reporting the news. The media must not be prevented from working and > journalists must not be obstructed." > > source Reporters sans Frontières > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and > development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > > ---------------------------------------------- > 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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Mobile Money: MJ (aka Michael Joseph) appointed first World Bank Fellow
by Chris Kiagiri 28 Apr '11

28 Apr '11

Kudos to the World Bank on its choice for its first Fellow to champion mobile money ... Source: http://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/bringing-mobile-money-to-the-world?cid=EXT_T… > Bringing mobile money to the world SUBMITTED BY MICHAEL JOSEPH<http://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/team/michael-joseph>ON MON, 2011-04-25 17:15 > > - [View]<http://blogs.worldbank.org/psd/bringing-mobile-money-to-the-world> > > > Editor's Note: Michael Joseph is the World Bank Group's first fellow and > was previously the CEO of Safaricom. > > Mobile money has gone viral. In Kenya there are now more than 15 million > mobile money users, which is equivalent to three in four adults<http://www.worldbank.org/kenya/keu>. > The company I was heading until last November, Safaricom<http://www.safariocom.co.ke/>has developed the world’s largest mobile money platform M-Pesa, which is > being used by more than 14 million Kenyans. Over the last three years the > growth of mobile money has been exponential. In December we reached a new > threshold when the equivalent of US$ 1 billion was transferred. This is more > than Western Union has transferred in all of 2010 globally! This has changed > the lives of Kenyans—it created new jobs, new businesses and new > opportunities for millions of people. > > Surely this can and must be replicated in other similar countries, many of > which have better starting conditions than we had in Kenya. We have a great > opportunity as the world is becoming more focused on financial inclusion > with even the G20 group of countries embracing this concept as one of its > objectives for this year. The World Bank has a unique and powerful position > in the financial community to achieve this goal. The Bank has the stature > and the relationship at senior government levels to influence the actions of > financial regulatory bodies so that suitable regulations may be drafted or > amended to allow for the introduction of mobile money. > > As the World Bank’s first Fellow<http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/NEWS/0,,contentMDK:22838723~pagePK…>, > my mission and personal goal is to prove that Safaricom’s M-Pesa is not a > one-off and that it can and must be replicated elsewhere so that the > benefits it has brought to the Kenyan population can be enjoyed and > experienced by other nations as well. > > In order to be successful, the World Bank Group and other development > partners need to be better organized. There is great fragmentation with a > long list of players (World Bank, IFC, CGAP, Gates, DFID, USAID to name a > few), all of which have the same or similar objectives, but with different > messages and agendas when talking to Governments, Bank Regulators, Operators > and Banks. Unless we change this approach, the realization of mobile money > will take much longer and therefore the benefits will not be felt by the > people we are targeting. > > Innovation and success only happens if there is a strong management > structure with clear and timely decision making. While in Washington two > weeks ago we made good progress. We decided on a common strategy to focus on > a selected group of core countries and established a “mobile money core > team” headed by Wolfgang Fengler<http://blogs.worldbank.org/africacan/blogs/wolfgang-fengler>, > the Lead Economist in Nairobi who has been working with me closely already > for several months. > > As a first step we will review the mobile money potential of a suggested > list of 16 countries (Indonesia, Bangladesh, Cambodia, Malaysia, Pakistan, > Philippines, Brazil, Mexico, Peru, Morocco, Ethiopia, Ghana, Nigeria, > Rwanda, South Sudan and Senegal as entry point to WAEMU). The analysis will > look at key factors for the implementation of mobile money such as bank and > mobile penetration, population disbursement and density, geographic size and > physical difficulty, population size, Government subsidies and/or social > payments, relationship with the respective Governments by the interested > parties, etc. In mid-May we’ll then make a decision on the top five or six > countries to be selected for immediate action and these countries would be > our initial targets starting July. In the meantime, it would be great to > hear from readers in the comments section about which of the 16 countries > have the best potential for a large-scale system of mobile money. > > The World Bank’s mission is to fight poverty. Mobile money can be a game > changer for the poor. I am excited to be part of this agenda and look > forward to working with the World Bank to help bring the benefits of mobile > money to many parts of the world. >

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Kiswahili rocks in GameVille
by robert yawe 28 Apr '11

28 Apr '11

Hi Listers, Over the Easter weekend I had the opportunity to watch my sons playing a number of video games and also got in some movie viewing. In the game x-men origins wolverine there is an entire level where the attackers are speaking in Kiswahili and the statements where accurate and related to the actions, I also watched a preview for a new movie "1 am number 4" and there was a number of times where Kenya was mentioned. I believe this is an area we can capitalise on, ball to you PS Ndemo and Kukubo. 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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Re: [kictanet] Who is government - for laffs
by Nnenna Nwakanma 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

This is just a relief for you day: In the last few months in Côte d'Ivoire, we have had 1. The government 2. The State. The government were the one moving around in the country, controlling the army and the young patriots. Simply put, Gbagbo was the government. Alassane Ouattara, on the other hand, was the state. He speaks with the international community, orders international institutions and receives official correspondences that were marked "the Republic of Côte d'Ivoire". So he was the State. Folks called it "the Republic of Golf hotel" So workers wanted to know who was going to pay salaries! The State told us not pay taxes as yet, and the government said it needed the tax monies urgently. The government paid for December and half of February.. and ran out cash! Then things changed: the State took over power, and the government went into what was referred to as the "republic of Bunkerkistan". Thankfully, we now have the state and the government in one place. Salaries have gone through and by tomorrow, we will queue up for pay! Have a good day! > > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > > Message: 1 > Date: Wed, 27 Apr 2011 10:40:31 +0300 > From: "Eng. Wainaina Mungai" <wainaina.mungai(a)gmail.com> > To: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Who is government? > Message-ID: <BANLkTinuRFZ8Zeji6=QwCP+mYjCs2N_Xqg(a)mail.gmail.com> > Content-Type: text/plain; charset="windows-1252" > > Thanks for the timely reminder but?.I am referring to the part of government > that *collects tax *and spends it (in)/appropriately to address some > taxpayer's concerns such as roads, etc subsidies in times of hardship etc. > > > We are all government in an extrapolated sense...but let us focus on the *net > tax collector* rather than the net taxpayer. > > > > > -- Nnenna Nwakanma | Founder and CEO, NNENNA.ORG | Consultants Information | Communications | Technology and Events | for Development Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (+225)| Tel: 225 27144 | Fax 224 26471 |Mob. 07416820 Accra, Ghana (+233) Tel: 0249561345 | http://www.nnenna.org | nnenna(a)nnenna.org Twitter - @nnenna | Skype - nnenna75 | nnennaorg.blogspot.com Your multi-lingual development and event partners across Africa.

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Fwd: [Afpif] African Peering and Interconnection Forum to be held 8 – 9 August in Accra, Ghana
by Michuki Mwangi 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

<Apologies for cross posting> Regional Interconnection to be Key Focus for Second Annual AfPIF Conference African Peering and Interconnection Forum to be held 8 – 9 August in Accra, Ghana GENEVA, SWITZERLAND and RESTON, VIRGINIA, USA – 21 April 2011 – The Internet Society, the world’s trusted source of Internet leadership, today announced details of the second African Peering and Interconnection Forum which will take place in Accra, Ghana on 8th and 9th August 2011. The Ghanaian National Information Technolgy Agency (NITA) will host the event. Commenting on the event, Michuki Mwangi Senior Manager for Access and Development at the Internet Society said: “Currently only 30 percent of West African countries have national Internet Exchange Points, a low percentage compared to East and Southern Africa. We hope that this event will serve as a platform to examine the related issues and to identify strategies to remove the barriers to implementation.” This event will address the key Interconnection opportunities and challenges in the Africa and provide participants with insights into maximising regional opportunities. Its theme: “Regional Interconnection: Outlining the business case”, aims to foster a robust discussion on cross-border interconnection approaches, economics and challenges. As a multi-stakeholder forum, the event will bring together a range key players such as; infrastructure providers, Service Providers, IXPs and regulators and will aim to build on the success of the inaugural AfPIF event held in Nairobi, Kenya in August 2010. This second AfPIF Conference is conceived as a non-profit event. The Internet Society welcomes additional international and regional sponsorship and support to help convene the AfPIF-2 event. For more information on sponsorship opportunities please contact the Internet Society at sponsorship(a)isoc.org. For more information about the event or to register, please visit: http://www.afpif.org About the Internet Society The Internet Society, the world’s trusted source of Internet leadership, is a non-profit organization founded in 1992 to provide leadership in Internet related standards, education, and policy. With offices in Washington, D.C., and Geneva, Switzerland, it is dedicated to ensuring the open development, evolution, and use of the Internet for the benefit of people throughout the world. More information is available at: http://www.isoc.org About NITA NITA is a public service institution established in 2008 as the Information Communication Technology (ICT) policy implementing arm of the Ministry of Communications and the agencies responsible for implementing Ghana’s IT policies. It also ensures the sustainable growth of ICT via research and development planning and technology acquisition strategies to facilitate Ghana’s prospect of becoming a technology-driven, knowledge-and value-based economy. More information is available at: http://www.nita.gov.gh _______________________________________________ Afpif mailing list Afpif(a)afpif.org http://lists.afpif.org/mailman/listinfo/afpif

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Re: [kictanet] UCC attempts to block social networks
by bitange＠jambo.co.ke 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

Stephen, We are a developing country. This means that we have not achieved the full efficiencies you see in the West. The Government has done more to the poor than you admit. When you Exaggerate your numbers you weaken your arguments and you make feel as if you do not know what you are talking about. There is no average income of Ksh. 5 million in Kenya. We are going through a very difficult time in the world today. Inflation did not inform the Government that it was on the way. Non of us would have expected the crisis in the middle east. The Government has acted and still working on more mitigation measures. You have to understand that the Government is going through inspite of the many problems. There is the implementation of the New Constitution, the drought, the IDPs etc. Our moral failure greatly contributes to corruption. We must fight the vice as a people. It has penetrated every aspect of our lifes including our religious establishment. Every Monday the combined Church offering banked in the country is in excess of Ksh. 5 billion which ends up in individual pockets. Does this not affect the poor? Let us find well reasoned ways of taking our country forward. Political reforms that are going on have far greater implications on all our social evils than any period before. Have a great day. Ndemo. > Thanks Andrea. You are so apt. Perhaps Dr. Ndemo needs to find time to > have a lesson or two from your argument. There is a clear difference > between the reaction of "real consumers" as Eng. Wainaina and other > minority middle to higher class Kenyans will argue - after affording 3 > seven-course meals daily - and millions of low income earners who survive > on a poor single meal a day would respond! When we argue from the comfort > of our Nairobi offices, we need to take a moment and ask for instance why > our domestic workers should pay for a loaf of bread as we do when we pay > them Sh5K and we we have an average income of Sh5M. Lets us not be > insensitive! You cant talk of ICT innovation on an empty stomach! Yes, > times are hard for governments people dont have to get to the streets - > but on inefficiencies, wastages and corruption that drive costs of living > - is there any (innovation) of a lamguage that govt understands better? > Would Mubarak and Gbagbo have left power through "innovations"? Anyway, > there must be a balance between consumer demands and governments > mitigation. Govts need to invest in serious commitments and communicate. > They should not spring surprises on poor masses as they live large and > expect poor people not to protest - in whatever best way that catches > their action! > > Good morning! > Sent from my BlackBerry® > > -----Original Message----- > From: Andrea Bohnstedt <andrea.bohnstedt(a)ratio-magazine.com> > Sender: kictanet-bounces+stephen=cofek.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Date: Tue, 26 Apr 2011 21:21:59 > To: <stephen(a)cofek.co.ke> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] UCC attempts to block social networks > > _______________________________________________ > 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/stephen%40cofek.co.ke > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and > development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/bitange%40jambo.co.ke > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform > for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and > development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > > ---------------------------------------------- > 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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Research Report: Empowering regulators to protect consumer rights in the ICT sector
by Edith Adera 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

