[kictanet] Day 5 of 10-KCA 2008, IT Section - the Bad + Recommendations

Sun Jan 18 20:31:36 EAT 2009

A few points for discussion, for the sake of research:

The concept behind research is to take a large amount of information,
compile it in a reasonable way and share it for educational purposes. Policy
makers need to read research for a variety of sources before they make
decisions.

What may be missing from this discussion is the research from the
development community that illustrates how ICTs when utilized properly can
benefit the people. But when content developers (aka the media) and others
are not free to express their research (stories) without arbitrary
censorship, a country puts it self at risk. Please see *Development as
Freedom* by Amaryta Sen, foremost economist on development and freedom,
winner of the Nobel prize in Economics, and Sen's work on how democracy and
a free media have prevented famine in India.

One question for Walu, how many people have to be on the brink of starvation
before the title FAMINE applies?

A few suggestions:

*So what are some definitions of famine?*

• According to Médecins Sans Frontières, famine is a situation where more
than five people in 10,000 are dying every day.

• USAID says a famine is a "catastrophic food crisis that results in
widespread acute malnutrition and mass mortality. It is a process, rather
than an event, with a beginning, a middle and an end."

• The World Food Programme says a famine occurs when a serious food crisis
is made worse by "governments' failure to deal with the situation". In most
of the 80 countries where WFP operates, people are on the brink of a food
crisis.

• Nigerien President Mamadou Tandja put it this way in an interview in
August with the BBC: "There are three signs of a famine: when people are
leaving the countryside and going to live in shantytowns; people are leaving
the country; and there are beggars all over the place. Those three things do
not exist in Niger at the present time."

• Devereux and Howe suggest this definition: "Famine is where the number of
people dying is between 2-4 people per 10,000 population per day, and/or
wasting is between 20-40 percent (that is the proportion of children aged
between six months and five years old who are less than 80 percent of the
average weight-for-height). Coping strategies are exhausted and people adopt
survival strategies. Markets begin to close or collapse."

So where does Kenya fit into this equation?

According to the World Bank, one of the primary funding agencies for ICTs
for development in Kenya the infant mortality rate has been on the rise for
the last 10 years. As of their 2007, Millennium Development Goals report the
infant mortality rate is up to 79 out of 1,000. That was before the
post-election violence, drought, and crop failure. I am sure it is much
higher as I know of three children who have died in the last week in Likoni.
The under five mortality is up to 121 per 1,000. Unfortunately the data for
the poverty reduction of Goal 1 is missing from the dataset as if the figure
for malnutrition. However if you compare the Kenyan Bureau of Statistics
numbers such as poverty in Ganze constiuency in Coastal province, you will
see that the malnutrition is rampant. As for survival strategies and rural
to urban migration just take a look at the child prostituion trade at the
Coast and the burdgening population and insecurity in Likoni.

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/KENYAEXTN/0,,menuPK:356536~pagePK:141132~piPK:141109~theSitePK:356509,00.html<http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/AFRICAEXT/KENYAEXTN/0,,menuPK:356536%7EpagePK:141132%7EpiPK:141109%7EtheSitePK:356509,00.html>

With 10 million people on the brink of starvation, roughly one third of the
country, I would in my professional opinion call it a famine.

So where does this fit into the policy? Again according to the World Bank,
The vision of the ICT policy in Kenya is to become "an e-enabloed and
knowledge based society by 2015." Their mission is "to use ICT to improve
the livelihoods of the people of Kenya and opitmize its contribution to the
economy."

http://siteresources.worldbank.org/PSGLP/Resources/ICTPolicyandKenya.pdf

SO... If these are the goals of the ICT policy then why haven't the people
received any share of the $116 million in World Bank loans given to the
government? Would a country on its way to becoming a knowledge based society
chose to curb the voice of the media if they had the priorites of the people
in mind?

Really, I just wanted to share some of the thoughts rambling around in my
head as I watch the children in my village starve...

Any thoughts from anyone else?

