[kictanet] Bitange for President? Extended due to Public Demand-internet price?

[bitange at jambo.co.ke]

Walubengo,
You can dig for your answer in my write up below.

This week I had an opportunity to fly to Laikipia for a lunch meeting with
investors who wanted to kill two birds with one stone by having a Safari
and discuss business at the same time.  They paid the bill.  The one hour
flight to and from Laikipia got my head spinning.  The pilot has been
flying here for more than thirty years and has seen many physical changes
in Central, Eastern and Rift Valley.  I pestered him with many questions.

At some point he told me that all the rivers that flow through Central
Kenya had crystal clear water in the 7o's and 80's but as farmers
encroached on riparian land, soil erosion crept in and now they are all
red dragging the best of soils into the Indian Ocean.  In spite of several
Departments of Geography in our Universities there are little or no
studies on the long term effects of what is happening to our ecosystem. 
We study both human and physical geography not to apply the knowledge but
as a means to get papers for employment.

A quick research will tell you that we are not only food insecure but also
water insecure.   Although Kenya’s water per capita in cubic meters at 647
is above world average 360, we do not compare well with other progressive
countries such as India at 1,911 and China at 2,840.  We were better at
independence since we had many dams built by the British but are now
non-existent.  People planted Ndumas in most of the dams.  We must now
admit we did not know the impact and still we do not know until our
academics get down to work on research.

Soil erosion means we are also eroding the most arable land in the
country.  Per capita arable land in Kenya measures only .14 hectare per
person.  Here we fall below the world average of .21 hectare per person. 
The statistic implies the world must manage this resource better in order
to feed everybody.  The British had started this policy on African
reserves sort of rural urbanization.  We rightly shunned it but without
studies to look into our future.  We must re-introduce this with a better
name and better housing with all utilities.  My research findings on such
housing will cost about Ksh. 200,000 per unit of three bedrooms.  In other
words we can construct 340,000 households from the Goldenberg loot if we
were to recover it.  This will translate to all of Northern Kenya from
Kacheliba to Wajir.

We have about 6 million households in Kenya of which 3 million can afford
to pay for such a house or better.  The Government can indeed manage to
build for the remainder through improved tax collections (we pay about 40%
of the potential income tax and about 20% of the potential local authority
taxes such as rates).  Of course there will be other savings from health
budget that goes into opportunistic diseases that we can eliminate from
the face of Kenya.  These include water borne diseases.  Typhoid alone
costs Kenya billions that need to be used to improve the livelihood of our
people and meet the constitutional demands.

Therefore, the question on Lake Victoria water will not arise if we dammed
all the waters that flow into the lake and elsewhere.  As for affordable
prices for broadband, I have no doubts that we shall meet this even before
the end of this year.  The shared infrastructure negotiations are going on
smoothly.  In a few weeks time we should move forward with the LTE open
access program.  If we all understand the open access principle where big
and small will use the infrastructure at same access cost.  More agile
companies will indeed provide very competitive pricing.  As we move the
Government more online, the more the number of internet users meaning we
shall reach the critical mass much faster.  With the critical mass and
many providers, the price can only go downwards.

The biggest problem and one asked by Monda is the question of vested
interests.  I know some sectors have a real problem with this issue and
negatively impacts on our economic growth.  In our sector we have been
lucky in the sense that much of what we do is new and the rapid
technological changes discourage power brokers who may entrench themselves
to build strong vested interest.  This is not to say that we are not often
asked to do things differently.  Our savior is going to be open government
and in this I pray that every Kenyan understands this concept because it
has a way of not only dealing with vested interest but also impunity in a
way.  If I had time I could delve into this more.  To date I do not think
even media has understood this powerful tool.

Back to my flight.  Coming back I found myself humming Jim Reeves’ song
“we thank thee each morning for a new born day 
.. we thank thee for the
sunshine and air we breathe, for the rivers that run, for the birds that
sing, for the eyes to see this things
unfortunately we may not hear the
birds sing since from above you can see that we have eliminated their
habitat – percent of total land area in Kenya covered by forest is 2%
compared to world average of 31%.  We may not see the rivers as they were
before since all our soils are polluting the what remains of rivers as
eucalyptus has swallowed much of the water and wetlands.

Hovering over many towns across the land you get hurt by what you see. 
Although there are planners in all local authorities you see a cry of
unplanned structures with visible problems of managing solid waste.  You
simply see chaos in a country with literacy levels approaching 90%.  What
you see are the sources of many diseases and problems such as the jigger
menace in some parts of the country.   I grew up fairly poor but we did
not have this level of disorganization.  At least health officers did
something to prevent many diseases.  I saw dirty butcheries and
restaurants closed by health officers.  There was a semblance of planned
dukas.  Where the madness of unplanningness came from I do not know but
this is one of the things “candidate” Ndemo will deal with.

In conclusion, we must make very tough decisions if we want a better
future.  I know the new constitution has brought all sorts of rights but
it is all nonsense if we undermine the future with unplanned population,
unplanned urban centers, unplanned future, etc.   There must be no rights
without responsibility.


