Kenya IGF Online discussions Day 4: Open Data and e-government
Lister's, According to http://www.idea.gov.uk/idk/core/page.do?pageId=18562122 the idea behind open data is that information held by government should be freely available to use and re-mix by the public. Kenya is among the countries that have embraced open data and e-government, It’s a movement to make non-personal data,: 1. open so that it can be turned into useful applications 2. support transparency and accountability 3. make sharing data between public sector partners more efficient. On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to digital interactions between a government and its Citizens *Questions* 1. What opportunities does the Open data initiative present to the Nation, to what extent have they been exploited? 2. What challenges does the use of open data present and how can they be mitigated? 3. What are the key drivers in the use of Open Data? 4. As a country do we have any form of Licensing that determines the use of Open data? 5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government? The floor is open Thank you Best Regards -- Barrack O. Otieno +254721325277 +254-20-2498789 Skype: barrack.otieno http://www.otienobarrack.me.ke/
On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to digital interactions between a government and its Citizens
*Questions*
5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government?* *The floor is open
Thanks Barrack, let me take the open floor. :) I Like the UK's e-governmnet motto "Digital by default". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm. It shows real commitment to take government services to the people, not the other way round. We have an e-Governance Secretariat established by the government of Kenya ( http://www.e-government.go.ke/). The main objective in the website was to "oversee conceptualization, design and coordination of implementation of information technology activities in the civil service that are geared towards realization of full e-Government in public service delivery." Essentially, the term e-Government also known as Digital Government, refers to 'How government utilizes IT, ICT and other telecommunication technologies, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector' (Jeong, 2007) The government of Kenya approved a national ICT policy in consultation with relevant agencies which recognized the problems of the different disjoint government systems, duplication and lack of enabling infrastructure. Since then the government has created systems for applying for public service jobs (is it working?), tracking status of passports (dead), exam results notifications (working), a government procurement portal, and submitting tax returns and declaring customs online (perfect). Many other services are still at infant stage but it is still a step in the right direction. Other successful e-government strategies by the government are: 1. Establishing a data center and implementation of a shared services platform where common services are integrated and managed centrally to improve services, reduce overhead costs and duplications as well as for optimal utilization of the ICT human capital. 2. Laid fiber optic cable through the nation but they have not yet provided last mile connectivity to government offices or other users. 3. Released Open Government Data through opendata datasets concept. The data includes: various dimensions of population data; local and national government authority expenditure; public health indicator data and statistics including hospital locations; education data such as enrollment rates and school locations; parliamentary proceedings (digital Hansard); weather information and detailed census statistics on topics such as access to electricity, water and sanitation. https://www.opendata.go.ke/ 4. The government each years offers Local content grants to about 20 developers and artists of up-to $50,000 per project through a competitive process. http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356&Itemid=301 5. Promoting BPO/ITES activities in the country. The Hallmark is the establishment of the grand Konza Technology Park which is billed as the next African Silicon Savannah. http://www.konzacity.co.ke/ 6. And finally, entrepreneurs are given loans to start Digital villages code named Pasha (meaning disseminate). This initiative aims at establishing Cyber Cafes that providing internet access and various online services at the grassroots. http://pasha.co.ke/ The initiatives are more that what I've outlines, and can be a good basis for a Masters or PhD dissertation. I did a slideshare presentation a years back with the same theme, but different components. You can access the link herehttp://www.slideshare.net/lordmwesh/e-government-7203413 Is our e-government strategy working? Are we "more talk and no walk"? What can be done to push the stalled projects forward? Regards 10rdmwesh -- ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva For Business Development Transworld Computer Channels Cel: 0722402248 twitter.com/lordmwesh www.transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
Hey Listers, Has anyone come across this information? Regards, Tichi ETHIOPIAN GOVT BAN ON SKYPE: The Ethiopian government, Al Jazeera reports, has criminalized the use of Skype and other VoIP services like Google Talk. Using VoIP services is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This law actually passed last month, but mostly went unnoticed outside of the country. Ethiopian authorities argue that they imposed these bans because of national security concerns and to protect the state's telecommunications monopoly. The country only has one ISP, the state-owned Ethio Telecom, and has been filtering its citizen's Internet access for quite some time now to suppress opposition blogs and other news outlets. USE SKYPE, GO TO PRISON As for Skype and other VoIP services, the new law doesn't just criminalize their usage, but the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology now has the power to supervise and issue licenses to all privately owned companies that import equipment used for the communication of information.? It's worth noting that the new law also prohibits audio and video data traffic via social media. It's not clear how exactly the government plans to enforce this restriction, but a potential 15-year prison term will likely keep most people from using Skype in Ethiopia anytime soon. Reporters Without Borders also reports that Ethio Telecom installed a system to block access to the Tor network, which allows users to surf the Web anonymously. The organization notes that the ISP must be using relatively sophisticated Deep Packet Inspection to filter out this traffic. According to Internet filtering and censorship watchdog , Ethiopia currently has the second lowest Internet penetration rate in sub-Saharan Africa and just around 700,000 of the country's 84 million citizens had Internet access in 2010 Quoting Kivuva <Kivuva@transworldafrica.com>:
On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to digital interactions between a government and its Citizens
*Questions*
5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government?* *The floor is open
Thanks Barrack, let me take the open floor. :) I Like the UK's e-governmnet motto "Digital by default". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm. It shows real commitment to take government services to the people, not the other way round.