Listers This may be of interest for those with major concerns for consumers in the telecommunication sector. For the full report see link below Good way to gauge the performance of regulators. Edith PS: The published book and policy brief will be out soon ============ The final research report from the project 'Empowering regulators to protect consumer rights in the ICT sector', is now available for download from this link http://link.wits.ac.za/projects/crrea.html for more details. This study was undertaken with the support of the International Development Research Centre of Canada (IDRC). Between 2009 - 2011, the LINK Centre at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and Balancing Act, London, undertook qualitative research into regulation to protect and empower consumers in the ICT sector. This project covered five countries - Ethiopia, Mauritius, Rwanda, Uganda and Zambia - all members of the Association of Regulators of Information and Communication for Eastern and Southern Africa (ARICEA). Research team members in each of the target countries summarised the current position in respect of ICT consumer protection regulation, conducted workshops and reported on the in-country research they undertook, and drafted regulatory action plans for agreement with the national regulatory authority. In addition, a summary of international best practice in ICT consumer protection regulation was produced. The following recommendations emerged from the final overall project research report. 1 STRENGTHEN CONSUMER PROTECTION IN THE LAW Governments should strengthen the provisions in the law that empower the regulator to protect consumer rights in the ICT sector. Regulators can also issue regulations that serve the same purpose and insist that operators publish consumer charters. 2 SURVEY CONSUMER PERCEPTIONS AND ISSUES Regulators should regularly survey consumer perceptions regarding the various service providers, and should publish the survey results on their websites and elsewhere. The results of these surveys should be one of the strongest grounds for regulatory intervention on behalf of consumers. 3 REGULATORY INTERVENTION Regulators should intervene more strongly to protect consumers by encouraging operators to improve their services, by requiring greater network coverage, and by intervening in respect of pricing and quality of service. 4 PRIORITISE KEY COMPLAINTS ISSUES Regulators need to identify, prioritise and respond to the key areas of complaints from ICT consumers in each of their countries, including such common problems as: lack of network coverage in certain (mainly rural) areas, frequent dropped calls, poor quality of service and excessive pricing. 5 PUBLICISE CHANNELS OF COMPLAINT Regulators need to undertake awareness campaigns to ensure that consumers know how to complain, and over what issues complaints are justified. The service provider should always be the first port of call, with the regulator acting as the complaints channel of last resort. The campaign could be carried by SMS messages from service providers, together with point-of-sale information provided on starter packs and recharge vouchers. 6 PUBLISH COMPARATIVE PRICING INFORMATION Regulators need to address confusion in respect of the pricing of the various packages and services offered. The publication of certain comparable benchmark data in a single location would greatly assist consumers to compare prices and empower them to choose the ICT services best suited to their needs at the most affordable price. 7 FOCUS ON MOBILE CUSTOMERS Regulators should give greater attention to the mobile sector, which makes up the overwhelming majority of ICT consumers in Africa. Regulators should exploit mobile as a channel of communications between regulators and service providers and their customers. 8 PRIORITISE RURAL CONSUMERS Regulators should give more attention to rural consumers, despite the challenges and additional costs of doing so, because they have less consumer awareness and customer empowerment, and because certain consumer issues such as poor network coverage and dropped calls disproportionately affect rural consumers. 9 INCREASE THE PROFILE OF THE REGULATOR Regulators need to increase their profile among ICT consumers, who have limited awareness of them and the importance of their work, using a variety of channels (including radio, television, community media, SMS, their websites, and the provision of point-of-sale information). Regulators should clarify their role and responsibilities, and claim greater credit for their achievements in defence of consumer rights. 10 UNDERTAKE GENERAL CONSUMER EDUCATION Regulators need to undertake general consumer education is required to increase understanding of how the ICT sector works, how consumers are affected, what the specific consumer issues are, and what their rights and expectations as ICT customers should be. The development of customer service charters, along with a means of ensuring their widespread dissemination, is a useful start. 11 INVESTIGATE SIM-SWAPPING Regulators should investigate exactly how widespread SIM-swapping and the use of multiple-SIM phones is, along with what incentivises consumers to engage in this (eg problems relating to network coverage or pricing differentials between on-net and off-net calls). Multiple SIM usage may undermine the ability of the market to punish operators with poor quality of service. Regulatory interventions to extend network coverage or to reduce mobile termination rates may be required. 12 REMAIN AWARE OF FUTURE TRENDS Regulators need to remain abreast of market developments and shifts in customer preferences and consumer patterns. As the ICT sector continues to evolve, so too should consumer protection regulation look ahead and be proactive. 13 SUPPORT CONSUMER GROUPS Regulators need to support the establishment of at least one consumer association which will defend the rights of ICT consumers, identify and publicise their issues, advance the cause of ICT consumers and interact effectively with the regulator. 14 SUPPORT FURTHER CONSUMER RESEARCH Regulators need ensure that effective regulatory and policymaking intervention is supported and underpinned by appropriate research into consumer protection and empowerment issues, both nationally and more generally. 15 STRENGTHEN REGULATORY AUTONOMY Regulators need to have greater independence, greater authority and autonomy for the separate regulatory functions (including that of consumer protection), supported by greater capacity building, to strengthen intervention and increase responsiveness in support of the protection of ICT consumers.

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.: EVENT :. CUSTOMER INTIMACY – WHAT BIG BRANDS DO THAT SMALL ONES IGNORE
by Eng. Wainaina Mungai 27 Apr '11

27 Apr '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Caroline Kimutai <mhariricarole(a)gmail.com> Date: Wed, Apr 27, 2011 at 8:21 AM Subject: CUSTOMER INTIMACY – WHAT BIG BRANDS DO THAT SMALL ONES IGNORE To: "Eng. Wainaina Mungai" <wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org> Dear Listers, I trust you are well. In the mood of customer service, the Kenya Institute of Management has organised an interactive forum tomorrow *Thursday 28th April* at the *Laico Regency *from 5pm on customer service in Kenya. Entrance is *FREE*. We have invited three panelists and the discussion will be on the following: 1. Tenets of good customer intimacy – secrets from successful brands globally 2. Killer front offices – losing business before you even get it 3. One brand many faces – the challenge of unpredictable brands 4. Telling it like it is – introducing the new customer with high expectations 5. Brands in trouble - social media the double edged sword The discussions will be led by a panel of three key speakers comprising of: *1. **Dr. Peter N. Kiriri * Dr. Kiriri is an Associate Professor of Marketing at United States International University (USIU) and a consultant with Aspect Consulting and Training (ACT) on management issues locally and regionally. *2. **Dr. Havi Murungi* Dr Havi Murungi is a director of Havis, a design, research, and training firm. He has a BA in Design from the University of Nairobi, Kenya, MA in Graphic & Information Design, and PhD in Visual Communication both from De Montfort University, England. He has taught Design Management, Branding Strategy, and Information Design at the universities of Nairobi, Kenya, Brunel, England, and Pretoria, South Africa, respectively. He was the research director at Consumer Insight, a market research agency, between 2006 and 2010. 3. *Aaron* *Jones* Mr. Jones is the Founder and CEO of Jones Consulting, whose business is to improve the management skills of corporations and SME's throughout Kenya and eventually Africa. He holds a bachelors degree from Springfield College and a Masters from Anna Maria College in Massachusetts. He specializes in quality management, world class customer service and world class sales enhancement training. He has been Executive with Fortune 100 companies making revenues of between US$ 22 to 92 billion. He has travelled in the US, as well as North America, teaching service recovery as a Senior Business Analyst for International Profits Associates (IPA) out of Chicago. He has also experience in conducting business analysis for consulting firms, in North America. See you there! CK On 27 April 2011 00:13, Eng. Wainaina Mungai <wainaina(a)madeinkenya.org>wrote: > 5 out of 12 posts have raised complaints about Uchumi. This is not a matter > confined to a Store Manager. I do not shop there but I would just want to > have the option.... > > Stale bread/milk & incorrect pricing > > ---------------------------------------------- > > 1. JME > > 2. Sharon > > 3. Patrick K > > 4. Josephine > > 5. JME's friend (loyalty points) > > > > On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 11:32 PM, Alex Gakuru <gakuru(a)gmail.com> wrote: > >> Charles, >> >> I really think it would be a great if the list got a response from Uchumi? >> >> Thanks, >> >> >> On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 11:24 AM, Patrick K Kariuki <pkkariuki(a)gmail.com>wrote: >> >>> Josephine, >>> You have given a good point; in any case, there is a branch manager who >>> is always ready to take complaints and compliments. >>> I have been a loyal Uchumi Ngong Hyper since it was opened and I have >>> only had one incident of stale food item. I raised the complaint with the >>> manager and it was resolved with a lot of apologies. >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Apr 26, 2011 at 8:40 AM, JOSEPHINE NDIKWE <njokindikwe(a)yahoo.com >>> > wrote: >>> >>>> I have been a loyal customer to Uchumi and my only Issue is lack of >>>> proper price labels on products on the shelf's hence this leads to different >>>> prices at the Till. >>>> On the bread issue i think the easiest and quickest way to resolve this >>>> was to go back to the store and lodge the complaint and probably return the >>>> stale bread with the receipt. The particular shop manager would have >>>> resolved this and ensured his staff keep checking the freshness of the >>>> products on the shelf's. >>>> >>>> --- On *Sun, 4/24/11, gakuru(a)mwenyeji.com <gakuru(a)mwenyeji.com>* wrote: >>>> >>>> >>>> From: gakuru(a)mwenyeji.com <gakuru(a)mwenyeji.com> >>>> >>>> Subject: Re: [ke-internetusers] Uchumi is shamelessly cheating consumers >>>> To: "JME Simekha" <simekhajme(a)gmail.com>, pmutiso(a)gmail.com >>>> Cc: "jciano" <jciano(a)uchumi.com>, "Internet Users List" < >>>> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net> >>>> Date: Sunday, April 24, 2011, 12:55 AM >>>> >>>> >>>> Mine just to urge Mr. Ciano to react to the claims. We have several >>>> hundreds of individual email adresses subscribed on this list. Multiply the >>>> number makes takes the message to thousands, whom forward to colleagues, >>>> friends and family and the thousands multiply. >>>> >>>> Whereas many corporates and politicians over-invest their trust on media >>>> blitz to counter adverse publicity, let us not forget the impersonal nature >>>> of media advertisements compared with the trust individuals place on an >>>> email message from someone that they trust and know they would not lie to >>>> them. >>>> >>>> It would, therefore, be unwise to ignore this complaint raised by ICAK >>>> Vice Chair. >>>> >>>> Regards, >>>> >>>> Alex >>>> Sent from my BlackBerry® smartphone provided by Airtel Kenya >>>> >>>> -----Original Message----- >>>> From: JME Simekha <simekhajme(a)gmail.com<http://mc/compose?to=simekhajme@gmail.com> >>>> > >>>> Sender: ke-internetusers-bounces(a)bdix.net<http://mc/compose?to=ke-internetusers-bounces@bdix.net> >>>> Date: Sun, 24 Apr 2011 07:20:22 >>>> To: <pmutiso(a)gmail.com <http://mc/compose?to=pmutiso@gmail.com>> >>>> Cc: Internet Users List<ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net<http://mc/compose?to=ke-internetusers@bdix.net>>; >>>> jciano<jciano(a)uchumi.com <http://mc/compose?to=jciano@uchumi.com>>; < >>>> ke-internetusers-bounces(a)bdix.net<http://mc/compose?to=ke-internetusers-bounces@bdix.net> >>>> > >>>> Subject: Re: [ke-internetusers] Uchumi is shamelessly cheating consumers >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> ke-internetusers mailing list >>>> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net<http://mc/compose?to=ke-internetusers@bdix.net> >>>> http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> ke-internetusers mailing list >>>> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net<http://mc/compose?to=ke-internetusers@bdix.net> >>>> http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers >>>> >>>> >>>> _______________________________________________ >>>> ke-internetusers mailing list >>>> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net >>>> http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers >>>> >>>> >>> >>> >>> -- >>> *************************************** >>> Patrick Kingori Kariuki >>> ICT Consultant >>> >>> >>> "It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If >>> you think about that, you'll do things differently." -- Warren Buffett >>> >>> _______________________________________________ >>> ke-internetusers mailing list >>> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net >>> http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers >>> >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> ke-internetusers mailing list >> ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net >> http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers >> >> > > > -- > "What other people think of me, is none of my business" > > > _______________________________________________ > ke-internetusers mailing list > ke-internetusers(a)bdix.net > http://www.bdix.net/mailman/listinfo/ke-internetusers > >

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Fwd: Winners Announced: V2030 ICT Innovation Awards
by Paul Kukubo ICT Board 26 Apr '11

26 Apr '11

Listers > > > Press release for immediate release > April 21, 2011 > Winners Announced: v2030 ICT Innovation Awards > > Eleven companies received a V2030 ICT Innovation Award at a ceremony held in Diani as part of the Kenya ICT Board's Connected Kenya Summit. The Kenya ICT Board and the Kenya Vision 2030 Delivery Secretariat invited companies that have developed solutions that drive economic growth and social development as outlined in Kenya's Vision 2030 to participate in the inaugural Vision 2030 ICT Innovation Awards. The Award is proudly co-sponsored by Accenture Development Partnerships (ADP). > > Over 170 companies participated in the online process. All applications were received on an online platform set up by the Kenya ICT Board that allowed applicants to create an account and fill out their application over time. Of the companies that participated in the Call for Applications, 82 successfully completed the process. > > The Kenya ICT Board convened a team of seven independent judges representing the ICT private sector, academia, public sector and civil society. The judges began their work on April 13 and reviewed each complete proposal against the criteria outlined in the call for applications. To ensure integrity in the process, Deloitte Consulting are auditing the review process. > > The winners are: > uzanunua.com > Sector: Wholesale and Retail Trade > Uzanunua.com enables Kenyans to buy and sell goods online. Payments to uzanunua are facilitated by local systems such as m-pesa, zap, yu cash. Online auction and classifieds website, uzanunua.com has since acquired 13,000 members and growing at 200% per annum. The platform is based on ebay and is easy to use and has 3,000 unique visitors per day and growing. Kenyans now have their online auction and classifieds site where they can shop from their place of comfort. > Mbetsa Innovations Ltd > Sector: Manufacturing > Morris Mbetsa, a young Kenyan invented an anti-theft device that uses SMS technology to both block and track car theft. The system brings the whole concept of vehicle security into one's hand thanks to the mobile phone; it enables car-owners to monitor their vehicle from a distance and even be able to completely stop the vehicle. Morris Mbetsa had just graduated from high school when he came up with this security device. The innovation is an entirely Kenyan designed GPRS tracking device.. > AGA KHAN UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL NAIROBI > Sector: Health Care Delivery > The Aga Khan University Hospital have used ICT to improve their services. They have used a combination of health management information systems (HMIS)and mobile phone technology to improve health care service delivery. With a central database accessible to their entire countrywide network branches, patients are served and monitored using the same file number whenever they visit any of Aga Khan Hospital branch. Electronic capturing of patient diagnosis has simplified reporting on the numbers encountered on particular diseases for a given period. > Websimba Ltd > Sector: Tourism > Websimba's Eat Out website and Eat Out Mobile site allows consumers to search for restaurants based on various criteria such as area location, type of cuisine and/or budget. Users are provided with the most comprehensive restaurant information including opening hours, photos, videos, customer reviews, menus, maps and details of any offers or special events. The end-user can reserve tables using the online booking engine or by calling our customer services advisors. For restaurants, the site provides a low cost online presence and allows better preparation as customers are pre-booking rather than walking in. > Ushahidi > Social Equity > Ushahidi is a non-profit technology company that specializes in developing free and open source software for crowdsourcing, visualization, and interactive mapping. Ushahidi started as an ad hoc group of technologists and bloggers hammering out software in a couple days, trying to figure out a way to gather more and better information about the post-election violence in Kenya in January 2008. It has since been used around the world for mapping instances of violence and disaster relief. > Horizon Contact Centers Ltd > Sector: Business Process Outsourcing/Offshoring > Horizon's HK_V2 Platform is a locally developed web based solution similar to a CRM which allows for integration with a soft phone to make outbound calls and update data real-time. Horizon designed and deployed the solution with a dynamic front end that can be customized to meet data requirements, ability to integrate it to a soft phone in order to initiate calls on preview mode from an existing database of contacts or manually inputted and a dynamic back end database. > MOBIKASH AFRIKA LIMITED > Secotr: Financial Services > MobiKash offers an all-in one independent mobile commerce and banking solution, which allows users to perform a wide range of financial transactions using their mobile phone. It works across all networks and a user can link up to fifteen bank accounts on a real time basis. It gives a user total control of their money anytime anywhere. > International Livestock Research Institute Sector: Agriculture > Index-based livestock insurance (IBLI) is a promising and exciting innovation in insurance design that allows the risk-management benefits of insurance to be made available to poor and remote clients. The IBLI product being piloted in Marsabit District aims to provide compensation to insured pastoralists in the event of livestock losses due to severe forage scarcity. Incorporating remotely-sensed vegetation data in its design, delivered via mobile ICT-based transactions platforms, and with experimental extension methods used to educate the remote pastoral herders, the IBLI product boasts many firsts in product development. > Space Kenya Networks LTD > Sector: Gender, Youth and Vulnerable Groups > Whive.com is a Social Media Tools Aggregator that offers a platform for SMS, Facebook, Twitter and Mobile Applications that are built for local use in Kenyan and African settings. Whive offers a variety of services. Whive differs from other platforms because they are localizing mobile applications to all Kenyan communities by making them available in local languages. Starting with Swahili, Sheng and English Whive is seeking to initially target the Kenyan youth with its classifieds application. These applications will also form a basis of lingual translation services of key Kenyan languages > Virtual Essence Ltd > Education and Training > MsingiPACK 2011 E-learning/E-revision Solution is a comprehensive digital supplement for upper primary classes under the New 8-4-4 Syllabus, based 100% on Local Content. The content has been generated originally by an Academic Task Force comprising of over 100 teachers, Education Consultants and Curriculum specialists. The tutorials are well structured and sequenced to form a Guided Learning Path while adequately covering everything that the K.I.E syllabus stipulates, including the newly revised Social Studies syllabus that is now based on the New Constitution of Kenya. The KCPE past papers in the programme have been digitized and fully automated under the copyright authority of Kenya National Examinations Council. With the MsingiPACK now available via Mobile Phones, there is value addition to this gadget. > ANNIVERSARY LAB > Housing and Urbanisation > Robert Mburu incorporates home-made gadgets like the touch switches among other bridge detectors to displays number of intruders on a digital display and repulses them with a discharge 10000 volts. The system is linked to a camera that takes over all electrical gadgets in the house including your TV set and records intrusion at instances, it comes with an 8hrs power back up,. The alert system is connected to the GSM Texts owner and if an SMS goes unread, it calls the owner of premise and if not available calls two other sets of numbers. The system can also take up commands and execute them when texted eg 'switch on lights'. > > For more information please contact: > Kaburo Kobia > Kenya ICT Board > Project Manager, Local Digital Content > e: kkobia(a)ict.go.ke > m: 0729466260 > About Kenya ICT Board > > The Kenya ICT Board was established by HE President Mwai Kibaki, as a state corporation under the State Corporations Act Cap. 446 on 19th February 2007. > > The Kenya ICT Board's mission is to champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment. > > Its vision is that Kenya becomes a top ten global ICT hub by 2030. > > The Kenya ICT Board mandate is to: > Market: Positioning and promoting Kenya as an ICT destination (locally and internationally), especially promoting Business process Outsourcing (BPO) and Offshoring. > Advise: Advise the government on all relevant matters pertaining to the development and promotion of ICT industries in the country > Build Capacity: Providing government and other stakeholders with skills, capacity and funding for anchor implementation of ICT projects for development. > Manage Projects: Coordinating, directing and implementing anchor ICT projects in development. > > Contact > For more information or to book interviews please contact: > Kaburo Kobia > 0729466260 > > > Sincerely, > > > Kaburo Kobia > Project Manager, Local Digital Content > Kenya ICT Board > > This email was sent to pkukubo(a)ict.go.ke by kkobia(a)ict.go.ke | > Update Profile/Email Address | Instant removal with SafeUnsubscribe™ | Privacy Policy. > Kenya ICT Board | Telposta Towers, 12th Floor | Kenyatta Ave | P.o. box 27150-00100 | Nairobi | Kenya

