Wanjiku and Technology

Moving the blog

2009-11-03T12:49:00.000+03:00

www.wanjiku.co.ke

Of political terms and ICANN community

2009-10-29T07:43:00.001+03:00

what comes into your mind when you hear the term "bridging the digital divide"? I bet its the idea of connecting rural schools with computers, government policy , mobile phones for the poor, huge donor funding and that kind of stuff.

Well, the same term appeared in the ICANN strategic plan and was quickly short down. Why? After all, there is no argument that there exists a gap within ICANN, between the developed and developing countries, especially in Africa.

The term bridging the digital divide has political connotation within the ICANN community and evokes memories of the World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) where the International Telecommunications Union discussed ways of taking over management of the internet from ICANN as a way of giving power to the governments.

So, you will understand the ICANN faithful when they say that the term should belong to other circles and not the mainly technical and business oriented group.

After all, most of the people who attend ICANN meetings have all the internet infrastructure needs and the idea of an unconnected business in Giathi village in Gatundu, where I come from does not resonate with them.

Maybe the idea of a country not having an internet exchange point or a non performing country code Top Level Domain e.g ,ke. .ug, .za seems remote, but these are realities in Africa.

I think the gap within ICANN for instance within the ccTLDs can be bridged through sharing resources and ideas. I recall Michuki Mwangi explained to me that Kenya got copies of root zone files because of his contacts within ICANN.

Michuki met root operators and was able to get the root zone files, which is probably why internet in Kenya is faster than in Uganda, even though we both have the fiber optic connectivity.

Michuki also benefitted from training offered by the Brazilian tech team, the guys who operate the .br registry. The Kenic infrastructure, which is open source, has heavy contribution from Brazil.

So, can the actions of Hartmut Glaser in Brazil, who invited Michuki be termed as bridging the digital divide? I think so.

In my opinion, ICANN community needs to do something, and am sure so many people here would help if they knew about the challenges and ways their technology share can help.

The problem is in the political correctness of the term "bridging the digital divide". Maybe they can come up with another term but the experiences can yield greater benefits if taken seriously.

Of course, for the global community to help, African internet infrastructure must rise from the chaos. The ccTLDs must resemble a sense of normalcy. They must sort out the issues of who operates the domains and have operational registries. Then we can start talking about ways of improving the services.

Perhaps that is the reason why we do not have many Africans contributing in the public forums; because of the apparent gaps.

Political terms or no political terms, something needs to be done. I will not stop saying that Africa needs to act but so is the global community.

Ends

Moving the blog

2009-10-25T08:58:00.004+03:00

Hello,

This is my fifth year of blooging in this space and I have decided to move to a new home.

From now on, you can follow my posts and opinions on this space= http:// www.wanjiku.co.ke

I am currently in Seoul and I can promise exciting stuff in technology and my travel diary...

Karibu.....

My Travel diaries..... September in J'burg

2009-10-08T12:08:00.006+03:00

Eiiish....Shiiish....aiii...asii....that is one of the most dreaded words, especially in a job interview, it can almost imply that you are not qualisfied or you not getting the job. Even when you ask people; how do I look and they make any of those sounds, then you know something is wrong.

So, when Lebo said Eishh....which is common in South Africa, I knew she was expecting something better. She was commenting about my face, how it was just basic and did not have any foundation or make up. So Lebo owned up by saying that people come to her when they have a bit of make up.

But am not used to make up, am a village girl and my face was testament to that. Either way, I decided to do something different while in J'burg or Jozi, just to get people's reactions. So we got under way.

So this was me with the foundation. The job had just began...

Then we got to the rest of the business and at the end of it, I loved how I was looking...

In the end I had to tell Lebo that the Make over was inspired by Nadine from Ivory Coast who was Lebo's first client and I was envious.... I cant get Nadine's photo but here is Lebo...

Are Kenyan men better drivers than women?

2009-09-29T11:49:00.000+03:00

Read it on the Maneno blog

Highway Africa Final Day-Plenary

2009-09-08T09:41:00.000+03:00

Highway Africa Final day- plenary

Highway Africa Day one-Liveblog

2009-09-07T10:20:00.000+03:00

Highway Africa Day One- Liveblog

Digital Citizen Indaba Liveblog

2009-09-06T11:32:00.000+03:00

Digital Citizen Indaba Liveblog

Free Wi-Fi hotspot locator in Nairobi

2009-08-25T15:24:00.003+03:00

The other day someone commented on my facebook status that Kenyans love free things, just because I suggested that the big hotels should emulate high level restaurants and give free wi fi.

I could not answer the guy because I knew he would engage me in a long winding argument over why I should pay for internet. I would have told this guy how in Bangkok, you can catch free internet virtually everywhere including one provided by the city council. But I thought I should just shut up.

Forget about free wi fi and think of the many times you have tried to use the GPRS and it just failed because of congestion within the city; and it is the same old story.

Then I met this guy from DataDyne and we got into the discussion of where he could get free wi fi, I noticed that he needed more hotspots beyond Java upperhill and fairview. He actually suggested that this could be valuable info for tourists and other business visitors as well as those of us who love free stuff.

So, we can count down the places I know.

If you are in Westlands,

Alan Bobbe's Bistro at Andrews Apartments- Rhapta Road

For me, the Andrews Wi fi is the most stable, of course the place is very nice and Alan Bobbe's offers gatronomic cuisine which is pricy too. The place is quiet and I think they have too much bandwidth, but am not saying they should strangle it (Kunyonga).
If you have a free afternoon and would like a treat of good food and flawless internet, Andrews is the place. www.andrews.co.ke

Sarit Center

Dormans coffee house

This is on the basement on the extreme corner from Java or safaricom advantage customer care.

This wireless is password protected but you can always set you laptop to remember the network and you don't have to keep entering the password. It is super fast and stable, except in the late afternoon, when you have solar outage; common is satellite connections.

Dormans staff are basically nice and will always welcome you with a smile even when they think you are just there because of the free wi fi. With time, you also get to know the regular customers who are always there with their laptops, and with time, you start saying hi to each other and behaving like you actually know each other.

By the way, Dormans serves very nice Cafe Mocha.

Rating- ****

Java Coffee house

This is next to Safaruco customer care on the basement. The wireless is open to anyone, so your info can be susceptible to preying eyes and other malicious people, that is if you have super sensitive data.

The wi fi used to be very nice and stable but for the last three months, either they reduced the bandwidth or reconfigured their network. The network has IP address issues and at times some people access the internet and others can not.

It is frustrating when you can see others surfing and there is no way in for you. You start asking the waiters and they say the person incharge is away, which is usually a lie or a way of telling you to get off their back.

This has been a constant problem that I could see a couple of other tourists migrated to Dormans where the network is stable.

Besides, Java switche off the wi fi at about 12.30 to 2.30 to keep off idlers and serve serious spenders, which makes commercial sense but woe unto you if you were in the middle of the sentence or trying to attach a large document. Dormans is open through out.

Rating **

Westgate Shopping mall.

There are Java and Dormans Coffee houses with internet and the network is the same as above.

There is also the network known as Westgate, which is not protected but is usually up and down.

In the Central Business District

None of the Java or Dormans Coffee houses in town give free internet, for obvious reasons.

The Mug- Kaunda Street

This is probably the most stable because it does not keep going down and is not password protected.

Rating ***

Lifestyle Lounge- Monrovia street, opposite Nakumatt Lifestyle

This is bottom of the crap, can not stay up for five minutes and when it goes away, its off for about 20 minutes.
If you can, avoid this place, only for emergency internet usage.

Rating *

Ngong Road

Java Upperhill

Java Junction

Dormans Junction

I am planning to use Google maps for easier location but if you have other places you have visited and experienced their Wi fi, please leave a comment and will benefit all the others interested.

Why Equity Bank should rethink e-banking

2009-08-25T15:00:00.001+03:00

There is no doubt that Equity bank revolutionized banking and the way customers are treated. It made ordinary men and women believe that they can own bank accounts and they do not need special permission to talk to the manager.

I think it also came at a good time when people wanted hassle-free loans. For many of us who fear giving matrimonial title deeds as collateral, Equity said that even the chicken and the cows qualified as collateral.

But now the bank has moved into the more sophisticated area of e-banking. Many Kenyan banks misunderstand or mislead us to believe that receiving SMS alerts translates to e-banking.

So, being the member I am, I finally got tired of queuing for an hour or taking time to dash to the bank when I can get the same service on the internet. So I applied for e-banking services and filled the form.

The strange part is that after two months, Equity had deducted the annual fee for e-banking but I could not access the service. They had not sent me the password. By the way, the e-banking am talking about is just the one that allows you to check balances online and monitor transactions, I am hoping I will be able to do that.

After making trips to the bank to check on it, it has left me bitter, wondering why Equity is bothering about sophisticated services it can not deliver.

I think it is only fair if the bank stops struggling to offer what it can't. For the other basic services, the bank has no problem, but for e-banking, I guess the bank should leave it out.

I guess they should say like Safaricom; if you are frustrated, just move on to the next provider!

Ends

SEACOM is here but we are still unsatisfied

2009-08-24T19:33:00.000+03:00

It is a month since the SEACOM cable went live.

