[kictanet] KCCT, BPO training, Board Member? Conflict of interest inevitable

Thu May 8 07:16:55 EAT 2008

Why is it so difficult for honesty to prevail in
Kenya?

--- eadera at idrc.or.ke wrote:

> Betty,
> 
> I agree experience and expertise gets one appointed
> to boards. I
> think the issue comes in when one starts doing
> business with the same
> institution in which they are board members. That I
> believe is a
> clear NO, whether or not interests are declared in
> advance. I think
> as a country we should have these bear minimum
> non-negotiables if we
> really want to "walk our talk" of transparency and
> accountability.
> 
> I agree guidelines need to be in place, in the
> absence of these
> guidelines, integrity should prevail.
> 
> I know of funding organizations in which if a staff
> member serves as
> board members of an institution, the said
> institution or affiliate
> institutions of other board members cannot apply for
> project funding
> from that organization. Should they do so, then the
> staff member from
> that funding organization would have to resign from
> the Board.
> 
> I think these are the kind of principles we want to
> adopt and not
> negotiate about them.
> 
> Edith
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> 
> >
> >
> >
> >---- Original Message ----
> >From: ogange at yahoo.com
> >To: eadera at idrc.or.ke
> >Subject: Re: [kictanet] KCCT,  BPO training, Board
> Member? Conflict
> >of interest inevitable
> >Date: Wed, 7 May 2008 13:57:59 -0700 (PDT)
> >
> >><table cellspacing='0' cellpadding='0' border='0'
> ><tr><td
> >style='font: inherit;'><BR>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=3><FONT
> face="Times New
> >Roman">Edith,<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns =
> >"urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office"
> >/><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=3><FONT
> face="Times New
> >Roman">I like your firmness about it but I tend to
> agree with Walu.
> >In my view, conflict of interest is inevitable
> here. <SPAN
> >style="mso-spacerun:
>
>yes"> </SPAN><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p><FONT
> face="Times New Roman"
> >size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=3><FONT
> face="Times New
> >Roman">I suppose that when one gets appointed to
> the ICT Board, the
> >appointing authority has recognised that the person
> being appointed
> >is more than a little passionate about ICTs and how
> it can be / is
> >being used to change the world around him/her. The
> appointee is
> >likely to be already playing really well in some
> corner of the
> >planet, and it is this knowledge and experience
> that the persons
> >appointed to the Board will fall back on to help
> them effectively
> >accomplish whatever their roles demand of them.
> Appointment to the
> >Board therefore automatically presupposes some
> degree of potential
> >conflict of interest.
> <o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p><FONT
> face="Times New Roman"
> >size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=3><FONT
> face="Times New
> >Roman">Members of the Board should therefore be
> bound by a policy
> >that not only calls for full disclosure of
> potential conflict of
> >interest but also addresses such conflict where it
> was not
> >premeditated. If managed on the transparent
> platform that the ICT
> >Board promises, then the Board members can continue
> with their
> >personal businesses and also with the complex
> business of ‘making
> >Kenya a regional ICT Hub’ within the set
> time-frames.
> ><o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><o:p><FONT
> face="Times New Roman"
> >size=3> </FONT></o:p></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=3><FONT
> face="Times New
> >Roman">Resignation, even when it is a ‘personal’
> decision, is harsh
> >if there were no guidelines in the first instance.
> We need to see
> >continuity and unity of purpose to realise this big
> dream. The
> >continued absence of such guidelines can only
> complicate the lives of
> >the Board members and distract them from making
> contributions to the
> >country as they should. We, the public, also
> continue to be extremely
> >sensitive about anything involving any one of them
> – we have every
> >right anyway. But we need to see people step down
> or resign because
> >everybody understands that certain specific rules
> of engagement were
> >broken. What we urgently need to see, as Walu
> suggests, are some
> >guidelines. Take anyone from this list and put them
> in the Board and
> >I can bet they will not want to close shop because
> they are in the
> >Board – the
> >> passions do not die with the
> appointment.</FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=3><FONT
> face="Times New
> >Roman"></FONT></FONT></SPAN> </P>
> >><P class=MsoNormal style="MARGIN: 0in 0in
> 0pt"><SPAN lang=EN-GB
> >style="mso-ansi-language: EN-GB"><FONT size=3><FONT
> face="Times New
> >Roman">Betty<o:p></o:p></FONT></FONT></SPAN></P>
> >><P> </P>
> >><P><BR>--- On <B>Wed, 5/7/08, eadera at idrc.or.ke
> ><I><eadera at idrc.or.ke></I></B> wrote:<BR></P>
> >><BLOCKQUOTE style="PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT:
> 5px; BORDER-LEFT:
> >rgb(16,16,255) 2px solid">From: eadera at idrc.or.ke
> ><eadera at idrc.or.ke<BR>Subject: Re: [kictanet]
> KCCT, BPO training,
> >Board Member?<BR>To: "Betty Ogange"
> <ogange at yahoo.com><BR>Cc:
> >"KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"
> ><kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke><BR>Date:
> Wednesday, May 7,
> >2008, 9:42 PM<BR><BR><PRE>Walu,
> >>
> >>I'm not sure that conflict of interest can be
> "sugar coated". For
> >>transparency and accountability sake, it MUST be a
> clear cut NO.
> >>
> >>Edith
> >>
> >>
> >>
> >>_______________________________________________
> >>kictanet mailing list
> >>kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>
>>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet
> >>
> 
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