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DNSSEC WORKSHOP
by David Wambua 26 Apr '11

26 Apr '11

Dear Listers, In collaboration with Network Startup Resource Centre (NSRC), Kenya Network Information Centre (KENIC) will be holding a public awareness workshop on DNSSEC on Monday, 3rd May 2011.The main objective of the workshop will be to build capacity for the local Internet community on Domain Name System issues. DNS experts from NSRC, USA, will facilitate the workshop. In this regard, KENIC would like to invite you to attend the workshop. Time: 08.00 am – 12.00 noon Venue: AFRALTI (ICT Centre along Waiyaki Way, Opposite Kianda School) Charges: FREE You are kindly requested to confirm your participation by sending an email to training(a)kenic.or.ke. We look forward to your participation and valuable contribution during the workshop. Regards, ............................. David I. Wambua Ag. Chief Executive Officer, Kenya Network Information Centre (KeNIC), Box 1461 - 00606, Nairobi [E] david(a)kenic.or.ke [M] +254 733790073 [T] +254 20 2324686, 4450057/8 [F] 4450087 [W] www.kenic.or.ke dot KE for Every Name in Kenya! -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by KeNIC MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. Kenya Network Information Center (KENIC)

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Minutes of the Face to Face Meeting with Dr. Ndemo on the Digital Villages Initiative.
by Barrack Otieno 26 Apr '11

26 Apr '11

Listers, Attached please find the above mentioned document. Thank you -- 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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UCC attempts to block social networks
by alice＠apc.org 26 Apr '11

26 Apr '11

Reporters Without Borders urges the Ugandan authorities to respect freedom of expression and not obstruct online social networks and news media on the eve of new opposition demonstrations. It would be dangerous for the government to make unjustified use of protection of national security as grounds for controlling information. The role of that Facebook and Twitter are playing in providing the public with information about current developments is all the more important given the restrictions that have been placed on journalists trying to cover the demonstrations. Reporters Without Borders urges the Ugandan authorities to respect freedom of expression and not obstruct online social networks and news media on the eve of new opposition demonstrations. It would be dangerous for the government to make unjustified use of protection of national security as grounds for controlling information. The role of that Facebook and Twitter are playing in providing the public with information about current developments is all the more important given the restrictions that have been placed on journalists trying to cover the demonstrations. The Uganda Communications Commission (UCC) tried to block access to social networks on 14 April, when "Walk to Work" demonstrations were held in several cities in protest against food and gasoline price hikes. In a letter (copy attached) signed by Quinto Ojok (standing in for the executive director), the UCC ordered 10 telecom companies "to block the use of Facebook and Tweeter for 24 hours as of now, that is 14th April 2011 at 3.30 pm." The grounds given for the order was "a request from the security agencies that there is need to minimize the use of the media that may escalate violence to the public in respect of the ongoing situation due to the demonstration relating to 'Walk to Work'." UCC executive director Godfrey Mutabazi told Reuters yesterday that he was ready to give fresh orders to block Facebook and Twitter locally if they were used "to fan unrest." The day before, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the arrests of opposition leader Kizza Besigye and other demonstrators, who were accused of inciting violence. Reached by telephone, Mutabazi told Reporters Without Borders he would cut off access to Facebook and Twitter only if it had to be done to protect the public. He said his statements should be seen as an appeal to Ugandans to be take care not to use social networks to issue calls for hatred or violence. "The freedom to live is more important than the freedom to express oneself," he added. As a regulator, the UCC cannot block websites without help from Internet services providers. The 14 April letter was sent to Broadband (U), Foris Telecom Uganda and Infocom, with copies to Orange Uganda, Uganda Telecom, MTN Uganda, Warid Telecom, Airtel Uganda, Africaonline Uganda and ZAfsat Communications. Reporters Without Borders has told some of these companies that it opposes social networks being disconnected in a unilateral and abusive manner. The blocking that the UCC ordered on 14 April was not implemented by all the companies concerned. Some requested clarification. Some said they got the letter too late. And some simply refused to comply. MTN Uganda, one of the leading ISPs, announced on Twitter on 15 April that it would not carry out the order: "@MTNUGANDACARE: @StoneAtwine Our stand is clear. We are not closing down FB or Twitter. Thanks." Some users nonetheless experienced disruptions for several hours. Different information has been circulating about the ISPs involved. Local NGOs have accused the security forces of using excessive violence to disperse demonstrators - charges rejected by the government. The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has condemned the restrictions imposed by the government on journalists, who have been denied access to hospitals and certain places linked to the demonstrations. Around 10 journalists have been injured and have had equipment damaged while covering the protests, which began on 11 April. An armed forces spokesman apologized publicly. Several sources have separately said that a UCC directive has also banned TV and radio stations from providing live coverage of the "Walk to Work" protests. Reporters Without Borders is very worried about the restrictions that the Ugandan government is imposing on freedom of expression. "The authorities must not confuse the event itself with coverage of the event," Reporters Without Borders said. "When media cover demonstrations, they are not taking part in them; they are simply doing their job of reporting the news. The media must not be prevented from working and journalists must not be obstructed." source Reporters sans Frontières A on 14 April, when "Walk to Work" demonstrations were held in several cities in protest against food and gasoline price hikes. In a letter (copy attached) signed by Quinto Ojok (standing in for the executive director), the UCC ordered 10 telecom companies "to block the use of Facebook and Tweeter for 24 hours as of now, that is 14th April 2011 at 3.30 pm." The grounds given for the order was "a request from the security agencies that there is need to minimize the use of the media that may escalate violence to the public in respect of the ongoing situation due to the demonstration relating to 'Walk to Work'." UCC executive director Godfrey Mutabazi told Reuters yesterday that he was ready to give fresh orders to block Facebook and Twitter locally if they were used "to fan unrest." The day before, thousands of people took to the streets to protest against the arrests of opposition leader Kizza Besigye and other demonstrators, who were accused of inciting violence. Reached by telephone, Mutabazi told Reporters Without Borders he would cut off access to Facebook and Twitter only if it had to be done to protect the public. He said his statements should be seen as an appeal to Ugandans to be take care not to use social networks to issue calls for hatred or violence. "The freedom to live is more important than the freedom to express oneself," he added. As a regulator, the UCC cannot block websites without help from Internet services providers. The 14 April letter was sent to Broadband (U), Foris Telecom Uganda and Infocom, with copies to Orange Uganda, Uganda Telecom, MTN Uganda, Warid Telecom, Airtel Uganda, Africaonline Uganda and ZAfsat Communications. Reporters Without Borders has told some of these companies that it opposes social networks being disconnected in a unilateral and abusive manner. The blocking that the UCC ordered on 14 April was not implemented by all the companies concerned. Some requested clarification. Some said they got the letter too late. And some simply refused to comply. MTN Uganda, one of the leading ISPs, announced on Twitter on 15 April that it would not carry out the order: "@MTNUGANDACARE: @StoneAtwine Our stand is clear. We are not closing down FB or Twitter. Thanks." Some users nonetheless experienced disruptions for several hours. Different information has been circulating about the ISPs involved. Local NGOs have accused the security forces of using excessive violence to disperse demonstrators - charges rejected by the government. The Eastern Africa Journalists Association (EAJA) has condemned the restrictions imposed by the government on journalists, who have been denied access to hospitals and certain places linked to the demonstrations. Around 10 journalists have been injured and have had equipment damaged while covering the protests, which began on 11 April. An armed forces spokesman apologized publicly. Several sources have separately said that a UCC directive has also banned TV and radio stations from providing live coverage of the "Walk to Work" protests. Reporters Without Borders is very worried about the restrictions that the Ugandan government is imposing on freedom of expression. "The authorities must not confuse the event itself with coverage of the event," Reporters Without Borders said. "When media cover demonstrations, they are not taking part in them; they are simply doing their job of reporting the news. The media must not be prevented from working and journalists must not be obstructed." source Reporters sans Frontières

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Shuttleworth foundation fellowships
by Alice Munyua 21 Apr '11

21 Apr '11

This may be of interest http://www.shuttleworthfoundation.org/funding/fellowship-programme/ best Alice

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Media Round Tables - Invitation
by George Nyabuga 21 Apr '11

21 Apr '11

Dear friends, The School of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Nairobi, the Media Focus on Africa Foundation, the Media Institute, and the Kenya Editors Guild are pleased to invite you to participate in a Media Round Table to be held on 26 April 2011, between 12 and 2pm, at the Alliance Francaise to discuss media experience in the coverage of the Ocampo Six. We are particularly interested in understanding what informs media coverage of the Ocampo Six, and journalists experiences in handling the story. Some of the panellists will be Alex Chamwada of Citizen who has extensively covered the issue, and John Mwendwa, an editor at K24. The event will be open to members of the public to enhance public understanding of the role of the media in the Kenyan society. Former newspaper editor, regular media commentator and consultant Kwamchetsi Makokha will moderate the discussions. This is part of a series of monthly round table meetings held the last Tuesday of every month. The remit of the Monthly Media Round Tables is to deeply examine, in conversations with various organisations and people like academics/scholars, media practitioners/journalists, civil society organisations, policy makers, media stakeholders, politicians, and ordinary Kenyans, the role of media. It is hoped that such conversations will promote an understanding of the station and role of the media in Kenya. Entry is FREE. We look forward to your participation. Dr George Nyabuga Associate Director School of Journalism & Mass Communication University of Nairobi Education Building Harry Thuku Road PO Box 30197 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254(0)20 318262 Fax: +254(0)20 2229168 Mobile: +254 (0)72151 6573 Email: gnyabuga(a)uonbi.ac.ke, gnyabuga(a)yahoo.co.uk 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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Re: [kictanet] kictanet Digest, Vol 47, Issue 70 - Africa IGF
by Nnenna Nwakanma 21 Apr '11