We have an e-Governance Secretariat established by the government of Kenya ( http://www.e-government.go.ke/). The main objective in the website was to
"oversee conceptualization, design and coordination of implementation of information technology activities in the civil service that are geared towards realization of full e-Government in public service delivery."
Essentially, the term e-Government also known as Digital Government, refers to 'How government utilizes IT, ICT and other telecommunication technologies, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector' (Jeong, 2007)
The government of Kenya approved a national ICT policy in consultation with relevant agencies which recognized the problems of the different disjoint government systems, duplication and lack of enabling infrastructure. Since then the government has created systems for applying for public service jobs (is it working?), tracking status of passports (dead), exam results notifications (working), a government procurement portal, and submitting tax returns and declaring customs online (perfect). Many other services are still at infant stage but it is still a step in the right direction.
Other successful e-government strategies by the government are:
1. Establishing a data center and implementation of a shared services platform where common services are integrated and managed centrally to improve services, reduce overhead costs and duplications as well as for optimal utilization of the ICT human capital. 2. Laid fiber optic cable through the nation but they have not yet provided last mile connectivity to government offices or other users. 3. Released Open Government Data through opendata datasets concept. The data includes: various dimensions of population data; local and national government authority expenditure; public health indicator data and statistics including hospital locations; education data such as enrollment rates and school locations; parliamentary proceedings (digital Hansard); weather information and detailed census statistics on topics such as access to electricity, water and sanitation. https://www.opendata.go.ke/ 4. The government each years offers Local content grants to about 20 developers and artists of up-to $50,000 per project through a competitive process.
http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356&Itemid=301 5. Promoting BPO/ITES activities in the country. The Hallmark is the establishment of the grand Konza Technology Park which is billed as the next African Silicon Savannah. http://www.konzacity.co.ke/ 6. And finally, entrepreneurs are given loans to start Digital villages code named Pasha (meaning disseminate). This initiative aims at establishing Cyber Cafes that providing internet access and various online services at the grassroots. http://pasha.co.ke/
The initiatives are more that what I've outlines, and can be a good basis for a Masters or PhD dissertation. I did a slideshare presentation a years back with the same theme, but different components. You can access the link herehttp://www.slideshare.net/lordmwesh/e-government-7203413
Is our e-government strategy working? Are we "more talk and no walk"? What can be done to push the stalled projects forward?
