Steve Mutoro, Over various instances, your advocacy efforts have been very admirable especially when focus has been directed on the crux and substance of consumer nuisances. Unfortunately the tone in your latest post in this thread triggers more questions than answers with regard to your motivation and objectivity as a self proclaimed fighter of the ever aggrieved "consumer". The verbosity not withstanding, one theme stands out in your long winded post: Your unreserved grudge and antipathy towards *"your friend, who as usual, loves and exploits on any moment of PR possibly better than any public servant in your lifetime". *Your "friend" may have done "nothing" but the fact that several listers recognize the nothing as impressive should not provoke such vitriol as emitted in your write up. You can still dwell on the failures and omissions without degenerating your views to something that borders on an online scuffle. If there are outstanding issues in your "friendship" then it is inadvisable to seek to resolve them by dragging innocent listers into the same. Further, the post advocates for an ultra ideal and more than perfect society where everything ought to be broadcasted, failure to which "rotten apples" will germinate. I wish the same standards would be adopted by our beloved COFEK by simply providing us with a link or even static images of the interview, election or any other transparent process through which the Secretary General took office. .....for it is written that thou shall not throw stones if you live in fiber houses else there will fiber cuts. Some wonders only happen in Kenya. Where else apart from Kenya can a self professed consumer lobby that purports to fight for the downtrodden charge an individual membership registration fee of Ksh 15,000 without blinking?*Isn't this rip off is more excruciating than the bandwidth pricing phenomena? *What sounds less painful among these two options 1. To register as a member so that COFEK fights for your low priced bandwidth or 2. To buy expensive megabytes? Kamotho Njenga On Tue, Apr 30, 2013 at 2:20 PM, stephen Mutoro <smutoro@yahoo.com> wrote:
Hi David:
Thanks for all the ideas. It is difficult for me to attempt to challenge you within your circle of competence. I won't. This should not be misconstrued so. Consider yourself as the proverbial "Goliath" and I, as "David" on this. You seem to be suggesting the end will justify the means. I am of the view that the means (process) will justify the end. What if H.E ends up receiving 66 names of "rotten apples"? By putting them on "live broadcast" and disguising them otherwise, at the very last stage, from what they are - would it make them any different? I doubt. Contrast the process of the PS'es appointment with CJ (and I am not saying it was necessarily the very best. Look at the one that realized David Kimaiyo as IGP and the list is endless).
Live broadcast is actually a non-issue here - just allow public or media who choose to sit in, whenever certain candidates are being interviewed, to do so. There are muted men and women who have literally chewed and stashed away over 50% over their budgetary allocation either as Ministries, parastatals or as agencies. But now they have all documents of clearance (including if there would have been one from GoK to take them to heaven!) But if they are challenged on live media, eye contact and generally their body language would betray them.
Then there is this little matter of my friend, who as usual, loves and exploits on any moment of PR possibly better than any public servant in my lifetime. There is outpouring of emotions and he loves it. He can actually print all that and take them somewhere on Thursday - to show how "loved" he may have been. The subject matter should have been perhaps "introducing the new CS". And talk of introducing him, was it premature? Talk of "farewell" - was it not ironical to bid others "farewell" when you say you will remain and contribute on the list? Is he saying that if HE appointed him to the same office, he will decline on account of the "diversity" excuse he gives? His version of political wedge between him and CS rings hollow and reads like a Prof Makau Mutua commentary on a matter he has neither expertise nor experience. Instead he appears to demean his own CS. Which begs more questions - was he introducing him at a personal or policy level (or as a public servant)? Where does Standard 7 or 1 at Manga or sister come in - unless he just wanted to say he is older and perhaps more knowledgeable? Let me not drift away.
There is no denying my friend made some "huge" progress on the ICT sector. The problem is tracking or tracing the same as it remains unseen, mostly unrecorded and perhaps only exists in the mindsets of listers. This is purely from a consumer perspective. Examples are many, for instance, when fibre optic landed - my friend promised heaven on speeds and pricing. It was reported *in the Daily Nation* of 30 September 2009 thus "The Kenyan Government has accused the East Africa Marine system (TEAMs) shareholders of colluding to fix internet connectivity prices.* Information and Communication PS Bitange Ndemo said the shareholders are making a massive 2,000 per cent from selling their capacity before the cable officially goes live. The shareholders have said that they will first have to recoup their investment before lowering the internet connectivity prices.He said the shareholders should be selling internet connection at about $200 (Sh14,800) per Megabyte (MB) but the companies have held the price at about $4,000 (Sh296,000) – the price of satellite. “When we were initially setting up TEAMs the issue of recouping investments after it had gone live did not feature,” Dr Ndemo said. That was 2009, it is 2013, consumers are paying more for poorer speeds, missing redundancies - and he is silent as the likes of Zuku and others mess up the consumer. * What is my point - let's give credit where it is due. But unlike a dead person we are used to praise in eulogies - lets also say the other side of un-concluded or half-done business on ICT and not the person. Let's avoid this "herd instinct" or social proof theory where individuals feel they are behaving correctly when they act the same as other people. We could also look at the "contrast effect". That is why if you are seeking a partner, never go out in the company of your supermodel friends. People will find you less attractive than you really are. Go alone or better yet, take two ugly friends - that is the mischief of not comparing my friend with the best. Unless we have fallen prey to the "availability bias" which my friend can fend off by spending his time with the likes of yours truly - people whose experience and expertise are different from his. Otherwise, it is like Frank Sintra's song - "Oh, my heart is beating wildly/And it all because you're here/When I'm not near the girl I love/I love the girl I'm near". May be, just may be, we all need to read Ayi Kwei Armah's "The Beautyful Ones Are Not Yet Born". The book is a railway freight clerk in Ghana who attempts to hold out against the pressures that impel him toward corruption in both his family and his country. Yes, on Kenya's ICT administration, and before we empty all our (un)deserving praises on my friend, the beautiful ones are not yet born!