21 Apr '11

Hi people I agree that the most important participation needed is at national level. In Côte d'Ivoire where I live, we have a formal and functioning IG initiative with even an elected President. The man had been to Kenya also to understudy the Kenya IGF. The IGICI, the Ivorian one, is entirely sponsored by national stakeholders. In West Africa, OSIWA has given a 1 year support for the WAIGF, which hitherto had been supported partly by AfriNic and partners. The framework of WAIGF (which is being managed by FOSSFA) was to have a resource person in a country and support that individual to do an initial mobilisation, so that once an initial national IGF was organised, national stakeholders will take it from there. Here are the issues: 1. The WAIGF does not cover all the countries. So 1 year support to 8 out of 15 countries is not sustainable. At this time, the countries that may be able to carry on without continued support in West Africa may be Senegal, Gambia, Ghana, Sierra Leone and Nigeria. 2. Central Africa is far more shaky than West Africa. Schombe Baudoin can update on that. 3. ECA has been lending support to EAIGF, (according to Makane) but there was not any national IG initiative in Ethiopia until last two weeks after we finished the Diplo training in Addis and the ET participants agreed to begin something. 4. The SAIGF idea is only about a few months old. I know Anriette of APC has started work on this, but so far, there are not much national IGF in the region. 5. North Africa, I am not aware of (I may be wrong) On AFIGF, what we have so far is ECA and AU saying "it is a good idea and we will go for it". And NEPAD saying, 'it is a good idea and we will support it", and Diplo that is willing to engage. Nonetheless, there are questions on how best an AFIGF can best serve the needs of ongoing and yet-to-start initiatives, outside of a once-a-year meeting. The other important issue also is that there are key stakeholders who are not necessarily linked to a sub-region, like ADB, ATU, MTN who need to engage. As well as sub-regional economic commissions. In west Africa, ECOWAS has not been very active, despite a willingness. When I heard that ECA had accepted to hold the IG workshop, I contacted the people involved in the ongoing initiatives and sent a draft for the AFIGF that I wanted to go and present at Addis. So what we have now is a kind of evolving document on : What will an African initiative look like and what should it accomplish? Hopefully, an open forum will happen in Nairobi so that stakeholder present can evaluate and decide what direction is best. It is true that for some countries where with an active IGF, it might seem like a waste of energy, but for some other countries, they are hoping to ride on the back of AFIGF to either begin or strengthen their national IGF. All the best Nnenna Nnenna Nwakanma | Founder and CEO, NNENNA.ORG | Consultants Information | Communications | Technology and Events | for Development Abidjan, Cote d'Ivoire (+225)| Tel: 225 27144 | Fax 224 26471 |Mob. 07416820 Accra, Ghana (+233) Tel: 0249561345 | http://www.nnenna.org | nnenna(a)nnenna.org Twitter - @nnenna | Skype - nnenna75 | nnennaorg.blogspot.com Your multi-lingual development and event partners across Africa.

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Fwd: [AfrICANN-discuss] Africa IGF
by McTim 21 Apr '11

21 Apr '11

Listers, We have a version for EA, and one for WA, so do we really need a Pan-African IGF? -- Cheers, McTim "A name indicates what we seek. An address indicates where it is. A route indicates how we get there." Jon Postel ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Anne-Rachel Inné <annerachel(a)gmail.com> Date: 2011/4/21 Subject: [AfrICANN-discuss] Africa IGF To: africann(a)afrinic.net Cc: Nnenna <nne75(a)yahoo.com> FYI, please copy any remarks to Nnenna. best https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Yq7ww5X6jZ9X4yu3SGiJs9SdmpKxTbqpgeUlc15… -- Anne-Rachel Inne _______________________________________________ AfrICANN mailing list AfrICANN(a)afrinic.net https://lists.afrinic.net/mailman/listinfo.cgi/africann

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Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by DMakali
by Barrack Otieno 21 Apr '11

21 Apr '11

@ Leonard, my reasons for using names is that there are times when we need leadership, I mentioned the Chair and the minister because they have what it takes to resolve the current challenge, we all know that there is the spirit and the letter of the law, good leadership espouses both, I fully agree with Gitau but what is the use of the law if we don't relate well as stakeholders? On 4/20/11, dmakali(a)yahoo.com <dmakali(a)yahoo.com> wrote: > We need the rule of law, not behind-the-scenes political comprises. That's > not a sustainable basis for accountable governance in the 21st century. > > > > Sent from my BlackBerry® > > -----Original Message----- > From: Francis.Hook(a)gmail.com > Sender: kictanet-bounces+dmakali=yahoo.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:45:16 > To: <dmakali(a)yahoo.com> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by > DMakali > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/dmakali%40yahoo.com > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > _______________________________________________ > 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/otieno.barrack%40gmail… > > The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for > people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and > regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT > sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. > > KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors > online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, > share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do > not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. > -- Sent from my mobile device 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: ICT4D Masters Bursary from University of Manchester
by Alice Munyua 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

The University of Manchester's one-year MSc ICTs for Development degree aims to create "ICT4D champions" who combine technical competencies in information systems and project management with an understanding of development context and practice: http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses/06237/?code=062… <http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/postgraduate/taught/courses/06237/?code=062…> The 2011 Development Leaders Bursary - worth £6,150 - is available for developing country applicants to the MSc ICT4D programme, with a May 27th deadline. Application and eligibility details can be found at: http://www.sed.manchester.ac.uk/idpm/postgraduate/taught/funding/ This page also contains details on other funding sources and on part-time employment opportunities while studying in Manchester. Richard Heeks Director Centre for Development Informatics University of Manchester, UK http://www.manchester.ac.uk/cdi

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Re: [kictanet] [!! SPAM] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-byDMakali
by arap Kirui 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

I think the other very important thing we refuse to touch is ethnicity. I am not sure that the wider national figures released by Kibunjia do not inform this debate and the simmering sentiment, the law and all else aside. arap Kirui Sent from my Nokia phone -----Original Message----- From: Jane Thuo Sent: 20/04/2011 17:57:41 To: arapkirui(a)gmail.com Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions' Subject: Re: [kictanet] [!! SPAM] Re: Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-byDMakali I must add my voice in this debate! A critical thing that is playing out irrespective of who is acting legally or not is the lack of professionalism in the way the boards and management relate to each other. This leads to a kind of a context that plays out in the public and which helps no one in particular but affects the industry. It is apparent there are sour grapes and each party is using different strategies and legal provisions/gaps to settle scores. I agree with one of the contributors that upholding good faith in all dealings is crucial. If involved parties feel that there are differences that need intervention by other stakeholders to resolve them, then let them involve them if the source of dispute has to do with real issues and not personal. Otherwise, then nothing will ever work so long as personality clashes take centre stage and not even the laws or the constitution will resolve. We must embrace the spirit of constitutionalism because even the law is an "ass" and legal interpretations will not always solve issues BUT, the law/legal provisions are important to offer guidance. Human beings us included will always try to wriggle and find those provisions that favour them. So in this particular case, whether the board or the minister is right is subject to who is interpreting what and their world view and at the end of the day, there is a stalemate. Jane -----Original Message----- From: kictanet-bounces+jthuo=amwik.org(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+jthuo=amwik.org@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Barrack Otieno Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 4:44 PM To: jthuo(a)amwik.org Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [!! SPAM] Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-byDMakali While at this subject, its a pity we are playing safe, leaders at key state organisations should come out boldly and state the challenges they are facing if any, it does us no good to be gossiping or listening to grapevine, I wonder why we don't invoke the law during the numerous cocktails we have, let's uphold good faith in all our dealings and stop playing cards under the table as the late Hon. Wamalwa challenged the leaders. On 4/20/11, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack(a)gmail.com> wrote: > @ Leonard, my reasons for using names is that there are times when we > need leadership, I mentioned the Chair and the minister because they > have what it takes to resolve the current challenge, we all know that > there is the spirit and the letter of the law, good leadership > espouses both, I fully agree with Gitau but what is the use of the law > if we don't relate well as stakeholders? > > On 4/20/11, dmakali(a)yahoo.com <dmakali(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> We need the rule of law, not behind-the-scenes political comprises. >> That's >> not a sustainable basis for accountable governance in the 21st century. >> >> >> >> Sent from my BlackBerryR >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: Francis.Hook(a)gmail.com >> Sender: kictanet-bounces+dmakali=yahoo.com(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> Date: Wed, 20 Apr 2011 11:45:16 >> To: <dmakali(a)yahoo.com> >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by >> DMakali >> >> _______________________________________________ >> kictanet mailing list >> kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet >> >> Unsubscribe or change your options at >> http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/dmakali%40yahoo.com >> >> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform >> for >> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and >> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT >> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and >> development. >> >> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and >> bandwidth, >> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/otieno.barrack%40gmail. com >> >> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform >> for >> people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and >> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT >> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and >> development. >> >> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and >> bandwidth, >> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >> > > -- > Sent from my mobile device > > 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 > -- Sent from my mobile device 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 _______________________________________________ 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/jthuo%40amwik.org The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/arapkirui%40gmail.com The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.

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Invitation to connect on LinkedIn
by Sylvester Muoki, MBA, CISA, ITILv3F via LinkedIn 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

LinkedIn ------------Sylvester Muoki, MBA, CISA, ITILv3F requested to add you as a connection on LinkedIn: ------------------------------------------ Benjamin, I'd like to add you to my professional network on LinkedIn. - Sylvester Accept invitation from Sylvester Muoki, MBA, CISA, ITILv3F http://www.linkedin.com/e/u7xxdc-gmqcm2bd-1o/4_n5t6X_WQjXh2Z5g_n5tTYK1bLMph… View invitation from Sylvester Muoki, MBA, CISA, ITILv3F http://www.linkedin.com/e/u7xxdc-gmqcm2bd-1o/4_n5t6X_WQjXh2Z5g_n5tTYK1bLMph… ------------------------------------------ DID YOU KNOW you can use your LinkedIn profile as your website? Select a vanity URL and then promote this address on your business cards, email signatures, website, etc http://www.linkedin.com/e/u7xxdc-gmqcm2bd-1o/ewp/inv-21/ -- (c) 2011, LinkedIn Corporation

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Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by DMakali
by Francis Hook 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

Mr Githo - first my obeisances. My issue is lies not in the law but whether, inherent in the (extant) law are flaws. I too eek the truth of the matter, In an earlier post I asked what merits the change of guard... On 20/04/2011, Macharia Gaitho <mgaitho(a)ke.nationmedia.com> wrote: > Many of us are missing the point. The issue is not the performance or rating > of the DG, but whether any minister has the legal right to ignore or > overrule a board on appointments and other decisions. > There have also been suggestions that in this case the Board was wrong or it > was influences by external forces. I wish the evidence could be brought > forth. > > > > From: kictanet-bounces+mgaitho=nation.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mgaitho=nation.co.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On > Behalf Of Francis.Hook(a)gmail.com > Sent: Wednesday, April 20, 2011 2:45 PM > To: Macharia Gaitho > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions > Subject: Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by > DMakali > > Thank you. Thank you for seeing the forest for the trees, > > On , Jotham Kilimo Mwale <jokilimo(a)yahoo.com> wrote: >> Francis, you are spot on. Whereas we are all busy trying to see if the >> Minister has breached the law (which is on order), we are not >> interrogating the actions of the Board, thus giving the impression the >> minister is wrong and the Board is right. Was the Board's decision >> influenced externally? Was it a one-time appraisal or has there been >> continuous (annual?) appraisals and what were the scores? >> >> Regards, >> Jotham >> >> --- On Tue, 4/19/11, Francis Hook francis.hook(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >> From: Francis Hook francis.hook(a)gmail.com> >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by >> DMakali >> To: jokilimo(a)yahoo.com >> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke> >> Date: >> Tuesday, April 19, 2011, 10:40 PM >> >> Thanks MM. In many senses your email and the link in reference to an >> objective view of the issue, open up space for fresh discussions about >> which media can really lay claim to being part of the fourth estate. I >> feel BD has legitimate claim to that for their objectivity and >> independence. >> >> >> And I really hope such deliberations can feed into discussions that try to >> define what "independent" really means - such that "independent" excludes >> the ability to pander to certain interests and not any licence that >> amounts to impartial treatment of issues. >> >> >> >> On 20 April 2011 08:23, muriuki mureithi mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke> >> wrote: >> >> >> Walu >> It's actually resurrected and is now turning up for constitutional >> interpretation at the supreme court >> >> Read on --- >> http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/CCK+director+appointment+… >> >> >> this will be precedent setting not just for CCK but for all boards . it >> will remove doubt on the construct of the Independent CCK that is coming >> up --- >> >> cheers >> >> Muriuki Mureithi >> >> Consultant Member >> Society of Telecommunications Consultants >> >> >> what chance gathers , she easily scatters !! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe >> >> >> From: >> kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke >> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+mureithi=summitstrategies.co.ke@lists.kictanet.or.ke] >> On Behalf Of Walubengo J >> >> Sent: 20 April 2011 08:01 >> To: mureithi(a)summitstrategies.co.ke >> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions >> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by >> DMakali >> >> >> >> It seems this saga refuses to die... >> >> ~~~ >> The Star >> Tuesday, 19 April 2011 00:04 BY DAVID MAKALI >> >> >> A little over a week ago, Information and Communications minister Samuel >> Poghisio called a press conference to announce that he had revoked the >> suspension of the director general of the Communications Commission of >> Kenya."For the avoidance of doubt, I wish to state that Charles Njoroge >> remains in office and that as the appointing authority I will proceed to >> renew his contract in line with the law," he stated. >> >> >> The minister's intervention may have seemed timely and proper. Given the >> infighting that had become the order of the day at the CCK between the >> board of directors (or some) and the director-general, some form of >> external intervention was necessary to establish order. >> >> However, questions still linger over what exactly the minister did, if it >> was legal, and if it is in the interest of the general telecommunications >> sector and the public in general. At the time of this writing, his >> re-appointment or otherwise had not been gazetted. >> >> >> more @ >> http://tinyurl.com/3cddk4h >> >> walu. >> >> >> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> >> 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/francis.hook%40gmail.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. >> >> >> >> >> -- >> Francis Hook >> +254 733 504561 >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> >> -----Inline Attachment Follows----- >> >> _______________________________________________ >> 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/jokilimo%40yahoo.com >> >> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform >> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and >> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT >> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and >> development. >> >> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors >> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, >> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do >> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications. >> > > DISCLAIMER: The information contained in or accompanying this e-mail is > intended for the use of the stated recipient only. It may contain > confidential, proprietary or legally privileged information. No > confidentiality or privilege is waived or lost by any mistransmission. If > you receive this message in error, please immediately delete it and all > copies of it from your system, destroy any hard copies of it and notify the > sender. You must not, directly or indirectly, use, disclose, distribute, > print, or copy any part of this message if you are not the intended > recipient. > > Any views or opinions presented herein are solely those of the author and do > not necessarily represent those of the Nation Media Group. > > ‘To get all breaking news alerts send the word BREAK to 6667 or visit > http://mobile.nation.co.ke to read news on your mobile phone.’ > -- Francis Hook +254 733 504561

