[kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus

Wed Apr 7 18:41:46 EAT 2010

Hi,

Broadband is here and roads a better, why is it that we sit in Nairobi or along the Mombasa Kisumu highway and assume that all is bliss.

As a Kenyan I am giving my feedback to my minister, acting as the devils advocate on forums like this so that you stop deceiving your selves that all is fine, and I provide my clients with practical, cost effective solutions.

I make sure that every shilling spend by my clients adds something on the bottom line, I am not a dreamer, I am a realist which is why I can assure you that the bus issue is dead in the water.

In addition I believe I took my time and skill to present an alternative to the bus, what more is expected of me.  

As the former president said, when I was seated at the front driving the bus there where pick pockets in the back.  He played his part & so have I.

Regards

 Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

________________________________
From: Agosta Liko <agostal at gmail.com>
To: robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Sent: Wed, 7 April, 2010 13:40:21
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus

my point is really simple.

we have broadband, security is better, roads are better.

what are you doing as a Kenyan ?

am saying start with the man in the mirror and then point fingers...

On 4/7/10, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
> Hi Liko,
>
> Please make a trip to any government office location and count how many
> vehicles are grounded, if they cannot sort out a toyota vits that operated
> within Nairobi how do you expect them to service a bus that travels around a
> district?
>
> In todays paper there is an issue of funds allocated to a none-existent
> hospital in Kayole can your imagine how much easier it will be to misdirect
> funds to a moving object.
>
> It is good that you got to experience the moving bus so do you want us to
> stop schools from stocking their local libraries, the moving movies died
> because TVs became cheaper and we bought VCRs.  A technology must be looked
> at in the context of time.
>
> The moving bus can be equated to the computer lab at the Univeristy, yet we
> can today provide every student with a desktop in their room or a laptop to
> carry around at the same price.  If safaricom can negotiate for a laptop at
> 24,000/- shillings imagine how much more muscle the government has, but it
> wont because the decision makers still remember the travelling library and
> refuse to change with the times.
>
> Just to go back to the 2007 elections when Orange house was raided by thugs
> and Hon. Nyongo said that is was instigated by their opponents to get access
> to their membership list, this was a clear indication that he has not used a
> flash disk or send a file attachment because he still remembers the
> airconditioned computer room when he was in University.
>
> Regards
>
> Think global, act local
>  Robert Yawe
> KAY System Technologies Ltd
> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
> Kenya
>
>
> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>
>
>
>
> ________________________________
> From: Agosta Liko <agostal at gmail.com>
> To: robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
> Sent: Wed, 7 April, 2010 13:12:08
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus
>
> Robert
>
> I really dont see an issue with internet by bus.. its a step in the
> right direction ... can be made better but one has to start from
> somewhere. Internet by bus would work well cos the bus would move
> around schools bringing workstations to many places. If a constituency
> has 10 workstations, one can make the case that making them mobile
> would serve more people as opposed to putting them in one location
>
> When I was growing up Kenya National Library used to bring books, KCB
> used to have a landrover to bring banking to the people and Cinema Leo
> used to bring movies. With time, that model has died ... but it served
> a purpose.....
>
> see, there is a big challenge in kenya
>
> if you give schools desktops ... some people would say laptops are a better
> fit
>
> if you give schools laptops ... some people would say desktops are
> better fit and hard to steal
>
>
> You say that BPO is a joke ... I am sure that over 3000 kenyans work
> in that sector now ... and its all semantics if you look at things.
> See, Your company manages services {at Orange :) } for clients. So you
> are in the local BPO ....
>
> I respond because I borrowed books from that Kenya National Library
> bus, Watched Films at the market and I work in the local BPO sector.