The cable company had promised how the cable was going to make bandwidth cheaper but when pinned down to explain how exactly the cost would come down, SEACOM executives rebuffed "uninformed" consumers asking them to ask their ISPs about connectivity and costs. It is ironical that a company hypes up issues and when pinned down, it points to another party.

But what SEACOM did not tell Kenyans who may not understand the tier system was that when the cable goes live, SEACOM would be the big boy at the highest level, interacting with the public data operators and big telcos and not the ordinary kenyans with limited technology knowledge.

What SEACOM did not tell us was that they are investors who are out to recoup their investments and did not care about incessant questions directed at the wrong party- after all, it is my ISP that provides the last mile solution and not SEACOM.

That is why even if the costs have not exactly come down, you can not question SEACOM because they are not involved in how you put your food on the table, whether the ISP overcharges you or does not deliver what is promised, there is nothing you can do.

Yes, KDN and Access Kenya have taken time to say how the bandwidth has come down. KDN Butterfly allegedly dropped by 90 percent and Access Kenya doubled subscribers bandwidth at the same cost. This is good news, if only you are in areas where you can access butterfly or are within the Access Kenya network.

For many people who are in diaspora, this blog post may seem unfair given that SEACOM and the others have touted this as a new era for Kenyan internet users, but on the ground, the situation is different- try using the GPRS or 3G service offered by GSM companies, its slow and where it works, its fast and you pay through the nose because the costs are still high.

You may not understand why people are bitter about the providers yet Michael Joseph, the chair of TEAMS has already indicated that the costs are not coming down soon. But that is not the story we were hearing for the last two years; they were all saying how bandwidth will come down to $ 400 per MB.

This is not a problem of the the common people who may not understand technological jargon and all that other garbage that is camouflaged as working for the consumer but in essence does not, it is a concern for techies too.

Last week there was a bitter discussion on most Kenyan technology and policy mailing list, with people wondering whether the Bitange Ndemo, Permanent Secretary in the ministry of Information and Communication should be compelled to resign after it became clear that the cost and quality of connectivity was not improving.

You could tell from the discussions that these comments were by people who had endured bitter disappointment by Kenyan providers. They argued that the reductions were mainly targeted for the Media, that is likely to report anything without actually testing.

There was another group that argued that you can not blame the PS for the failing of the private sector and that the cables are home, where it was promised and that the issues of cost were merely details.

One thing that you can not dispute is that the Skunkworks mailing list, which had the most discussions is the best testbed; after all, it is composed mainly of techies, the guys who will tell you whether the bandwidth quality and cost has changed to the better.

So, when the techies say they are not happy with the status of the connectivity, who can dispute? The manager who does not know the difference between the bits and bytes per second?

For the Kenyans in diaspora, enjoying the best connectivity out there, you can continue saying how it has all improved but listen to the guys who actually man the pipes and are expected to make sure the connectivity is uninterrupted.

For the interested choir members, you can continue singing how the cost of bandwidth has come down, but ask the purported beneficiaries whether the benefits are accessible to a few or to all,

Ends

Kenya's gigolos, gay and lesbian flex online muscles...

2009-08-05T20:59:00.001+03:00

Kenya's gigolos, gay and lesbian flex their muscles online read it here ...

Holding our breath; waiting for SEACOM, our "saviour"

2009-07-21T13:09:00.000+03:00

Most people in Kenya are waiting with bated breath for the final arrival of the SEACOM fiber optic cable. The main day is this Thursday, July 23rd.

For most of us, we want to see whether friday will be different; whether the internet speeds in the office or at home will improve; whether the cost will be different next month.

Kenyans we are known to be optimist, which is very good, makes sure we absorb the shock very well and even when we are misled, we look at the brighter side and hope that things will improve anyway.

I recall seeing a question sent to SEACOM on twitter about what preparations that have been made with other ISPs in terms of routers and other gadgetry that an entity would need to switch to fiber and the answer was; that is a question for the ISP.

And that is very true because SEACOM is high up there and has nothing to do with the final delivery. So if you are still on your crappy satellite next year, do not say that SEACOM is here or TEAMS is there, just compel your ISP to do the needful.

For some reason I thought SEACOM would work with ISPs in ensuring that we can receive the service as soon as possible for instance, Wimax radio manufacturers enter into agreements with big telcos to supply radios at subsidized rates, which can then be supplied to customers in the chain to ensure efficient services.

So, I was expecting an answer like; we are working with this manufacturer to make sure that switches and whatever else will be available at affordable rates to ensure smooth switch over. Anyway, as they say, its the business of your ISP. But again, maybe am thinking more of my small time ISP, not the big boys.

I have also been wondering about the pricing; we are told it will be open access but the other day I read some news from South Africa that SEACOM will have the same pricing with SAT 3 in West Africa.

This made me wonder, if SAT 3 did not make a difference in West Africa with this pricing structure, what makes us think that SEACOM will do it for us?

I think am a bit pessimistic here but am hoping next week I will be writing more positive stuff.

Juliana and Rebecca

2009-07-16T19:48:00.001+03:00

Juliana and Rebecca
Originally uploaded by Maneno.org

I think am liking this....

Rebecca Wanjiku

2009-07-16T19:45:00.001+03:00

Rebecca Wanjiku
Originally uploaded by Maneno.org

Then there is this one posted by Elia.
Today am just going thro Flickr after such a long time.

Becky Wanjiku

2009-07-16T19:42:00.001+03:00

Becky Wanjiku
Originally uploaded by oso

I just saw this photo fro Oso's Flickr, I liked it and I thought it should be on the blog too...
This was in Budapest last year.

What technology can not give us....

2009-07-07T10:15:00.002+03:00

It is strange how people; relatives and friends no longer meet as much as they used to. Weddings are no longer places to meet old friends, they have become family affairs.

Burials become more of a must, because if you don't turn up, people are going to wonder what kind of friend or family member you are. In our traditions, attending burials of family members and friends has sort of been mandatory. Not that the person will rise or fail to go six feet under because you did not turn up but its considered a measure of respect.

So, when Solo died, it was a time for friends and relatives to meet, he was a great guy, a friend who was not scared of telling us off especially when we start acting up.

He was a telecommunications pioneer in Kenya, I met this techie who told me that in 1997, Solo was probably one of the few Kenyan techies who could configure PABX and make it work perfectly.

For me, he challenged me, when I won a $ 6000 award from Ford Foundation New York when I was 21, he guided me through the motions, how to invest, make savings and to survive in the US when I went for the fellowship.
Yes he was a great guy and role model.

That is why we were shocked to learn about his death in a tragic car accident, and as usual, everyone gathered in his house during the period.

The gathering of women was probably one of the best I have been in the past. There were all working women, who are juggling their careers and families. People who are facing the same c challenges like me.

Then it came the part where those who are single, married, divorced and unlucky in marriage share their experiences. We say why we are not married and the others say why it is good or not nice to get married.

The best was when this powerful woman, a teacher who has a masters, a role model and a mother shared her experience about this guy who she was married to, and he would come home at 10pm and demand that he wants to take Ugali and Sukuma Wiki and chicken, and she would go to the shamba at night, and make the food. We were all like; how? Forget that the guy would accompany her to the shamba at night but it was not right.

Anyway, the older women and the younger married women get to share their ideas and the younger women share theirs too. It is a synergy that technology can not give us.

What we shared that night can not be exchanged via chat, website or even talking on the phone. It is a treasure of our traditional customs that unfortunately is dying off. Now when we want to talk to our role models in the village or elsewhere, we have no time to sit down and talk, we say, I will call or email you.

When people die, we just send money via mobile phones as contributions, when our grand parents summon us, we label them as nagging and backward. Yet for them, our money and accomplishments are the least of their interests, they are just interested in the time that you have for cjit chat.

I am not saying that talking to people will solve all the problems, but it will show that we are not alone; that other people are experiencing similar challenges. It is that which technology will not give us, the valuable time to improve as people.

Maybe many of us are failing to get married or marriages have failed on flimsy grounds, maybe if we heard some of the experiences, we would learn to deal with some of the issues.

Our strength in oral traditions is unsurpassed; for instance, there was a former classmate who was hessitating about his boyfriend's proposal; she thought she was too tough or they would not cope. Then a former teacher and a friend posed the question; do you want a guy who will hold your hand at the labor ward and cook for you after giving birth or a guy who thinks cooking is backward and he is better drinking with frineds and he will never know when you go into labor?

She did not need to give the answer, she just needed to think beyond the patying phase and think beyond the fun and into seriousness.

Anyway, we can read all we can and become all tech savvy but there is no doubt there is something in our oral traditions that technology can not give us.
Maybe it is good once in a while to go back to our roots.

Maybe I will make time to sit with my grandma and listen to her tantrums once in a while and share with her my challenges, which dont compare anyway.

Ends

Importance of Twitter in Africa

2009-06-29T10:20:00.004+03:00

There is no doubt that Twitter is a global phenomenon; influencing politics and entertainment. To think that the company is only two years old, its truly inspiring.

For people who love live updates and with access to the internet, this is an awesome tool. For those in South Africa where the mobile device interface is active; am sure they are beyond happy.

But what about other countries where the internet has remained a dream? Where promises of true broadband have just been a disappointment? Where operators or companies are yet to see the need of delivering twitter updates to mobile phones? Maybe its just a case of making a business out of it.