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Leaving DFID
by Victor Gathara 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

Hi, You may be aware that I will shortly be leaving my position in DFID to set up my own business, including an IT consultancy. I have enjoyed working in DFID and am thankful for the opportunities DFID has given me. Especially am I grateful to have contributed to DFID's support of the ICT sector in East Africa. I will now be looking to use my knowledge and experience to pursue opportunities in ICT4D and desire to continue our working relationship in this sector. Please find my contacts below. Kind regards, Victor Gathara| Email: vgathara(a)gmail.com <mailto:vgathara@gmail.com> | Mobile: +254 733 414846 UK aid: Changing lives, delivering results. Find out more at: www.dfid.gov.uk/aidreviews

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Connected Kenya Live
by Dennis Kioko 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

You can get live updates on CIO East Africa Twitter Feed: http://twitter.com/CIOEastAfrica Articles are also available on the CIO East Africa website: http://www.cio.co.ke/ <http://www.cio.co.ke/>Presentations available at Connected Kenya website: http://www.connected.go.ke/2011/04/presentations/ -- with Regards: <https://twitter.com/#%21/denniskioko> <http://blog.denniskioko.com> www.denniskioko.com

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Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by DMakali
by Gitau Andrew 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

I agree with Makali on this one. The minister really has no legal basis to hire/ fire a CEO, he can only approve from three names given to him by the board after due process or fire on recommendation from the board, again after due process. And due process must have been followed, because we are told the board in its entirety marked him 60 over 100 percent and not over 70 percent as the minister mentioned. Regarding the DG's performance the board would know and have intimate details on his performance over the last three years, that the rest of us do not have access to, since we have not been sitting on the board and working with him. Some listers also seem to be insinuating that the Board and DG have presented different goals. I will again differ. Performance contracts are contracts between the board and the government. The board then cascades the responsibility of implementing the contract to the DG and his management team. Further, the Board sets the strategic direction for the commission and again the DG is expected to implement the vision/plan/performance contract and operationalize it following the Board's instruction. So it does not make sense to keep claiming that the DG is pro consumer and the board is not and oh by the way the DG is also a member of the board. So rather than have the rather emotional opinions that are being expressed on this list, please note that as far as the statutes go, on this matter, : The powers and responsibilities of the Board of Directors are clearly outlined in Section 4(2) of the State Corporations (Performance Contracting ) Regulations 2004,subject of course to the State Corporations Act and any other statutes and they include inter alia, the power to: “…(b) recruit staff including the chief executive of the state corporation; (c) develop and negotiate with the parent Ministry performance targets for the state corporation for a specified financial year; (f) enter into and implement performance contracts with the chief executive of the state corporation; (h) perform any other duties that may be deemed necessary or expedient for the implementation of the performance contracts.” Although, as Walu rightly mentions there is no specific power granted to the Board to dismiss/not renew contracts of CEO’s either in the State Corporations Act or in the Kenya Information and Communications Act, there is a rule of interpretation of statutes that says that grant of a specific power necessarily implies that it also has the power to do the converse and therefore it is implied that the power of the Board to hire includes the power to fire.’ So therefore the general principle is that it is not within the power of the Minister to reinstate, recruit of dismiss the DG. Gitau --

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Re: [kictanet] Poghisio Flouting The Law in The CCK Tussle-by DMakali
by Gitau Andrew 20 Apr '11

20 Apr '11

On 4/20/11 8:30 AM, Francis Hook wrote: Sorry Walu....but I beg to differ. Let me quote some parts of the article... > > >"snip > >Sorry...but I think this is the wrong judgement call. It takes away attention >from what the board's interests are and what national issues are at stake (and >which have been served as per the mandate of CCK). > Pray what are the boards interest if not to set strategic direction for the commission according to the law? states corporation boards are responsible for performance contracts as well as setting the strategic direction of the organization. While, the DG is responsible for implementing board decisions, plans and vision and not the other way round. Please see the communications act, states corporations act, good governance principles etc. Gitau

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Announcement: 4th East Africa Internet Governance forum
by Alice Munyua 19 Apr '11

19 Apr '11

(Apologies for cross posting) The fourth EA-IGF will take place on 21 and 22nd July 2011 in Kigali, Rwanda, hosted by the Government of Rwanda, coordinated by the Rwanda Information and communication Technology Association (RICTA). The forum will bring together participants from government, industry, technical community, civil society among others to discuss internet governance issues that are unique to the East Africa region. The forum aims at creating a community of practice that will become a sustaining foundation for meaningful participation of East African stakeholders in internet public policy processes at the national, regional and global levels. RICTA invites all East African internet stakeholders to attend. Details on venue and programme will be shared later. For more information about the EA-IGF please visit: www.eaigf.or.ke --

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Software testing - internships anyone?
by Andrea Bohnstedt 19 Apr '11

19 Apr '11

Hey all, Roland Omoresemi and Tezza Solutions have quietly been doing some very interesting work for Kenya's ICT industry and its outsourcing potential - have a look here: http://www.ratio-magazine.com/201104193912/Kenya/In-Brief-Building-Human-Re… Roland is now looking for some more corporates who would be willing to take on an intern (or three, I guess) for one to two months. Any takers? You'll get some quality services out of it. If you're interested, get in touch with Roland directly: roland(a)tezzasolutions.com Regards, Andrea -- Andrea Bohnstedt <http://ke.linkedin.com/in/andreabohnstedt> Publisher +254 720 960 322 www.ratio-magazine.com Find/post East Africa careers<http://www.ratio-magazine.com/careers/index.php> Find/post conferences, workshops, trainings, other business events<http://www.ratio-magazine.com/businessevents/index.php>

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Re: [kictanet] Airtel (non) response to customers
by Victor Bwire 18 Apr '11

18 Apr '11

I read about how Airtel responds to customer issues and thought someone from the company gave an answer-which I seem not to remember I had a very simple request to Airtel- changing from number from a post paid to prepaid and since November, 2010 today, whenever I call or visit them, they ask me to write to the below email- which as you can see has some automated responses- the nothing happens- but they continue charging me for the post paid rates, though I stopped using the number last year. Could anybody advice me what to do Regards Victor ________________________________ From: customercare(a)ke.airtel.com [customercare(a)ke.airtel.com] Sent: 13 April 2011 07:38 To: Victor Bwire Subject: Your Query to Airtel Kenya Customer Care Division Dear Customer We are pleased to inform you that your query has been logged for resolution and you will be contacted in less than 24 hours. In the event that you have not been contacted after 24 hours please call the Customer Service Operations Team Leader on 0733560000. Yours sincerely Airtel Kenya Customer Services Parkside Towers, Mombasa Rd P.O Box 42964 00100 Nairobi Tel 0733100710/700/720; Fax (020) 6911104 Visit our website at: http://africa.airtel.com/kenya/ ________________________________ From: kictanet-bounces+victor=article19.org(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke [kictanet-bounces+victor=article19.org(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke] on behalf of Alice Munyua [alice(a)apc.org] Sent: 18 April 2011 09:26 To: Victor Bwire Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: [kictanet] new gTLDs: New Applicant Guidebook Discussion Draft published GAC Scorecard Response and New Applicant Guidebook Discussion Draft Following the direction set by ICANN Board to advance the new gTLD Program towards launch, ICANN posted the New gTLD Applicant Guidebook – April 2011 Discussion Draft<http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/comments-6-en.htm> and ICANN's reply to the GAC Comments<http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/board-notes-gac-scorecard-clean-15…>[PDF, 275 KB] (regarding the GAC's Scorecard of new gTLD issues<http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/gac-scorecard-23feb11-en.pdf> [PDF, 332 KB]). In addition, six Explanatory Memoranda<http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/comments-6-en.htm> related to the GAC-Board discussion points were published to explain rationale for several current positions. These publications meet the current Board timeline for new gTLDs set during the recent ICANN Silicon Valley meeting but more importantly, they describe many substantive changes in the Guidebook intended to address GAC concerns with the new gTLD Program. This recent set of substantive consultations between ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee and the ICANN Board of Directors lays the groundwork for improving the effectiveness of governments' role in future ICANN policy discussions. The Board's draft timeline<http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/draft-timeline-new-gtlds-18mar11-en.pdf> [PDF, 117 KB] shows the key milestones to be met on that path. Keeping with the draft timeline, ICANN plans to post a final version of the Guidebook by 30 May 2011, in time for consideration of the New gTLD implementation program at an extraordinary meeting of the ICANN Board to be held on Monday, 20 June 2011, at the ICANN meetings inSingapore<http://singapore41.icann.org/>. The comment period will remain open until 15 May 2011. GAC Comments on the Board Response to the GAC Scorecard following San Francisco meeting<http://gac.icann.org/system/files/20110412_GAC_comments_on_the_Board_respon…>

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new gTLDs: New Applicant Guidebook Discussion Draft published
by Alice Munyua 18 Apr '11

18 Apr '11

/GAC Scorecard Response and New Applicant Guidebook Discussion Draft/ Following the direction set by ICANN Board to advance the new gTLD Program towards launch, ICANN posted theNew gTLD Applicant Guidebook -- April 2011 Discussion Draft <http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/comments-6-en.htm>andICANN's reply to the GAC Comments <http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/board-notes-gac-scorecard-clean-15…>[PDF, 275 KB] (regarding theGAC's Scorecard of new gTLD issues <http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/gac-scorecard-23feb11-en.pdf>[PDF, 332 KB]). In addition,six Explanatory Memoranda <http://www.icann.org/en/topics/new-gtlds/comments-6-en.htm>related to the GAC-Board discussion points were published to explain rationale for several current positions. These publications meet the current Board timeline for new gTLDs set during the recent ICANN Silicon Valley meeting but more importantly, they describe many substantive changes in the Guidebook intended to address GAC concerns with the new gTLD Program. This recent set of substantive consultations between ICANN's Governmental Advisory Committee and the ICANN Board of Directors lays the groundwork for improving the effectiveness of governments' role in future ICANN policy discussions. The Board's drafttimeline <http://www.icann.org/en/minutes/draft-timeline-new-gtlds-18mar11-en.pdf>[PDF, 117 KB] shows the key milestones to be met on that path. Keeping with the draft timeline, ICANN plans to post a final version of the Guidebook by 30 May 2011, in time for consideration of the New gTLD implementation program at an extraordinary meeting of the ICANN Board to be held on Monday, 20 June 2011, at the ICANN meetings inSingapore <http://singapore41.icann.org/>. The comment period will remain open until 15 May 2011. GAC Comments on the Board Response to the GAC Scorecard following San Francisco meeting <http://gac.icann.org/system/files/20110412_GAC_comments_on_the_Board_respon…>

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e-ProMIS solution
by robert yawe 15 Apr '11

15 Apr '11

Hi, Yesterday I had the pleasure of attending a demonstration of the governments e-ProMIS system and to say the list I was totally blown away. However much we bash GOK as relates to application of technology its all based on a lack of information and if only we had a platform to regularly interact with the government the energy we dissipate on such activities would be better utilised working to improve on the initiatives. Even as the various committees and task forces burn expensive fuel, the units within government are burning the fuel adjusted power to develop solutions that will make devolution seamless and reduce corruption to a road site activity. For those who us planning to become governors we need to make sure that our objective is to serve and not blunder. After the demonstration I spoke to the officer in-charge of the application development and he is willing and able to give a comprehensive demonstration of the system to those who are interested and invitation I would like to extend to all listers. Would those who are interested send me an email message with the subject "e-promis" based on the responses I will then plan for an appropriate time and location. As is my mantra we need to meet half way so be prepared to cough up to cover any costs that might arise. Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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Call for project write-ups in ICTs and Climate Change
by Edith Adera 15 Apr '11

15 Apr '11

Listers, Please find attached a call for "project write-ups" on ICTs and Climate change. Please could I ask you all to circulate to your appropriate lists or contacts. Many thanks Edith

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Publication of Piece on protecting the Internet from Dictators
by warigia bowman 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

Dear Friends I just want to thank you for your assistance in helping me with the piece on the Egyptian Internet Shutdown. I got a lot of press interest from it. It is going to be published in the Cairo Review here: http://cairoreview.aucegypt.edu/BowmanTF.html They have misspelled my name, but they are working on fixing it. The piece fully cited with attribution is available on my blog. www.democratizingegypt.blogspot.com Yours, Rigia On Tue, Mar 15, 2011 at 10:05 AM, Francis Hook <francis.hook(a)gmail.com>wrote: > In today's Business Daily is the story about the looming exit of Charles > Njoroge from CCK. > > > http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Change+of+guard+looms+at+… > > Looking at CCK's Mandate (http://www.cck.go.ke/about/what_we_do.html) and > thinking of some aspects of that story (e.g. his appraisal score) and also > looking at recent positive developments (anti-competition, lower tariffs, > MNP, converged licences, etc), when reviewing Mr Njoroge's tenure vis a vis > that mandate, what is the rationale behind his proposed removal? I > understand we cannot all be privy to the details of his appraisal but > perhaps it merits some open discussion, more so when looking ahead and > trying to read the tea leaves in terms of possible revisions/amendment of > various sector regulations. > > --- > Francis Hook > +254 733 504561 > > > > _______________________________________________ > kictanet mailing list > kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet > > This message was sent to: warigia(a)gmail.com > Unsubscribe or change your options at > http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/warigia%40gmail.com > >

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Extension of the deadline for IGF workshop proposal submissions
by Alice Munyua 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