>
> Also ... please take time and go through this speech by JFK ...
> http://www.famousquotes.me.uk/speeches/John_F_Kennedy/5.htm
>
> Incase you are very busy .. Its always summed up as follows
>
> "ask not what your country can do for you - ask what you can do for
> your country."
>
> On Wed, Apr 7, 2010 at 12:53 PM, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>> Hi,
>> I disagree on the issue of the bus, last I checked God was not sending out
>> bills for solar unlike KPLC & the fuel companies would, so why are we
>> obsessed with physical connections.
>> Lets role out practical sustainable solutions that will not break down
>> soon
>> after implementation, the african needs to stop thinking seasonally we
>> need
>> to see the bigger picture.  Lets agree that the bus concept was a half
>> brainer and move onto a better model.
>> You mentioned the issue of India please search for an article called the
>> "hole in the wall" experiment and then based on that we role out ICT
>> everywhere. Let us begin where the service can be paid for which I believe
>> is at the district headquarters to which the government has laid fibre.
>> We
>> use this as a hub and fern outwards.
>> In addition Bwana PS your concept on empowering the local authorities to
>> carry out the metro cables is brilliant so lets follow it through and use
>> the LATIF fund to implement.
>> We can then centralise the functions such as HR, finance and procurement
>> and
>> use the savings to pay for the terrestrial fibre cable.  90% of these
>> activities do not need Internet access thus they should have been
>> implement
>> without waiting for the marine cables.
>> The local authorities would then connect their schools and implement a
>> centralised management system that would then sort out the issue of
>> students
>> being in school for 8 years without ID cards.
>> This issue is not rocket science nor brain surgery, it just needs basic
>> reasoning and practical application, the bus was a joke & BPO is a bigger
>> joke so lets get out from the centre ring and get back to reality.
>> I have a serious problem with detail which is not a fault as I see the
>> bigger picture where others see dots and might explain why I have not done
>> a
>> phd on the mating habits of the anorphalise mosquito because that will be
>> a
>> pixel.  I know that when I spray doom on the mosquito it dies how is
>> irrelevant.
>>
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> Robert Yawe
>> KAY System Technologies Ltd
>> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>> Kenya
>>
>> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: "bitange at jambo.co.ke" <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
>> To: robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk
>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> Sent: Tue, 6 April, 2010 23:06:35
>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus
>>
>> Vitalis,
>> Lack of electricity is one of the lame excuses we use to stop linking our
>> rural areas. You can now provide Broadband anywhere in the country.
>> Safaricom has done it to Digital Villages in Karachwonyo and Ugenya.
>> Indeed
>> in Karachwonyo their was neither electricity nor tarmaked roads.
>>
>> The bus idea was a self contained project that did not require the
>> luxuries
>> you mention here. If we really want to develop this country and expand
>> opportunity we must stop sounding like foreigners in this country. We must
>> learn to be creative and speak less. We must refuse donor money and start
>> individual social responsibilty. We must have faith in our abilities.
>> Saying
>> we cannot manage a bus in a constituency is defeatist and eroding the
>> confidence of ever managing our resources.
>>
>> Ndemo.
>>
>> Sent from my BlackBerry®
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: Vitalis Olunga <volunga at yahoo.com>
>> Date: Tue, 6 Apr 2010 12:29:13 -0700 (PDT)
>> To: <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus
>> Thanks  a lot Bwana PS for your comprehensive response on this issuue
>> regardless of my getting into this discussion too late. I am very sorry
>> about this lateness.  Of cause  I did  not mean political or legal
>> feasiblty, as this could only mean "a sacred  cow project. " What I had in
>> mind tends toward economic and technical feasibilty. Of cause not
>> commercial
>> viability.  You have indeed responded comphensively in all areas,
>> therefore
>> I don't intend to pursue the matter any further.  However, there are
>> few points of interest which I would wish to share (but not into details).
>>
>> It may not necessarily require to carryout feasibility study to deploy