Regards 10rdmwesh
-- ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva For Business Development Transworld Computer Channels Cel: 0722402248 twitter.com/lordmwesh www.transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
Hey Listers, Has anyone come across this information? Regards, Tichi ETHIOPIAN GOVT BAN ON SKYPE: The Ethiopian government, Al Jazeera reports, has criminalized the use of Skype and other VoIP services like Google Talk. Using VoIP services is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This law actually passed last month, but mostly went unnoticed outside of the country. Ethiopian authorities argue that they imposed these bans because of national security concerns and to protect the state's telecommunications monopoly. The country only has one ISP, the state-owned Ethio Telecom, and has been filtering its citizen's Internet access for quite some time now to suppress opposition blogs and other news outlets. USE SKYPE, GO TO PRISON As for Skype and other VoIP services, the new law doesn't just criminalize their usage, but the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology now has the power to supervise and issue licenses to all privately owned companies that import equipment used for the communication of information.? It's worth noting that the new law also prohibits audio and video data traffic via social media. It's not clear how exactly the government plans to enforce this restriction, but a potential 15-year prison term will likely keep most people from using Skype in Ethiopia anytime soon. Reporters Without Borders also reports that Ethio Telecom installed a system to block access to the Tor network, which allows users to surf the Web anonymously. The organization notes that the ISP must be using relatively sophisticated Deep Packet Inspection to filter out this traffic. According to Internet filtering and censorship watchdog , Ethiopia currently has the second lowest Internet penetration rate in sub-Saharan Africa and just around 700,000 of the country's 84 million citizens had Internet access in 2010 Quoting Kivuva <Kivuva@transworldafrica.com>:
On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to digital interactions between a government and its Citizens
*Questions*
5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government?* *The floor is open
Thanks Barrack, let me take the open floor. :) I Like the UK's e-governmnet motto "Digital by default". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm. It shows real commitment to take government services to the people, not the other way round.
We have an e-Governance Secretariat established by the government of Kenya ( http://www.e-government.go.ke/). The main objective in the website was to
"oversee conceptualization, design and coordination of implementation of information technology activities in the civil service that are geared towards realization of full e-Government in public service delivery."
Essentially, the term e-Government also known as Digital Government, refers to 'How government utilizes IT, ICT and other telecommunication technologies, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector' (Jeong, 2007)
The government of Kenya approved a national ICT policy in consultation with relevant agencies which recognized the problems of the different disjoint government systems, duplication and lack of enabling infrastructure. Since then the government has created systems for applying for public service jobs (is it working?), tracking status of passports (dead), exam results notifications (working), a government procurement portal, and submitting tax returns and declaring customs online (perfect). Many other services are still at infant stage but it is still a step in the right direction.
Other successful e-government strategies by the government are:
1. Establishing a data center and implementation of a shared services platform where common services are integrated and managed centrally to improve services, reduce overhead costs and duplications as well as for optimal utilization of the ICT human capital. 2. Laid fiber optic cable through the nation but they have not yet provided last mile connectivity to government offices or other users. 3. Released Open Government Data through opendata datasets concept. The data includes: various dimensions of population data; local and national government authority expenditure; public health indicator data and statistics including hospital locations; education data such as enrollment rates and school locations; parliamentary proceedings (digital Hansard); weather information and detailed census statistics on topics such as access to electricity, water and sanitation. https://www.opendata.go.ke/ 4. The government each years offers Local content grants to about 20 developers and artists of up-to $50,000 per project through a competitive process.
http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356&Itemid=301 5. Promoting BPO/ITES activities in the country. The Hallmark is the establishment of the grand Konza Technology Park which is billed as the next African Silicon Savannah. http://www.konzacity.co.ke/ 6. And finally, entrepreneurs are given loans to start Digital villages code named Pasha (meaning disseminate). This initiative aims at establishing Cyber Cafes that providing internet access and various online services at the grassroots. http://pasha.co.ke/
The initiatives are more that what I've outlines, and can be a good basis for a Masters or PhD dissertation. I did a slideshare presentation a years back with the same theme, but different components. You can access the link herehttp://www.slideshare.net/lordmwesh/e-government-7203413
Is our e-government strategy working? Are we "more talk and no walk"? What can be done to push the stalled projects forward?
Regards 10rdmwesh
-- ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva For Business Development Transworld Computer Channels Cel: 0722402248 twitter.com/lordmwesh www.transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
Yes Tichi. I think it was announced early last week and debate has been going on on other lists. RgdsGG
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:43:19 +0000 From: tnyasani@kulahappy.com Subject: [kictanet] ETHIOPIAN GOVT. BANS SKYPE, GOOGLE TALK AND ALL OTHER VOIP SERVICES CC: kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke To: ggithaiga@hotmail.com
Hey Listers,
Has anyone come across this information?
Regards, Tichi
ETHIOPIAN GOVT BAN ON SKYPE:
The Ethiopian government, Al Jazeera reports, has criminalized the use of Skype and other VoIP services like Google Talk. Using VoIP services is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This law actually passed last month, but mostly went unnoticed outside of the country. Ethiopian authorities argue that they imposed these bans because of national security concerns and to protect the state's telecommunications monopoly. The country only has one ISP, the state-owned Ethio Telecom, and has been filtering its citizen's Internet access for quite some time now to suppress opposition blogs and other news outlets.