Ndemo.






> Bw PS,
>
> nice insights you have below.  Mine is simply to ask what your thoughts
> are, in terms of making consumer internet prices affordable. Yes, cost of
> bandwidth at international gateway level used to be 5,000USD per MB (over
> satellite) but now it has dropped below  500USD per MB.  Basically it
> has dropped by 10 times - HOWEVER- in our cyber cafes, the cost of
> accessing internet is still 1/- to 2/- per minute, pretty much what it was
> during the satellite days.
>
> Mobile data internet which is the more common form of access is not any
> cheaper either.  There's has been NO  drop per-se, just marketing
> gimmicks of increasing the amount of bandwidth for the same (HIGH) price.
> It is like saying lunch costs 2,500/= at some 5star hotel, but since there
> has been good rains/harvest, for the same 2,500/= you are free to eat ALL
> you want...sounds good, but ONLY for those who could afford the 2,500/=
> lunch bracket in the first place - who unfortunately are not
> many....particularly in an economy whose average monthly income is around
> 8,000sh.
>
> So how do you intend to tackle the internet price problem when you get to
> be President?
>
> walu.
>
> --- On Fri, 8/12/11, bitange at jambo.co.ke <bitange at jambo.co.ke> wrote:
>
> From: bitange at jambo.co.ke <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Bitange for President? Extended due to Public
> Demand
> To: jwalu at yahoo.com
> Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
> Date: Friday, August 12, 2011, 9:01 PM
>
> Harry,
> Yes there is a crisis virtually in every country at the moment.  The
> difference is how you handle the situation.  In Britain the Prime
> Minister
> thought he can take a vacation in Italy and forget what is going on at
> home but he was forced to dash home.  Before I respond to how we take
> care
> of our crisis, I felt there is a patriotism lesson that we need to learn
> from Britain.
>
> The first reports we got in our News papers here and even in electronic
> media, there was no cause of the crisis in Britain.  It was simply
> reported that London is burning.  Some of our best media houses with so
> many journalists forgot to ask questions like what, where, when, why, etc.
>  This would have helped us understand.  This is because the British Media
> (from where our Media got the story) first looks at their country’s
> interests first and everything else is secondary.  Does our Media have
> what they call Kenyan or African interests?  If they did, they would have
> raised issues relating to racism and African Diaspora.  We shall be more
> respected if we had the interest of those in the Diaspora at heart be they
> from Bahamas or Nigeria.
>
> How do we respond to our crisis?  This should not be a government
> project.
>  The entire society needs a lesson on respecting other human beings
> because this where our problems start and will open up greater opportunity
> and sustained harmony for all humanity.  In other countries they make an
> effort to socially integrate all citizens of different economic classes.
> Let me elaborate.  In Kenya a good mechanic will never be found drinking
> with a corporate CEO but in other countries it happens and sometimes you
> find they are neighbours.  It is not common you find a woman with an
> undergraduate degree married to a plumber for example.  We have defined
> classes that we try everything to belong to.  We do not have good
> plumbers, mechanics, carpenters etc in this country yet we have thousand s
> looking for white collar jobs.
>
> I am sure most of you have watched Cheers.  The artists in the bar are a
> postman, a doctor, other professional, bar maids and men having a common
> goal.  Where no one thinks or feels they know more than the other.  This
> is the begging of building a harmonious society that no one feels left
> out.  The rift we have created just needs a small thing like shooting a
> drug dealer (as in the UK) then hell will break loose.  We must not
> forget
> that this happened in China in 1949 when the Maoists took over.  They
> literary killed anybody who seemed to be from upper class.  Land reform
> was the major focus of policy as a result of China's vast rural
> population, around 90% of the population were farmers. Lands of former
> landlords were confiscated by the government and subsequently
> redistributed to the lower-class peasants.  Do not forget the French
> revolution.
>
> Discrimination in any form should be shunned.  This is because it is the
> basis of all problems be it class or tribalism.    Three of my close
> friends have experience that summarizes what I have tried to explain. 
> Mr.
> X got six and eighteen points at O and A levels respectively.  At
> university he came out with 1st class in Electrical Engineering and joined
> the then EAPL and later obtained an MBA.  Mr. Y had division II and could
> not afford high school but went to Kenya Science Teachers to become a
> teacher.  Mr. Z also passed his O levels with Division III and joined
> Barclays Bank as a Clerical officer.  They have struggled in their own
> ways and of the four of us Z is the wealthiest.  Any time I am with X, he
> complains why I should even have time for Y and Z.  Y by the way has
> struggled for many years and he will soon get his PhD.  According to X
> these are not our class of people.  He loathes Z as one who failed and
> now
> possibly has earned his wealth through corrupt means.  In spite of the
> fact that I have tried to ask X to forget the past, he feels he belongs to
> a different class and hangs around some of the “successful” people.
> Although I have never disclosed this to Y and Z their sixth sense leads
> them to discriminate X from some events.  At some point we were four
> young