>> computers in rural schools, but it may be necessary, at the very basic, to
>> gather some information e.g. availability of power, and connectivity or
>> broadband access (fixed and mobile network coverage), before distributing
>> computers to theses schools.  This may sound simple, but there are a few
>> of
>> cases in the past where computers have been donated to some schools in
>> rural
>> areas before electricty is connected.  To carryout this kind of exercise
>> may
>> not require paying someone huge sums of fee.  This can be done using even
>> internal resources (assuming they exist), with minimal help from a local
>> consutant. Some of the data may be readily available and whta may be
>> requred
>> is only to convert it into useful information.
>>
>> Digital villages in each constituency was "a very bright idea".  This
>> could
>> be usefull in nhancing demand for ICT to rural commuinities and to extend
>> the same to schools as well.  This is where public private parnership
>> could
>> play a fundamental role, with involvement of all the satakeholders.
>> Alternaetively the ministry of education (with the rural communities)
>> could
>> identify at least two  distritric/ provicial schools (Boys' & Gilrls' OR
>> Mixed) in each constituency where there is braodaband access (assuming
>> electricity already exists), or the Ministry of Ifo. could work with the
>> service providers to provide broadband aceess last mile distribution.  In
>> this case the cost of overeheads required to run such a prpject will be
>> minimal (no fuel to run the bus, no bus drivers, no maitenace costs of
>> buses
>> due to poor condition of rural access roads).  Also some schools may be
>> located in "shadow zones" with no signals, and will not be linked by "ICT
>> Bus".  The eviroments differ in every country, though "adaptation" can
>> also
>> work.
>>
>> With the use of digital villages or ICT school labs, then the excellent,
>> bright and succesful initiatives/projects  such as Data Centres, NOFBI,
>> Teams, etc.  can be of greater benefits to the rural schools through
>> e-Learning.  To train the teacher first, on how to use ICT, before traing
>> the child is importnat, to avoid or limit computer numbers gathering dust
>> in
>> some corners. Similar appraoch/pilot project can be replicated for
>> e-Health
>> to connect all district hosiptals to a Central Data Portal. In this case,
>> training the doctor before nurse is essential. Is to importnat to note
>> that
>> involving too many committes in a prpject is a challenge. "Too many rats
>> never dig a hole."  Having a Data Centre without (or limited)
>> access/connectivity  may negligible impact or benefit. CDF management
>> is already complex and challenging. This where one meets with
>> numrous political projects at times.
>> I intend to stop here, and not to pursue it any more. However, I can
>> expand
>> my thoughts in another forum.   Thanks for the good work and great ideas.
>>
>>
>> Regards
>>
>>
>> Vitalis
>>
>>
>>
>> ________________________________
>> From: "bitange at jambo.co.ke" <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
>> To: Vitalis Olunga <volunga at yahoo.com>
>> Cc: bitange at jambo.co.ke; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> Sent: Sun, April 4, 2010 7:08:38 PM
>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus
>>
>> Dear Vitalis,
>> My brother you are getting into this matter too late.  For a start, you
>> are confusing issues when you ask for a feasibility study.  Although I do
>> not know which feasibility (legal, economic, technical etc) you wanted in
>> place, it is unwise in my view to pay someone to do a feasibility study on
>> whether you need to deploy computers in the rural areas.  Before we made
>> the proposal to treasury, we developed a concept note and observed a
>> similar bus that has been providing similar services to kids in Mathare
>> and Kibera.  The concept is based on an Indian model that has been very
>> successful in arousing interest in ICT (boosting the demand side) in rural
>> India.  Basically, the objective was to create demand for ICT services
>> among the rural folks, introduce ICTs on a pilot basis to schools, youth
>> and villagers in all constituencies.  The project was to be supported by
>> digital villages throughout the country.  Each bus was to have two
>> qualified ICT instructors and managed by District Education Boards as well
>> as CDF committees.
>> This was a well thought idea and fits in with devolved resources idea that
>> we have all been pushing as a basis of equitable distribution of
>> resources.  The project was fought from day 1 as not feasible.  To date