USE SKYPE, GO TO PRISON
As for Skype and other VoIP services, the new law doesn't just criminalize their usage, but the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology now has the power to supervise and issue licenses to all privately owned companies that import equipment used for the communication of information.? It's worth noting that the new law also prohibits audio and video data traffic via social media. It's not clear how exactly the government plans to enforce this restriction, but a potential 15-year prison term will likely keep most people from using Skype in Ethiopia anytime soon.
Reporters Without Borders also reports that Ethio Telecom installed a system to block access to the Tor network, which allows users to surf the Web anonymously. The organization notes that the ISP must be using relatively sophisticated Deep Packet Inspection to filter out this traffic.
According to Internet filtering and censorship watchdog , Ethiopia currently has the second lowest Internet penetration rate in sub-Saharan Africa and just around 700,000 of the country's 84 million citizens had Internet access in 2010
Quoting Kivuva <Kivuva@transworldafrica.com>:
On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to digital interactions between a government and its Citizens
*Questions*
5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government?* *The floor is open
Thanks Barrack, let me take the open floor. :) I Like the UK's e-governmnet motto "Digital by default". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm. It shows real commitment to take government services to the people, not the other way round.
We have an e-Governance Secretariat established by the government of Kenya ( http://www.e-government.go.ke/). The main objective in the website was to
"oversee conceptualization, design and coordination of implementation of information technology activities in the civil service that are geared towards realization of full e-Government in public service delivery."
Essentially, the term e-Government also known as Digital Government, refers to 'How government utilizes IT, ICT and other telecommunication technologies, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector' (Jeong, 2007)
The government of Kenya approved a national ICT policy in consultation with relevant agencies which recognized the problems of the different disjoint government systems, duplication and lack of enabling infrastructure. Since then the government has created systems for applying for public service jobs (is it working?), tracking status of passports (dead), exam results notifications (working), a government procurement portal, and submitting tax returns and declaring customs online (perfect). Many other services are still at infant stage but it is still a step in the right direction.
Other successful e-government strategies by the government are:
1. Establishing a data center and implementation of a shared services platform where common services are integrated and managed centrally to improve services, reduce overhead costs and duplications as well as for optimal utilization of the ICT human capital. 2. Laid fiber optic cable through the nation but they have not yet provided last mile connectivity to government offices or other users. 3. Released Open Government Data through opendata datasets concept. The data includes: various dimensions of population data; local and national government authority expenditure; public health indicator data and statistics including hospital locations; education data such as enrollment rates and school locations; parliamentary proceedings (digital Hansard); weather information and detailed census statistics on topics such as access to electricity, water and sanitation. https://www.opendata.go.ke/ 4. The government each years offers Local content grants to about 20 developers and artists of up-to $50,000 per project through a competitive process.
http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356&Itemid=301 5. Promoting BPO/ITES activities in the country. The Hallmark is the establishment of the grand Konza Technology Park which is billed as the next African Silicon Savannah. http://www.konzacity.co.ke/ 6. And finally, entrepreneurs are given loans to start Digital villages code named Pasha (meaning disseminate). This initiative aims at establishing Cyber Cafes that providing internet access and various online services at the grassroots. http://pasha.co.ke/
The initiatives are more that what I've outlines, and can be a good basis for a Masters or PhD dissertation. I did a slideshare presentation a years back with the same theme, but different components. You can access the link herehttp://www.slideshare.net/lordmwesh/e-government-7203413
Is our e-government strategy working? Are we "more talk and no walk"? What can be done to push the stalled projects forward?
