We have failed Kenya, again
Hi All, I am ashamed to be an information technology professional, we have failed our country yet again by taking the high road and spending all our time lambasting politicians for issues such as the media bills yet we are no better. Last time I checked there was no profession like politician but there is information technology. Why am I concentrating on a none Obama issue at such a time when the entire world & africa have their eyes facing Washington, because that will not stop crop failures, starvation of innocent children or reduce of fuel costs. Last week's head lines where scary to say the least, our food security reserves where sold off to Sudan & a revelation on the disapperarance of millions of litres of fuel from under the nostrils of KRA, KPC & GOK. Stop that thought, none of this events has anything to do with the media bill as it had not been signed when this activitites where going on & the politicians are not to blame either as they are generally not farmers but peddlers of promises and inuendo. The buck stops here with me & you the so called information technology experts, gurus, kemenyis . . . All we have done is blame the lack of high speed internet access for everthing from failed marriages to space travel, yet we would have spent our energys developing solutions to stop this age old issue of famine and petty theft instead of lamenting over irrelevancies and red herrings. Information is power, thus us as information technology professionals weld more power than even the proverbial pen. So now that I have your undivided attention here is my point, we have proven and tested national wireless connectivity network provided by SafariCom, Zaine & Telkom/Orange yet it takes us 9 months to notice that not enough maize was planted. You tell me what the cost would be to setup a land utilisation database with regular updates, I will not waste my finger grease trying to discuss this you all now this is a no brainer. Fuel disappears from a storage tank and no one noticed it was missing for a whole year until some fellow followed a routine year end procedure of taking stock take an act that resulted in his firing for not getting permission from the chief executive, whose holding the smoking gun I ask? Do KPC & ministry of agriculture actual have IT personnel on their payroll? Fire them, then the entire ICT Board, ICT Secretary to the cabinet, entire staff of the directorate of e-government, entire staff of government information technology services & anyone else who is mandated with the responsibility of advicing government on issues of technology. Not forgetting one Dr. Mutua, yes Dr. Ndemo too. We cannot be discussing call centres, bpo, ID card application monitoring, electronic passport applications, issues that will impact less than 1% of the population while leaving out a strategic issue like food security and fuel supply. Obama as president of the USA, the landing of 3 marine cables & the revision of the media bill is not the fix all for our problems here where we are, the world is at war & if we cannot feed our troops how do we expect to battle? Lets look at technology as a means to an end & not an end in itself. Lets use the available technology to solve real problems as that is the only legacy we can leave behind. Regards Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
Nice writeup Bob, the reality is that technology is just one of the components the major challenge lies with the people (our attitudes) or shall we call it will power and culture (processes, ways of doing things whatever), am not a social scientist but i guess we need some serious social re-engineering, there are policy makers Bill:) on this list who might define what that is and Academicians but... Yes we can On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 6:35 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
Hi All,
I am ashamed to be an information technology professional, we have failed our country yet again by taking the high road and spending all our time lambasting politicians for issues such as the media bills yet we are no better. Last time I checked there was no profession like politician but there is information technology.
Why am I concentrating on a none Obama issue at such a time when the entire world & africa have their eyes facing Washington, because that will not stop crop failures, starvation of innocent children or reduce of fuel costs.
Last week's head lines where scary to say the least, our food security reserves where sold off to Sudan & a revelation on the disapperarance of millions of litres of fuel from under the nostrils of KRA, KPC & GOK.
Stop that thought, none of this events has anything to do with the media bill as it had not been signed when this activitites where going on & the politicians are not to blame either as they are generally not farmers but peddlers of promises and inuendo. The buck stops here with me & you the so called information technology experts, gurus, kemenyis . . .
All we have done is blame the lack of high speed internet access for everthing from failed marriages to space travel, yet we would have spent our energys developing solutions to stop this age old issue of famine and petty theft instead of lamenting over irrelevancies and red herrings. Information is power, thus us as information technology professionals weld more power than even the proverbial pen.
So now that I have your undivided attention here is my point, we have proven and tested national wireless connectivity network provided by SafariCom, Zaine & Telkom/Orange yet it takes us 9 months to notice that not enough maize was planted. You tell me what the cost would be to setup a land utilisation database with regular updates, I will not waste my finger grease trying to discuss this you all now this is a no brainer.
Fuel disappears from a storage tank and no one noticed it was missing for a whole year until some fellow followed a routine year end procedure of taking stock take an act that resulted in his firing for not getting permission from the chief executive, whose holding the smoking gun I ask?
