Feeds
6579 items (0 unread) in 54 feeds
Welcome to Mashada Blogs! Read all your favourite blogs in one place.
«
Expand/Collapse
REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
-
4:13
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
With debate going on about OOXML and Kenya taking a neutral position, Dorcas Muthoni breaks down the technical jargon for easier understanding.
What is an Office Document Standard?
A standard file format that would allow office documents such as spreadsheets and word processing files to be opened by applications from different vendors.
Why Open Standards
Creating an open office file format suggests that documents created in an application that supports that file format could be opened in other applications that support it as well. E.g. A document written using OpenOffice for example, could be opened in Ms Office without affecting the layout or formatting.
With an open standard;
You can choose any operating system or application and still be able to read and edit all your old documents e.g. whether it is Windows, Macintosh, Linux, Unix.
You can collaborate with others regardless of which software they are using e.g. whether it is LotusNotes, OpenOffice, Ms Office, StarOffice, GoogleApps .
You can use any software of your choice to exchange documents within your organization, with your clients, partners, government and everyone else.
The goal of an open standard is to free corporate data from proprietary file formats so they can be accessed for years to come no matter what office software a company or government is using. Companies and governments are currently saving data in proprietary file formats, such as those written in Microsoft's Office software (.doc, .xls, .ppt, and lately .docx, .xlsx, .pptx), and locking themselves into using that software indefinitely.
A relative example is, we all develop our websites and expect to successfully access them using various browser software (Mozilla Firefox, Netscape, Safari, Internet Explorer etc). We successfully manage to do this because of HTML, XML and Browser open standardization.
The same should happen for office documents and hence definition of open document standards.
What is ODF
ODF(OpenDocument Format) an ISO standard created with the aim to provide an open XML-based document file format for office applications to be used for documents containing text, spreadsheets, charts, and graphical elements. ODF is defined via an open and transparent process at OASIS ( The Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards) and has been approved unanimously by the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) and the International Electrotechnical Commission (IEC) as an international standard in May 2006. Instead of trying to reinvent the wheel ODF reuses established standards like HTML, SVG, XSL, SMIL, XLink, XForms, MathML, and Dublin Core.
ODF leaves space for all present and future vendors do implement it and makes sure that end users won't suffer from any sort of vendor lock-in. In contrast to earlier used binary formats which were cryptic and difficult to process, ODF's use of XML makes accessing the document content simple.
ODF guarantees long-term viability. The OASIS ODF TC, the OASIS ODF Adoption TC, and the ODF Alliance include members from Adobe, BBC, EDS, EMC, GNOME, Google, IBM, Intel, KDE, Novell, Oracle, Red Hat, Software AG and Sun Microsystems. Since June 2006 the ODF Alliance has already more than 300 members.
What is OOXML
A format proposed by Microsoft that comes closest to ODF in function, but it fails the test for an Open Standard in various ways, including an unclear legal status as well as inclusion of and reference to proprietary technologies. It has all signs of a vendor-specific format that only Microsoft will be able to implement completely.
Microsoft, which dominates the office software market with its Office suite, is a member of OASIS and was fully aware of the technical committee that came up with ODF. However, they opted to make Ms Office 2007 heavily reliant on XML and also initiated a parallel technical committee to develop a standard file format the MS OOXML.
Ms Office 2007 does not support ODF. What Microsoft has done is to push MS OOXML through a fast track process to have the standard certified by ISO. The standard is being reviewed by technical committees (TC) formed through national standards bodies. The TCs pass a vote through a ballot process. The ballot resolutions are then forwarded to ISO, if the outcome is greater support for MS OOXML, then the standard will be passed.
Why should we reject a proprietary standard like OOXML
We live in a digital age where paper documents increasingly get replaced by electronic records. We may even see the day we no longer use paper and pen to keep records. In this situation long-term data becomes critical. This is especially the case for legal contracts and government documents which stay valid and relevant over decades, or even centuries. Just like there were many vendors supplying paper and pens through out the history, and not a single one, so do these formats and applications which are used to make them need to be vendor independent. That is the only guanrantee of long-term access to data, even if companies disappear, change their strategies or dramatically raise their prices.
The Kenyan technical committee (hosted by KEBS) reviewing the MS OOXML standard was inappropriately constituted and is highly imbalanced. Microsoft recommended business partners to this committee and the first vote returned a yes resolution because of this imbalance. On March 19th 2008, the committee passed an Abstain resolution which Microsoft is now strongly appealing against.