Regards 10rdmwesh
-- ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva For Business Development Transworld Computer Channels Cel: 0722402248 twitter.com/lordmwesh www.transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
Who can host my website under the following specs? a.. FTP Access with cPanel Access control to the website, for uploading files and performing administrative commands like permissions and dot-files. b.. 10 GB of Hosting Space This is the disk space available online for storing website, application files and databases. c.. 10,000 MB Bandwidth Bandwidth is the measure of how much data flows across a network over a set period of time d.. SSH access This gives you access to your pages directly from the server. Plus it's a great way to test CGI scripts. e.. PHP PHP version 5.3.x or above and Apache version 2.2.x f.. Database MySQL version 5.1.x-log or above Capt(rtd) Jessie R. Kirongothi Deputy Director--MIS-Systems Development KASNEB. KASNEB Towers, Hospital Road, Upper Hill P.O Box 41362 - 00100, Nairobi - Kenya Tel: 254 (020) 2712640 / 2712828 Fax: 254 (020) 2712915 Email: kirongothi@kasneb.or.ke
Hi Captain, http://domains.safaricom.co.ke/corporate.php comes closer to what you are asking for EXCEPT I don't know if they can give SSH access. My advise is you better scout for a VPS out there. How is SSH a great way to test CGI scripts? On Wed, Jun 20, 2012 at 8:25 AM, J.R. Kirongothi <kirongothi@kasneb.or.ke>wrote:
** **
*Who can host my website under the following specs?* ******
- *FTP Access with cPanel** Access control to the website, for uploading files and performing administrative commands like permissions and dot-files.* **** - *10 GB of Hosting Space** This is the disk space available online for storing website, application files and databases.* **** - *10,000 MB Bandwidth** Bandwidth is the measure of how much data flows across a network over a set period of time* **** - *SSH access** This gives you access to your pages directly from the server. Plus it's a great way to test CGI scripts.* **** - *PHP** PHP version 5.3.x or above and Apache version *2.2.x **** - *Database** MySQL version 5.1.x-log or above*****
Capt(rtd) Jessie R. Kirongothi Deputy Director--MIS-Systems Development KASNEB. KASNEB Towers, Hospital Road, Upper Hill P.O Box 41362 – 00100, Nairobi – Kenya Tel: 254 (020) 2712640 / 2712828 Fax: 254 (020) 2712915 Email: kirongothi@kasneb.or.ke
**
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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
-- Best regards, Odhiambo WASHINGTON, Nairobi,KE +254733744121/+254722743223 _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler.
Thanks for the heads up Grace.... Regards, Tichi ------------------- Quoting Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga@hotmail.com>:
Yes Tichi. I think it was announced early last week and debate has been going on on other lists. RgdsGG
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:43:19 +0000 From: tnyasani@kulahappy.com Subject: [kictanet] ETHIOPIAN GOVT. BANS SKYPE, GOOGLE TALK AND ALL OTHER VOIP SERVICES CC: kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke To: ggithaiga@hotmail.com
Hey Listers,
Has anyone come across this information?
Regards, Tichi
ETHIOPIAN GOVT BAN ON SKYPE:
The Ethiopian government, Al Jazeera reports, has criminalized the use of Skype and other VoIP services like Google Talk. Using VoIP services is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This law actually passed last month, but mostly went unnoticed outside of the country. Ethiopian authorities argue that they imposed these bans because of national security concerns and to protect the state's telecommunications monopoly. The country only has one ISP, the state-owned Ethio Telecom, and has been filtering its citizen's Internet access for quite some time now to suppress opposition blogs and other news outlets.
USE SKYPE, GO TO PRISON
As for Skype and other VoIP services, the new law doesn't just criminalize their usage, but the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology now has the power to supervise and issue licenses to all privately owned companies that import equipment used for the communication of information.? It's worth noting that the new law also prohibits audio and video data traffic via social media. It's not clear how exactly the government plans to enforce this restriction, but a potential 15-year prison term will likely keep most people from using Skype in Ethiopia anytime soon.
Reporters Without Borders also reports that Ethio Telecom installed a system to block access to the Tor network, which allows users to surf the Web anonymously. The organization notes that the ISP must be using relatively sophisticated Deep Packet Inspection to filter out this traffic.
According to Internet filtering and censorship watchdog , Ethiopia currently has the second lowest Internet penetration rate in sub-Saharan Africa and just around 700,000 of the country's 84 million citizens had Internet access in 2010
Quoting Kivuva <Kivuva@transworldafrica.com>:
On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to digital interactions between a government and its Citizens
*Questions*
5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government?* *The floor is open
Thanks Barrack, let me take the open floor. :) I Like the UK's e-governmnet motto "Digital by default". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm. It shows real commitment to take government services to the people, not the other way round.