Many blessings,

Crystal
On Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 3:16 PM, Catherine Adeya <elizaslider at yahoo.com>wrote:

>
> I do agree with the authors (I believe from an IDRC publication) who wrote
> ".....the link between policy research and policy-making is non-linear.
> Researchers must be flexible and agile in their timing and approaches if
> they are to influence economic policies. They should be willing and able to
> re-assess the situation at any point in time, and to re-visit their course
> of action or strategy".
>
> Failing to plan is planning to fail. Research is not for research sake;
> research should and can inform policy. Many research centres were created in
> response to the need to develop policies that are home-grown, given the
> context of the failures of imported policies. Many policymakers run back to
> the very researchers who they would listened to in the first place to ensure
> they work in partnership; however researchers must work in a timely manner.
> Essentially, Walu, is on the right track.
>
> Best,
>
> Nyaki
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* Bill Kagai <billkagai at gmail.com>
> *To:* elizaslider at yahoo.com
> *Cc:* KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> *Sent:* Saturday, January 17, 2009 11:23:42 AM
> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Day 5 of 10-KCA 2008, IT Section - the Bad +
> Recommendations
>
> OK, I am convinced. This discussion is to do with research and I commend
> that.
> The only catch I can foresee is captured very well by Physicist Dr. Angeyo
> Kalambuka...quoting him verbatim,
>
> *[However, normally, academics look backward to find lessons; policymakers
> look ahead and often must improvise. Academics can wait until all the facts
> are in; policymakers cannot. The time horizon of academics may be years; the
> horizon of policymakers, weeks, days, even hours.]*
>
> Source -
> http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/-/440808/513790/-/428722/-/index.html
>
> This is the key difference between David Makali and co. (who are making
> things happen and shaping the future) and 'us' who are waiting to derive
> research from the action Media policy makers take. That is why they are a
> step ahead of us. Walu is our Academician. Where are our policy makers who
> will influence our future??
>
> Bill
>
>
> On Sat, Jan 17, 2009 at 9:32 AM, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> If i may contribute to this exchange i think the discussion is important
>> Bill. The Law is already in place , however everyone seems to be having
>> their own opinion on the Pro's and Cons of the New law which is
>> counterproductive in the long run for the sector.Dont forget there are
>> vested interests and sideshows in this whole Law issue, as practitioners it
>> is important that we are all informed on the benefits (or good tidings) that
>> the new new law brings and the challenges it might bring to the sector in
>> the long run.In short as others are submitting their petitions let the
>> debate continue, we were challenged at the Hilton Forum to embrace Research
>> and the kind of information being exchanged on this forum is of utmost
>> importance to all members.
>>
>> On Fri, Jan 16, 2009 at 3:55 PM, John Walubengo <jwalu at yahoo.com> wrote:
>>
>>> Bill,
>>>
>>> I have no game plan, I am an Academician and so find that I am able to
>>> look at this issues from each stakeholders perspective relatively
>>> objectively  - and yes my effort was 'duly' commissioned by the KICTANet
>>> National Cordinator - though not digitally signed :-(.
>>>
>>> This 10day exercise is not intended in anywway to undermine any other
>>> 'fact-finding' exercise and I believe the Ministry (of Info) does have the
>>> resources to multi-task and receive ideas from face-2-face workshops, online
>>> workshops, et al.
>>>
>>> With regard to timeliness - last I heard was that Wako (AG) and/or
>>> Parliament can only begin to debate the suggested recommendations/proposals
>>> in April 2009 under a new Bill. So my take is that we have enough time for
>>> KICTAnet, ISACA and/or any other Stakeholder to submit their ideas.
>>>
>>> Why go into the other Sections -IT, Telco, Postal, etc?. Again, my brief
>>> was to do total review of ALL sections - avoid being trapped in the
>>> over-hyped Media vs Govt debate because all the other sections are important
>>> too and could stand to benefit from a review.
>>>
>>> I attach the Program Outline which I posted on Day 1 and looks like you
>>> missed it (hence your suspicions?). Nevertheless, If members wish that we
>>> rest the discussion, I will close the discussion and move out of the Chair
>>> accordingly.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>
>
>
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-- 
Crystal "Naliaka" Watley
Voices of Africa
crystal at voicesofafrica.org
http://www.voicesofafrica.org/

"You must be the change you wish to see" - Gandhi
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