Further, the MS OOXML standard is defined in 6,000+ pages and with the fast track process, it is barely possible to review the standard comprehensively. This standard must be reviewed via the regular standard process.
MS OOXML is a proposed parallel standard without a justification.
OOXML has patent issues
-
-
3:16
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Media audit was a great idea. It would have been good to have a clearer picture of how the media performed. I was waiting to see which media house will be indicted. It did not matter who is doing it, at least we would have had a process in place, capable of being improved on in future.
But the credibility of such a process seems to be dented. Why?
The on going tug-of war between the Media Council and the Director of Information Ezekiel Mutua seems laughable, they all want to impose their superiority.
When Mutua says “I am the appointing authority and can disband” it sounds like the whole issue is all about who has the power to do what to who and nothing to do with the media audit.
Wachira Waruru on the other side seems to be looking down on the person issuing the threats and wants to prove that nothing can be done.
From the time he was Secretary General of the Kenya Union of Journalists (KUJ), Mutua has locked horns with media owners. He has been confrontational and demanded improvement on journalists’ packages, albeit for those working in “big media houses”.
He may have his own shortcomings like all of us but Mutua cannot be faulted for shying away from confronting media owners during his time at KUJ. He demanded action and faced managers in ways probably others did not.
The way he was bundled out of Nation left a lot to be desired, he was deemed to have rubbed the powers the wrong way.
From such confrontations and the call for the media to self regulate like the Law Society of Kenya, Mutua seemed to have the interests of journalists at heart. Even though he says only fools do not change their minds, I expected him to be a fool in the cause!
That is why his remarks about the media came as a shocker to me and made me feel that the confrontation had not to do with the media and the audit but the control of the whole process.
Eric Orina has had a long running feud with Mutua so I could not listen to him much. Yes I was prejudiced because there was no way Orina was going to be objective in handling the matter.
The beef is rather manifest.
The fiasco means that the audit will proceed but with a lot of controversy, and will be trashed by either party. Either way, it will be hard to know and quote the true position.
At the end of the day, the battle was that of personalities and nothing to do with the media audit.
-
-
1:31
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
When the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) board was disbanded by former Information and Communication Minister Raphael Tuju, there was outcry from the local and international Information Society.
I recall that Steve Lang, an editor from South Africa called me, wondering whether the gains of WSIS had been reversed. Kenya played a pivotal role within WSIS, chairing the all important Internet Governance track. There was hope that the move was all for the better.
But with time, it seems what was supposed to be changed actually never changed per se. The industry hoped that CCK would play a more pivotal role in regulating the telecoms industry.
In the CCK website, it talks of tariff regulation within the telecoms sector as well as the postal sector. The write up is so brief and there is no evidence that CCK has done anything to address interconnectivity tariffs within Celtel and Safaricom.
By interconnectivity tariff, my lay understanding would have expected CCK to address why it is cheaper for callers within one network to call each other and more expensive to call across networks.
Sample this: one can call at shs 4 within Celtel or shs 8 per minute within Safaricom (take your pick). Why does it cost me shs 40 to call Celtel from Safaricom? Or better still, why is it damn expensive to call across networks?
The 26% duty aside, it means that terminating a call in any of the two networks is actually low and I am only charged high because the two networks want to limit me within their network hence the high charges.
As a consumer and tax payer, it is reasonable for me to expect CCK to address these pricing issues. I am not expecting CCK to set the prices but what is regulation about? Bring the respective heads to a negotiating table and document it on the website, that way, we know who is stubborn, Safaricom or Celtel.
I am sure it will not be rude to demand an online source in this information age; otherwise the post office will take longer to deliver it to me.
This is just one issue, am sure marketing needs another post.
CCK marketing has a serious job to do, yes, they sponsored the Africa Cup of Nations and I enjoyed my game, but please get over that football referee/ moving goal posts advert.
Post on marketing to follow.
-
1:14
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
The other day I was listening to Michael Joseph (MJ) Safaricom CEO talking about Safaricom's recent switch to better equipment to address the perenial congestion within the network.
Though I did not listen to the whole speech, he made an interesting observation that Nairobi CBD has the highest number of callers in the whole world. That could as well be true because many offices in London, New York and J'burg have land lines.