I was happy to participate in a twitterthon championed by Computer Aid the other day. The drive was to raise the level of computer donations to Africa. The event achieved its objectives.

The most disturbing thing was that a friend of mine (I would like to think that way), wrote to me complaining that the computers are being dumped to Africa and that kind of thing. I wondered, whether that was the debate, as to whether the computers are being dumped or not, that is the responsibility of our governments to ensure that the machines are of higher standards. Kenya has imposed a 25% tax, Uganda, Zambia have banned but Rwanda is still receiving. After talking to several people in the rural areas who have been conned about the new computer schemes only to learn that they were refurbs, I like to steer clear of the debate and let the people decide. For instance; I talked to the principle at Kigari teachers college in Kenya about why they buy refurbs and she was in praise of the computer performance.

In Canada, the schools use refurbished computers, makes you wonder, how many rural schools or hospitals would be happy with that refurb. I guess the point is that the manufacturers should be made to open up recycling centers like they do in the west, then all the comps will be there.

Anyway, I digressed too much, the debate was about twitter.

How then can twitter be used to reach more people in Africa? It has to come with increased connectivity and increased awareness, that its not a tool for spreading rumors and malice but a constructive tool. You can imagine the power of twitter in a crisis situation like in Kenya last year with the post election violence.

The best thing about twitter is that you can share your thoughts, whether professional or just personal issues- it is the new way of people keeping in touch!

These are just random thoughts....

Why I blog....

2009-06-04T15:50:00.000+03:00

The other day one journalist asked me why I blog. It was funny because he was asking why I had not updated my blog. So my answer was; why do you visit my blog?

It was a valid question, which I never thought about. Since then, I have been wondering why I blog.

I blog in exercise of my freedom of expression; here no one can limit what I say, whether it toes the party line or not; its my opinion and it remains that way.

I blog because I love pointing out issues; mostly the ones that are not going right, just like most journalists.

I blog because it is a chance for me to vent my frustrations.

I blog because it is the only way people can learn more about various issues; not structured by the media or held down by requirements of editorial correctness.

I blog because technology is one of those boring issues that is tough for us to write about.

But most of all, I blog because I love writing!

I can go on and on........

Africa should just stop whining!

2009-05-07T21:01:00.000+03:00

It is considered automatic that Africa lags behind all other continents in technology adoption. So, whenever there is an international meeting African representatives find a story to tell; the digital divide.

It has become so bad that leaders just fail to do the right things and just blame it on the digital divide. The government heads fail to adopt technology and blame it on the digital divide.

Some Africa representatives attend meetings and instead of striking collaborative deals to benefit their countries; they are busy shopping or just filling numbers in the meeting rooms. And when you ask, they blame it on the digital divide.

I recall there was this guy who represented his country at the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) meetings for three years, and during the time, he did not share any outcome or notes from the meeting with technology forums.

It was embarrassing that at one point, a senior government officer attended one of the technology related meetings and had no clue that hi country was represented within ICANN.

The representative had just been attending meetings and not even sharing with the tech community or government officers on the recommendations and outcomes of such meetings.

What would you call that? The digital divide?

There is no doubt that there exists a gap between developing countries and developed countries within ICANN.

This gap is specifically manifested when it comes to Africa delegates, they hardly contribute meaningfully to the public forums. ICANN deals with the names and numbers, the technical aspects but Africa is still grappling with elementary issues such as access and policy issues.

For instance; when the business group is discussing issues of e-commerce and the amount of information that should be availed online or whether the security agents should be given such information, how does someone with no e-commerce in their country contribute to the debate?

But does that mean that Africa has no place in international technology meetings? Why then does Africa fail to take advantage of some of the opportunities?

At a recent technology conference, Maua Daftari,Tanzania's Deputy Minister in charge of science and technology expressed her fear that if the Conficker worm hits Africa, it might wipe out the few steps made.
What was confusing was that I did not hear her say what Tanzania is doing to promote use of open source technology, if the the reliance on Microsoft products poses the danger she was quoting.

In some cases, innovative youth ventures have been stifled by uninformed officers heading important government heads.

I recall last year, I had an interview with Laban Mwangi, one of Kenya's most progressive and innovative techie. He shared his frustrations in trying to convince mobile phone companies in Kenya to adopt his point of sale gadget by selling to him airtime in wholesale, which he can then sell to traders in remote areas through his gadget. The idea was shared with the power and lighting company among other important service providers.

With the gadget, Mwangi wanted people to sell airtime from any company, pay water and electricity bills among other services. His attempts did not bear much fruit then.

You can imagine my shock when I entered one of the corner shops in London earlier this year and found that they use Mwangi's concept.
So, Mwangi failed to get them to adopt his technology but do not be shocked if a few years down the line, you hear that one company has been awarded a huge contract to supply what Mwangi would have supplied at a fraction. If we adopted that technology last year; we would have been far by now.

So, it is clear that Africa's appreciation of young techie minds is lacking, technocrats have specialized in attending meetings and their technology vision is blurred and most of all; we have mastered the art of whining.

We should just get the solutions and stop that digital divide song, how come Africa does not talk of the digital divide when it comes to military hardware and other state-of-the art warfare gadgets?

How comes African militaries have one of the highest budgets and are quick to adopt latest technology? Does that mean there is no digital divide in military terms?

I think Africa should just stop whining and act!

Sovaya' Fake Mpesa Transactions

2009-03-30T18:19:00.000+03:00

Ever wondered whether the websites allowing yo buy or sell via Mpesa ever work? Well, I wondered the same and decided to try out. I decided to access the Sovaya wireless and was asked the payment mode for the internet airtime.

Mpesa was the easiest for me, so was asked to send money to 0715 592168 and wait for confirmation, that is before I can surf using the credit bought. For starters, I decided to buy a shs. 100 voucher, just to test whether it will work.

The Mpesa went through without any hitches, only that I waited for 30 minutes with no response from the Sovaya side; either a text telling me that I could use the credit or saying it bounced, or a web message allowing me to surf.

So I decided to call the customer care number given, but the person who received the call could not even get my number, it took two minutes for the person to take my number so that they can get back to me.

I always get irritated when someone gives you poor service then on top of that they waste your credit because they just can get what you are saying. You repeat the number five times....first to allow them pick a pen....then the number,....and on and on...

Anyway, maybe the service is not so much in demand or not in use thats why.........

My curiosity made me lose my 100 bob.......

Day Two- role of stakeholders in ccTLD management in Africa

2009-03-18T07:54:00.001+03:00

Day Two- role of stakeholders in ccTLD management in Africa

ATU conference on IGF for policy makers in Africa

2009-03-17T08:13:00.000+03:00

ATU conference on IGF for policy makers in Africa

Do journalists retain rights to their work?

2009-03-11T14:41:00.004+03:00

The other day I met Tom Osanjo, a former colleague and friend, and we got into a discussion about the rights that a writer retains.

The issue we were debating was whether journalists retain any rights to the material they publish. There are two schools of thought; there are those who think that once you have written, thats it, the rights shift to the publisher.

Another school of thought holds that the journalist holds the rights and if the publisher wants to use the story or photo again, then they must pay again or something like that.

James, winner of the CNN sports journalist of the year in 2007 gave us his experience; how the organizers of the CNN awards made him sign an agreement that allowed then to redistribute the pictures.

James' argument was that if the rights are retained by the media house, then CNN would have asked the media house for permission to use. That supported the argument that the rights are retained by the writer.

That argument seemed to have preempted a debate that I would have a week later.

Today I found myself weathering a storm in a tea cup.

Sometimes last year, I participated in online discussions about the fiber optic cable and so many other attendant issues. Some of the issues were very technical while others were social-economic.

In writing an article, I went to some old drafts of the daily summaries that I had done and used the material that was summarized for the final report.

The agreement with the organizers was that I still retained rights to the material and was free to use the material so long as it was advancing the wider goals of the ICT sector.

As a journalist, the right to use materials is of paramount importance. The organization and the author did not have any problem. Nevertheless, the article rightly credited the author and the organization.

Forget about my incident, the question I asked was; what happens in those cases when somebody asks you to do a speech on their behalf, do you still retain the rights to the contents of the speech or not?

It got me thinking...... I think I still retain the rights but if someone paid me to do the speech, then the rights go to them.

But still....I think there is much to be debated....

The Evolution of Mobile Phone Thugs

2009-03-06T22:51:00.000+03:00

I think it has become slightly safer for people to talk on phone while walking downtown Nairobi. After seeing their comrades beaten to death over cheap phones, I guess the thugs have changed tact,

But it does not mean that the thieves have abandoned their trade, they have just become sharper; the steal the phones that are more expensive.

My friend Muthoni, made us laugh the other day when she told a story of how the thugs in the estates have leant the value of the phone by the ringtone.

Her story was that there was this woman going home one day in Dandora estate, and she was passing through an alley. It was at 7 pm so there were many people walking to and from the shops, acting busy.

Though her phone was ringing, she could not pick because of the four men who were walking with her group. So the phone annoyingly rung and it was apparent that she was fearing that her phone might just go.

Put off by the ringing or failure to remove the phone from the bag, one guy said; Mama oya thimu ithuii tutiendaga Motorola (just pick up the phone we are not interested in your Motorola).