>> nobody has tabled a feasibility study that helped them arrive at that
>> decision.  Ni kupiga mudomo tu.  Why do we make so much noise about
>> devolved funds if several committees cannot manage one bus per
>> constituency?  Several studies show that countries that bought computers
>> and simply put them in class have not seen the benefit since not even the
>> teachers use them.  Why?  Because they did not create the demand for ICTs
>> in the first place.  In places where you have digital villages, you hear
>> people talking about their e-mail, people wanting e-learning platform etc.
>> We have been successful with digital villages because we avoided
>> unnecessary subsidies and introduced them as enterprises.  Several
>> countries deployed these digital villages through NGOs, Donors and direct
>> Government subsidy.  They have failed.  The bus was to drive demand for
>> e-services in rural areas.
>> Where we are in terms of development, we need to take a bit of risk by
>> moving to design and implementation and stop wasting resources on the so
>> called feasibility studies.  Teams, NOFBI, GCCN, Data Centers, etc are
>> some of the most successful projects that were done in record period by
>> simply moving to design and implementation.  Of course design begets you
>> technical feasibility.  Much of economic feasibility can be discerned
>> through googling similar projects.  Note Piloting a concept that has
>> already succeeded elsewhere and within does not require detailed
>> feasibility since you know the outcomes.  Further it is usually difficult
>> to quantify social benefits as in the bus case in order to have an
>> objective feasibility study.
>>
>> Ndemo.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>> Sorry to respond on this a little bit too late.  My question is whether
>>> whether there was any feasibility study carried out before allocation of
>>> funds to  this "ICT Bus Projects."  It would be prudent to share such a
>>> report with satakeholders. The sustainability of such a project could be
>>> questionable. If other strategic alternatives (including building
>>> computer
>>> labs in schools) were considered, then the reasons for making this choice
>>> (ICT Bus) would be of interest to share, even if it is meant to be for a
>>> quick fix solution.  E-education/learning is definitly a very important
>>> area that needs to be given a priority and .  There are some
>>> interestesting analyses
>>>
>>> Regrds
>>>
>>>
>>> Vitalis
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>________________________________
>>> From: robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>
>>> To: volunga at yahoo.com
>>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>>> Sent: Thu, March 25, 2010 5:39:31 PM
>>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus
>>>
>>>
>>> Hi,
>>>
>>> I refuse to acknowledge the regional issues because I come from an in an
>>> industry that has no ethnicity or regional divide.
>>>
>>> I plead with you stop selling yourself short by getting embroiled in
>>> political side shows, if we set out our objective and kept to the plan we
>>> can achieve what I have proposed and more.
>>>
>>> Even if I asked you to volunteer to go to Mandera and teach ICT you
>>> definitely will not, it makes more sense to train the teacher already on
>>> the ground.  We can roll out across the country simultaneously as we are
>>> not using a single contractor to build the labs or install the solar or
>>> the cabling.
>>>
>>> Just like with the CDF if the area representatives cannot identify their
>>> priority areas then lets not try to force it down their throats.
>>>
>>> Before teaching a man to fish make sure he does eat fish.
>>>
>>> Technology knows no bounds only the human mind constrains itself
>>>
>>> Robert Yawe
>>> KAY System Technologies Ltd
>>> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>>> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>>> Kenya
>>>
>>>
>>> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>________________________________
>>> From: "bitange at jambo.co.ke" <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
>>> To: robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk>
>>> Cc: bitange at jambo.co.ke; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
>>> <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>>> Sent: Wed, 24 March, 2010 19:15:50
>>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Ongeri Hurray on ICT Bus
>>>
>>> Robert,
>>> Things are not as easy as you write here.  Today in Kenya you cannot try
>>> to do anything without taking into account of regional interests.  I hope