But the question is, if MJ knows this, why not invest in several base stations instead of only one. With the kind of profits Safaricom makes, I am sure that investment will be worth it.
It has been argued that Kenyans have peculiar calling habits and even when the network is congested, we still insist on sticking to the network even when the network gives almost zero call completion rate.
I have always wondered why interconnectivity between Celtel and Safaricom is so expensive. Forget about the 26% duty levied by the government, if i can call Safaricom to safaricom at shs 8 per minute, why do I have to pay shs 23 per minute to call Celtel?
Assuming that at shs 8 the network is making money, it means terminating a call to the other network is cheaper.
In other countries, interconnectivity is easier but it seems in Kenya the desire to outdo each other in profits outweighs the overall goal of ensuring access.
I wonder what CCK has to say in all this, or maybe they have done a study which is busy gathering dust somewhere.
Ends
-
-
5:35
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 hospital film crew1 Originally uploaded by phat_controller The film crew hears stories from the actual beneficiaries.
-
5:26
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 pilot5 Originally uploaded by phat_controller Lawrence was the pilot, very humorous. He said he does not know Swahili, but he does. We went to one lunch joint and he asked for "kuku matiti" (chicken breast). So much for the little swahili words......
-
5:21
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
5:19
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 cloudstz3 Originally uploaded by phat_controller It helps when one has a serious camera. Tony showed us how to go about it.
-
5:16
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
4:45
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 woman in red bike tanz Originally uploaded by phat_controller On the way to one remote hospital, Tony spotted this mama and was very amused.
-
4:41
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 gladys flying3 Originally uploaded by phat_controller There is nothing that scared Gladys as turbulence in the small plane. During turns, and those times that it hit the clouds, we all looked at Gladys to see her facial expression.
-
4:38
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 gladys amref plane Originally uploaded by phat_controller Gladys demonstrates the reality of the "village" pose as we gunned to outdo each other. With this pix, we can actually prove that we have touched a plane. Mtajua aje? Gladys has committed her time to improving access to computers and other pieces of technology that make it better for us to get quality life.
-
4:33
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 becky plane1 Originally uploaded by phat_controller I knew that planes can land on murram roads but I did not know that they land on grass. Ofcourse the grip would be affected if it rains. This was in Bukoba. Its such a nice, green place and I had to show off my primary/ high school photo pose.
-
4:27
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 becky4 Originally uploaded by phat_controller I sat at the Lake Victoria beach waiting for sunset.
-
4:26
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 becky flag1 Originally uploaded by phat_controller First stop was in Mwanza, we could not take off because of bad weather, but we did the following day.
-
4:23
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 becky flying1 Originally uploaded by phat_controller From the grin, it looks like it was my first time on the plane. But again, I dont show my teeth often. We were on our way to Northern Tanzania to witness how telemedicine is changing people's lives. Medical help has become more accessible to the poor. These are baby steps but even the longest journey started with a single step. For Computer Aid and AMREF, the journey has just began. There are about 160 rural hospitals that expect to enjoy the facilities. I will help tell the story to the world.
