Waithaka, I fully understand your frustration but there is no straight answer until the law is changed. We first made a mistake when we allowed foreigners to craft the law. That is where we missed "national interest". It was meant to stop the Kanu government from stealing. It must be revised with such thinking in mind. Allowing restricted tendering to only Kenyans. Whatever you are trying to say or what Dr. Matunda has stated is justified but we must clean house to avoid getting back to other controversies if national interest resources are sold or there is no resources to optimally utilize the resource. We also mus deal with vultures who will abuse the same rules as has happened before. The current policy framework indeed enabled the sector to flourish by allowing foreign investment while they search for local partnerships. If they fail, the stock market was to pick up the shares and enable a more inclusive process that brings in smaller investors. Prior to this CCK was sued left, right and center and when cases fail they allege corruption because ordinary citizen will buy this. We need FDI to grow the economy while at the same time enabling our own to invest. If every FDI ends up in court then we undermining the economy. This is what used to happen when local share requirement was 70%, 60$. 40% and 30%. There are hundreds of tier two licenses that have been given but it turned out to be a conduit to acquire spectrum and sell. We are not honest to ourselves. We are a simply rotten people. Some policies will never function well until we embrace ethics, live by ethics and speak ethically. This is what makes the work of a public servant very difficult. There are many hard working and honest public servants whose names are dirtied by powerful wheeler dealers We seriously must begin to build honest and credible institutions. Judiciary too need to build capacity around technology. It requires all of us not just the public servants. Ndemo.
Muthusi,
There was a point I thought we were making progress in this debate, but, it seems we are back to square one in procurement of projects of *National Interest* and comparisons to marking of college exams.
If the example, from say Canada, on procurement of projects of National Interest that has been clearly illustrated does not strike any cords with you, then I am not sure anything else ever will.
They say you cannot fool everyone all the time, and I'll just pen-off by saying the debate has turned so simplistic as to not warrant any further comment.
Waithaka Ngigi
Alliance Technologies Nairobi, Kenya
www.A1.io On 30 Dec 2013 19:39, "Mutua, Muthusi" <Mutua@cck.go.ke> wrote:
Indeed Wambua, across the border is Tanzania a consortium comprising two local media firms had to sell off 49% equity to foreign investors after it was unable to raise the required capital even after wining the licence. This means the company now can no longer be called local in the strict sense.
Its all good sounding to root for Kenyan companies, but the reality is you cannot apply this fully across the board. Its for this reason you see our leaders working to attract foreign investment. This is not t