We have an e-Governance Secretariat established by the government of Kenya ( http://www.e-government.go.ke/). The main objective in the website was to
"oversee conceptualization, design and coordination of implementation of information technology activities in the civil service that are geared towards realization of full e-Government in public service delivery."
Essentially, the term e-Government also known as Digital Government, refers to 'How government utilizes IT, ICT and other telecommunication technologies, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector' (Jeong, 2007)
The government of Kenya approved a national ICT policy in consultation with relevant agencies which recognized the problems of the different disjoint government systems, duplication and lack of enabling infrastructure. Since then the government has created systems for applying for public service jobs (is it working?), tracking status of passports (dead), exam results notifications (working), a government procurement portal, and submitting tax returns and declaring customs online (perfect). Many other services are still at infant stage but it is still a step in the right direction.
Other successful e-government strategies by the government are:
1. Establishing a data center and implementation of a shared services platform where common services are integrated and managed centrally to improve services, reduce overhead costs and duplications as well as for optimal utilization of the ICT human capital. 2. Laid fiber optic cable through the nation but they have not yet provided last mile connectivity to government offices or other users. 3. Released Open Government Data through opendata datasets concept. The data includes: various dimensions of population data; local and national government authority expenditure; public health indicator data and statistics including hospital locations; education data such as enrollment rates and school locations; parliamentary proceedings (digital Hansard); weather information and detailed census statistics on topics such as access to electricity, water and sanitation. https://www.opendata.go.ke/ 4. The government each years offers Local content grants to about 20 developers and artists of up-to $50,000 per project through a competitive process.
http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356&Itemid=301
5. Promoting BPO/ITES activities in the country. The Hallmark is the establishment of the grand Konza Technology Park which is billed as the next African Silicon Savannah. http://www.konzacity.co.ke/ 6. And finally, entrepreneurs are given loans to start Digital villages code named Pasha (meaning disseminate). This initiative aims at establishing Cyber Cafes that providing internet access and various online services at the grassroots. http://pasha.co.ke/
The initiatives are more that what I've outlines, and can be a good basis for a Masters or PhD dissertation. I did a slideshare presentation a years back with the same theme, but different components. You can access the link herehttp://www.slideshare.net/lordmwesh/e-government-7203413
Is our e-government strategy working? Are we "more talk and no walk"? What can be done to push the stalled projects forward?
Regards 10rdmwesh
-- ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva For Business Development Transworld Computer Channels Cel: 0722402248 twitter.com/lordmwesh www.transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ggithaiga%40hotmail.co...
The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
Thanks for the heads up Grace.... Regards, Tichi ------------------- Quoting Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga@hotmail.com>:
Yes Tichi. I think it was announced early last week and debate has been going on on other lists. RgdsGG
Date: Tue, 19 Jun 2012 12:43:19 +0000 From: tnyasani@kulahappy.com Subject: [kictanet] ETHIOPIAN GOVT. BANS SKYPE, GOOGLE TALK AND ALL OTHER VOIP SERVICES CC: kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke To: ggithaiga@hotmail.com
Hey Listers,
Has anyone come across this information?
Regards, Tichi
ETHIOPIAN GOVT BAN ON SKYPE:
The Ethiopian government, Al Jazeera reports, has criminalized the use of Skype and other VoIP services like Google Talk. Using VoIP services is now punishable by up to 15 years in prison. This law actually passed last month, but mostly went unnoticed outside of the country. Ethiopian authorities argue that they imposed these bans because of national security concerns and to protect the state's telecommunications monopoly. The country only has one ISP, the state-owned Ethio Telecom, and has been filtering its citizen's Internet access for quite some time now to suppress opposition blogs and other news outlets.
USE SKYPE, GO TO PRISON
As for Skype and other VoIP services, the new law doesn't just criminalize their usage, but the Ministry of Communication and Information Technology now has the power to supervise and issue licenses to all privately owned companies that import equipment used for the communication of information.? It's worth noting that the new law also prohibits audio and video data traffic via social media. It's not clear how exactly the government plans to enforce this restriction, but a potential 15-year prison term will likely keep most people from using Skype in Ethiopia anytime soon.
Reporters Without Borders also reports that Ethio Telecom installed a system to block access to the Tor network, which allows users to surf the Web anonymously. The organization notes that the ISP must be using relatively sophisticated Deep Packet Inspection to filter out this traffic.