-
-
7:58
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Dennis Wambugu is a very disappointed man. He is disappointed because Kenyans do not seem to host most of their websites at the local Internet Service Provider (ISP). Wambugu, who heads Get2Net, a local ISP, feels that too many Kenyan websites are hosted abroad yet the same services can be provided locally. He argues that Kenyan businesses and organizations need to make deliberate efforts to support the local industry, like most South African entities do. Wambugu vented his frustrations when questioned whether Get2net would have the capacity to host a website and guarantee that it will always be accessible. While he had a right to be frustrated at the lack of faith in local web hosting, the local ISPs have left a lot to be desired, in their support and back up of client’s content. The costs are also inhibitive. Sample this: yahoo.com charges shs 1,300 ($20) annually to host a site while a local ISP charges at least shs 24,000 ($ 370) to host the same site annually. But Wambugu defends the local costs saying that yahoo.com can afford to charge shs 1,300 because they have a million sites to host. This means that the company can make $ 20 million from hosting a million sites annually. Compared to local companies, he says that the higher the number of clients hosting locally, the lesser the charges. This is because companies can invest in better servers and expect to recoup the costs within the year. But people wonder; why spend a lot of money hosting locally while a minimal cost will give massive space abroad. The answer lies in acts of patriotism. Most South African companies take pride in having a .co.za website and hosting it locally. Then they ensure that they demonstrate their proudly South African sign. Whether it is a local or regional corporation, they are hosted locally and have South Africa’s country code (.co.za). In this respect, the issue of cost of hosting seems to lack meaning because we have Kenyan corporations hosting abroad, yet they have the money to host locally. However, some people hosting abroad speak of lack of reliability and lack of proper support by Kenyan ISPs as the reason they host abroad. For instance, if there is power black out and the building has no generator, then the site will not be accessible. With hosting companies abroad, they seldom have problems of power failure and when they do, there is always back up. Meaning that businesses progress and there is no information/ content. But Wambugu defends this position arguing that most ISPs in Nairobi are located in modern buildings with powerful generators, making sure that client support is available 24 hours a day. Besides, Wambugu agues that most ISPs mirror their server contents with other off shore servers in Australia, US, Canada and UK. This way, the local ISP ensures the websites are available all the time. The whole hosting debate could be demystified if the government works out a program for educating the public on the amount of money and time it takes to access a site which is hosted abroad. This will lead to more debate about development of local content and hosting capacity within the district level. Reliable country wide connectivity will allow establishment of ISPs within the local level. For instance, if a youth group starts up an ISP at the district level and approaches local businesses and government authorities, they can work out a way to host the sites at minimal fees depending on the sites. This will offer more employment opportunities at the local level and more people can appreciate the essence of developing quality websites. Connectivity has been a thorny issue and with the promise of the sub marine optic fibre link becoming real, the costs of connectivity will come down. There are also two satellites in orbit –NIGCOMSAT and RASCOMstar, which are bound to improve Africa’s space segment. Though the two geostationary communications satellites will face challenges of pricing and technical support, they may achieve the objective of lowering cost of bandwidth within the other satellites beaming to Africa. The cost of bandwidth and support aside, Kenya needs to find a way to support local initiatives and help grow the local industry. For instance, Safaricom limited made its shs 17 Billion profit out of local calls, not international calls. Indeed, the international calls are mainly made using Voice over Internet Protocol (VOIP), available in most cyber cafés. Kenya needs to remain competitive efficiently and quickly. There is so much potential but there must be deliberate effort to support one another. That feeling of patriotism must be promoted through marketing by the Kenya ICT Board. But patriotism alone is not going to improve our country’s technical abilities. There needs to be investments by local ICT industry so that services can match those offered abroad. Local ISPs need to invest in state-of-the-art data centres comprising ultra high-quality connectivity, networking gear, climate control, and security and power systems. Hosting facilities need to be monitored 24/7/365 state-of-the-art network operations centre and if a problem arises, the technical team must be able to help! To attract more websites, host companies need to have connectivity from several leading Internet hosts, both International and local Kenyan backbone internet providers. Regarding connectivity, the ISP must be in a position to achieve 99% network uptime for customers based in Kenya. Prices must be competitive and must be in a position to customize websites depending on the customers hosting requirements. With these developments, Kenyans will have more faith in local web hosting and possibly Kenyan companies can host larger corporation websites as well as upcoming businesses.
-
7:31
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Martin Kimani was very amused when an aspiring parliamentarian, suggested that he would ensure there is a digital village in Molo. Kimani did not understand how the villagers in his Tombo village could get to understand and appreciate technology yet they do not even have access to clean water and most of them do not have jobs. As a graduate, it is manifest that Kimani does not see the role of the digital villages because the government or the concerned Civil Society Organizations had not done enough to popularize the project. For Kimani, the question was simple; do we have to begin as a digital village before we can become digital towns, digital cities, and eventually a digital country? His argument raised important questions regarding grassroots preparations for the digital villages’ project. It is time that Kenya embraced technology but it should start from the level of cities and towns before moving to villages. Why would you want to have solar powered computers while all you can do is check mail and chat with strangers abroad? If government records were online, then people would congregate in cyber cafés in the city instead of lounging at the ministry offices. Others would go to nearest towns and seek to access information and services online. Eventually, astute business people will bring internet to towns to lessen the distance. Just like it happens when people get new district headquarters, the distance is made shorter. People will appreciate technology more. With the critical mass, people will move the services to the local level, where two villages can unite and come up with one kiosk, whether powered by electricity or solar, it will achieve the objective. This formed the basis for Kimani’s argument. To him, Nakuru should be a fully digital town, then Molo before finally moving to Tombo village. By the time connectivity comes to Tombo village, locals will already know about it. If you ask the people behind the project, they say those who say the project should start from the cities are prophets of doom. And they have their reasons too. They say everybody should have a chance to understand and use technology, whether in the village or in the city. Indeed, Dr. Bitange Ndemo, Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Information and Communication says the government is in the process of digitizing all records from the chaotic ministry of lands to the judiciary. But this process has taken long! Imagine one can not even pay rates online. I think the e-transaction should be priority. Let us pay for the government bills we know and then we can do the 1970s search tomorrow. The e-transaction debate can be left for another day! According to Dr. Ndemo, starting January, the ministry will start implementation of the
digital villages’ project at the village level. First assignment will be to collect sample census data. If successful, the exercise shall be rolled out in all constituencies. By this time, Dr. Ndemo expects the youth to borrow from the youth fund or any
microfinance institution and invest at least Ksh. 100,000 required to set up a digital
village with two PCs. The ministry says it will provide training in entrepreneurship.