But if its a Nokia, they know the series by the ring tone and they just kindly ask you to pretend you are relatives and just hand over the phone! They even force you to hug them as they rob you in front of everyone.

Others are able to tell the kind of phone when its in the pocket; depending on the shape it projects in the pocket.

The tips are apparent; don't wear tight trousers then slide the phone in the pocket, unless you want to invite the crooks. If you can, let the phone be on vibrator or the single beep then vibrator otherwise the phone will just go.

Kenyan police and impunity.....

2009-03-06T22:49:00.000+03:00

I wonder what will happen now that the founder of Oscar Foundation is dead. Just hours after the government spokesman said that the Oscar foundation was a front for the proscribed Mungiki thugs and their sympathizers.

Being a legal foundation- giving free legal aid to suspects- the foundation was likely to attract all manner and sorts of characters including Mungiki thugs and other goons.

Is it a crime to give legal aid to Mungiki suspects? I am not defending the members because they have raped and killed many in my village neighborhood but I also know two young men who have been shot dead and their only crime is peer influence and moving at night. When you are labeled as Mungiki, no one sympathizes.

Mungiki is a Gikuyu word meaning the crowd though there is no proper direct translation. Its use imbues a sense of community and support for each other. It used to be a sect, recruiting mainly men, pretending to practice traditional Gikuyu traditions while in fact it was a gang for hire, thriving on intimidating people by killing those who refuse to join the sect.

It is almost predictable that when the police announce or publish the names of "wanted" criminals, they are only looking for a license to kill, with no questions asked.

Sample this; the police publish the photo of a wanted criminal, that week he/she is gunned down.
It has happened consistently at least since the mid '90s when they published the photos of three notorious gangsters; Wanugu, Wacucu and Rasta. They were later caught and shot dead.

There is no doubt that the criminals deserve to be arrested or maybe die like the many they are alleged to have killed, but is it by coincidence that the criminals are caught and killed immediately the photos are published?

Is it that police tips do not work and the public tips work better, or is it just a case of seeking license to kill?

Now the blame will start shifting over who actually killed the foundation head. I will not be surprised if the government spokesman comes up with a theory that he was killed by a rival Mungiki gang.

And we talk of impunity!

Meeting Messi

2009-02-26T20:40:00.001+03:00

How I wish I got to meet Messi (not that I care that much). But the closest I came was those fake photos that people take by the pitch side...

Football Voyage

2009-02-26T20:37:00.002+03:00

I was in Barcelona for the Mobile World Congress but I had to make sure I visited the biggest club in town, too bad they played away that Saturday, however, I think the derby with Espanyol would have been a better game....

Visit to FC Barcelona

2009-02-26T20:30:00.001+03:00

The 3D images were so good, I struggled with the shades but hacked it. The movie was not voiced, just images of Barca greats. No matter the language you speak, after 10 minutes, we all got the gist of the club and its immense history....

Quiet street on a sunday

2009-02-17T18:02:00.000+03:00

Am not sure what this is...

2009-02-17T17:57:00.000+03:00

It must be from one of the most interesting sculptors but am not sure what this is....

Barcelona and culture

2009-02-17T17:50:00.000+03:00

Atlantique Telecom chooses AIRCOM for EDGE planning in West Africa

2009-02-17T11:14:00.000+03:00

AIRCOM International, the leading independent network planning and optimisation consultancy, today announced that it has signed a deal to provide its suite of market-leading network planning tools to Atlantique Telecom, the West African subsidiary of UAE-based telecoms group Etisalat International which operates networks in six countries across West Africa.

Atlantique Telecom operates EDGE mobile networks under the “Moov” brand in the Ivory Coast, Benin, Togo, the Central African Republic, Gabon and Niger. Under the terms of the agreement, Atlantique Telecom will purchase AIRCOM’s suite of planning tools –including its market-leading software products ASSET, ILSA and CONNECT – to improve the performance of individual networks by optimising each one’s RF and transmission plans. This will deliver better coverage levels and improved capacity across each network, delivering an enhanced quality of service to Moov customers.

“Our aim is to always push the boundaries of the African mobile phone market by delivering a consistently high quality of service and user experience to our Moov customers,” said Mr Mamadou Cisse, Network Quality and Optimization Director at Atlantique Telecom. “In competitive trials, AIRCOM planning tools consistently came out on top. Our choice of AIRCOM for our RF planning needs means that our engineers can use separate RF and transmission databases to deliver a single, optimised RF and transmission plan that is specific to each of our networks. By maximising our networks’ performance in this way, we ensure our customers get to enjoy the best possible service, wherever they are.”

“We’re delighted to be picked by Atlantique Telecom as its supplier of choice for RF network planning,” said Bashar Zako, MD of AIRCOM MEI. “An optimised RF / transmission plan ensures a network performs more efficiently and more effectively. This reduces running costs while also improving coverage levels, thereby ensuring subscribers can enjoy a consistently high quality user experience, whenever they use their mobile phone.”

AIRCOM and iBwave Partner for in-Building Network Optimisation

2009-02-17T11:09:00.001+03:00

AIRCOM International, the leading independent network planning and optimisation consultancy, announces today a partnership with iBwave Solutions, the leader of in-building wireless standard software, to deliver improved in-building network planning and design solutions to operators across the globe.

The deal will see iBwave’s unique in-building wireless network design software integrated into AIRCOM’s ASSET solution, the industry’s leading network optimisation tool. It will allow AIRCOM to offer all-encompassing radio network planning and optimisation services, adding enhanced in-building functionality into its ENTERPRISE tool suite.

“In-building coverage is fast becoming one of the most important considerations for network operators, so we needed to find a best in class solution provider to help service our customers and provide seamless in-building planning as part of the radio network design,” says Margaret Rice-Jones, CEO of AIRCOM International. “It was clear that iBwave was the company to help achieve this, so we look forward working with them to strengthen our position as the in-building industry’s network solution provider of choice.”

iBwave is an international in-building software company that specialises in providing unique in-building network planning and design solutions to more than 150 customers including operators, integrators and equipment vendors across five continents. The deal will extend AIRCOM’s solution portfolio, allowing both companies to offer an integrated network solution to their combined customer base.

Commenting on the shared interface Mario Bouchard, CEO and President of iBwave says that “The mobile operator community is a key target market for iBwave and this integration is our commitment with our partners to deliver best of breed indoor and outdoor wireless networks.”

The integration between iBwave’s software and AIRCOM’s ENTERPRISE is complete and the new network optimisation indoor/outdoor feature will be available upon RF-vu’s new 4.2 version that is planned to be released on February 23, 2009

In Barcelona

2009-02-17T11:07:00.001+03:00

Barcelona is such a nice city, am busy enjoying the food and the nights out and forgot to update the blog..... will post some pictures of nice unique architecture later....
But now...some boring techie stuff must come....

CCK, rubbish internet connection and freedom of information

2009-02-06T10:30:00.000+03:00

It is so frustrating when you want to get information and you can not access it. If that information was blocked under the guise of the official secrets Act, then it would be easy to direct my anger to the government and maybe rally my colleagues and we take to the streets (not that it will achieve much).

But what happens when you can not access information because your telecoms provider has decided to short change you? What happens when the connection does not stay up even for a minute?
For instance, I could not read all the posts on FOI because my Zain connection is rubbish. Forget that I changed from Safaricom in the hope that it will be better. That denies me access to information.

Because I am one subscriber paying small money, the network tells me to wait or maybe move to another provider. Yet they did not say that when I was paying or when I was signing up six months ago.

What then is the role of CCK in ensuring that the services are not interrupted, that telcos give you what you pay for?
Does CCK have measures of establishing whether the Telcos meet the standards stipulated in the SLAs? I know CCK bought some equipment to do that, but is there any data available and what is being done to those who con us.

We can keep talking about freedom of information but if there are no measures to ensure that the technology allows us to do that, it is useless.

The government can have all the tender documents and all illegal dealings on the website, but if the public will not have the means to access the information, it is very useless.
It is sad when you pay for a service and you are unable to use it and to make matters worse you have no way of getting what you have lost.

CCK has a lot of responsibilities but I think it will be nice to hear that a telco has been penalized for giving substandard service.

I want to feel that CCK safeguards my interest as a consumer. That freedom is to access online services, I have paid, can I get what I have paid for?

Bad news for Satellite TV in Africa as GTV folds......

2009-01-31T13:03:00.002+03:00

Gateway Broadcast Services Board of Directors has unanimously approved a plan to liquidate the Company.

The current financial and global crisis has severely interrupted the company’s ability to secure further funding for the continued operation of the business.

The company has worked extensively with external advisors and all internal resources to investigate, evaluate and analyze strategic alternatives for the Company to further continue to operate. In determining to approve the Company's plan of Liquidation, the board and management carefully reviewed the advice and findings.

Gateway Broadcast Services, suppliers of the GTV service to subscribers across Africa has over the last 2 years invested a total of US$200 million and created jobs and competition in the 22 markets. The economic crisis that has emerged globally over the last few months has caused excessive demands on the business.

With immediate effect the service will be withdrawn.

“Increased instability in global markets interrupted our ability to secure funding on an acceptable timescale and have left us no choice but to cease operations,” said a company spokesman.

“We realise the negative impact this has had on our loyal customers, creditors and staff, all of who have believed in GTV and the revolution in pay TV it had created. We have tried every possible step to keep the company going but we are all the unfortunate victims of the current global economic crisis.”