Do KPC & ministry of agriculture actual have IT personnel on their payroll? Fire them, then the entire ICT Board, ICT Secretary to the cabinet, entire staff of the directorate of e-government, entire staff of government information technology services & anyone else who is mandated with the responsibility of advicing government on issues of technology. Not forgetting one Dr. Mutua, yes Dr. Ndemo too.
We cannot be discussing call centres, bpo, ID card application monitoring, electronic passport applications, issues that will impact less than 1% of the population while leaving out a strategic issue like food security and fuel supply.
Obama as president of the USA, the landing of 3 marine cables & the revision of the media bill is not the fix all for our problems here where we are, the world is at war & if we cannot feed our troops how do we expect to battle? Lets look at technology as a means to an end & not an end in itself. Lets use the available technology to solve real problems as that is the only legacy we can leave behind.
Regards
Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya
Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
This message was sent to: otieno.barrack@gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail....
-- Barrack O. Otieno ISSEN CONSULTING Tel: +254721325277 +254726544442 +254733206359 www.issenconsult.com http://projectdiscovery.or.ke To give up the task of reforming society is to give up ones responsibility as a free man. Alan Paton, South Africa
Barrack, I am a social scientist and there are many ways that ICT can help to solve the food crisis, stop corruption, and bring to an end the disintegration of Kenya. The main problem here is that ICTs are not being widely utilized for problem solving for the wananchi, but for making the rich richer. Those who can afford the technology benefit and leave everyone else behind. That is where the GOVERNMENT is supposed to step in. The issue with the government in Kenya is priorities. This extends thoughout all sectors. It is obvious that the poor in the villages who are expericing famine are NOT on the forefront of the agenda. The silver lining lies in the few organizations who know that ICTs can be used in development and strive to do so. Many struggle with little support and overwhelming workload, but they continue to serve. Let us not forget the scores of unsung heros in ICT whose agenda is set by the needs of the people. I think it is high time that those with the right priorities join together to ensure our villages are not left behind. Many blessings, Crystal On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 9:53 AM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com>wrote:
Nice writeup Bob, the reality is that technology is just one of the components the major challenge lies with the people (our attitudes) or shall we call it will power and culture (processes, ways of doing things whatever), am not a social scientist but i guess we need some serious social re-engineering, there are policy makers Bill:) on this list who might define what that is and Academicians but... Yes we can
On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 6:35 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe@yahoo.co.uk>wrote:
Hi All,
I am ashamed to be an information technology professional, we have failed our country yet again by taking the high road and spending all our time lambasting politicians for issues such as the media bills yet we are no better. Last time I checked there was no profession like politician but there is information technology.
Why am I concentrating on a none Obama issue at such a time when the entire world & africa have their eyes facing Washington, because that will not stop crop failures, starvation of innocent children or reduce of fuel costs.
Last week's head lines where scary to say the least, our food security reserves where sold off to Sudan & a revelation on the disapperarance of millions of litres of fuel from under the nostrils of KRA, KPC & GOK.
Stop that thought, none of this events has anything to do with the media bill as it had not been signed when this activitites where going on & the politicians are not to blame either as they are generally not farmers but peddlers of promises and inuendo. The buck stops here with me & you the so called information technology experts, gurus, kemenyis . . .
All we have done is blame the lack of high speed internet access for everthing from failed marriages to space travel, yet we would have spent our energys developing solutions to stop this age old issue of famine and petty theft instead of lamenting over irrelevancies and red herrings. Information is power, thus us as information technology professionals weld more power than even the proverbial pen.
So now that I have your undivided attention here is my point, we have proven and tested national wireless connectivity network provided by SafariCom, Zaine & Telkom/Orange yet it takes us 9 months to notice that not enough maize was planted. You tell me what the cost would be to setup a land utilisation database with regular updates, I will not waste my finger grease trying to discuss this you all now this is a no brainer.
Fuel disappears from a storage tank and no one noticed it was missing for a whole year until some fellow followed a routine year end procedure of taking stock take an act that resulted in his firing for not getting permission from the chief executive, whose holding the smoking gun I ask?
Do KPC & ministry of agriculture actual have IT personnel on their payroll? Fire them, then the entire ICT Board, ICT Secretary to the cabinet, entire staff of the directorate of e-government, entire staff of government information technology services & anyone else who is mandated with the responsibility of advicing government on issues of technology. Not forgetting one Dr. Mutua, yes Dr. Ndemo too.
We cannot be discussing call centres, bpo, ID card application monitoring, electronic passport applications, issues that will impact less than 1% of the population while leaving out a strategic issue like food security and fuel supply.