Ideally the digital villages are expected to raise the bar on service delivery and make the government more efficient. But without proper training and demystification of myths around technology, the whole project may just be a flop. It is expected that the government will outsource most of the non core services like answering queries and customer care, among other services.
Adds Dr. Ndemo; “The strategy is to get the youth accustomed
into strict deadlines before they get to work for multinationals. Once we
start marketing, I am sure they shall get outsourced local customer care.
I think local companies are ready to focus on their core activities by
outsourcing non-core services”.
The emphasis on government services is not to say that the private sector will not benefit from the project. This is only because 90 per cent of the people who come to Nairobi every morning from the rural areas usually visit government offices for one reason or the other. Some of them are simple queries that could be solved at the click of a button. There is no doubt that technology is a great leveler. It can give people from all walks of life access to information which they can turn into knowledge and improve their lives. E.g. farmers can share local information and successes and give each other tips on successful farming. In education, students and teachers can design strategies on improving education by sharing information online. Various regions can develop their teaching materials. All sorts of people can use the digital villages to improve their skills. For instance, in the morning have unemployed youngsters who use the equipment to teach themselves new skills. In the afternoon, school teachers and school goers come to complete projects and update their PC literacy. In the evenings it's open session - all kinds of people of any age use the facility. This way, the community will buy into the project so that the digital villages can eventually become community projects. The idea is definitely noble; the villages can help foster an entrepreneurial spirit in Kenya but that spirit needs to be nurtured. The idea still boils back to the question of local content. How do we encourage people to write histories of their clans, families and villages so that younger generations can access them in future? How do we tap the knowledge held by our grand parents and store it online? How can Kenyans use technology to inform future generations of our past? That will be the daunting task that the government will have to address. Companies can partner with the government and design strategies to make the ICT villages a success. This can take corporate social responsibility to a new level.
-
-
0:04
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
There is no doubt that CNN has been lopsided in its coverage of Africa, giving prominence to stories of hopelessness and desperation. Such stories have been devoid of depth, often said to be because of lack of time and the number of stories they have to cover in the world news segment. But I have never felt that CNN needs to tell a balanced story like I did during the current unrest. I needed Paula Newton, reporting from Nairobi, to interview and bring stories from both sides of the political divide. The election was 50-50 and CNN had a duty to interview the people who voted Raila Odinga, those who feel he should be president as well as the other half who feel that Mwai Kibaki should continue. For the three stories I watched on CNN, they were a disgrace to international reporting. They only interviewed those opposing peace and willing to perpetrate the violence. I believe we needed to hear the voices of the people not willing to fight, willing to bring dialogue into the mix. I believe that not all people in the opposition were killing their neighbors. Therefore, the story did not need to interview Kibaki’s supporters, but should have gotten at least one person willing to say, there are other ways other than killing each other. The international media claims to be taking international angles to stories but all CNN did was to show Kenya as a desperate and hostile country and visitors should not come. I am not saying it was better, but a balanced story would have done us proud. Understanding the local language is important. For instance there was this injured guy who was brought on air, and the guys carrying him asked in Swahili “unampeleka hospitali” (are you taking him to hospital?) But the journalist said that the guys were asking in Swahili “are you shot or cut?” apparently, the injured guy is supposed to have answered that he was shot. That was wrong translation. But I understand the journalist, the local language was a challenge and for the international audience, they may not care much what the injured guy said. Because we have faith that people will heal and embrace each other again, I hope CNN will be around to cover that and will not rush to the next big story. By the way, how comes CNN does not cover American soldiers or civilians bleeding and writhing in pain, yet they show such images from other places??