>>> you are watching the constitutional process and the regional emotions.
>>> Imagine if we were to start with schools in the ASAL region promising to
>>> cover the entire country in the next five years.  Consider that Ministry
>>> of Education does not have adequate number of teachers as we speak yet
>>> you
>>> will need at least one computer teacher in the 20,000 primary schools and
>>> 9,000 secondary schools.
>>>
>>> If we need to close the digital divide, we all must change.  We must for
>>> example begin volunteering to teach both the students and the unemployed
>>> youth computers.  By so doing, you will one day live to say what you did
>>> for your country.  Like it is said "it is easier said than done".
>>>
>>> Regards
>>>
>>>
>>> Ndemo.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>> Hi,
>>>>
>>>> It seems that some sanity is coming into the education realm with the
>>>> Hon.
>>>> Minister Dr. Ongeri canceling the proposed ICT Bus project, I believe
>>>> once
>>>> bitten twice shy.
>>>>
>>>> The project was to cost Kes. 1.2  B with each bus costing Kes. 7 Million
>>>> which equates to 171 buses that is roughly 24 buses per province this
>>>> was
>>>> surely another scan in the making.  I remember the MP of Kisumu Hon.
>>>> Shabbir raising the issue of the buses and getting dismissed as a self
>>>> seeking technology Neanderthal, lets hope this is the beginning of
>>>> sanity
>>>> in the ICT arena, but if I was you I wouldn't hold my breath.
>>>>
>>>> I suspect that the concept of mobile computer labs was a thinking from
>>>> the
>>>> mobile library project but someone forgot that with a library the books
>>>> are left behind.
>>>>
>>>> With Kes 7 million we could do much more than just a single bus with 20
>>>> computer that requires a driver, insurance, service, generators, and
>>>> many
>>>> other thinks.
>>>>
>>>> Here is my suggestion on how the 7 million could be better utilised to
>>>> meet the objectives.
>>>>
>>>> - 20% to be used for physical facilities (stone & mortar) - Kes. 1.4 M -
>>>> This can build 150 sq m of classroom space inclusive of electrical
>>>> wiring
>>>> & burger proofed windows. An average computer lab is 15 sq m which means
>>>> we can build 10 labs and each can accommodate 20 screens/pcs.  We could
>>>> build even more labs if the Ministry if Housing provided the
>>>> interlocking
>>>> soil block making machines
>>>>
>>>> - 30% to be used for provision of power to the lab - Kes. 2.1 million we
>>>> which we need to provide sufficient power.  The computers will need to
>>>> be
>>>> low power consumers therefore we use TFT screens and cpu sharing devices
>>>> that allow 1 computer to be used simultaneously by 4 or more students.
>>>> With this our power requirement for each lab would be below 1,000 VA
>>>> which
>>>> can easily be supplied by a few solar panels and a battery bank.
>>>>
>>>> - 20% for the actual hardware - Kes. 1.4 M - DC powered computers,
>>>> printers and GSM modem with a good proxy server to provide local
>>>> caching.
>>>> This will also include structured cabling which will be done by the
>>>> graduats of the kazi kwa Vijani initiative where they will have been
>>>> offered technical training.
>>>>
>>>> -  20% teacher training - Kes. 1.4 M, even if we have them certified in
>>>> ICDL we shall be able to train 66 teachers which would provide enough
>>>> computer teachers.
>>>>
>>>> - 10% well I leave you to decide what to do with that, note that there
>>>> are
>>>> no recurrent costs such as drivers, diesel, electricity costs (God does
>>>> not charge for solar, yet).
>>>>
>>>> The 10 labs can be used by the schools during the day and could be made
>>>> available to the community in the evenings and as digital villages over
>>>> the weekends where content can be generated, yes local content (ask me
>>>> for
>>>> details).
>>>>
>>>> Now that I have spend the equivalent of 1 bus to create 10 centers why
>>>> won't we actually do this, because I did not factor in the feasibility
>>>> study costs, 30%, seminars and workshops 50%, sitting allowances 20% and
>>>> well nothing else to include as the preliminary costs have already
>>>> consumed the 7 million.
>>>>
>>>> Ongeri hurray but lets hope the money will not go to drinking water and
>>>> writing materials for a bonding session.
>>>>
>>>> Regards
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>  Robert Yawe
>>>> KAY System Technologies Ltd
>>>> Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>>>> P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>>>> Kenya
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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