Bad news for cable TV in Africa as GTV folds......

2009-01-31T13:03:00.000+03:00

The police helicopter....

2009-01-29T09:52:00.002+03:00

I am not sure who it was carrying....but I was wondering why they were wasting the fuel just circling around.....
Maybe to see the level of unpreparedness.....

The more the fire...the nearer the people got..

2009-01-29T09:36:00.002+03:00

Ever wondered why people do some things, fall down, get injured....others get a kick out of it....

The gadgets came in very handy....

2009-01-29T09:26:00.002+03:00

I can imagine what will happen when the fiber lands and we can all afford live streaming and real broadband.....

The new face of journalism.....

2009-01-29T08:03:00.003+03:00

If you have ever wondered where journalism id headed, its going citizen way. People are capturing images and sounds on their phones, they are no longer depending on mainstream media for information and images.
People are able to share these images via bluetooth or any other technology with their friends.

Soon, you will have people reporting for their own "citizen media", afterall, bloggers have shown the way.

It is a win for journalism and a challenge to mainstream journalists.

Then the building turned into a ball of fire.....

2009-01-28T22:47:00.002+03:00

....and the smoke got thicker

2009-01-28T22:30:00.002+03:00

The smoke showed that it was serious, after all, there were gas cylinders at the supermarket.
Still....the fire brigade had not marshaled its troops.....

The smoke showed no signs of subsiding....

The fire started just like a joke.....

2009-01-28T22:10:00.003+03:00

The busy Kenyatta avenue was swamped with hundreds of people, what started as a "small fire" threatened to get out of control.
The smoke could be seen from the windows at Woolworths house and Nakumatt workers seemingly trying to control it.
It took the Fire Brigade half an hour to cross from Tom Mboya and attend to the fire. Maybe they though it was minor and that the workers could deal with it.....so much for the taxes paid to the City Council of Nairobi.

The day Mutua was booed....

2009-01-19T17:00:00.001+03:00

Love him, hate him, Ezekiel Mutua is a tough guy. He stands up to people as they boo him and make him feel belittled.

As the Director of Public Information at the Ministry of Information and Communication, Mutua had a tough task of defending the government in the debate over the Kenya Communications Act, which has now been overshadowed by controversial media clauses.

After serious arguments between the panelists, who included deputy speaker Farah Maalim and lawyer Mbugua Mureithi, Mutua stood to speak to an already charged crowd, seemingly not ready to listen.

"It is assumed that when you join government you become stupid; what happened to all the wisdom of private sector?" Mutua asked, rhetorically I guess, though the participants answered to the affirmative.

Perhaps the crowd was hostile and intolerant because Mutua was revealing facts that no one was willing to embrace.

For instance, he said that the controversial section Section 88 has been there for 11 years and that is why it is not part of the amendments. He asked; what has changed? and people booed and heckled.

He further went on to say that the recent efforts in the name of freedom is calculated to give the big boys and media owners freedom to make money and take home between 1.8 to 2.4 million per month while the foot soldiers languish with rubbish wages.

For that comment, the participants sought to know how much he earns as director, which reminded me of Maina Kiai. He never answered so we did not get to know.

Next, Mutua cjallenged media owners to publish their editorial policies, so that the public can know for instance, if a media house is pro government or pro opposition, then is will be easier to tell.

For that, the booing grew louder......

Then there is the issue of the media council and its alleged lack of teeth to bite, ostensibly because of lack of funding.

At the end, Mutua took a few minutes to ask for people to tell both sides of the story and to always give the other side a chance to be heard.

But he told his message anyway......

The women got to shake....

2009-01-17T11:59:00.004+03:00

So there was this party last month in my shags and I was supposed to post some photos.
Here, the women in my shags got a chance to dance.

We love parties!!

The police: We can see you.....

2009-01-05T16:10:00.002+03:00

If you thought you can get away with it...sorry. The police are silent but you dare commit an offence and they will puounce on you. They even have an official camera person to record all the incidences.
At least theyu will not clobber you senseless...

The most interesting partcipant...

2009-01-05T16:03:00.003+03:00

These guys were interesting, he was in a suit and tie holding a placard, and the others were praying, in the middle of the chaos. Shows commitment.

Gaza match photos...

2009-01-05T15:57:00.001+03:00

Palestinian match in London

2009-01-05T15:52:00.002+03:00

The match was highly attended, with posters saying all manner and sorts of things, I am imagining Israel would have come out with e huge poster saying; WE HAVE A THICK SKIN.
I was just impressed by the amount of money that had benn put in place and the energy shown by the demonstrators.

Surely it made a point to the PM

Artificial sun....

2009-01-05T15:38:00.003+03:00

Ever wondered why many premier league encounters dont get cancelled coz of frozen pitches? Apart from underground heating, they have artificial sun...every day...

At the Arsenal dressing room

2009-01-05T15:26:00.002+03:00

Visiting Arsenal FC, the home of football

2009-01-05T15:17:00.003+03:00

Why it s hard to sympathize with the media

2009-01-05T15:13:00.000+03:00

As a journalist, it is very easy to be swallowed into the bandwagon calling for actions to amend the Kenya Communications Act, which the media hoped it would not be signed.

But most of us shouting from the top of our heads do not even know much about the history of the process. It has been a long process since 1998 when the Kenya Communications Act came into force. The ICT policy was published in 2006 and since then the amendment

We do not even know that the media owners did not consider it as priority then, to send high level officials from the media houses to the multi-stakeholder forums.
I recall at one time we were laughing that the only media official, apart from those who were covering the event, was from DSTv.

Of course my stint at the Kenya ICT Action Network allowed me to engage with the ICT industry in regard to the ICT policy and the subsequent law.

What would have happened, if Linus Gitahi, Nation Media Group CEO and other media heavy weights were there from the first day of the multi-stakeholder deliberations? What if all those concerns were tackled at another level, maybe the wording would be different.

Since December, the media owners have met more times than they have probably met in the last three years. Too bad the result did not go their way.

This should be a lesson to the media owners, to be more engaged not only in covering the functions but in the deliberations. Yes, the process can be tough and involving, and to some extent full of gibberish but it saves a lot of last minute troubles.

In my opinion, this was a fight more for the media owners than ordinary journalists. The open sides that radio stations took during last elections was more of an issue of editorial policy than individual journalists. I mean the policy that the owners come out and say we support certain parties, not the story done because the journalist received a handout. The debate has been going on for sometime.

For us journalists, we can not even champion our own cause. How do you walk out to protest against a bill that affects telecommunications equipment when you can't protest against rubbish wages and crappy working environments.

What would happen if we wanted to protest against a media house that fires 60 journalists without notice, you go to work one day and you find a letter and a cheque and instructions to the security team that they should not let you in. Just because the media house has enough money to pay off three months salary, there is nothing you can do.

If the journalists wanted to take to the streets, would the media houses even cover the event?

That is why Gitahi and his team needed to take to the streets and protest if they felt aggrieved. It is true that if the equipment is confiscated, then journalists will be out of a job media houses don't need such drastic measures to kick journalists out.

I see this as a battle for the media owners because if they perceived it as important, they would have allocated a team from all the media houses to deal with the issues.

It is also easy to be led to believe that these rules do not exist elsewhere, I was reading the Tanzanian Act and it is far more stringent than what we are complaining about.

UK, Australia and majority of the EU have these rules, and that is why you see there is no much of convincing cries from the international community. This is because there is need for some level of regulation.

the party began

2008-12-22T10:43:00.001+03:00

The problem with the bill

2008-12-13T09:58:00.000+03:00

The bill empowers the Minister, in the interest of public security or tranquility, to unilaterally determine and by order in writing to direct –

“(a) Any officer duly authorized in that behalf to take temporary possession of any telecommunication apparatus or any radio communication station or apparatus within Kenya, and – (b) In the case of a radio communication, that any communication or class of communication shall or shall not be emitted from any radio communication station or apparatus taken under this section; or

(c) In the case of telecommunication, that any communication within Kenya from any person or class of persons relating to any particular object shall be intercepted and disclosed to such person as may be specified in the order; or

(d) In the case of postal services, that any postal articles or class or description of postal articles in the course of transmission by post within Kenya shall be intercepted or detained or shall be delivered to any officer mentioned in the order or shall be disposed in such manner as the Minister may direct; or (e) In the case of broadcasting and any broadcasting apparatus or any radio, television, cable or satellite broadcasting or signal distribution or apparatus within Kenya-

(i) That no broadcasting shall be broadcast from any radio communication station or apparatus taken under this section; or (ii) That any signal within Kenya from any person or class of persons relating to any specified subject shall be intercepted and disclosed to such person as may be specified in the order.

The media and the KCA bill fiasco

2008-12-13T09:23:00.002+03:00

Media or press freedom is considered one of the fundamental tenets of democracy. Any government that wants to label itself as a dictatorship needs to do one thing: gag the press or show attempts of muzzling the media.

The media will make sure that the debate gathers international momentum. That every official government function that the president, vice president or the prime minister attends, there will be a question about press freedom.

Forget the fact that the media is also misleading, the bill is being referred to as the media bill, ICT bill among other titles that it has been given. Whatever the bill it is, no one seems to care much.