Dear all, Please note deadline for submission of workshop proposals for the IGF taking place in September 27-30 in Nairobi has been extended to April 22nd. best Alice ---------------------- The Sixth Annual IGF Meeting will be held in Nairobi on 27-30 September 2011 at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) Gigiri. The proposed main theme of the meeting is: '*Internet as a catalyst for change: access, development, freedoms and innovation*'. The call for workshop proposals deadline has now been extended to 22nd April 2011 Steps to submitting proposals see here: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/w2011 and below Thank you and looking forward to those proposals. p.s no payment required to propose and organize a workshop during the IGF Best Alice ------------------ *Steps to submitting proposals* * Log in to the IGF Website with your username and password * If you do not have a username and password you can register here: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/user/register * Once you have logged in click the menu item: Workshops ---> New Proposal. * Once your proposal is submitted you can edit your proposal by going to the "Manage your proposals" menu item under the Workshops menu The template for submitting can be viewed below. Proposals should respect the organizational principles and criteria for the selection of workshops. The Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) will assess the proposals. The final schedule will be determined in light of the number of proposals submitted. *Organizational Principles* * The guiding organizational principle for holding workshops is the multi-stakeholder approach. Geographical diversity is an equally relevant factor. * All proposals fulfilling the selection criteria and using the template will be posted on the IGF Web site. * Proposals should preferably be submitted in English. *15 April 2011* is set as the final deadline for submitting proposals. * Interested parties are encouraged to submit their proposals as early as possible, as the selection process will take place on an ongoing basis. An early decision will facilitate the planning of workshops. * The rooms reserved for workshops and all equipment, including a screen and a PC or laptop for projections and a projector (XGA/SVGA Data), will be available free of charge. Details related to the logistics will be made available in due course. No Secretariat funding is available for the organization of workshops. * Workshops should have a plan of incorporating remote participation into their sessions and organizers should identify a remote moderator. The workshops will be Web cast and have live transcription. * There will be no interpretation provided for workshops. If interpretation is desired the workshop organizers are free to make their own arrangements in coordination with the IGF Secretariat. The organizers will be responsible for all associated costs. *Selection criteria* * Relevance to the main themes and sub-themes. Priority will be given to proposals related to the main themes and relation to the theme questions. * Demonstratively proposed or organized following the multi-stakeholder principle (e.g. at least three relevant stakeholder groups being represented in the organization of the workshop). * Capacity to improve understanding of the IGF themes and topics. * Proven experience, expertise and capacity to manage the staging of the workshop, including the raising of funds necessary to do so. * Timeliness, completeness and adherence to deadlines. * The provision of background papers. * Developing country support * Gender balance * Balance of speakers to participant discussion in the design of the workshop; that is, the degree of interaction planned * Youth participation * Suitability for remote participation, for example linkages to a hub event. * A name of a remote moderator is also required for each workshop. *Content and format* * They are two general workshop types: *- Feeder workshops:* which will focus on the specific issues relevant to the Nairobi meeting themes and will act as leaders to the relevant main sessions. These workshops should also address themselves in part to one or some of the questions of its main session. As was done in previous years in the relevant main sessions, the moderators of these sessions will call on the feeder workshop rapporteurs to relate the viewpoints expressed in the workshops. Each feeder workshop will be asked to assign a rapporteur whose role will include attending the relevant main session, giving a brief overview of the session's discussions and take part in a one hour round table session that will immediately proceed the main session on that topic. They should also be available to act as a resource to the moderators of the relevant main session. To the extent possible participants from the feeder workshops are also encouraged to attend the main sessions related to the feeder workshops in order to broaden the discussions on the sub-themes of the sessions. * - Other workshops:* Workshops on other topics of relevance to Internet Governance. (More details to both these types of workshops are available in the draft programme paper <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2011/programmepapers/ProgrammePaper.24.02.11…>.) * Workshops dealing with topics that are addressed in the main meeting will not be scheduled at the same time as the main meeting. * Workshops should explore a theme from different angles and different stakeholders' perspectives. Pure advocacy workshops will not be considered. * All workshops will be Webcast and have realtime transcription. * Workshops should respect the general format of meetings and should be structured to be interactive, allowing a large portion of their time for open discussion and interaction with meeting attendees, such as a Q&A session. They could include keynote presentations, moderated panels and discussions both from the floor and from remote participants. Workshops should be designed with the format that is most appropriate to the particular topic under discussion. * Template for submitting proposals * An online form will be made available shortly for the submission of workshop proposals containing the following questions: *Question 1:* Title of proposed workshop. *Question 2*: Please provide a concise description of the proposed workshop. *Question 3:* Which of the five broad IGF Themes <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/content/article/104-general/788-th…> or the Cross-Cutting Priorities does your workshop fall under? *Question 4a:* Have you, or any of your co-organizers, organized an IGF workshop before? *Question 4b:* If so, please provide the link(s) to the report(s): *Question 5:* Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite. *Question 5b:* Name of Remote Moderator. *Question 6*: Provide the name of the organizer(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups. (Please note that workshops are expected to adhere to the multistakeholder principle, including geographical and gender diversity and to provide different perspectives on the issues under discussion.) Proposals should not exceed *1000 words*. Workshop organizers are encouraged to read the draft programme paper <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2011/programmepapers/ProgrammePaper.21.03.11…> before submitting their workshops. *Additional information* * **Contact Person: Contact person's phone number: Contact Person's E-mail Address:* *Reporting*

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Business Daily - Corporate News Three directors join CCK to ease tension
by muriuki mureithi 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

Hi listers Follow the link http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/Corporate+News/Three+directors+join+CCK+t o+ease+tension/-/539550/1144090/-/yd2g7jz/-/index.html cheers Muriuki Mureithi what chance gathers , she easily scatters !! Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

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Re: [kictanet] BELATED HACKBATTLE 2010 (Question that have come up)
by Gichuki John Chuksjonia 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

Hi Kictanet members, Skunkworks, and Security members, as always, kindly when replying, do not reply to all, but to your respective mailist, unless your are registered to all. Several questions have come up, and its good that i answer them here so that everyone gets a clear picture of the contest. Are there going to be prizes? Yes there will be, but it will mostly depend on the sponsorship we get. We are currently to struggling to get it. Will there be vulnerabilities that can be exploited? We are currently setting up the infrastructure the way Kenyan Banks do. If you have been involved with most of them like i have, you will see they favor obscurity over real security. So the answer is several vulnerabilities will be there, but it will be hard to find them. So you will have to sweat harder. How do i hack the network? Kindly use the same methodology you use when doing any security pentest except DOS since that will get you banned. How come you don't want to release the IPs to the public? I would love to, but we want maintained order during the contest and also maintain the load since the servers cant handle 60 hackers at the same time messing up kernels etc. What do i do if get to a typo during the test? Here i will just ask you a question. Instead of typing w.x.y.z, and type mod.go.ke, how long will it last before a black van shows at your door? We will not defend you if you attack other networks instead of the contest infrastructure Can i do the tests from ihub floor? Yes, you can, i believe the internet there is pretty fast. Can a Ugandan company sponsor? Yes, the contest is meant for EAC, which means East African Community which Uganda is a part of. For more questions, dont be afraid to ask, publically or privately, i will still answer them. With regards, ./Chucks . -- Gichuki John Ndirangu, C.E.H , C.P.T.P, O.S.C.P I.T Security Analyst and Penetration Tester jgichuki at inbox d0t com {FORUM}http://lists.my.co.ke/pipermail/security/ http://chuksjonia.blogspot.com/

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Fwd: V2030 Awards update: Education and training most popular sector for ICT companies in V2030 Award competition
by Paul Kukubo ICT Board 14 Apr '11

14 Apr '11

Listers > Education and training most popular sector for ICT companies in V2030 Award competition > > The Call for Applications for the V2030 Awards closed on April 11. Over 170 companies participated in the online process. All applications were received on an online platform set up by the Kenya ICT Board that allowed applicants to create an account and fill out their application over time. > > Of the companies that participated in the Call for Applications, 82 successfully completed the process. If applicants responded to all the questions, attached supporting documents and clicked on the final ‘submit’ button — their proposal is considered complete. > > The Kenya ICT Board has convened a team of seven independent judges representing the ICT private sector, academia, public sector and civil society. The judges began their work on April 13 and will review each complete proposal against the criteria outlined in the call for applications. To ensure integrity in the process, Deloitte Consulting are auditing the review process. > > > The winners of the V2030 ICT Innovation Award will be announced on April 20 at the Connected Kenya Summit in Diani, www.connected.go.ke. > > Each winner will receive USD 1000 courtesy of Accenture Consulting who are the award prize sponsors. > > Some stats > > Of the companies that participated in the applications process, 47% responded to the Education and Training sector. Water and Sanitation received no applicants, while Tourism received only three. Considering the important role tourism plays in the Kenyan economy, the results from the award competition shows that the opportunities in tourism are yet to be tapped. > > See more stats and graphics online>> > > > > For more info contact Kaburo Kobia > Project Manager, Local Digital Content > Kenya ICT Board > > Telposta Towers, 12th Floor, Kenyatta Ave > P.O. Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya > t: + 254-020-2093040 | m: + 254 (0)729466260 | e: kkobia(a)ict.go.ke > > Visit: www.ict.go.ke > Become a fan: www.facebook.com/tandaakenya > Follow us on twitter: @tandaakenya > --------------------- > Our Vision: Kenya becomes a top 10 global ICT hub > Our Mission: To champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment > > > Paul Kukubo CEO

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FW: Press Release on update on Mobile Number Portability
by Walubengo J 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

fyi. --- On Wed, 4/13/11, Wambua, Christopher <Wambua(a)cck.go.ke> wrote: From: Wambua, Christopher <Wambua(a)cck.go.ke> Subject: FW: Press Release on update on Mobile Number Portability To: "Alex Gakuru" <gakuru(a)gmail.com>, "Walubengo J" <jwalu(a)yahoo.com> Cc: "CPR team" <CPRteam(a)cck.go.ke> Date: Wednesday, April 13, 2011, 3:34 PM Please share this listers P R E S S R E L E A S E Resolution of Mobile Number Portability hitches The Commission yesterday 12th April 2011 convened a meeting of the Technical, Process and Legal Working Groups of Mobile Number Portability (MNP) to review the progress of the exercise that begun about two weeks ago. The meeting also came in the wake of receipt of complaints from some porting subscribers who had failed to switch over to their preferred network smoothly. The main objective of the meeting was to resolve the disputes with a view to ensuring that mobile subscribers enjoy seamless service as they exercise their right of choice. All mobile operators including M/s Porting Access Kenya (i.e. the Porting Service Provider) attended the meeting. The following are the main issues discussed and agreed on in yesterday’s meeting: 1. Technical hitches: It was reported that some networks have been experiencing some technical glitches in implementing Mobile Number Portability (MNP), leading to overshooting of the agreed porting timelines and unsatisfactory customer experience. As a result of the technical challenges, some ported numbers were not accessible in the recipient networks, resulting in non-seamless customer experience. Assurances were given that the causes of the glitches had been identified and to a large extent resolved, and that the pending ones would be sorted out by the end of today (13th April 2011). 2. Inadequate knowledge on the part of operators’ customer care representatives: It was acknowledged that some customer care representatives of the mobile operators are not fully conversant with the porting procedures. This has resulted in misinformation of porting subscribers at the mobile operator customer outlets, which in some instances has in turn led to abortion of porting requests. Operators reported that they had already put in place measures to address this problem. It was agreed that mobile operators would ensure that their customer care representatives were well versed with the porting procedures. 3. Creation of a single point of contact: It was noted that the prevailing multiple points of contact of the technical teams in the various mobile networks was hampering speedy resolution of technical challenges, leading to frustrating delays and fuelling distrust. To address this concern, the four mobile operators exchanged names of the first point of contact in their respective technical teams. 4. Need for good faith and mutual trust: The importance of acting in good faith and maintaining mutual trust was acknowledged and underscored. The mobile operators resolved to avoid unnecessary suspicion and misunderstanding, and agreed to cooperate to ensure that Mobile Number Portability is implemented to the letter. 5. Strict adherence to the MNP implementation framework The meeting resolved on the need to strictly follow the implementation framework, both regulatory and contractual, of MNP in order to avoid unethical practices and blatant violation of MNP guidelines and licence conditions. In this regard, it was resolved that all mobile service providers would observe provisions relating to: · Prohibition of attempts to win back customers at the point of porting or to prevent them from porting out · Full disclosure of the terms and conditions as well as implications of porting to the customer · Strict adherence to timelines provided for in the MNP implementation framework · Consumer information on the step by step porting procedures. On account of the success realized during the meeting, the Commission has deferred the CEOs’ meeting scheduled to be held this afternoon to provide industry players with time to implement the resolutions agreed upon in yesterday’s meeting. When convened, the CEOs’ meeting shall review the progress made in implementing MNP in the context of resolutions agreed on in yesterday’s meeting. Furthermore, I wish to confirm that there has not been any sabotage among operators in the implementation of MNP as has been reported in sections of the media. I would like to assure Kenyans that most of the technical glitches are now under control and we shall continue monitoring progress to ensure that deadlines are met. As at this morning, the existing backlog of porting requests had been cleared. I also wish to correct the wrong perception that the success of MNP is only seen in the number of subscribers crossing between networks. The real success of MNP is the freedom of choice and flexibility that it offers to subscribers in being able to change service providers without any inhibition of any nature. Since inception of the service, more than 8,000 subscribers have made porting requests (this figure covers up to today morning). Charles J.K. Njoroge, EBS Director-General

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Fwd: UNESCO debate on mobile phones and development:
by Alice Munyua 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

"Do mobile phones contribute more to social impact than to economic impact in developing countries?" -------- Original Message -------- Two new interviews have been added to the debate which UNESCO has launched on the WSIS Platform of Communities website on the question "Do mobile phones contribute more to social impact than to economic impact in developing countries?" The interviews are with: ·Jenny Aker, whose research into the impact of mobile phones in Africa has been highly influential ·Ken Banks, who developed the innovative and widely-used grassroots FrontlineSMS platform. You can find the interviews - and participate in the debate - by emailing wsiscommunity-invitation(a)unesco.org and asking to register to the Platform. The Platform of Communities website is at http://www.wsis-community.org/. Your contributions to the debate will help develop thinking about mobile phones and development in the run-up to this year's WSIS Forum. Sent by: David Souter 145 Lower Camden, Chislehurst, BR7 5JD, United Kingdom Landline: +44 (0)20 8467 1148 Cellphone: +44 (0)7764 819974 Email: david.souter(a)runbox.com Managing Director, ict Development Associates Visiting Professor in Communications Management, Business School, University of Strathclyde Visiting Senior Fellow, Department of Media and Communications, London School of Economics Associate of the International Institute for Sustainable Development

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BELATED HACKBATTLE 2010
by Gichuki John Chuksjonia 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

