[kictanet] Honouring the man who linked Kenya to world (was Update on Arrangements for Kisumu Reunion – December 21-23rd, 2010)

Tue Dec 14 16:35:28 EAT 2010

True,

...around the same time in '95, i was a young lecturer at the then Strathmore College (oops, now you know am so old ;-) when Shem literally came to show off  "the Internet" to the College students and staff.  That afternoon,  the Library was converted into an auditorium and Shem had his 2hrs of fame - proudly beaming the graphical internet (through netscape) as he browsed through sites in the US to over 200 curious student and faculty community.

walu.

--- On Tue, 12/14/10, Harry Karanja <kairo at softlaw.co.ke> wrote:

From: Harry Karanja <kairo at softlaw.co.ke>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Honouring the man who linked Kenya to world (was Update on Arrangements for Kisumu Reunion – December 21-23rd, 2010)
To: jwalu at yahoo.com
Cc: "'Madaraka Party'" <madaraka-kenya at yahoogroups.com>, "'NYCIV Group'" <nyciv at googlegroups.com>, "'PICTA Kenya-LIst'" <picta-kenya at yahoogroups.com>, "'ProgressiveMinds'" <ProgressiveMinds at yahoogroups.com>, "'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions'" <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Date: Tuesday, December 14, 2010, 5:05 PM

Daktari, that’s the name I came to know you by, courtesy of reading your emails on the internet.  It was 1995, and my father had just signed up to your fledgling new ISP from all the way in Njoro, Nakuru. We used the DOS interfaced email to keep in touch with family abroad and would enjoy the daily snippets of news you’d send. As one of three internet connections in the whole of Nakuru district, we had all sorts of visitors coming to use the internet from my dad’s bedroom J  From that introduction to the internet I’ve never looked back, and the internet has become my source of livelihood.   Thanks Daktari.  Harry Karanja n Director n SoftLaw Limited n Genius Executive Centre n 15th Floor View Park Towers  n Utalii Lane n Nairobi CBD n Tel: +254 20 342 225   From: kictanet-bounces+kairo=softlaw.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke [mailto:kictanet-bounces+kairo=softlaw.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On Behalf Of Shem Ochuodho
Sent: Sunday, December 12, 2010 12:05 PM
To: kairo at softlaw.co.ke
Cc: Madaraka Party; NYCIV Group; PICTA Kenya-LIst; ProgressiveMinds; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: [kictanet] Honouring the man who linked Kenya to world (was Update on Arrangements for Kisumu Reunion – December 21-23rd, 2010)  Madada Philo na Betty,

Ahsanteni for the pongezi's. It was re-freshening to know the CTO (Commonwealth Telecom Organization www.cto.int) domiciled in London, with current CEO being Ghana's former Minister for Communication (Dr Ekwow Spio-Garbrah) could remember some of Africa's Unsung Heroes. I am working on a book with that name to catalogue the evolution of Internet in Africa - perhaps we should look for royalties from FaceBook, Google, mPesa, YouTube, SEACOM, etc! But the efforts could not have borne fruit without the inputs of several other people, including the techies who alongside Randy Bush burnt mid-night oil (Dr Martin Koyabe - now with British Telecoms, Paul Olendo now @UN, Alfred Orimbo, etc) - for several nights - to get it all work on Kenya's/indeed Africa's then real terrible phone lines.

In the same vein, without Steve Goldstein of the US National Science Foundation (who provided the boxes and technology) and Peter Sutherland of UK's Overseas Development Agency (ODA now DfID) who took up the initial leased line phone bills - used to cost US$ 16,000 (yes, 16k) per month for just a mere 64KBps pipe - it wouldn't have happened.

When in 2000 CSK (Computer Society of Kenya) felt I deserved 'Father of Internet in Kenya' title, I dedicated the award to three people: Amb. Dr Benjamin Kipkorir (then Kenya's Ambassador in Washington), Micah Cheserem (then Governor, Central Bank), Brig. (Rtd) Wilson Boinnett (then DG, NSIS aka Special Branch). Without these guys' intervention, the KANU regime of the time wouldn't have allowed Internet to happen. Not that they didn't try to block it - the then Head of Public Service wrote a letter (I have a souvenir copy) to all PS's, Heads of Military, Special Branch, etc warning them not to connect to ARCC/Internet/UNEP without direct approval from his office. That partly explains why these three Kenyan Wazalendo's perhaps deserve these awards more than I.

Last but not least, Jeddy and the kids who allowed me to use one of the family bedrooms for initial tests when sections of the University felt by staying late in the labs night, we had 'lots of idle time and needed to be given more teaching load' had denied us space to do the experiments. But all the Glory must always go to God the Almighty, Allah - the One and Only!

For those who missed the story (courtesy Visioner Augustine Oduor), you can access it on: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/news/InsidePage.php?id=2000024440&cid=159&story=Honouring%20the%20man%20who%20linked%20Kenya%20to%20world.

Best rgrds,
Shem
2010 CTO/GoSS African Internaut (Internet Pioneer) Award Recipient     From: Philo Ikonya <philonikonya at yahoo.com>
To: NVK-Mageuzi at yahoogroups.com
Sent: Sat, 11 December, 2010 18:51:39
Subject: Re: [NVK-Mageuzi] Update on Arrangements for Kisumu Reunion – December 21-23rd, 2010

  Adhiambo,

thanks very much for letting me know.. I did not know.. Congrats Shem. You did not say it even as I was telling you of my little works?\

Philo
             Aung San Suu Kyi cannot be silenced because she speaks the truth and because her words reflect basic Burmese and universal concepts - Vaclav Havel   

--- On Fri, 12/10/10, Betty Otieno <betty.otieno at gmail.com> wrote:
From: Betty Otieno <betty.otieno at gmail.com>
Subject: Re: [NVK-Mageuzi] Update on Arrangements for Kisumu Reunion – December 21-23rd, 2010
To: NVK-Mageuzi at yahoogroups.com
Date: Friday, December 10, 2010, 11:01 PM  Congratulations Shem on the honor you received the other day, pioneer internet related Kenya.

Adhiambo

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