Actually Bill I think that this is just a clear and perfect example (or expression) of the dire need for standards in Govt implementation of ICT projects as well as coordination across departments.

Since both of us are techies - we know that integration between system no matter the origin or the language/database/message formats is simply a matter of a deliberate integration process. Clearly that is missing in this picture - and rather than deal with the real problem, the actors have resorted to finger pointing/blame game and all the other forms of unhelpful and time-wasting bureacracy that plague large institutions like governments (as well as many corporates). I can assure that if there was commitment to process and deliverables from the top down to the bottom, these issues could have/would have been sorted ages ago.

Our "Waafrika" problem is that when faced with challenges we'd rather tear each other down than face the problems head on and (together) tear them down.

Brian

On Aug 25, 2008, at 10:04 PM, Bill Kagai wrote:

I am watching news in awe where they are reporting that Kenya Ports Authority has deployed a Korean piece of software (Kwatos) to ease turn-around at the Port but now its not working well with the Kenya Revenue Authority software from Chile (Simba). Ofcourse both cost billions.

As the spanish-speaking chileans 'haga el informe con los otros extranjeros' with the Koreans to '¼ÒÇÁÆ®¿þ¾î¸¦ ÀúÈñ¸¦ À§ÇØ ÀÏÇÑ' , sisi wakenya tunangoja kusaidiwa. Mwafrika anajimaliza mwenyewe...as Baba Gideon would say. <http://uk.babelfish.yahoo.com/translate_txt>

The result according to one Mureithi of Kenya Shipping Associations is that port has now become a 'store' rather than a 'door' taking ages (14 days instead of 3 days) to clear goods because of the software conflict. Here be dragons...is this a kictanet sized problem...or do we just watch and comment later in another study on this discussion forum????

Time for an ICT Commission of Inquiry ???

Bill Kagai