-
-
5:27
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Walubengo,
Yes we need help in Sirisia. In September, I visited the small village that Crystal helped create in Sirisia. Of the 30 or so people that we met in the market, only one wore shoes but majority said something about the new development in the area - a Digital Village - which had brought to
them e-health and other educational programmes. There are no desks here. Women sat on benches training their eyes on one piece - the solar powered PC - and 150 of them had been trained. They ask relevant questions.
Here you see what we need to develop this country. We need to provide access (energy, connectivity and roads) as Yawe argues. But we also must lead our people through training to know how to navigate or drive the new technologies.
With access, these folks will be able to add value to their produce and market them through internet.
For now Walubengo we need you to volunteer a few of your hours in every quarter to provide different types of training such that by the time fibre is ready, our people would optimally use the fibre.
Regards
Bitange Ndemo
Crystal,
this is interesting!
Kanduyi, Bungoma is my 'shags' (home-town)! Let me know if i could be of some help. Even though I rarely go shags(for many reasons) my retired Dad+Mom, formerly high school teachers live there and I can always get them to cordinate some logistics (awareness, networking, etc)
Plse keep me (us?) posted on how the projected evolves...
Quite honestly I am shocked Mr. Yawe. I must come humbly and suggest that the the digital villages are a means to many ends. Here are a few possible ends that we will be meeting when we implement our telecentres in villages in Sirisia and Kanduyi:
1) Train community health workers using the internet: the benefits are obvious and the cost is SUBSTANTIALLY less than to send people to the city for education. Once we have perfected the training system it can be published online and used to train others
2) Anything else in which a person would want education: sustainable agriculture, nutrition, child bearing, English, French, Spanish.The internet is the largest library in the world floating through the air. It sure beats the price of shipping books from US publishers.
3) Income generation: We are using the internet to sell all sorts of items made by people in the village to supplement farming income. Well made items that seem exotic and come from a village are hot consumer items in upscale fashion stores in the US.
4) What good are online programs such as KACE if those who need them most cannot get online?
5) Then there is the simple but horrible truth that most people in the US and Europe never think about Africans. It is not that they don't care but that they don't think. Digital villages open up international communications. The people cease to be invisible. Poverty and malaria
get a face and a name.
Please understand that I had my first computer when I was three. I have never known life without one. I have been studying what a computer can do in a village for many years. The digital villages project underway in Kenya will help the people in many, many ways both
subtle and profound if done properly.
Asante sana.
crystal
I wholly agree with Elijah, what is the real objective here of the digital villages.
Kenya is unlike many of its neighbours, as the Americans and the issue tax claim experts or Michael Joseph and "peculiar calling habits". What seems to be happening is someone is trying to justify their existanca and relevance.
When you built a road in Kenya, you complete construction and move away, the government learnt long ago that it is not their responsibility to tell Kenyans what to do with the road. The citizens will decide where to develop shopping areas, markets, tourist stops and other commercial activities. Even the British would agree, see how a temporary stop in the railway construction has turned to be sub Saharan Africa's most vibrant city.
All we ask is complete the fiber to the district project and stand back, we as Kenya's will do things on that fiber that no one on earth would have thought possible. Take the Digital Village funds and use them to this objective. Where, how, when, or who is not the governments responsibility leave us to do what we know best, being peculiar.
Robert Yawe
-
5:02
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
someone sought to know more about dital villages. I thought this was a nice answer from Permanent Secretary Bitange Ndemo. Please read and know that you can also walk to his office.......
The digital village is the vehicle to not only take technology to rural Kenya but to create employment to our rural folks through a bouque of services. It is also a conduit for trickling down the wealth from urban to rural areas. I know you may be wondering how this can happen.
Take for example the Ministry of Planning that spends in the upwards of Ksh. 600 million to collect household data through cross sectional surveys. You will need one half of these resource to pay youth in all constituencies collecting actual data over a period (longitudinal survey).
