[kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers-remember eMaddo?

Walubengo J jwalu at yahoo.com
Mon Aug 31 09:48:31 EAT 2009


eMaddo, Nyayo Pioneer, and other projects are evidence of attempts to bridge the gap between Industry and Academia.  

I think East African Universities are by design Academic and unless such a design is re-structured fundamentally (within Universities Acts, Laws, etc) this gap will continue to persist.

walu.


--- On Sun, 8/30/09, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:

> From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers-remember eMaddo?
> To: "Walubengo J" <jwalu at yahoo.com>
> Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> Date: Sunday, August 30, 2009, 2:48 PM
> Walu, there was a high profile National ICT
> exhibtion / week  two years ago hosted by ICT Village.com i
> remember meeting an old Lady who had come all the way from
> Vihiga as we walked around with her and passed by the
> e-maddo stand, we inquired about the cost and she really
> complained bitterly (It was around 40 K) if i wasnt wrong,
> she felt this was exploitative (haki yetu), i am not sure
> how e-maddo was received by the market, from what you are
> saying Walu it appears to be another "Nyayo
> pioneer" sort of project, am told that in chinese the
> same character is used for opportunities and challenges,
> within some some of this failed projects there lies an
> opportunity to do better, why for instance would Kenyans
> prefer brands over locally assmbled machines?, Prof Waema
> talked of TCO, the lady i met complained about the cost vis
> avis that of refurbs, something to ponder about
> 
> Lakini bado Najivunia kuwa Mkenya, in fact am a member :-)
> 
> 
> On Sat, Aug 29, 2009 at 4:55 PM,
> Walubengo J <jwalu at yahoo.com>
> wrote:
> 
> local capacity development for
> Assembling/manufacturing PCs?  Indeed there is (was?) such
> an initiative started 4yrs ago between the Kenyan ICT
> Ministry and local Universities - under the brand name
> eMaddo Project.  SU, UoN, JKUAT and Multimedia Univ College
> were all signatories...with CCK throwing in the seed money.
> 
> 
> 
> 
> But today I am not sure if any of the Universities are
> still in this project. But I can tell you that we bought
> quite a number of these locally assembled eMaddo Computers
> and 3yrs down the road they are still working and are as
> strong as the branded ones (Dell, HP etc)
> 
> 
> 
> 
> walu.
> 
> 
> 
> --- On Sat, 8/29/09, Mwololo Tim <timwololo at gmail.com>
> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> > From: Mwololo Tim <timwololo at gmail.com>
> 
> > Subject: Re: [kictanet] My Take: Affordable computers
> 
> > To: jwalu at yahoo.com
> 
> > Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> 
> > Date: Saturday, August 29, 2009, 3:49 PM
> 
> > Dear all,
> 
> >
> 
> > I have scanned the inputs made yesterday on used
> computers,
> 
> > although I could not go through all of them.
> 
> >
> 
> > In my view, the problem is beyond new/locally
> assembled PCs
> 
> > against imported re-conditioned computers. The
> biggest
> 
> > problem is that of a time bomb in terms of e-waste. A
> study
> 
> > I led on e-waste in 2007 showed that at that time,
> Kenya
> 
> > generated at least 3,000 tons of e-waste every year (a
> copy
> 
> > is attached). I am sure you can see the problem if
> you
> 
> > consider a number of years. It gets worse if you
> consider
> 
> > that the number of PCs are growing every year. From
> this
> 
> > point of view, a policy is necessary on e-waste.
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > A second issue is the life of an assembled clone
> vis-a-vis
> 
> > that of re-conditioned computer. Has anyone done any
> study?
> 
> > Can they share the results. I bought many locally
> assembled
> 
> > PCs and many of the them developed lots of problems
> and
> 
> > their life in a busy user environment is relatively
> low. I
> 
> > did this long time ago and I cannot recall the average
> life.
> 
> > The cost of ownership kept on increasing. I have also
> tried
> 
> > re-conditioned brand computers and I am monitoring
> their
> 
> > life. I am tempted to do a study.
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > The other issue is developing local capacity for ICT
> 
> > technology development. Many countries started from
> the
> 
> > assembly route with a strategy to develop local
> capacity. Do
> 
> > we really have a strategy? Putting 25% duty on used
> 
> > computers is not a strategy. It would make sense if it
> was
> 
> > part of a comprehensive strategy either aimed at
> developing
> 
> > local capacity for technology development or
> something. It
> 
> > does not even start to address our e-waste problem.
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > A few words on a staurday afternoon.
> 
> >
> 
> > tim waema
> 
> >
> 
> > On Sat, Aug 29, 2009 at 10:11 AM,
> 
> > Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
> 
> > wrote:
> 
> >
> 
> > Good points being raised here the
> 
> > more reason as to why we need a multistakeholder
> approach
> 
> > to address the issue by finding common ground, we
> cannot
> 
> > demonise used computers in a blanket manner, more so
> when
> 
> > ICT is a critical component in Vision 2030, they are
> 
> > certainly playing a critical role, as it turns out
> 
> > "affordability" is ambiguous
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > On Sat, Aug 29,
> 
> > 2009 at 9:51 AM, Bildad Kagai <billkagai at gmail.com>
> 
> > wrote:
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > On Aug 29, 2009, at 9:23 AM, Gakuru Alex wrote:
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > Why Bill, when all I am doing is to protect those
> your
> 
> > rights you used
> 
> >
> 
> > to sell every one of your previously owned
> 
> > computing/internet
> 
> >
> 
> > connection equipment that you 'dumped on innocent
> 
> > souls':-)
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > Good point Alex.
> 
> >
> 
> > After two years of aggressive business I will book an
> 
> > appointment with Ambassador Kiplagat and confess to my
> role
> 
> > in contributing to e-waste and why my role is part of
> FUTURE
> 
> > historical injustice for future generations. That will
> give
> 
> > me a clean conscience knowing that I can mess as much
> I can
> 
> > after all the truth justice and reconciliation
> commission
> 
> > will forgive me for that. Lets plunder our
> Kenya....justice
> 
> > is in the offing.
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
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> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> >
> 
> > --
> 
> > Barrack O. Otieno
> 
> > Administrative Manager
> 
> > Afriregister Ltd (Ke)
> 
> > P.o.Box 21682
> 
> > Nairobi 00100
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> 
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> 
> >
> 
> > +254733206359
> 
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> >
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> >
> 
> > -----Inline Attachment Follows-----
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> 
> -- 
> Barrack O. Otieno
> Administrative Manager 
> Afriregister Ltd (Ke)
> P.o.Box 21682
> Nairobi 00100
> Tel:
> +254721325277
> +254733206359
> Riara Road, Bamboo Lane
> 
> www.afriregister.com
> ICANN accredited registrar.
> 
> 
> 


      




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