[kictanet] Election fiasco reveals Technological dinosaurs

Tue Jan 8 15:58:01 EAT 2008

Of Dinosaurs and dot comers;

The last elections in India were hailed for their widespread use of technology. 

Maybe Kenya ought to be the next such story! This will move the country from Dinosaur status to the dot com era. Allow me therefore to urge that the IT fraternity to start now, to get ready for the next election with all the might of project planning and funding ready. If it can be done even in one constituency if only to show how, it can make a difference. Let the IT community not continue to live in glass houses and afraid to throw stones! Techies ought to get out there and show their wears!!! 

It seems to me that with all the mediation efforts going on currently it might be sooner than we think before it is time to deploy all the IT gadgetry some of which have been identified by Evelyn for democracy. Get ready...........guys n gals! 

Go on dare to make a difference. Now! OK maybe soon! 

Cheers,
FE 

----- Original Message ----
From: James Kagwe <jkagwe at KIPPRA.OR.KE>
To: florence.etta at gmail.com
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Sent: Tuesday, 8 January, 2008 3:09:19 PM
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Election fiasco reveals Technological dinosaurs

Please let us know that the problem we are having in the country now is more in the mind than anywhere else. Technology could help but even with technology it is possible for people who have the same tribal convictions that their tribal chief has to be the president to conspire to inflate the polls and actually go ahead and mark the ballot papers in favor of their candidate.

Tribalism is the main problem and this has to be fought by all means. Most of the problems were experienced in the strongholds of the main candidates and this confirms the greatest worry.

From: kictanet-bounces+jkagwe=kippra.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+jkagwe=kippra.or.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Evelyn Rono
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 12:29 PM
To: James Kagwe
Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions'
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Election fiasco reveals Technological dinosaurs

Hi Bobby,

Several ICT companies and individuals approached the ECK with the intention of  supporting and a managing the process with ICT.    I quote “ ECK in 2004 was provided with IT hardware & software and GIS electoral database created with each individual polling station positions' mapped using GIS technology that integrated with the electoral database through a unique ID for polling station.  The constituency boundaries provided the domain universe within which each polling station could be located for administrative purposes.  Training was also conducted for ECK”.  The same company tried to do the same 2007

This did not happen – Only ECK knows.

Evelyn Rono

From: kictanet-bounces+evelyn.rono=kdn.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+evelyn.rono=kdn.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of robert yawe
Sent: Tuesday, January 08, 2008 11:51 AM
To: evelyn.rono at kdn.co.ke
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: [kictanet] Election fiasco reveals Technological dinosaurs

Happy new year to you all and I pray that you are all well.

It is shocking that in this day and age we can actually have the kind of electoral fiasco that has been visited on us by the ECK and Co as well as the political parties.

This draconian problem reared its head when the Orange house was broken into and the computers stolen.  Hon.Nyongo's statement indicated that the objective was to steal the member register.  If I needed to steal the register which from his comments was in electronic form what was the need of taking off with the computer.  Has he ever heard of flash disks,  external hard dis drives and CD/DVD writers.  Technology allows me to steal his data without him every knowing.

After this issue Kivuiti dismissed the SMS service that had been made available by Telkom to enable voters confirm their details.  He even went to the extent of saying he does not know how to send an SMS.  As the IT fraternity in the country can we really escape blame for this fiasco?

The next time was when  I saw Hon. Ruto standing at KICC and screaming himself hoarse over the forms 16 & 16A that had not been received.  It seems he might be using a Nokia 1018 mobile phone (he actually uses a Nokia N series).  

Was it so difficult for the opposition to provide each of their agents with a camera equipped mobile phone that they would have used to to take pictures of the form and also record the returning officer announcing the results.  This would then have been easily sent to party head quarters.

There are 210 or so constituencies in the country and the mobile phones I am talking about cost about 10,000/- each do the math. 

I ask am I the only Kenyan who is aware of such technology or is this entire fiasco a stage managed process.  Even the EU observer teams came equipped as if it was the 12th Century after which they proceeded to make unsupported statements about the result that further inflamed bloodshed.

Maybe its a techie thing to keep in our glass houses and refuse to add value to a process and only send around message (this one included) after the fact.  

It is re-assuring when we remember the Florida fiasco but this not withstanding do we really have a moral standing to point fingers about the election results?

What will be our contribution to stopping this from being repeated in future?

Regards

Remember Matiba and his video cameras during the good old days of mulolongo voting?
Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi , 00200
KEnya

Tel: +254722511225

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