According to Internet filtering and censorship watchdog , Ethiopia currently has the second lowest Internet penetration rate in sub-Saharan Africa and just around 700,000 of the country's 84 million citizens had Internet access in 2010
Quoting Kivuva <Kivuva@transworldafrica.com>:
On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to digital interactions between a government and its Citizens
*Questions*
5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government?* *The floor is open
Thanks Barrack, let me take the open floor. :) I Like the UK's e-governmnet motto "Digital by default". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm. It shows real commitment to take government services to the people, not the other way round.
We have an e-Governance Secretariat established by the government of Kenya ( http://www.e-government.go.ke/). The main objective in the website was to
"oversee conceptualization, design and coordination of implementation of information technology activities in the civil service that are geared towards realization of full e-Government in public service delivery."
Essentially, the term e-Government also known as Digital Government, refers to 'How government utilizes IT, ICT and other telecommunication technologies, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector' (Jeong, 2007)
The government of Kenya approved a national ICT policy in consultation with relevant agencies which recognized the problems of the different disjoint government systems, duplication and lack of enabling infrastructure. Since then the government has created systems for applying for public service jobs (is it working?), tracking status of passports (dead), exam results notifications (working), a government procurement portal, and submitting tax returns and declaring customs online (perfect). Many other services are still at infant stage but it is still a step in the right direction.
Other successful e-government strategies by the government are:
1. Establishing a data center and implementation of a shared services platform where common services are integrated and managed centrally to improve services, reduce overhead costs and duplications as well as for optimal utilization of the ICT human capital. 2. Laid fiber optic cable through the nation but they have not yet provided last mile connectivity to government offices or other users. 3. Released Open Government Data through opendata datasets concept. The data includes: various dimensions of population data; local and national government authority expenditure; public health indicator data and statistics including hospital locations; education data such as enrollment rates and school locations; parliamentary proceedings (digital Hansard); weather information and detailed census statistics on topics such as access to electricity, water and sanitation. https://www.opendata.go.ke/ 4. The government each years offers Local content grants to about 20 developers and artists of up-to $50,000 per project through a competitive process.
http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356&Itemid=301
5. Promoting BPO/ITES activities in the country. The Hallmark is the establishment of the grand Konza Technology Park which is billed as the next African Silicon Savannah. http://www.konzacity.co.ke/ 6. And finally, entrepreneurs are given loans to start Digital villages code named Pasha (meaning disseminate). This initiative aims at establishing Cyber Cafes that providing internet access and various online services at the grassroots. http://pasha.co.ke/
The initiatives are more that what I've outlines, and can be a good basis for a Masters or PhD dissertation. I did a slideshare presentation a years back with the same theme, but different components. You can access the link herehttp://www.slideshare.net/lordmwesh/e-government-7203413
Is our e-government strategy working? Are we "more talk and no walk"? What can be done to push the stalled projects forward?
Regards 10rdmwesh
-- ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva For Business Development Transworld Computer Channels Cel: 0722402248 twitter.com/lordmwesh www.transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
Grace,listers I wish Ethiopians good luck.We were there twenty years ago and failed.It does not work Sent from my BlackBerry® -----Original Message----- From: Grace Githaiga <ggithaiga@hotmail.com> Sender: "kictanet" <kictanet-bounces+ngethe.kariuki2007=yahoo.co.uk@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Date: Wed, 20 Jun 2012 04:58:59 To: <ngethe.kariuki2007@yahoo.co.uk> Cc: <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] ETHIOPIAN GOVT. BANS SKYPE, GOOGLE TALK AND ALL OTHER VOIP SERVICES _______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/ngethe.kariuki2007%40y... The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development. KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
3. What are the key drivers in the use of Open Data? Here are a few thoughts that come to mind. 1. Veracity of the data - almost entirely a perception challenge. How can those who would want to use the data be assured that it's 'clean' and accurate? One way is to create a tagging system that uses categories to tag data based on the level of veracity. This would also encourage government departments to release data before having to put it through lengthy and expensive verification processes. A clean-as-we-go-along approach. 2. Availability of the right data - making available data no one wants is a problem. Kenya Open Data Initiative has some great datasets available many of which were requested by the public. Ensuring that data that is requested a lot is available is key to driving utilisation. 3. Awareness - information on the existence of open data still resides with very few. I'm hoping initiatives like the KODI pre-Incubator (of which I'm a part of) will help improve this. 4. Can the data be turned into 'edible' things? Open data in itself is not palatable to the general public. It is an ingredient that should go into creating 'things' they can consume. Doesn't even have to be tech things. Great print campaigns can be run using open data in addition to great 'edible' websites, SMS services or mobile apps. 5. Open data champions within government ministries, civil society and academia are important to ensuring open data lives beyond the initial hype and finds sustainability. It is especially important in my opinion for government itself to become a consumer of open data by building capacity within the various departments to utilize it and enrich it with data from their own departments to aid in planning and decision-making. Kind regards, Muchiri Nyaggah On Tue, Jun 19, 2012 at 9:06 AM, Kivuva <Kivuva@transworldafrica.com> wrote:
On the other hand , according to Wikipedia, e-government refers to
digital interactions between a government and its Citizens
*Questions*
5. The government has embarked on a number of e-government initiatives, to what extent has the Citizenry embraced e-government? What steps should the country take to ensure the citizens fully embrace e - government?* *The floor is open
Thanks Barrack, let me take the open floor. :) I Like the UK's e-governmnet motto "Digital by default". http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/index.htm. It shows real commitment to take government services to the people, not the other way round.