Hi Kictanet members, Skunkworks, and Security members, kindly when replying, do not reply to all, but to your respective mailist, unless your are registered to all. Now, the dates for the belated Hackbattle2010 have been set, as from 25th to 29th of April and 30th will be the presentation dates. We will have hackbattle 2011 at the end of the year. The scenario will be two servers Natted to an FW on public IPs, and two workstations behind the DMZ. The registered guys will have to hack their way into the network, and collected files, they will be asked with the right MD5 checksums. The first collector of all checksums, from both servers and one workstation, will be the winner of the contest. To register, send email to hackbattle.ke(a)gmail.com, with your name, the hacker handle that you will want to use. and the IP range. The contest is hosted by ihub, so all sponsors will be needed to contact Bernard Owuor Adongo <bernard at mlab d0t co d0t ke>, and also me with jgichuki at inbox d0t com. For those who had already asked about the sponsorship, i will be sending you the information later in the day. Rules: 1. Any techi involved with the infrastructure set up will be disqualified for the contest 2. Every registered techi will be needed to have a full report of his actions 3. Any changes of the file to mess up with the checksum, will be considered as a disqualification. 4. Any tyme of DOS will have your IPs blocked 5. Teamwork is allowed, but remember you will have to share the prizes 6. Winners will have to show how they hacked on 30th, in ihub just before the Ubuntu party. 7. The registration will only be allowed from EAC members. 8. Trying to social engineer moderators will be considered as a cool 9. How to win, hack the infrastructure the fastest Yours, ./Chucks -- -- Gichuki John Ndirangu, C.E.H , C.P.T.P, O.S.C.P I.T Security Analyst and Penetration Tester jgichuki at inbox d0t com {FORUM}http://lists.my.co.ke/pipermail/security/ http://chuksjonia.blogspot.com/

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Cyber Schooling
by robert yawe 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

Hi, Have a new truly broadband link courtesy of Safaricom Business which allows me to watch streaming video with minimal stoppages, if this can be achieved with the stream travelling thousands of kilometres imagine the performance if the content was local. That was an aside, the post is on the growth of cyber schooling in the US today, the reasons for this might be peculiar but as Kenyans we should be able to adopt the concept to meet our unique situation. This can solve the issue of over crowding in our public schools as class rooms can be setup anywhere such as DVs, post offices, CDF offices and governors mansions. The issue of shortage in teaching personnel can also be resolved with this application of technology by having student teachers and university students participate as tutorial assistants without having to leave campus. Dr. Ndemo, I believe this is a killer project for the 4G network that you are about to roll out, can we hack it? http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/21134540/vp/42535801#42535801 Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

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2011 IGF Call for workshop proposals
by Alice Munyua 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

(Apologies for cross posting) Dear all, The Sixth Annual IGF Meeting will be held in Nairobi on 27-30 September 2011 at the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) Gigiri. The proposed main theme of the meeting is: '*Internet as a catalyst for change: access, development, freedoms and innovation*'. The call for workshop proposals deadline is on Friday 15th April and it would be great if we could get a few Kenyan proposed workshops, along the following key themes: 1. IG4D / Internet governance for development (IG4D) 2. Emerging Issues 3. Managing critical Internet resources 4. Security, openness and privacy 5. Access and diversity 6. Taking stock and the way forward Steps to submitting proposals see here: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/w2011 and below Thank you and looking forward to those proposals. p.s no payment required to propose and organise a workshop during the IGF Best Alice ------------------- Steps to submitting proposals see here: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/w2011 ad below -------------------------------------- *Steps to submitting proposals* * Log in to the IGF Website with your username and password * If you do not have a username and password you can register here: http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/user/register * Once you have logged in click the menu item: Workshops ---> New Proposal. * Once your proposal is submitted you can edit your proposal by going to the "Manage your proposals" menu item under the Workshops menu The template for submitting can be viewed below. Proposals should respect the organizational principles and criteria for the selection of workshops. The Multistakeholder Advisory Group (MAG) will assess the proposals. The final schedule will be determined in light of the number of proposals submitted. *Organizational Principles* * The guiding organizational principle for holding workshops is the multi-stakeholder approach. Geographical diversity is an equally relevant factor. * All proposals fulfilling the selection criteria and using the template will be posted on the IGF Web site. * Proposals should preferably be submitted in English. *15 April 2011* is set as the final deadline for submitting proposals. * Interested parties are encouraged to submit their proposals as early as possible, as the selection process will take place on an ongoing basis. An early decision will facilitate the planning of workshops. * The rooms reserved for workshops and all equipment, including a screen and a PC or laptop for projections and a projector (XGA/SVGA Data), will be available free of charge. Details related to the logistics will be made available in due course. No Secretariat funding is available for the organization of workshops. * Workshops should have a plan of incorporating remote participation into their sessions and organizers should identify a remote moderator. The workshops will be Web cast and have live transcription. * There will be no interpretation provided for workshops. If interpretation is desired the workshop organizers are free to make their own arrangements in coordination with the IGF Secretariat. The organizers will be responsible for all associated costs. *Selection criteria* * Relevance to the main themes and sub-themes. Priority will be given to proposals related to the main themes and relation to the theme questions. * Demonstratively proposed or organized following the multi-stakeholder principle (e.g. at least three relevant stakeholder groups being represented in the organization of the workshop). * Capacity to improve understanding of the IGF themes and topics. * Proven experience, expertise and capacity to manage the staging of the workshop, including the raising of funds necessary to do so. * Timeliness, completeness and adherence to deadlines. * The provision of background papers. * Developing country support * Gender balance * Balance of speakers to participant discussion in the design of the workshop; that is, the degree of interaction planned * Youth participation * Suitability for remote participation, for example linkages to a hub event. * A name of a remote moderator is also required for each workshop. *Content and format* * They are two general workshop types: *- Feeder workshops:* which will focus on the specific issues relevant to the Nairobi meeting themes and will act as leaders to the relevant main sessions. These workshops should also address themselves in part to one or some of the questions of its main session. As was done in previous years in the relevant main sessions, the moderators of these sessions will call on the feeder workshop rapporteurs to relate the viewpoints expressed in the workshops. Each feeder workshop will be asked to assign a rapporteur whose role will include attending the relevant main session, giving a brief overview of the session's discussions and take part in a one hour round table session that will immediately proceed the main session on that topic. They should also be available to act as a resource to the moderators of the relevant main session. To the extent possible participants from the feeder workshops are also encouraged to attend the main sessions related to the feeder workshops in order to broaden the discussions on the sub-themes of the sessions. * - Other workshops:* Workshops on other topics of relevance to Internet Governance. (More details to both these types of workshops are available in the draft programme paper <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2011/programmepapers/ProgrammePaper.24.02.11…>.) * Workshops dealing with topics that are addressed in the main meeting will not be scheduled at the same time as the main meeting. * Workshops should explore a theme from different angles and different stakeholders' perspectives. Pure advocacy workshops will not be considered. * All workshops will be Webcast and have realtime transcription. * Workshops should respect the general format of meetings and should be structured to be interactive, allowing a large portion of their time for open discussion and interaction with meeting attendees, such as a Q&A session. They could include keynote presentations, moderated panels and discussions both from the floor and from remote participants. Workshops should be designed with the format that is most appropriate to the particular topic under discussion. * Template for submitting proposals * An online form will be made available shortly for the submission of workshop proposals containing the following questions: *Question 1:* Title of proposed workshop. *Question 2*: Please provide a concise description of the proposed workshop. *Question 3:* Which of the five broad IGF Themes <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/component/content/article/104-general/788-th…> or the Cross-Cutting Priorities does your workshop fall under? *Question 4a:* Have you, or any of your co-organizers, organized an IGF workshop before? *Question 4b:* If so, please provide the link(s) to the report(s): *Question 5:* Provide the names and affiliations of the panellists you are planning to invite. *Question 5b:* Name of Remote Moderator. *Question 6*: Provide the name of the organizer(s) of the workshop and their affiliation to various stakeholder groups. (Please note that workshops are expected to adhere to the multistakeholder principle, including geographical and gender diversity and to provide different perspectives on the issues under discussion.) Proposals should not exceed *1000 words*. Workshop organizers are encouraged to read the draft programme paper <http://www.intgovforum.org/cms/2011/programmepapers/ProgrammePaper.21.03.11…> before submitting their workshops. *Additional information* * **Contact Person: Contact person's phone number: Contact Person's E-mail Address:* *Reporting*

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FW: Introducing Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) on Kictanet:
by Stephen Mutoro 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

From: Stephen Mutoro [mailto:stephen@cofek.co.ke] Sent: Monday, April 04, 2011 9:13 AM To: 'kictanet(a)lists.kictanet.or.ke' Subject: Introducong Consumers Federation of Kenya (Cofek) on Kictanet: Importance: High Sensitivity: Confidential Dear Alice & Others: Greetings from Cofek and I. We are very grateful to have been invited on this forum. Clearly, we have a lot to learn from you as we offer our counter views and lessons. Please allow us to make our maiden submission here. Indeed, we must hasten to mention that at Cofek we are keen to discuss issues and not personalities. We hope this forum will live to this expectation. As a credible and umbrella federation of consumer organizations, we are equally realistic - we are well aware that sustainable consumer benefits are best reaped when the market is fair, just, competitive and predictably stable. Bottom line, we hope we can agree to disagree on certain matters without being personal! >From the foregoing, we are friends of all service providers. This is because without any of them, the consumer is in serious trouble. On telecommunications sector for instance, the Cofek Sector Unit responsible is a "friend" of all MSPs (Yu, Orange, Airtel and Safaricom and any other). We had the first meeting with MSPs on 25th January and hope to host another one before end of April. We will, therefore, be disappointed if the arguments posted on this forum appear to suggest that perhaps one or other MSP is better than the other without credible supporting evidence. Remember, they are all in business to make money. They wil apply different formula and strategy to this end. Cofek has no problem with their reasonable profits. Without regret, however, we are ever ready and willing to take drastic action, including seeking legal redress, should any of them go against Article 46 of the Constitution as well as Kenya Information and Communications Act (2009). It is for this reason that Cofek's first point of entry into the sector is with the quality and performance of regulatory regimes, in this case the CCK. We are interested to be assured that the CCK board of directors and management does not only comply with the law but is one that can be relied upon to deliver against world benchmarks. On occasions, we will be keen to discuss various issues - such as the tariff structure and promotions, innovations, consumer IEC, possibility of a 5th operator and why not?, MNP among others. In so doing, we work closely with media houses for instance Cofek will be on KTN Business Live discussing MNP at 2.00 pm today. In a nutshell, we are pleased to be on this forum and wish each of you a great week ahead! Kind regards, Stephen Mutoro Secretary General, COFEK www.cofek.co.ke ------Original Message------ From: alice@apc. org To: stephen(a)cofek.co.ke ReplyTo: alice@apc. org Subject: Kenya ICT Action Network. Sent: 2 Apr 2011 1:55 PM I read your opinion article featured on standard newspaper April 1st and welcome your views and analysis. I would like to invite you to join a multi-stakeholder forum called KICTANet that discusses ICT policy and regulatory issues. Thank you Alice

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GAC written comments on new gTLDs following San Francisco meetings
by Alice Munyua 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

Dear all, For those who are following ICANN's introduction of new gTLDs process, attached GAC's written comments on new gTLDs, which builds on the boards written response to the GAC score card, meeting in San Francisco and consultations with the ICANN community. best Alice

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Airtel accuses Safaricom of sabotaging Mobile Number Portability
by Stephen Mutoro 13 Apr '11

13 Apr '11

Hi. Interesting development this must be. We would be happy to have your views on this article below appearing on "Airtel Kenya" Facebook page (which we are unsure if it is the company's official page). Kind regards, Stephen Stephen Mutoro Secretary General Consumers Federation of Kenya (COFEK) Natu Court, Block F-45 Ngong Road/Ring Rd Kilimani Junction P.O Box 2733-00200, City Square, NAIROBI, Kenya Tel. 254-20-3861718, 3861719, 2300859 Fax. 254-20-3861719 Cellphones: 0715555550, 0736965590, 0770700007 E-mail: <mailto:hotline@cofek.co.ke> hotline(a)cofek.co.ke Website: <http://www.cofek.co.ke/> www.cofek.co.ke ************************* Restoring Consumer Pride and Confidence! airtel accuses Safaricom of sabotaging Mobile Number Portability by Airtel Kenya <http://www.facebook.com/pages/Airtel-Kenya/122273904502736> on Tuesday, April 12, 2011 at 3:46pm April 12, 2011. The success of the Mobile Number Portability (MNP) in Kenya is at risk with reports indicating that some operators may be employing under hand tactics to sabotage the MNP process, barely a week after its launch. While lauding the Communications Communication of Kenya for making MNP a reality at an event to welcome the very first customers moving to airtel from other networks today, Managing Director Rene Meza raised a red flag saying several anti-competition tactics were being used to block customers seeking to move to its network. He said that whereas initial technical hiccups in the implementation process had been deemed to be normal and expected, it is now emerging that some operators are reluctant to address the bottlenecks expeditiously, going against the spirit of MNP project of giving the customer freedom to own their number and move to the network of their choice within the stipulated terms. "How do you explain several complaints received from customers who have opted to move their number to airtel from Safaricom being unable to receive calls from Safaricom numbers for several days, while they are able to communicate on all platforms on the airtel network with the same number?" posed Mr. Meza. He said contrary to the regulations issued by the Communications Commission of Kenya, some operators, especially Safaricom, were still trying to woo back customers who had already ported out of their network. "It is amazing that after completing the 48 hour porting process, some players had deliberately declined to de-activate the old sim cards from their network. In essence, what this means is that the customer has not completely moved to his network of choice but is still held captive by Safaricom, an act that is anti patriotic and gross abuse of dominance by Safaricom clearly designed to beat efforts of the Government to fully liberalize the sector" he said. Prior to the implementation of MNP, all operators had expressed commitment to ensure the service was implemented smoothly, a move that was seen as another milestone in Kenya's telecommunication sector. Largely seen as the next frontier in the battle for subscribers, the successful implementation of MNP is a test-case for CCK's commitment to overseeing reforms in Kenya's telecommunication sector. Mr. Meza added: "We have referred the matter to CCK since we feel that if the anti-competition tendencies are not weeded out at the onset, customers may not get a chance to enjoy real freedom and benefits of MNP. - END -