By the way, there is the media council bill (formerly the media bill) which is pending in parliament and the freedom of information bill, which is seeking to repeal the official secrets act.

That is why it seems that the current confrontation between the media and the government is only round one, there is more to come. One thing is clear; in this case, the government will not win.

If you doubt it, sample this; the activists/ protestors were released a few hours after arrest and I guess if it was any other protestor, they would have spent a night in jail.

But the ultimate protest by the media will be a whole day black out. A whole day without radio, TV or newspaper; it will be an odd day.

But again, the media is driven by capitalist interests and that dark day would mean immense loses for the media.

So, lets wait and see.........

A lesson in geography...

2008-11-27T08:29:00.003+03:00

In my first year of high school, the first geography lesson was to examine why we think the earth is circular or not. When you get into a room overlooking the ocean, or when in the middle of the ocean in a wobbly small boat, that lesson comes back.

Then there are the mountains, ranges or whatever the hills bordering the ocean in Mauritius are made of. It could be out of volcanic activity, folding or faulting. My geography teacher would be very disappointed that I can not differentiate which is which.

Geography comes in hardy here, though it is not a matter of life and death...you do not have to know.....

After the sunset....

2008-11-27T08:21:00.002+03:00

The sunset..... in the middle of the Indian Ocean

2008-11-27T08:16:00.003+03:00

This is how the sun went down. It was quite an experience. I know, the sun goes down everyday, but when you are surrounded by water, it feels good.

Indeed I took that boat ride... quite an experience

2008-11-27T08:06:00.003+03:00

The joy of having a reliable internet partner

2008-11-26T12:26:00.003+03:00

I think kenyans have been used to getting such a raw deal on internet service that we suffer from the Stockholm syndrome. For example, the AfriNIC conference room, the net doesn't go down. It is the opposite of what we experienced at the EAIGF forum where KBM, one of the companies touting itself as the most efficient failed to deliver.

Can you imagine, a conference talking about internet access could not provide connectivity to participants. It was such an embarrassment.

I guess consistent service makes you feel there is some hope.

only that in Kenya, service seems to have gone to the dogs!

I am sure there are numerous stories of ISPs that failed to deliver on the contractual bandwidth and the speeds. Companies have personalized definition of broadband, even GSM companies offering crappy services also call it broadband.

This is Mauritius......

2008-11-25T10:31:00.000+03:00

Stay on...for a sunset cruise

2008-11-25T10:15:00.004+03:00

You are excused if you choose to stay on. I will be going on a sunset cruise, so expect more photos on Thursday.

The village in me......

2008-11-25T09:57:00.001+03:00

The village in me thought that this was a giant pool and wondered how people were to swim next to the building, only to discover that it is a design, the whole place looks like a swimming pool everywhere.

You feel like jumping in, wherever you are...

A country serious about tourism

2008-11-25T09:41:00.003+03:00

I never imagined sleeping in a room costing 1000 Euro a night, room only. I thought I would not get close to that, that I would be stuck with the $50 a night and those guest houses that increase the cost depending on the influx of customers, if they rise by midnight, then you pay more or they add another person, in the same bed, anyway, am kidding.

But the rooms are cosy....and you almost get to a holiday mood, it will be hard for me to convince that am working.

But I am!

Air Mauritius is crap but the country is awesome

2008-11-25T09:28:00.003+03:00

I missed the Air Mauritius flight on saturday, they said the plan could not take off, it stalled on the runway in Port Louis, so we had no choice but to fly on Sunday, others said the flight did not have an important spare part.

As usual, there was more info from rumors than from the airline. I was mad and I almost refused to go after a friend said that the flight could be jinxed but he was over reacting.

But after I saw the country, I was blown away, the village girl was challenged to dream. I had not dreamt of this one.

The place looks good...

Vodacom Group records increased profits, revenue

2008-11-18T18:34:00.000+03:00

The Vodacom Group revenue has increased by 14 per cent to 26 billion South African Rand while profit from operations increased by 12.5 per cent to 6.4 billion Rand for the six months ended 30 September.

Vodacom has seen a number of significant changes over the past few months; as it evolves, we’ve increased the non-voice share of our business and increased the portion of our business coming from high growth markets outside South Africa, said Pieter Uys, Vodacom CEO.

With the intended acquisitions of Gateway Communications and StorTech the company has opened up further opportunities in servicing the total communications needs of corporate clients, added Uys. Vodacom has gained footholds in important new markets across Africa.

The results show that total number of Vodacom customers increased 13.1 per cent to 35.7 million and. The group’s earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation and amortization (EBITDA) increased by 13.9 per cent to 8.7 billion rand while the net profit after tax grew by 3.2 per cent to 3.8 billion rand and cash generated from operations increased by 15.6 per cent to 8 billion rand

The data segment continued to grow rapidly, with revenues up 43.3 per cent, accounting for 13.1 per cent of Vodacom’s service revenue.
During the period, Vodacom completed the 7.5 billion rand Black Economic Empowerment transaction known as Yebo Yethu public offer, which was three times oversubscribed.

“Vodacom is committed to meaningful transformation in South Africa and we were delighted to conclude this major transaction,” said Uys. “We were particularly successful in promoting broad-based ownership, gaining more than 100,000 new
shareholders - almost 60% of which had applied for the minimum number of shares.

Vodacom, which is the e market leader in South Africa, is committed to further investment in sub-Saharan Africa though South Africa will remain the hub.

Ends

Telkom South Africa records revenue increase

2008-11-18T18:33:00.000+03:00

Fixed-line operator Telkom South Africa has recorded 9.8 per cent increase in revenue to 29.8 billion South African Rand for the six months ended 30 September, and promised to offer more converged services.

Telkom's fixed-line business reported revenue growth of 2.8 per cent to 16.565 billion rand, while the revenue from data service increased by 12.2 per cent to 4.4 billion rand.

The ability to pull traffic back onto the fixed-line network through mobile service and leverage the next-generation network for full convergence and high-value data services will enhance Telkom's core defend and grow strategy, said Reuben September, Telkom Group CEO.

However, the group’s EBITDA decreased by 2.8 per cent to 10 billion rand and cash generated from operations decreased by 0.5 per cent to 6.4 billion rand while headline earnings per share increased by 0.4 per cent to 745.2c per share.

Telkom achieved a 96 per cent increase in broadband subscriptions and ADSL average installation time improved to 17 days from 20 days, while 60 per cent of all ADSL installations are now done through the self-install option. Telkom is targeting 592 000 ADSL subscribers for the 2009 financial year.

Mobile-based transmission stations have been increased to a total of 589 and optic fiber deployment now covers 3 800km, while a packet exchange has been commissioned in Abuja, Nigeria, for 300 000 subscribers.

Telkom’s intended expansion beyond South Africa is demonstrated by the acquisition of MWeb Africa and 75 per cent of MWeb Namibia, for $63 million.

“The transaction for the largest satellite-based ISP in sub-Saharan Africa is expected to close in the first half of the 2009 calendar year,” said September.

Telkom intends to accelerate the expansion of the network, including the next-generation network, selectively build a mobile network and explore acquisitive opportunities, particularly in the data centre arena, noted September.

“I am excited about Telkom’s repositioning within the market,” he added. “Our strength is our network and we intend to utilize the proceeds to leverage this strength for the benefit of all stakeholders.”
Ends

MISA calls for consultation in Zimbabwe telecoms crisis

2008-11-18T18:29:00.000+03:00

The Media Institute of Southern Africa has labeled the current telecommunications crisis in Zimbabwe, driven by hyperinflation as an affront to the rights and freedom of the citizens.

The crisis arose after Econet Wireless withdraw its contract line services for clients under the Business Partner scheme, which has left thousands of Zimbabweans deprived of their right to communicate, said a statement from MISA, Zimbabwe chapter.

“Other mobile service providers and affiliated service companies, in tandem with Econet Wireless, have increased tariffs, with the average cost of a text message having risen from approximately 1000 Zimbabwean dollar (approx. US$0.28) to at least 20 000 dollars (approx. US$5.65), an increase of 2000 per cent,” MISA said.

The sole fixed telephone network, run by the state-owned company TelOne; is in an appalling state of affairs with erratic coverage in urban areas and is virtually non-existent in rural areas.

There are three mobile telephone networks in the crisis gripped country - Econet Wireless, Telecel, and TelOne- which have failed to cope with the market demand for their services in Zimbabwe's hyperinflationary environment, added the statement.

The state of affairs in the telecommunications industry is a serious impediment to the right of the people of Zimbabwe to communicate; as well as their right to freedom of expression as guaranteed in Article 9 of the African Charter on Human and People's Rights, noted the statement.

Article 9 of the African Charter includes the ability to use and access tools of communication such as the internet, fixed telephones and mobile telephone networks by ordinary people, as emphasized by the World Summit on Information Societies (WSIS) held in Tunis, Tunisia 2005.
Citing the importance of telecommunications in rebuilding the tattered economy, MISA urged the providers not to unilaterally increase the tariffs.

Ends

Mcel and AIRCOM optimize 3G in Mozambique

2008-11-18T18:25:00.000+03:00

Aircom International has partnered with Mozambique mobile phone service operator Mcel to support the update planning tools for 2G and 3G networks.
The deal, a million dollars will allow Mcel to use Aircom’s network planning and optimisation tools ASSET and OPTIMA to plan and manage its new 3G UMTS network, which is currently being deployed.