When the data is collected throughout the country, it makes it much easier to plan. Te data is updated continuously and there you create employment to the data gatherers. At the same time these village centers can be used as points of sale (in which case you minimize the impact of
scratch cards on the environment at the same time cut cost). Or simply wananchi streaming rural videos and creating a rural IPTV.
Just imagine availing the computer and the connectivity to 35 million Kenyans. The chances of innovation shall be highly enhanced at the same time you open the whole world to these people. A few learned ones would offer swahili lessons to foreigners wanting to visit Kenya (at a cost of
course). Na hii ni maendeleo. 60% of the GDP is resident in Nairobi. It is very noble to spread this through to Kaspul Kabondo, to Chepalungu, to Imenti South, to to Sirisia, to Kitutu na kadhalika. This will be the best way of devolving from the center and in five years nobody will be complaing.
If you this concept is not clear yet, please see me on the 10th Floor of Teleposta Towers any time after the 26th of November.
Regards
Bitange Ndemo.
-
-
14:52
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
At the tiny Gaithuri river, Mama Wambui stands. She is down in her arrowroot farm but has to answer a call from another woman across the ridge. She is 34 and a mother of six. Am sure you know at what age she started giving birth and her challenges in the village, so i will not dwell on that.
One thing is that Mama Wambui did not go beyond class five, she dropped out and was married off, after all, she was an asset.
However, Mama Wambui has found herself a new territory, where she teaches other women how to operate their mobile phones. Checking credit and loading credit, Mama Wambui helps them all. She is a hero in Giathi village.
But on this day, there was a major challenge, one woman had received an SMS indicating that she has been entered into a draw and she could win shs 6,000. But the sight of the figures spured new excitement as they thought they had hit a minor jackpot.
There was excitement in the village as they summoned the most educated (mainly standard 8 drop outs) to interpret the message. They all focussed on the money, everyone thinking they had won.
It took time before they could get the right message. they had to wait until evening for one of the girls in a local day school to come and help out.
The excitement died down but one thing was clear, they say people are illiterate but when it comes to money, everyone notices the zeros.
For this village, it is certain that the little education comes along way, and that those who went to school feel very good. The mobile phone has given new relevance to the rural folks.
-
14:24
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
When my friend Joy told me that my blog was featured in the November issue of adam magazine, i wondered what it was all about.
I had not read the new magazine and was curious to get hold of it. From the adverts, i thought the magazine would be the answer to the feminist magazines. I was wrong!
I found out that it was a balanced magazine with a "BlogIT" column that features good blogs, the bearable and the ugly.
This blog was found to be "bearable" coming second to www. mzalendo.com which obviously is good.
I think its awesome that the magazine has such a column, i think it will raise the bar and improve how people run and maintain the various blogs.
I must admit its a challenge publishing posts and hoping that people read and leave comments but then they do not. But with these kind of comments, you know that people are reading even though they do not comment.
At this year's Highway Africa conference, other more prolific and notable bloggers like Vincent Maher, Ndesanjo Macha and Daudi Were spoke about challenges of attracting traffic. I knew i was not alone.
So, even if you do not leave a comment, your visit is appreciated.
-
-
13:12
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 This is the team of ICT stakeholders who met in Elementaita to discuss the way forward in discussing ICT policy and other attendant issues.
-
-
9:03
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
8:47
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
8:40
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
8:28
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
8:18
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 I challenged him to make another pose better than this...
-
8:13
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
8:07
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
8:02
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 At some point, people forget to pose....they just go through it!
-
7:58
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
7:51
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 They know how to pose, i could not get the photo i wanted..
-
7:45
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
7:36
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 We were asked which was the best pose. Fatma is an alumni of Kamuchungwa-ini day and night secondary school and was there to show off...
-
7:25
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 James thought my job was lucrative and he decided to be the competition...
-
7:18
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
7:11
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
6:58
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
4:22
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
4:15
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 Even while at the bush, he has to keep in touch. Technology yawa!!
-
4:01
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
3:55
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
3:40
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
-
3:34
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 At meetings, it is important to keep in touch....
-
-
15:41
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 It was important to build on the common interests, strengthen them, and harmonize the voices.
-
15:21
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
Read This Entry & More At REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
 The process was important for various stakeholders to identify the common foundation they share; to promote access to ICT in Kenya
-
15:15
From: REBECCA WANJIKU'S BLOG
| |