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Safaricom Points to Porting Anomalies, Seeks Quick Resolution by Regulator
by muriuki mureithi 12 Apr '11

12 Apr '11

@SafaricomLtd: Safaricom Points to Porting Anomalies, Seeks Quick Resolution by Regulator: http://bit.ly/iejzoq Shared via Tweetcaster Muriuki Mureithi Consultant member. Society of telecommunications consultants Summit Strategies ltd Www.summitstrategies.co.ke Sent from my Samsung Mobile

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Re: [kictanet] EMS Services - The Lethargy (Final Update)
by Odhiambo Washington 12 Apr '11

12 Apr '11

On Tue, Apr 12, 2011 at 13:47, Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo(a)gmail.com>wrote: > I hope EMS Kenya <http://www.emskenya.co.ke/> is not part of the Postal > Services Corporation for which Bobby Yawe is pushing to be appointed as > Director General (or is it Postmaster General) because if it is, then > surely, Maj. General (Rtd) should really be deployed elsewhere and let Bobby > take over the running of that corporation. > > Sample this: > > I have this gift I'd like to send to my friend in Oz (Australia). It weighs > only 900g (0.9kg). > I have made several inquiries and found that EMS Kenya have very > competitive rates, so I decided I'd like to use them to deliver this > package. Never mind that my informers tell me the parcels take at least a > month to arrive! > [cut the long story short] As I promised to update, I have just received the magic call from the EMS Operations Centre. The gentleman has informed me that he was unable to locate 2Kg Bumba Box from any of their branches. I wish these guys could do two things: 1. Realize that efficiency in service delivery will make us get out of the "third world" classification into the 2nd or 1st 2. That it's only us (read the service delivery agents) who can make (1) happen. We keep talking about efficient services in the West, yet we see why ours are sluggish and do nothing about it, like this Head of marketing! The gift cost me (so far) KES 10k. DHL will charge me KES 10,511 for 1kg while UPS will charge me KES 8,157. I wouldn't mind EMS charging me KES 4,900+VAT even if the package arrives after 1 month, for it's not medicine, but there you go! DHL and UPS are all non-Kenyan companies. Now you can see why we require International Aid to develop ourselves!! My next stop in this route is to call the Postmaster General to tell me why things are like this, since he's being paid to deliver a service to Kenyans. -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Damn!!

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EMS Services - The Lethargy
by Odhiambo Washington 12 Apr '11

12 Apr '11

I hope EMS Kenya <http://www.emskenya.co.ke/> is not part of the Postal Services Corporation for which Bobby Yawe is pushing to be appointed as Director General (or is it Postmaster General) because if it is, then surely, Maj. General (Rtd) should really be deployed elsewhere and let Bobby take over the running of that corporation. Sample this: I have this gift I'd like to send to my friend in Oz (Australia). It weighs only 900g (0.9kg). I have made several inquiries and found that EMS Kenya have very competitive rates, so I decided I'd like to use them to deliver this package. Never mind that my informers tell me the parcels take at least a month to arrive! Now, my process started by wanting to know why EMS Kenya, on their Bumba Box Rates<http://www.emskenya.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Item…>service, does not have options for 500g and 1000g like other courier services do. For starters, it was not easy to find the phone contacts for their Nairobi "office" on their website. It's not listed. So I called one of the listed offices (KSM) and was given the contact number for Nairobi branch. I called and sought to know why they don't have the 0.5kg and 1kg boxes and I was referred to the office of the Head of Marketing. She told me that it's just that the Bumba Box Rates were designed like that! She did not appear to take seriously my suggestion that having those two added to the package might lead to more uptake of the service. He suggestion was that I can use their "normal security envelope". If you have looked at the Bumba Box Rates<http://www.emskenya.co.ke/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=33&Item…>, you'll see that my package falls within the 2kg category. This costs KES 4,900+VAT to send to Oz. On the other hand, their "normal security envelop" charges KES 4,015+VAT for 1kg to the same destination. I therefore find it cost effective to find more money to buy additional gifts, so that my package weight can come upto 2kg or thereabouts, and send it using the Bumba Box. However, as it stands now (and as it has been for some time now, based on what the Head of Marketing told me) they DO NOT have the Bumba Boxes at the moment!!!! Reason? The supplier has been promising to deliver the boxes for quite sometime now, but hasn't. When I suggested to her to just tell this supplier to F*** off (sorry for the vulgar language) and get a different one, she informed me that it's only their Procurement Department who can do that. I then remembered the bureaucracy and the accompanying lethargy in the once KPT&C. Kumbe haiishi!!! She (very honestly) knows that they have not had these Bumba Boxes for some time now, and could not give me any time frames (even a week) within which these boxes could arrive. Now, I just wonder, what is she "Head of Marketing" for if she has no power to "push" the Procurement Depart to "deliver". Does she not take the Procurement Department as contributing to her failure?? How could it be acceptable to hire and maintain staff to run a service that has no legs?? EMS Kenya not having the Bumba Boxes is a lame service to me, even though they have the audacity to tell me that I can use their "normal security envelops". At this point in time, I was given the contacts of some staff at the EMS Centre whom I could talk to in order to get "help". Yes, I will still pay the KES 4,900+VAT, but I have to impress upon this fellow to see if he can retrieve some 2Kg Bumba Box that could be lying somewhere within their network (maybe in Kisumu, Mt. Kenya, Coast, Eastern), for I am sure there must be one still remaining somewhere. If the fellow does me this "favor", I am sure to ultimately send my 2Kgs to Oz. I have my fingers crossed for now, hoping he will manage to "mop up" (as he calls it) one such box and then give me a call so that I can head to their EMS Centre and dispatch my package. I promise to send an update on this. Their logo has this caption: "*Going beyond the extra mile*":) I am sure all of us have seen so many meaningless (since the organizations don't even have a semblance of the same) *Mission statements* and *Vision statements*. They're simply fashionable to have, hanging conspicuously at the reception/lobby area. One more vote for Robert Yawe to take over the running of this sleeping giant. I hope Dr. Ndemo is reading this, and listening too... -- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Damn!!

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FW: [DigAfrica] Rwanda revokes Rwandatel licence, seeks third mobile phone operator
by Edith Adera 11 Apr '11

11 Apr '11

FYI ________________ Edith Ofwona Adera Senior Program Specialist ICT4D Program and Climate Change & Water Program International Development Research Centre | Centre de recherches pour le développement international Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa Tel: +254202713160 | Fax/Téléc: +254202711063 | Skype: edithadera eadera(a)idrc.or.ke<mailto:eadera@idrc.or.ke> | www.idrc.ca<http://www.idrc.ca/> | www.crdi.ca<http://www.crdi.ca/> ________________________________ From: DigAfrica(a)yahoogroups.com [DigAfrica(a)yahoogroups.com] On Behalf Of chifu_wa_malindi [chifu2222(a)gmail.com] Sent: 11 April 2011 21:41 To: DigAfrica(a)yahoogroups.com Subject: [DigAfrica] Rwanda revokes Rwandatel licence, seeks third mobile phone operator Rwanda revokes Rwandatel licence, seeks third mobile phone operator By BERNA NAMATA Posted Monday, April 11 2011 at 00:00 Rwanda will issue a new mobile phone operator licence to fill the gap left by Rwandatel whose mobile license was revoked over failure to implement its licence requirements last week. This will be the third time the company is changing ownership since 2005 after Terracom, the American firm that initially took over from the state, also failed to meet its licence obligations. Until last week, the Rwandan telecom industry had three mobile operators — MTN Rwanda, a subsidiary of South African MTN Group; Rwandatel, majority-owned by Libyan consortium LAP Green; and Tigo Rwanda, owned by Millicom International Cellular. Industry analysts say Rwandatel's operations were crippled by mismanagement and the financial difficulties faced by its parent company LAP Green. While LAP committed itself to invest $87 million in the first year, and another $177 million over five years from 2007, industry regulator Rwanda Utilities and Regulatory Agency (Rura) said approximately 40 per cent of this amount was invested in four years. Rwandatel has also been sued by MTN Rwanda over an accumulated interconnection fee estimated at $3 million. Rwandatel's commitments included upgrading the network, but this has not been done for the data and mobile segments, according to Rura. Attempts to reach Rwandatel for a comment were fruitless as the company is neither picking calls nor responding to emails. However, in a recent interview, Rwandatel's communications manager Cleophas Kabasiita told The EastAfrican that the company would appeal against the regulator's notice. "It is a decision the management did not agree with as we felt it was unwarranted and unjust, especially at a time when the quality of our network has improved," she said. But RURA says the decision to revoke Rwandatel's license is final. Though Rwandatel's fixed telephony and Internet services will remain operational, since they are covered by a separate licence, Rura said the tender process for a new mobile operator will begin soon to sustain growth in the industry. "We feel three mobile operators are enough to cover the market but now that we have two, we will have to speed up the process. It should be this year, after consultations with policy makers," Regis Gatarayiha, acting Director General of Rura told The EastAfrican last week. While the country was gearing up for a fourth mobile operator this year, Rura said it has suspended the decision until there is stability in the performance of the market. The country has 32 per cent mobile penetration, the second lowest in the East African Community region after Burundi. Rura said the current mobile phone subscribers is about 3.62 million, out of a population of approximately 9 million people, which is too small to allow the fourth operator. "We think there are things that need to be fixed in this market before we can achieve good penetration rate; we have realised that some companies are not really competing and if competition is not perfect, definitely they are not going to look for the unconnected," Mr Gatarayiha said, adding that the existing telephone companies are fighting over the same market segment in the urban areas. While Rwandatel's exit is expected to have a negative impact on the country's targets of achieving 60 per cent penetration by 2012, Mr Gatarayiha noted that with aggressive competition in the industry, the target can still be achieved. As at September 2010, statistics from Rura showed that Rwandatel had 535,710 subscribers, putting it third behind MTN Rwanda with 2.3 million and Tigo Rwanda, the new market entrant, with 685,000 users. To allow operators to lower prices and deepen mobile penetration, Rura has commissioned a study of the telecommunications industry to propose new interconnection fees. Done by PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP, the study, financed by the World Bank, is expected to be complete in May. "We see the cost of interconnection as a barrier for operators to be able to price off net tariffs that are affordable to the Rwandan population. Today operators are paying each Rwf40 (less than a dollar) a minute for inter-connection, a figure not based on the actual cost that operators incur," Mr Gatarayiha said. Rura is also considering a framework that will allow operators to share infrastructure in a bid to lower costs. "We think if new entrants were able to access the infrastructures already deployed around the country at a cost, the rollout would move quicker." The regulator has also suspended mobile number portability, a service that was expected to commence this year, to allow operators to consolidate their market share. http://www.theeastafrican.co.ke/business/-/2560/1142008/-/item/1/-/m6406az/… __._,_.___ Reply to sender<mailto:chifu2222@gmail.com?subject=Re%3A%20Rwanda%20revokes%20Rwandatel%20licence%2C%20seeks%20third%20mobile%20phone%20operator%20> | Reply to group<mailto:DigAfrica@yahoogroups.com?subject=Re%3A%20Rwanda%20revokes%20Rwandatel%20licence%2C%20seeks%20third%20mobile%20phone%20operator%20> | Reply via web post<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigAfrica/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJwNzhvb2c5BF9TAzk3M…> | Start a New Topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigAfrica/post;_ylc=X3oDMTJlZ2FtY24yBF9TAzk3M…> Messages in this topic<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigAfrica/message/8695;_ylc=X3oDMTM0cXRpYW9nB…> (1) Recent Activity: * New Members<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigAfrica/members;_ylc=X3oDMTJmcm1lZThzBF9TAz…> 2 Visit Your Group<http://groups.yahoo.com/group/DigAfrica;_ylc=X3oDMTJlNG1scDFmBF9TAzk3MzU5Nz…> Dig Africa site welcomes you to join us at http://www.yahoogroups.com/group/Digafrica on IT in Africa Feel free to join at our google group digital africa http://groups.google.com/group/digitalafrica Thanks. Chifu Moderator [http://l.yimg.com/a/i/us/yg/logo/us.gif]<http://groups.yahoo.com/;_ylc=X3oDMTJkcmpvMDFrBF9TAzk3MzU5NzE0BGdycElkAzI5M…> Switch to: Text-Only<mailto:DigAfrica-traditional@yahoogroups.com?subject=Change%20Delivery%20Format:%20Traditional>, Daily Digest<mailto:DigAfrica-digest@yahoogroups.com?subject=Email%20Delivery:%20Digest> • Unsubscribe<mailto:DigAfrica-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com?subject=Unsubscribe> • Terms of Use<http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/> . __,_._,___

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Fwd: [Vacancies] Bi-lingual (French-English) webmaster, journalist, operations manager in Accra
by warigia bowman 11 Apr '11

11 Apr '11

Job people might want. ---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Africa ICT & Telecom Network <mail(a)ictafrica.ning.com> Date: Mon, Apr 11, 2011 at 6:08 PM Subject: [Vacancies] Bi-lingual (French-English) webmaster, journalist, operations manager in Accra To: "warigia(a)gmail.com" <warigia(a)gmail.com> Africa ICT & Telecom Network <http://ictafrica.ning.com/> An Africa Business Community - www.africabusinesscommunities.com A message to all members of Africa ICT & Telecom Network Africa Business Communities is looking for bi-lingual (French-English): *- webmaster* *- online journalist* *- online operations manager* for the Accra office (Asylum down) Please note that we are looking for people who are *perfect in French* in both *speech* and *writing*. That means that we in fact are looking for: Professionals from Cote d'Ivoire, Benin, Togo, Mali, Senegal or Guinee living in Accra. Applicants must have internet experience. Are you interested? Please send your letter and CV to Isaac Twumasi Quantus - * twumasitq(a)yahoo.com* - CC to *bas(a)africabusinesscommunities.com* *www.africabusinesscommunities.com* Visit Africa ICT & Telecom Network at: http://ictafrica.ning.com/?xg_source=msg_mes_network To control which emails you receive on Africa ICT & Telecom Network, click here<http://ictafrica.ning.com/profiles/profile/emailSettings?xg_source=msg_mes_…>

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