Robert,

I think we are getting caught up in the technology and ignoring human behavior. PCK is a victim of this even at one time vsat dishes at its post offices to offer internet connectivity like a cyber kiosk. Needless to say its not making them much money now. 

There are many e-commerce sites around and they try hard to localize the service. Mama mikes is the only one that I know of that has been consistent in their reliability and customer service. What happened to the others? Like the South African one selling computers and accessories? Maybe the business model wasn't sound for many of the failed enterprises but there is something to be said about trust and quality assurance. You do not expect to see a rat scurry along at the Hilton restaurant. The same cannot be expected at Burma market. Both are in the food business, different clientele.
A student photocopying a book does it because it is affordable. I am yet to see a pirated book more expensive than an original.

I don't know about your business but I have had equipment shipped to me from the US. I used USPS-posta and it was as reliable as anyone else. Is it really PCKs fault that merchants are not getting the trust they need from the clients?

On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 5:11 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Hi Mwangi,

Ask PCK what is the volume of shipments they handle from Amazon and eBay then you will realise that you are one of very few people who still believe that they need to hold an item in their hands before buying. 

Experience and recommendations is what gives the belief that at a supermarket there is an assurance of quality yet for many years Nakumatt was believed to offer low quality products but when Uchumi faltered and people who would never be seen dead in Nakumatt tried the chain and many got hooked and never left.

I will repeat what I have said before, Nairobi is not Kenya, just because we have a choice of which supermarket to shop at does not make it a national norm or a basic human right.  Note my mention of the cost of a CD in Thika (50 KM from Nairobi) and in Nairobi.

I sell conference recordings on DVD and people have ordered them online from as far off as Garsen so I wonder which people are you referring to who believe will not shop online if the facility was available.

Bata has just launched an online ordering system which includes delivery, it is a partnership with such an organisation that PCK needs not WiFi hot spots. 

KENet has provided high speed connectivity across Universities most of which is being used for youtube viewing while next door the most profitable business is the photocopying of books at a cost 3 times that of buying the book all because the student in Maseno or Tana River University college can not afford to come to Nairobi to buy a new or used copy of the book. 

Tell me that if the student had a way to order the book online and have it delivered securely that he would still opt for the photocopy because there is quality assurance by looking at the original

Many people still have faith in PCK me included which is why every time I have the option when shipping in items from overseas I will use EMS.  Even found out that it was cheaper to send my books from Amazon (still import physical books even though I have a kindle, but don't I say) to my sister's in the US, which is free, then onward shipping using USPS aka EMS.

Mwangi, I do not theorize I actually do practice what I preach, I participate in online commerce which is why I can stand on this pedestal and give my opinion and proposals to PCK having no fear or reservations to the likelihood of  potshots.


Regards
 
 
Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
From: Mark Mwangi <mwangy@gmail.com>

To: robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Sent: Thursday, 30 August 2012, 14:13
Subject: Re: [kictanet] of online degrees + PCK...

For some of these things the product creates the market. Its like saying how there was no market for cars in the 1800s. We dont buy online because it is not reliable, efficient or trustworthy yet. It is why we all troop to Nakumatt because there is some quality assurance. 

On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 1:22 PM, Josphat Karanja <karanjajf@gmail.com> wrote:
Robert,

Is there anyone currently playing in the online delivery space, say for items purchased from Amazon?

I would be interested in figures of how many people are really buying items online.


Regards
...........................................................
Josphat Karanja,




On Thu, Aug 30, 2012 at 12:56 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Hi Walu,

Thanks, nonetheless, for the belated lobbying with the ideas being put forth by the new PMG I might be coming back for more lobbying.

More importantly is the issue you have raised about degrees for a degrees sake and I made it clear to PS Ndemo at the height of my lobbying that I would not go and get a US$ 1,500/- online degree just to meet a flawed requirement.  Sometimes what you need is passion (Hon. Kajwang raised the issue of a "passionometer") and a clear understanding of the problem and a grasp of the ideal solution.

Installing WiFi connectivity and offering it at Kes. 150/= per month will never get PCK out of the situation it currently is in now, the silence on this comment is a clear indication that very few of us actually read the article.

I would like to believe that the WiFi was to only access e-gov and local content other wise at those charges he would not be able to cover the cost of international bandwidth let alone the backbone infrastructure to Internet the various post offices.



He would rather be thinking of having an e-commerce platform where you could order items online (a blank CD in Nairobi is 15/- in Thika it is 25/-), pay using PostaPay/PesaPay/mPesa and have them delivered by EMS or PostMail, that is the thinking expected of someone at the helm of PCK today and not one who believes that PCK is only about letter.

So if the WiFi system had 1 million users of which 20% bought online, from a locally situated store, two item every month weighing less than five KG (that is the smallest chargeable unit) for which they paid 250/- each for delivery that would result in a revenue of 1,200,000,000/- (1.2 Billion).

This solution can be implemented today without having to spend 1.2 Billion in CapEx just use the Safaricom cloud to host the sites and spend 150 Million in media advertising and 50 Million in printing direct marketing materials to be inserted in the post office boxes (no stamp cost required).

If the board and management of PCK are truly interested in revamping the corporation I can put together a consortium of local developers a Pasha loan from KICTB and free hosting from Safaricom (yet to discuss with them but this post should have them salivating to jump on board) to implement the e-commerce solution proposed above all in exchange for a small revenue share arrangement.

There PMG free advice from the person who believes he deserved the job if it was based on the results of a passionometer.

Regards

 
Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
From: Walubengo J <jwalu@yahoo.com>
To: robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Sent: Tuesday, 28 August 2012, 18:28
Subject: [kictanet] of online degrees + PCK...

Just read from todays Nation http://tinyurl.com/97z64zb that the new Postmaster General holds a doctorate from
http://www.washint.edu/en/  - Washington International University, a Cyberspace University.

Whereas I have nothing against online education - having benefited from one - I just thought that I could share some advice.  If you want to do an online program, do it from a PHYSICAL university that has an Online/Distance Learning division.  In other words, the university should physically exist. Similar to if you want to do Online banking, better do it from an existing bank (e.g. Equity, Barclays, KCB, etc) who have an online division.  That way you are likely to get your quality and credibility issues sorted out.

I know Wikipedia is not very authoritative but it is always a good place to go to after asking  Google. And so I did and this is what Wikipeidia said about Washington International University.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Washington_International_University

It even claims in its list of graduates and I quote

" Asman Kamama Abongotum; Kenya's Deputy Minister for Education. He could lose his parliamentary position because of the unrecognized degree"  Actually our Commission of Higher Education seems to have a problem with this University.

I know the PCK board - that includes our PS Ndemo - may have seen this but argued rightfully that one may NOT need a PhD to ran a simple Postal Service in some developing economy.  In which case, our self-nominated candidate, Bobby Yawe should have been called for the interview?

Just thinking loudly and hope Kibunja and his friends (the mboys in mblue) dont come for me claiming this is hate speech - because I think its a mixture of advice and belated lobbying :-)

walu.








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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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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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Regards,

Mark Mwangi

markmwangi.me.ke






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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.




--
Regards,

Mark Mwangi

markmwangi.me.ke