Dear Colleagues - just to bring to your attention that the issue of an ICT Authority is a repeat of of previous discussions on this list. We could be going round in circles as evidenced by this extract from 2 years ago:
From:
"John Walubengo" <jwalu@yahoo.com>
Date:
Thu, 24 Apr 2008 4:13 PM (2 years ago)
Something I couldnt help floating on the list...ofcourse
with permission...
walu.
I have been following the ongoing online melodrama debate
of the ICT Authority with keen interest.
Here are my thoughts..
It is important to note that the issue of centralised ICT
services provision to GOK has not been addressed or fully
understood as this has been handled from time to time on
project by project basis (e.g. the Metronet) or
subject (e.g. e-Gov)depending on the flavor of the month.
You see E-gov, GITS, GCCN, CCK, ICT Board, KCCT, KEPSA et
al, they are all behemoths, but we should look in totality
at GOK ICT Operation and Strategy Implementation within the
wider context of the GOK 'ICT Management Strategy'.
This would ensure that going forward and for ever that
interests are managed and people only lobby those they need
to.
Look at this Scenario
- u want to sell software/hardware to GOK ...,1. Visit CCK
for authority to sell... 2. Move to ICT board for strategy
and selling / budgets et al ... 3. Go to Govt GITS for
implementation. It is lenghty and chaotic... No wonder
nothing really gets done!!
The only way you will have a clear helicopter view of the
sector and be able to draw on synergies such as combined
trunks, data centres, fail over and disaster recovery
strategy, is to have an implementation company run and
manage vendors as well as shortlist/blacklist vendors for
all Governmet ICT services. And this is exactly what the
ICT Authority would be doing amongst others!
Date: Thu, 24 Apr 2008 14:28:41 +0300 (EAT)
Subject: More on ICT Authority?
Walu,
Further to my mail this morning, i wish to add the
following. There is need for a body to manage and
coordinate the management and Maintainance ICT aspects of
govt (the non-exciting and zero-money stuff) as vendors
have interest in all the money minting aspects above
anything
else. Others are being driven by the potential of creating
monster projects that can be funded by the WorldBank as
well as other bilateral and multilateral partners.
Each player (GITS, Egov, ICT Board, CCK et al) seems to
have all components of a complete self contained ICT
business/market by themselves.
They can and do buy, fund, implement, and use ICT products
and services, so to them their systems and ICT use
encompasses all aspects from design, funding,
procurement,implementation, management and
Maintainance with the last 2 as most neglected.
The two most neglected items (ICT Management and
Maintenace) could be addressed if we could take the
approach where the Policy Maker becomes a
Rejigged CCK (technology), ICT Board does the
commercial/environment), KEBS(Standards), and Implementer
could be a New Entity or Rejigged GITS
(same name or a different monster and could comprise of
E-gov, et al)
The User would be the Government of Kenya with a
Usergroup Board made of other ICT players including major
GOK CITOs
Other grey areas can be run by committees ... Easier to
constitute, don't have to be employees of GOK and can be
funded by MOIC.
What do you think??
Kinoti Mugambi
> > By the way I have no objection to an ICT Authority....I
> think such an
> > agency (RITA) has done wonders for Rwanda, founded by
> none other than Dr.
> > J Oketch the current boss at eGovt. But such a body
> must come in to play
> > an over-arching role over the others rather than focus
> on a sub-theme as
> > it were...maybe i will take a look at the KEPSA
> proposal.
> >
> > walu.
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message ----
> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> >
>
> > Sent: Wednesday, April 23, 2008 9:13:04 AM
> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority?
> >
> > First, it's a shame that e-Gov and GITS have not
> merged. They should, and
> > in a 'neutral' ministry like OP.
> >
> > Then, as far as the coordination need is concerned I
> see a number of
> > options:
> > - have one of the bodies convene the others to handle
> issues where more
> > than one is involved
> > - expand the mandate of one of the existing ones to
> cover the need
> > identified by Waudo
> > - the option mooted by Waudo
> >
> > Mike Eldon
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> >
> > Date: 04/22/2008 05:56 PM
> >
> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Authority?
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > I would not see any overlap Walu as the bodies you have
> mentioned have
> > their specific mandates which are not encompassing the
> ICT universe.
> > Roughly I think ICT Board is for marketing (Min. of
> INFOCOM), GITS to
> > run Gov. ICT services (Min. of Finance) and the
> e-Secretariat to
> > implement the e-Gov. strategy (Office of Pres.). I am
> always open to
> > correction but meantime I am endorsing the KEPSA
> proposal.
> > Waudo
> >
> > On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 04:23:50 -0700 (PDT), "John
> Walubengo"
> >> Waudo,
> >>
> >> jst wondering if we dont already have enough overlaps
> >> between ICT Board, eGovt Secretariate, Government
> >> Info-Technology Services (GITS) and now you (KEPSA?)
> want
> >> to add on an ICT authority?
> >>
> >> walu.
> >>
> >> All this ultimately suggests the necessity for the
> >> establishment of an oversight statutory
> >> ICT Authority as is being proposed by KEPSA to the
> ongoing
> >> Government harmonization Committee.
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >> > Actually the Government never voted and was never
> called
> >> > upon to
> >> > vote on this issue. The Government only facilitated
> the
> >> > stakeholder committee at KEBS and national voting
> was
> >> > done by
> >> > members of that committee. The overall issue however
> >> > reiterates
> >> > what I see as a persistent problem regarding ICT and
> >> > Government:
> >> > ICT is wide and diverse, as well as being horizontal
> to
> >> > the
> >> > Governm
> >> ent structure. This sometimes leads to matters
> >> > that are
> >> > considered "ICT" not revolving around a central
> spoke in
> >> > the
> >> > Governemnt structure. So for example KEBS (and by
> >> > extension
> >> > issues of ICT standards) falls under the Ministry of
> >> > trade. In
> >> > the committee that handled OOXML there was no
> >> > representative from
> >> > the Ministry of Info and Comm., which was a mistake
> >> > because the
> >> > Government was a Stakeholder. All this ultimately
> >> > suggests the
> >> > necessity for the establishment of an oversight
> statutory
> >> > ICT
> >> > Authority as is being proposed by KEPSA to the
> ongoing
> >> > Government
> >> > harmonization Committee.
> >> >
> >> > Waudo
> >> >
> >> >
> >> > On Tue, 22 Apr 2008 00:14:43 -0700 (PDT), "Rebecca
> >> > Wanjiku" <rebeccawanji
> >> >
> >> > Microsoft denies threatening to withdraw
> >> > funding
> >> >
> >> > Microsoft East Africa has dismissed allegations that
> it
> >> > threatened to withdraw funding to Kenya if the
> government
> >> > did not
> >> > vote "yes" on OOXML.
> >> >
> >> > Louis Otieno, Microsoft general manager in East and
> >> > Southern
> >> > Africa denied the allegations, saying that Microsoft
> EA
> >> > acted
> >> > appropriately.
> >> >
> >> > "We've acted appropriately in all instances. And we
> are
> >> > grateful
> >> > that the National Body members engaged in this
> process
> >> > collaboratively and constructively," Otieno said.
> >> >
> >> >
> >>
>
> >> > hreatening-withdraw-funding
> >> >
> >> > Tel. 254 720 318 925
> >> >
> >> >
> _________________________________________________________
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> >> > References
> >> >
> >> > 1.
> >> >
> >>
> >
>
> >
> >> > --
> >> > waudo siganga
> >> >
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> >>
> >
>
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