[kictanet] We have failed Kenya, again

Wed Jan 21 11:56:09 EAT 2009

I believe there are IT professionals in Kenya who use their skills to educate and inform others who know less. Skunkworks is a forum of such professionals and there is some talk of having the bi-annual Barcamps in other towns in Kenya, not just Nairobi.

I belive the problems (Starvation, oil scandal, grand regency etc) with Kenya are primarily at the top (so called leaders) and at the bottom (poor and un-educated people). 

At the top: Any (wo)man in the streets can give you reasons.

At the bottom: They don't know how to choose leaders and they lack vision for the environment they live in. Their hope isn't in the confused government but in the people in the middle, people who are educated and understand that a country should be run with planning, accountability, justice, ... These middle people, you and I, are the ones who can slowly re-educate the poor and un-educated and when they become wiser they will likely choose us the middle people who helped them as their leaders and finally the country can have real leaders who have the interests of the entire Kenyan population at heart.

One positive thing that can come out of these scandals and disasters is that some people (especially the poor) will learn that they have to be wise when choosing leaders. They will understand that whoever they choose can either build or destroy their livelihoods. Somehow I believe disasters are a way of God to let us know that our choices are wrong. If the pains of disasters cannot make one change his/her ways there is only one final event, death.

o_O

--- On Sun, 1/18/09, Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com> wrote:

From: Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] We have failed Kenya, again
To: kiriinya2000 at yahoo.com
Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Date: Sunday, January 18, 2009, 11:13 PM

Solomon and Crystal,
I had from a good friend that our neighbours(EA) regard us as a man eat man society, that our society is for the swift much as this might be a good attribute it is the governments role to protect the slow ones who are also our brothers, talk of Universal Access (Free?? Alex), Universal Education (Free Primary Education). Nonetheless there seems to be a communication barrier between researchers and policy makers or shall we call them implementers, that might expalin why R&D is not well established in our country what do you say any thoughts on this??

On Sun, Jan 18, 2009 at 8:07 PM, Solomon Mburu <solo.mburu at gmail.com> wrote:

Barrack and Crystal,

I do agree with Crystal that ICT has not been fully utilized to avert social crises affecting Kenya. If only the government through the ICT Board can make good use of ICT in averting the challenges facing Kenya, then we would not be talking of corruprion and other ills affecting Kenya because the integration of ICT just exists in s the minds of the young. The old chaps have not fully inderstood the need to make it more effective apart from just being used as a communication tool. 
In the private sector, ICT has become one of the basic tools for running the affairs of organizations.

There is an urgent need to prioritize ICT as a core function for closing the gap between the informed and the non-informed.

Recently I was in West Pokot, amd Kacheliba Constituency, (Infact I passed where K24 and KTN journalist were beaten) and couldn't believe the rate at which development is lagging behind. The people there no nothing like ICT and, being a place presented by the Minister for Communications, should be the first place where ICT is flourishing, but with the famine, yur guess is as good as mine!

In fact during the Post Election Violence, the Pokots were saying, hiyo ni vita ya Kenya... Kama ni vita ya kuchukua(read kuiba) ng'ombe, tutaenda...! and 'mbona kuchoma nyumba ya mtu ama kuuwa mtu badala ya ng'ombe...!

There is indeed a whole of debate on where ICT can be placed, but the setting up of agenda in this has to be done with efficiency and sobriety!

Mburu

-- 
Man is a gregarious animal and enjoys agreement as cows will graze all the same way to the side of a hill!

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To give up the task of reforming society is to give up ones responsibility as a free man.
Alan Paton, South Africa

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