Mcel enjoys a long-standing and productive relationship with Aircom for the existing network planning and management needs, said Luis Mhula, Mcel Chief Operations Officer.

“We’re delighted that Mcel has decided to work with Aircom for such an important project,” said Graham Kemp, Managing Director, in charge of Africa at AIRCOM International. “Mcel’s decision to use Aircom’s tools and consultancy is testament to the high quality of service that we provide to all of our customers around the world.”

Using the Aircom tools, Mcel expects to be able to accurately plan the new 3G network implementation and monitor its ongoing performance quickly and easily, said Mhula. Aircom will carry out measurement and model-tuning, to identify optimal configurations for specific network traffic requirements and conditions within Mcel.
Aircom will also provide support and training for Mcel engineering teams as they make the transition from GPRS to 3G.
Ends

Ceragon Expands its Footprint in Africa

2008-11-18T18:23:00.001+03:00

Ceragon Networks a provider of high-capacity wireless backhaul solutions is expanding its footprint in Africa by opening two new local offices in Lagos, Nigeria and another in Johannesburg, South Africa.
“As one of the leading players in the high-capacity mobile backhaul market, we believe that we should have physical presence in two of the fastest developing mobile countries in the world,” said Ira Palti, President and CEO of Ceragon Networks.
Africa is a project-oriented region and having local representation allows Ceragon to join forces with local partners throughout southern and western Africa, Palti added. This way Ceragon can offer existing and newest customers, complete projects with excellent control and close follow-up.
Nigeria is one of the continent’s single largest mobile markets according to industry research group Wireless Federation, with over 44 million subscribers as of September 2008. Nigerian mobile operators are expected to reach more than 70 million subscribers by 2010.
South Africa has 43 million users to date, according to the Wireless Federation report. Despite an extremely high penetration rate, South Africa’s mobile market continues to demonstrate an annual growth rate of over 10 per cent.
The company has also received a new, $1.5 million order for its high-capacity trunk solutions, FibeAir 3200 to be deployed in Africa by a leading international carrier in Eastern Africa.
Ceragon high-capacity wireless backhaul solutions are also used by Botswana Telecom, Millicom Tanzania, and Neotel in South Africa.
Ends

Another interesting one......

2008-11-18T10:54:00.003+03:00

Those naturally naughty shapes and sizes......

2008-11-18T10:02:00.002+03:00

What do the pictures resemble???
That was a question posed by someone, I did not know what to say though I must say my mind was almost in the gutter.....

IGF participation means more than just attending

2008-11-12T10:17:00.001+03:00

Safaricom Half Year Results, Live from Serena

2008-11-12T07:24:00.000+03:00

Day two EAIGF liveblog

2008-11-11T10:52:00.000+03:00

Live from EA IGF forum in Nairobi

2008-11-09T21:58:00.000+03:00

Liveblog from Cairo

2008-11-06T10:45:00.000+03:00

Nokia opens sub-Saharan research center in Nairobi

2008-10-03T08:36:00.000+03:00

Nokia, the leading mobile phone manufacturer has opened the sub-Saharan research centre in Nairobi

The Nokia Research Africa (NoRa) is the first in Africa and will carry out study into Nokia products and services across the continent, said Jussi Impio, NoRa team leader. The centre tackle issues related to entrepreneurship, energy management, healthcare, education, transportation, social media, arts and culture.

NoRa will work closely with African universities and Non Governmental Organizations (NGOs) to develop prototypes of devices that are suited for the African market, and to study the telecommunications trends in the various countries.

The center is targeting mobile phone users and the youth in order to design products and services that are relevant and add value to users, said Impio. Mobile communication plays a significant role in the socio-economic fabric in the continent.

The region has majority of the people in the low income bracket, poor infrastructure, low access to information, and a variety of social problems, most of which can be tackled through the use of mobile phones, added Impio.

Nokia which claims it manufactures a million mobile phones handsets everyday will focus on issues of pricing of mobile phones and the inclusion of features that are relevant to the region.

NoRa has carefully selected its partners to ensure that the research methods and resulting technologies are relevant and connect with the communities involved, he added.

“NoRa will work with NGO’s and institutions of higher learning because these institutions have an understanding and knowledge of the research methods to be applied in communities,” Impio explained.

NoRa is currently undertaking a study in Huruma estate, a lower income estate about 10 kilometers from the city center. Through partnership with the slum code programme, NoRa hopes to understand the dynamics of the informal music industry in the urban slum communities.

Ends

For those using Safaricom internet (Bambanet)....

2008-09-25T12:12:00.001+03:00

It is very ironical that Safaricom advertises for services and makes such obscene profits annually yet is unable to train employees to give proper and accurate information especially on data services.

From the time I bought the Bambanet in June, my bill has been shrouded in mystery and none of the customer care agents has been able to explain.
For instance, for the first two weeks after I bought it, I was blocked ostensibly because I had burst on the 700 MB and reached my maximum of 4000 shillings per month.

That was puzzling because my Bambanet had an accumulated statistic showing that for the time I was online, I had used 750MB, my simple math shows for me to pay 4000 per month, I need to use the 700MB plus 250MB charged @ 8 per MB. So, if I am to pay 4000, then I need to use 950 MB a month.

The bills come as statements and are not broken down and any attempts to have an agent break it down have been fruitless, because “they also don’t understand”. Because I needed the service, I paid the bills anyway.

That was fine, until I applied to migrate from 700MB to 2GB on August 20th, 2008; I went to Sarit to pay my other outstanding bills plus the migration deposit. My data services account was indeed overpaid but I advised that the migration be done at the beginning of September.

Before I left, I asked the agent to inform me how many MBs I had used for August and after consulting with another agent, she told me that I had used 500MB and had 200MB on my monthly fees, meaning I could use the 200 in 10 days.

Ten days later, I called customer care to find out about the migration, only to be told that my account is blocked because I have a bill of 4000, then I sought to know how I accumulated such a bill in t10 days and I had 200MB left to use.

Explanation 1: By Anthony, when you applied to migrate, your account started being charged shs 8 per MB.

Explanation 2: Your account is X and not CMB blablabla…you see, we have various packages on how they take effect, and that is why we are charging you shs 4000.

Explanation 3: By the time you asked to migrate, you had already burst on your 700MB and you were already being charged at commercial rates (whatever that means).

In as much as Anthony gave cyclical arguments, I asked him to read the breakdown of the MBs I had used between the 10 days, he said the system was down and that the only option I had was to divide 4000 by 8, simple mathematics, or wait for the bills.

By the way, from the time I bought the service, I let the volume accumulate without resetting, and right now, the Bambanet shows that for the 289 hours 43 minutes and 16 seconds I have been online, I have used 2.1 GB, you can calculate the cumulative amounts I have paid on this data service to get the total.

Unless Safaricom supplied faulty modems, it should clearly indicate the statistics as it has.

The failure to get an explanation on the billing and the usage shows that Safaricom is hell bent on unjust enrichment without bothering to conceal it or making it look like am getting value for money.

Even if you have gotten away in other cases, please make it look like am getting value from this conmanship!

Traditions and paying dowry via Mpesa

2008-09-18T08:54:00.001+03:00

The other day I accompanied friends of mine to the rural home as part of a marriage ceremony, am not sure which stage it was- but must have been Ngurario or Kuracia.

At some point, we found that we had money in the phones but we almost did not have it all in cash. It left me wondering whether it would nice to send that money via Mpesa, its easier and less cumbersome.

I think it will soon be used in Kiambu, my home, where the traditions do not make that sense provided there is money in the mix. Then after the ceremony is over, the local thugs come for the money, arguing that they heard from the grapevine that the visitors left a lot of money.

To beat the thugs, I think Mpesa makes a strong case plus all those funny old men who sit in the house and purport to “negotiate” for dowry do not have anything to divide at the end of the day.

For the record, I hate the chauvinistic Kikuyu marriage traditions but as a friend of mine told me, that is my culture and there is nothing I can do about it. But the best thing is that things are changing, I know of a friend’s father who can not discuss a family decision with a woman in the house. It is so frustrating.

Anyway, back to the tech business, I know it will be hard for the die hard traditionalists to accept it because it will be seen as impersonal but with the new way of conducting ceremonies, I think it will be faster and easier.

Microsoft vs. Toyota

2008-09-15T11:50:00.002+03:00

This is Ndung'u of Microsoft EA, he fascinated me the other day when he suggested that Kenyans should quietly pay for proprietorial licenses for Microsoft products the same way they pay for the other services and products by Multinational Corporations.

He argued that Microsoft is no different from Toyota because they are all large corporations that have invested the money.

I wanted to tell him that when I buy my Toyota, its a one time affair and the Toyota Corporation does not send inspectors to ensure that my car runs on genuine parts or that my downtown garage is selling genuine parts. They only advice me on what parts to put and just like any other advice I can decide to heed it or not.

I found that to be a funny analogy....but maybe M$ should become like Toyota, sell the computers to cyber cafes, get a one time fee and then leave them alone for the rest of the computer's life.

It will be very innovative of the software giant.....

Kenya BPO gets training support.....but..