Obama as president of the USA, the landing of 3 marine cables & the revision of the media bill is not the fix all for our problems here where we are, the world is at war & if we cannot feed our troops how do we expect to battle? Lets look at technology as a means to an end & not an end in itself. Lets use the available technology to solve real problems as that is the only legacy we can leave behind.
Regards
Robert Yawe KAY System Technologies Ltd Phoenix House, 6th Floor P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200 Kenya
Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
This message was sent to: otieno.barrack@gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail....
-- Barrack O. Otieno ISSEN CONSULTING Tel: +254721325277 +254726544442 +254733206359 www.issenconsult.com http://projectdiscovery.or.ke To give up the task of reforming society is to give up ones responsibility as a free man. Alan Paton, South Africa
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
This message was sent to: crystal@voicesofafrica.org Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/crystal%40voicesofafric...
-- Crystal "Naliaka" Watley Voices of Africa crystal@voicesofafrica.org http://www.voicesofafrica.org/ "You must be the change you wish to see" - Gandhi
Barrack and Crystal, I do agree with Crystal that ICT has not been fully utilized to avert social crises affecting Kenya. If only the government through the ICT Board can make good use of ICT in averting the challenges facing Kenya, then we would not be talking of corruprion and other ills affecting Kenya because the integration of ICT just exists in s the minds of the young. The old chaps have not fully inderstood the need to make it more effective apart from just being used as a communication tool. In the private sector, ICT has become one of the basic tools for running the affairs of organizations. There is an urgent need to prioritize ICT as a core function for closing the gap between the informed and the non-informed. Recently I was in West Pokot, amd Kacheliba Constituency, (Infact I passed where K24 and KTN journalist were beaten) and couldn't believe the rate at which development is lagging behind. The people there no nothing like ICT and, being a place presented by the Minister for Communications, should be the first place where ICT is flourishing, but with the famine, yur guess is as good as mine! In fact during the Post Election Violence, the Pokots were saying, *hiyo ni vita ya Kenya... Kama ni vita ya kuchukua(*read *kuiba) ng'ombe, tutaenda...!* and *'mbona kuchoma nyumba ya mtu ama kuuwa mtu badala ya ng'ombe...!* There is indeed a whole of debate on where ICT can be placed, but the setting up of agenda in this has to be done with efficiency and sobriety! Mburu -- Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way to the side of a hill!
Solomon and Crystal, I had from a good friend that our neighbours(EA) regard us as a man eat man society, that our society is for the swift much as this might be a good attribute it is the governments role to protect the slow ones who are also our brothers, talk of Universal Access (Free?? Alex), Universal Education (Free Primary Education). Nonetheless there seems to be a communication barrier between researchers and policy makers or shall we call them implementers, that might expalin why R&D is not well established in our country what do you say any thoughts on this?? On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 8:07 PM, Solomon Mburu <solo.mburu@gmail.com> wrote:
Barrack and Crystal,
I do agree with Crystal that ICT has not been fully utilized to avert social crises affecting Kenya. If only the government through the ICT Board can make good use of ICT in averting the challenges facing Kenya, then we would not be talking of corruprion and other ills affecting Kenya because the integration of ICT just exists in s the minds of the young. The old chaps have not fully inderstood the need to make it more effective apart from just being used as a communication tool. In the private sector, ICT has become one of the basic tools for running the affairs of organizations.
There is an urgent need to prioritize ICT as a core function for closing the gap between the informed and the non-informed.
Recently I was in West Pokot, amd Kacheliba Constituency, (Infact I passed where K24 and KTN journalist were beaten) and couldn't believe the rate at which development is lagging behind. The people there no nothing like ICT and, being a place presented by the Minister for Communications, should be the first place where ICT is flourishing, but with the famine, yur guess is as good as mine!
In fact during the Post Election Violence, the Pokots were saying, *hiyo ni vita ya Kenya... Kama ni vita ya kuchukua(*read *kuiba) ng'ombe, tutaenda...!* and *'mbona kuchoma nyumba ya mtu ama kuuwa mtu badala ya ng'ombe...!*
There is indeed a whole of debate on where ICT can be placed, but the setting up of agenda in this has to be done with efficiency and sobriety!
Mburu
-- Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way to the side of a hill!
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
This message was sent to: otieno.barrack@gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail....
