The idea of a meeting for all stakeholders is great!
I suggest that an agenda for the meeting be agreed upon before
the meeting. This can be done in this forum, probably with inclusion of other interested
groups.
Since the issues to be discussed are of such national importance,
the meeting should be widely publicised to ensure information reaches all
interested parties, not just those on KICTANET. Probably the PS’s office can
foot the bill for newspaper adverts?
Regards
Kisonzo
From:
kictanet-bounces+skisonzo=gmail.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+skisonzo=gmail.com@lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf
Of Joseph Manthi
Sent: 15 July 2008 01:51
To: skisonzo@gmail.com
Cc: kictanet-lists
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Discipline & Ethics - Re: Legislation and
Regulation fore-Commerce in Ken
Mike
So the question of the day is this?
Where do we go from here? Look at what foreign companies are doing all over
Africa while we are napping - especially Indian and Middle Eastern ones? If I
may be rhetorical - Is it a well established fact that we cannot find Kenyan -
I mean indigenous Kenyans - MDs of Celtel, Safaricom, KDN, Orange etc? Is
that a fact?
All Kenyan members of this list would like a concrete resolution to this - if I
may be bold enough to say this.
Thanks,
Joe
On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 6:39 PM, Mike Theuri <mike.theuri@gmail.com> wrote:
Joe,
Had these rules been implemented, today we might be in
a position to call Kenya "economically sovereign" but that is far
from reality and unless corrective measures are undertaken rather
quickly it will be too late unless the government of the day turns radical
and resorts to nationalising private entities the Hugo Chavez way. However
that is a mirage on the horizon, as any such attempts would likely
to lead to expropriation claims in international world courts, pariah status
and we would be headed the Zimbabwean way where having seven figures
in one's bank account would qualify one as a poor millionaire.
Friends of Kenya are most welcome to give their input and
offer expertise, however, policy making ought to be led and controlled by
Kenyans. Policy makers and decision makers will hopefully grasp the urgency of
the need to ensure that the country's economic independence and national
security is not threatened by abdicating their core duties to
formulate policy that will result in greater Kenyan ownership and control of
the key sectors of the economy. If it takes legislation to mandate a shift
in shareholding over time eg the South African economic empowerment way, it
would be worth the time, consideration and study. As
you correctly point out, the US, Canada, China, Libya and many more
around the world would never allow foreigners directly or indirectly
by proxy to define public policy, to do so would be to deliberately
disown the nation's sovereignity.
Mike
On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 9:54 AM, Joseph Manthi <jmanthi@gmail.com>
wrote:
Mike
Well said.
What I would like to add is that every investor in Kenya should be subjected to
the same rules that a Kenyan would be subjected to in India and EEU or any
other country. Additionally we should not be having foreigners attempting to
shape Kenya's public policy. In fact in the US no foreign owned company is
allowed anywhere near where public policy is created. Any foreign based public
policy body must identify itself as such. In this case KIF would be an illegal
associations because it has non Kenyan entities as its members.
At the end of the day when all hell breaks loose these guys are the first ones
to get airlifted by their embassies and leave Kenyans to face the music alone.
We have seen it time and again all over Africa.
They say: "History does not repeat itself only the folly of Kenyans
does"
Joe
On Mon, Jul 14, 2008 at 7:41 AM, Mike Theuri <mike.theuri@gmail.com>
wrote:
One need only look at past history and realize that a Kenyan whether resident in Kenya or not is an underdog when it comes to fairly competing against foreign entities that have the "right connections" and "right" goes beyond having "business connections". When official policy intentionally or unintentionally appears to dictate that anything Kenyan led should be relegated or ranked lower because local is not better, is the biggest single contributing factor that has led to foreign control and ownership of key sectors of the economy.
One need only look at India's current economic prosperity where official policy was key in ensuring that any major player wanting to do business in India had to engage in joint ventures with local players, the benefit of that foresight can now be seen as some of these firms turn into true multinationals as a result of knowledge and technology transfer while ensuring that in the process, the wealth and long term benefits generated remained mostly in India and not in foreign coffers.
As for the diaspora, they may have already decided to keep off due to the lack of incentive and a guaranteed (not preferential) level playing field , besides remittances, can anyone mention any major investment activity in a key national sector that a broad based diaspora led initiative has succeeded when competing in one's own country against foreign led entities? The answer might be found once again in official policy and approach as this brief analysis indicates, why should one invest where they are likely to get burned by playing their cards fairly and transparently when the policy makers are not willing to address key issues of legitimate investor concern?
On Sun, Jul 13, 2008 at 11:36 PM, Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru@yahoo.com> wrote:
--- On Sun, 7/13/08, Brian Munyao Longwe <blongwe@gmail.com> wrote:
>
> To certain members of this list who are either not resident
> or have
> not been resident in this country for some time, please be
> cautious
> with your statements, sometimes you might be bashing
> someone who has
> made huge sacrifice to serve this nation's ICT.
>
Earlier said we should not discriminate against non-Kenyans.
Would you be asking that honest opinion now also be qualified and legitimized by the residency status? The Diaspora should keep off?
Expanding to all society, are historical "made huge sacrifice to serve this nation" permanent tickets to never be questioned? To be rewarded generously ad infinitum? I am avoiding cheapening the discussion.
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CEO
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