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

Thu May 8 13:00:02 EAT 2008

reading most of your comments I'm left feeling that
having a 'conflict of interest' is a crime. 
surely we have all been in situations where we have
had to declare our conflict of interest without
necessarily resigning from the board/company etc. 
why don't we explore the other more accommodating
options of dealing with this issue rather than just
resigning and that's because some of the people we
loose as a result may be hard to replace and the board
is the ultimate loser.
kanja

--- Betty Ogange <ogange at yahoo.com> wrote:

---------------------------------

Hi Edith, Alex

You are right. Honesty and integrity come first -
actually way before any proof of experience and
expertise can be sought; and way before any guidelines
can be drawn that purport to inhibit potential abuse
of office. Without honesty and integrity, any
guidelines are still unhelpful. I hope as a nation we
are working hard at these values.

Good day.

--- On Thu, 5/8/08, Alex Gakuru
<alex.gakuru at yahoo.com> wrote:

From: Alex Gakuru <alex.gakuru at yahoo.com>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] KCCT, BPO training, Board
Member? Conflict of interest inevitable
To: "Betty Ogange" <ogange at yahoo.com>
Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
Date: Thursday, May 8, 2008, 6:16 AM

Why is it so difficult for honesty to prevail
inKenya?--- 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"><FONTsize=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"><FONTsize=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"><FONTsize=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"><FONTsize=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 â€˜making> >Kenya a
regional ICT Hubâ€™ 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"><FONTsize=3><FONT> face="Times New>
>Roman">Resignation, even when it is a â€˜personalâ€™>
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> â€“ 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 â€“ 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"><FONTsize=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"><FONTsize=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>
>>> === message truncated ===    
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