2008-08-30T22:33:00.002+03:00

Kenya’s Business Process Outsourcing industry is headed for a major competitive boost after last week’s launch of the “LiveBean Scholarship Program” valued at US$ 300,000.

The scholarship is sponsored by LiveBean consulting, one of India’s outsourcing business and is expected to benefit the BPO and Contact Center Professionals in Kenya and demonstrate that the country is ready to take up its place as a leading destination of outsourcing business.

Big companies look for professionalism and experience in business, which the Indian firm hopes to transfer through the training program. Lack of training is one of the major problems affecting the Kenya Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) sector. India is one of the leading outsourcing destinations but the focus is slowly shifting to Africa.

The scholarship program will be rolled out in phases, and will provide skills in operations management, people management, customer relationship management and strategic business essentials, said Mahesh Punia, CEO of LiveBean Consulting, who launched the program on Friday August 22nd.

The training will be offered in conjunction with “The Call Center School,” based in Tennessee, USA and is expected to attract several applicants from the BPO sector. The scholarship will be administered by the Kenya BPO Society. Kenya ICT Board is also expected to play a major role in the scholarship program.

The scholarship may be a good idea, but the BPO society and the ICT board need to scrutinize the source of the funds and whether there are any strings attached. The society and ICT board officials need to read the fine print and establish whether the scholarship ties any of the society members or scholars in any way.

While LiveBean is said to be a leading company with a track record of revamping customer service functions for leading organizations and setting up highly successful customer contact centers in India, Singapore, Indonesia, Malaysia, Sri Lanka and Europe, it may be important to tread carefully on the training credentials.

In a brief to members, James Ochola an executive officer at the BPO society said that LiveBean team had experience in business combinations comprising of mergers/acquisitions and strategic alliances for specific units like contact centers.

From the website, LiveBean officials look very experienced but their training credentials do not say much about success of trained BPO professionals. LiveBean Consulting & Training Private Limited was founded in July 2007 to operate in Consulting, Training, and Customer Experience Research & Management.

With such a young company, Kenya may be used as a starting ground for the company and it does not mean that the BPO professionals will get high quality training compared to that offered by established companies such as Call Center Industry Advisory Council (CIAC).

There is nothing wrong with a new company setting up training base in Kenya with the view of expanding its market but the sector will win the international legitimacy battle by also engaging the more established trainers.

While the course will cover basics in finance, contract negotiations and management, customer relationship, outsourcing it will also describe the process of managing the relationship between client and service provider.

There is no doubt about the experience of the training team and the Kenyan officers from various BPO companies will gain skills such as practicing the recommended techniques for transferring callers or putting them on hold, and recognize best practices when relying upon voice mail communications.

Lack of training is just one of the challenges facing the BPO sector, lack of project planning and management is a huge challenge for the sector. Most people were inspired to start or pump more money because of the promised bandwidth subsidy from the World Bank.

The subsidy, to be administered by the ICT board, has taken long to be released by the World Bank and most BPO’s have closed shop.

“I have learnt that many people doing business today should not have started in the first place, many need to take a step back and reflect on the fundamentals such as business plans and contingency plans; if the bandwidth subsidy does not come, what do we do?,” poses Paul Kukubo, CEO of the Kenya ICT board.

If the challenges are addressed, Kenya hopes to catch up with top outsourcing destinations such as South Africa and Egypt.
South Africa leads Africa's BPO sector; performing call center services and all types of back office operations, while Egypt is second with significant outsourcing work. This is according to Peter Ryan, a call center analyst for Datamonitor, which provides a barometer for BPO activity on the African continent.
South Africa and Egypt have used a four-pronged approach to attract BPO companies: tax breaks; competitive telecommunications rates; training funds; and marketing aid. For instance, telecom rates are as low as shs3.50 per minute to Western Europe and North America. International bandwidth of 2Mega bits per second circuits costs shs 254,000 ($3,800) per month while in Kenya the same bandwidth costs shs 670,000 (US$ 10,000).
Faced with these statistics, Mauritius is aggressively pursuing its vision of making the island a major BPO destination on the continent. It presently has 23 operators in its Ebène Cyber Tower with a second tower under construction.
Other countries in the South African region like Botswana are making a huge push to attract investment in the BPO sector, offering solid packages. Botswana, for example, offers a guaranteed corporate tax of 15 percent until June 2020.
Ends

Maasai and tech

2008-08-29T18:05:00.004+03:00

Though the Maasai hold on to their traditions, technology plays a vital role. The cell phone has made a marked difference in this community probably more than it has in many other communities.
Given the distances between one home to another, the phone comes in handy, especially during cattle raids or when communicating with herders in the field.

The ultimate romance

2008-08-29T16:44:00.003+03:00

While in college I attended a course on intercultural communication and Dr. Marete, who was the course instructor talked about the various cultural interpretations about romance and how we define who knows how to love and who doesn’t.

The world has become so westernized that romance is defined by how many times you say “I love you”, the exotic dinners and the flowers one sends or receives. So he talked about the traditional African culture and the definition of romance.

Ever heard of stories that men batter women because they love them? That an African woman is considered weak if he tells a woman he loves her? That land and children is all that a woman needs to know she is loved? Well those are stories that have been watered down over time.

When I went to Magadi last week, I met Elijah, a Maasai guy. He had a walking stick and I thought it was for older guys, so I asked him why he was carrying it and he said it was because it was made by the wife.

I enquired how long it takes to make the stick embossed with colorful beads and decorates. It takes not less than two days. That’s the sign of love from his wife, and he treasures it, he won’t even sell it at any price.

In return, Elijah is the warrior in the family, the guy who ensured that the hyenas and lions do not get away with any of the cows or livestock. That rule is not written anywhere but everyone knows it.

The encounter with Elijah made me wonder why that cannot be defined as the ultimate romance; the sign of dedication and love.

It is cultural and it is how we communicate it, I thought it was very touching…..

Live blog presentation ar CFSK

2008-08-22T12:40:00.001+03:00

Olympics, Masai Mara and infrastructure sharing

2008-08-17T15:45:00.004+03:00

It was sad that KBC was erratic in showing Olympics live. It was erratic and not-understandable, they were showing some funny live matches and the most important to us were delayed or not shown at all, or maybe they did at midnight.

But on Sunday, they televised live from Beijing and from Masai Mara courtesy of KTN. It was nice to see the KBC screen split, showing updates from Beijing and Masai Mara. You can imagine what will happen when we have the fiber and cost of bandwidth becomes cheaper, KIXP will experience great local capacity.

Infrastructure sharing is not new in Kenyan media, in the past, KBC was offering the link during the national holidays like Kenyatta day, we are yet to see NTV and KTN collaborating on some live events.

I wish our telecoms sector would be the same, that when the Safaricom masts become congested, some of the traffic can be moved to zain, so that communication is not interrupted. But again, that may only be a pipe dream.

Protecting ICT consumer interests

2008-08-06T07:41:00.002+03:00

Who is an ICT consumer? A friend of mine asked. Hmmm….. had not thought about it that way, but I guess it refers to anyone who is an end user of ICT services and products.

Is the CCK capable of protecting consumer interests as well as those of big telcos? That was another question I could not answer, because it is only the regulator who can answer and or demonstrate its capability.

Its disempowering to know that we all have complaints against providers at one time or another but lack the proper mechanisms to channel them. Why has CCK not made adequate use of technology, why not have an online forums or blog in its site that we can rant and pour out the frustrations?

I think someone needs to tell CCK about the call completion rates and the call drop rates because I do not think the guys there do a good job of monitoring the GSM companies.
I recall they bought some equipment to measure the call drop and completion rates at some point, I think its two years ago, but it seems it has not been put to proper use.

Promoting liveblogging

2008-08-01T19:58:00.000+03:00

Live blog session 3

2008-07-31T15:01:00.000+03:00

Liveblog session 2

2008-07-31T10:22:00.000+03:00

Live blog session- stakeholders forum

2008-07-31T09:50:00.001+03:00

The Danube river, no comparison to Chania

2008-07-06T15:11:00.003+03:00

There was a time I was mesmerized by Chania river, we took trips there, to see the water flowing downstream and the rocks. The big boys liked swiming and showing off their skills.

The Danube is no comparison to Chania, that is why am allowed to stand by the bridge and get mesmerized once more.

Ghanaian representative, media tycoon in court

2008-07-06T14:37:00.000+03:00

When business tycoon Chris Kirubi was charged in a Nairobi court, he probably did not think the photojournalists would be so hysterical.

Perhaps because he owns one of the top radio stations, he thought the camera people would cut him some slack.

Gosh, he was so irritated and visibly angry as the journalists hunted him down blocking his space and taking 1000 photos. I must admit the journalists dramatize but that was a sight.

Kirubi is also the Ghanaian representative, something like an ambassador or some diplomatic relation of some sort.

I thought he enjoyed some sort of diplomatic immunity. I wonder what privileges being representative comes with.

Just a thought!

Ends

Clearly, I am excited to be in Budapest....

2008-06-28T17:17:00.000+03:00

Proudly blogging about Kenya, Juliana

2008-06-28T17:16:00.002+03:00

Enjoying meeting people

2008-06-28T17:15:00.000+03:00

Daudi joined the party....

Juliana, David, make the village pose famous ....

2008-06-28T17:10:00.004+03:00

We enjoy meeting people, those we know, and those we dont...