-- Barrack O. Otieno ISSEN CONSULTING Tel: +254721325277 +254726544442 +254733206359 www.issenconsult.com http://projectdiscovery.or.ke To give up the task of reforming society is to give up ones responsibility as a free man. Alan Paton, South Africa
I believe there are IT professionals in Kenya who use their skills to educate and inform others who know less. Skunkworks is a forum of such professionals and there is some talk of having the bi-annual Barcamps in other towns in Kenya, not just Nairobi. I belive the problems (Starvation, oil scandal, grand regency etc) with Kenya are primarily at the top (so called leaders) and at the bottom (poor and un-educated people). At the top: Any (wo)man in the streets can give you reasons. At the bottom: They don't know how to choose leaders and they lack vision for the environment they live in. Their hope isn't in the confused government but in the people in the middle, people who are educated and understand that a country should be run with planning, accountability, justice, ... These middle people, you and I, are the ones who can slowly re-educate the poor and un-educated and when they become wiser they will likely choose us the middle people who helped them as their leaders and finally the country can have real leaders who have the interests of the entire Kenyan population at heart. One positive thing that can come out of these scandals and disasters is that some people (especially the poor) will learn that they have to be wise when choosing leaders. They will understand that whoever they choose can either build or destroy their livelihoods. Somehow I believe disasters are a way of God to let us know that our choices are wrong. If the pains of disasters cannot make one change his/her ways there is only one final event, death. o_O --- On Sun, 1/18/09, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com> wrote: From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] We have failed Kenya, again To: kiriinya2000@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Sunday, January 18, 2009, 11:13 PM Solomon and Crystal, I had from a good friend that our neighbours(EA) regard us as a man eat man society, that our society is for the swift much as this might be a good attribute it is the governments role to protect the slow ones who are also our brothers, talk of Universal Access (Free?? Alex), Universal Education (Free Primary Education). Nonetheless there seems to be a communication barrier between researchers and policy makers or shall we call them implementers, that might expalin why R&D is not well established in our country what do you say any thoughts on this?? On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 8:07 PM, Solomon Mburu <solo.mburu@gmail.com> wrote: Barrack and Crystal, I do agree with Crystal that ICT has not been fully utilized to avert social crises affecting Kenya. If only the government through the ICT Board can make good use of ICT in averting the challenges facing Kenya, then we would not be talking of corruprion and other ills affecting Kenya because the integration of ICT just exists in s the minds of the young. The old chaps have not fully inderstood the need to make it more effective apart from just being used as a communication tool. In the private sector, ICT has become one of the basic tools for running the affairs of organizations. There is an urgent need to prioritize ICT as a core function for closing the gap between the informed and the non-informed. Recently I was in West Pokot, amd Kacheliba Constituency, (Infact I passed where K24 and KTN journalist were beaten) and couldn't believe the rate at which development is lagging behind. The people there no nothing like ICT and, being a place presented by the Minister for Communications, should be the first place where ICT is flourishing, but with the famine, yur guess is as good as mine! In fact during the Post Election Violence, the Pokots were saying, hiyo ni vita ya Kenya... Kama ni vita ya kuchukua(read kuiba) ng'ombe, tutaenda...! and 'mbona kuchoma nyumba ya mtu ama kuuwa mtu badala ya ng'ombe...! There is indeed a whole of debate on where ICT can be placed, but the setting up of agenda in this has to be done with efficiency and sobriety! Mburu -- Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way to the side of a hill! _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: otieno.barrack@gmail.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/otieno.barrack%40gmail.... -- Barrack O. Otieno ISSEN CONSULTING Tel: +254721325277 +254726544442 +254733206359 www.issenconsult.com http://projectdiscovery.or.ke To give up the task of reforming society is to give up ones responsibility as a free man. Alan Paton, South Africa -- This message has been scanned for viruses and dangerous content by MailScanner, and is believed to be clean. _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet This message was sent to: kiriinya2000@yahoo.com Unsubscribe or change your options at http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/kiriinya2000%40yahoo.co...
Where are skunkworks based? Shed more infor plz! °Mburu
It's a mail list like KICTAnet. For more info: Blog: http://skunkworks-ke.blogspot.com/ To join: http://ole.kenic.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/skunkworks 8~) --- On Wed, 1/21/09, Solomon Mburu <solo.mburu@gmail.com> wrote: From: Solomon Mburu <solo.mburu@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [kictanet] We have failed Kenya, again To: kiriinya2000@yahoo.com Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wednesday, January 21, 2009, 11:28 AM Where are skunkworks based? Shed more infor plz! °Mburu
participants (5)
-
Barrack Otieno -
Crystal Watley -
robert yawe -
Solomon Mburu -
wesley kiriinya