Regards,
Stephen Mutoro www.cofek.co.ke
------------------------------ *From:* "dmakali@yahoo.com" <dmakali@yahoo.com> *To:* smutoro@yahoo.com *Cc:* KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum <mediaeditors@lists.kictanet.or.ke>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> *Sent:* Tuesday, April 30, 2013 1:03 PM
*Subject:* Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Why Barr the Media from PS Interviews?
Edith: Media ought to and should cover those interviews and repory as robustly as possible on the proceedings but am abit hesitant about live coverage because of the number of applicants. Later interviewees are likely to be helped by screenings of the early candidates. For that reason, and to expose all applicants to the same heat, I would waive my desire to "participate" via live transmiSsion.
My position would change if it took a shorter time (say 2 days) and the applicants were only 5 to ten, and none would take the advantage of preparing further after watching others being interviewed.
But, unfortunately, there will be no shortlist for final vetting. Only the nominee picked by the president from among the 3 recommended per ministry will be vetted by the appointments committee. And that's where the live broadcast may come in because the public will still have a chance to submit on their suitability or otherwise.
David
Sent from my BlackBerry®
-----Original Message----- From: Edith Adera <eadera@idrc.ca> Sender: "mediaeditors" <mediaeditors-bounces+dmakali=yahoo.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 08:48:08 To: <dmakali@yahoo.com> Cc: mediaeditors \(mediaeditors-bounces+dmakali= yahoo.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke\)<mediaeditors-bounces+dmakali= yahoo.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke>; KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum< mediaeditors@lists.kictanet.or.ke>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions< kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [mediaeditors] [kictanet] Why Barr the Media from PS Interviews?
The assumption is that the shortlist will have the best? How will you know?
I still think both can be done, public can be present plus media could cover it sequentially as you coordinated yourselves for the Presidential debate.
Edith
-----Original Message----- From: kictanet [mailto:kictanet-bounces+eadera= idrc.ca@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Eng. Wainaina Mungai Sent: April 30, 2013 10:41 AM To: Edith Adera Cc: mediaeditors (mediaeditors-bounces+dmakali= yahoo.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke); KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions Subject: Re: [kictanet] [mediaeditors] Why Barr the Media from PS Interviews?
Makali has put forward my prefered approach. His approach allows for real 'public participation' by allowing representation of views by the public.
For private media, it's impractical to have 155 persons on live TV continuously for 10 or so days. May the coverage be on the final shortlist, instead.
I doubt there's need to attack the character of the Chair of PSC. Instead, submit representations to PSC about the candidates by Thursday, demand public rep. is allowed to be present at interviews and limit live broadcast to fewer candidates.
Mayb we need to interrogate the meaning of "public participation" threshold of the constitution. Does watching or holding a recruitment process in the open space - on tv or a physical venue like kicc - constitute public participation or is it that every citizen is free and has an opportunity to be considered and to raise any matter pertinent to the recruitment and potential recruits that counts?
Methinks the latter, which has been complied with by psc advertising and inviting any1 interested to apply. That also meets the "competitive" criterion.
The next demand we should put on them is to facilitate or make it possible for any1 who wants to sit in the room to observe the process or to submit any information that may assist it to recruit the right candidates do so. That complies with the transparency requirement.
The interviews can otherwise become a farce at this stage if the template is applied across the 155 applicants. The live broadcast can come at the final stahe wen the shortlisted go before Parliament where scrutiny should be even more thorough and of a different kind -
On 4/30/13, dmakali@yahoo.com <dmakali@yahoo.com> wrote: political and ideological.
David
Sent from my BlackBerry(r)
-----Original Message----- From: Edith Adera <eadera@idrc.ca> Sender: "kictanet" <kictanet-bounces+dmakali=yahoo.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Tue, 30 Apr 2013 05:25:20 To: <dmakali@yahoo.com> Cc: mediaeditors \(mediaeditors-bounces+dmakali=yahoo.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke\)<mediae ditors-bounces+dmakali=yahoo.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke>; KICTAnet - Media Editors Forum<mediaeditors@lists.kictanet.or.ke>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Why Barr the Media from PS Interviews?
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