We have an e-Governance Secretariat established by the government of Kenya (http://www.e-government.go.ke/). The main objective in the website was to
"oversee conceptualization, design and coordination of implementation of information technology activities in the civil service that are geared towards realization of full e-Government in public service delivery."
Essentially, the term e-Government also known as Digital Government, refers to 'How government utilizes IT, ICT and other telecommunication technologies, to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness in the public sector' (Jeong, 2007)
The government of Kenya approved a national ICT policy in consultation with relevant agencies which recognized the problems of the different disjoint government systems, duplication and lack of enabling infrastructure. Since then the government has created systems for applying for public service jobs (is it working?), tracking status of passports (dead), exam results notifications (working), a government procurement portal, and submitting tax returns and declaring customs online (perfect). Many other services are still at infant stage but it is still a step in the right direction.
Other successful e-government strategies by the government are:
1. Establishing a data center and implementation of a shared services platform where common services are integrated and managed centrally to improve services, reduce overhead costs and duplications as well as for optimal utilization of the ICT human capital. 2. Laid fiber optic cable through the nation but they have not yet provided last mile connectivity to government offices or other users. 3. Released Open Government Data through opendata datasets concept. The data includes: various dimensions of population data; local and national government authority expenditure; public health indicator data and statistics including hospital locations; education data such as enrollment rates and school locations; parliamentary proceedings (digital Hansard); weather information and detailed census statistics on topics such as access to electricity, water and sanitation. https://www.opendata.go.ke/ 4. The government each years offers Local content grants to about 20 developers and artists of up-to $50,000 per project through a competitive process. http://www.ict.go.ke/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=356&Itemid=301 5. Promoting BPO/ITES activities in the country. The Hallmark is the establishment of the grand Konza Technology Park which is billed as the next African Silicon Savannah. http://www.konzacity.co.ke/ 6. And finally, entrepreneurs are given loans to start Digital villages code named Pasha (meaning disseminate). This initiative aims at establishing Cyber Cafes that providing internet access and various online services at the grassroots. http://pasha.co.ke/
The initiatives are more that what I've outlines, and can be a good basis for a Masters or PhD dissertation. I did a slideshare presentation a years back with the same theme, but different components. You can access the link herehttp://www.slideshare.net/lordmwesh/e-government-7203413
Is our e-government strategy working? Are we "more talk and no walk"? What can be done to push the stalled projects forward?
Regards 10rdmwesh
-- ______________________ Mwendwa Kivuva For Business Development Transworld Computer Channels Cel: 0722402248 twitter.com/lordmwesh www.transworldAfrica.com | Fluent in computing kenya.or.ke | The Kenya we know
_______________________________________________ kictanet mailing list kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
Unsubscribe or change your options at https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/muchiri%40semacraft.co...
The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
participants (8)
-
Barrack Otieno -
Grace Githaiga -
J.R. Kirongothi -
Kivuva -
Muchiri Nyaggah -
ngethe.kariuki2007＠yahoo.co.uk -
Odhiambo Washington -
tnyasani＠kulahappy.com