> lads who enjoyed life together but now pulling a part because of
> differences in the way we led our lives after high school.  I hear and
> see
> this kind of stories often and make me feel bad about class division in
> our country.
>
> I have had the privilege of deciding who my assistants should be but not
> once have I ever picked someone because we spoke the same vernacular
> language.  My current office is a living example and after leading by
> example, all of my senior officers followed suit.  This is how we should
> begin to tackle the problem of tribalism.  We also must ensure equitable
> distribution of resources and start connecting all the counties with
> roads, energy, water, schools and hospitals.  We have already connected
> fibre optics to all the counties and are in the process of covering the
> pockets that exist.  Even with difficult times we have managed to balance
> infrastructure development to all parts of the country.  We shall
> continue
> with similar strategies.
>
> To achieve my objectives, I take you back to building sustained regional
> influence and develop the HUB concept in everything here in Kenya.
> Transportation, ICT, Industrialization, and practically everything Hub.
> Of course some of our neighbours will feel jealous.   This is what we
> need
> in a sustained way because it will help galvanize Kenyans against some
> external “aggressor”.  President Museveni used this effectively to
> get
> Ugandans behind him when he claimed Migingo as a strategy to get
> re-elected.  Let us do good to the entire East Africa by building the
> rail
> up to Goma, Adis, Juba, Dar and Arusha all terminating in Nairobi.  We
> must build major transit and logistics airport and make it cheap to access
> it to all rail destinations.  Develop capacity to serve the entire world
> back offices.   From this we shall create a pull effect on our
> agriculture.  Let me not disclose the entire strategy.
>
> Regards
>
>
> Ndemo.
>
>
>
>
>
>>
>> Bw Ps,
>>
>> Thanks for your articulative responses... Indeed looking at events
>> cutting
>> across the globe
>> now, one wakes up to a realization that we face similar socio-economic
>> challenges. Bottom
>> line, is how do we respond. And respond we must. But consequently this
>> is
>> what makes the
>> huge difference between moving forward purposefully to achieve progress
>> and
>> backpeddling on
>> the other hand.
>>
>> We'd also wish to understand what strategies would be put in place to
>> ensure
>> a balanced
>> infrastractural development across the regions. I suppose much of the
>> concentration right
>> now is around the Capital and it's environs at the expense of the rest
>> of
>> the country.
>> How about dealing with the great tribalism "monster".
>>
>> 3rdly, what strategies/plans do you have in place to achieve this dream
>> you
>> have.
>>
>> Harry
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: kictanet-bounces+harry=comtelsys.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>> [mailto:kictanet-bounces+harry=comtelsys.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On
>> Behalf Of bitange at jambo.co.ke
>> Sent: Thursday, August 11, 2011 3:32 PM
>> To: harry at comtelsys.co.ke
>> Cc: kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke
>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Bitange for President? Extended due to Public
>> Demand
>>
>> Grace,
>> Thank you for extending the debate to Monday.  I hope I get time to
>> articulate some of the issues that will impact our lives in the next few
>> years.  Earlier I said that we are not alone in how we are dealing with
>> our
>> social development.  I went ahead and gave examples from the US and UK.
>> Although it is an unfortunate for the British people, it has come to
>> pass.
>> Even the Central Bank we got some good debate out of my post.
>>
>> Leadership requires selfless commitment to the people they lead.  It is
>> a
>> sacrifice one makes.  In this respect, I will seek for advisors who
>> have
>> demonstrated ability to serve their country with dedication.  We have
>> these
>> people but they have never been given a chance to lead. The constitution
>> has
>> accorded us the opportunity to search for such people.
>> If you read today's front page Standard, it has the requirement for
>> those
>> who want to join the electoral commission.  If we follow the
>> requirement
>> to
>> the letter, we shall get credible people.  It is this process that
>> lacked
>> before and political operatives took charge in many posts within
>> government.
>>
>> Indeed there will be a policy guideline on all organizations registered
>> under Societies Act.  It is in the interest of the public that these
>> organizations file annual returns to the registrar because they are tax
>> exempt.  Tax exemption means that we the public partly fund their
>> activities.  Further the state has a responsibility to protect its
>> citizens
>> from being taken advantage of.  We cannot burry our heads in the sand
>> on
>> this issue no matter how sensitive it is.  We shall also be
>> implementing
>> our
>> constitution with respect to Bill of Rights.
>>
>>
>> Regards
>>
>>
>> Ndemo.
>>
>>
>>>
>>> Listers
>>>
>>> We have received requests  (offline) that we allow "Candidate" Ndemo
>>> more time for him to respond to more concerns being raised.
>>>
>>> This is to let you know that the 'official campaign period" has been
>>> extended up to Monday August 15, 2011.
>>>
>>> And now Dr. Ndemo, Harry Delano did ask you to say what kind of
>>> advisors you would be looking for to help shape policy. Can we hear
>>> you on this one too? You also make a valid point about churches and
>>> the fact that they are not audited. I know for example in Washington
>>> DC, Parish priests have to present audited accounts to Parishoners
>>> once a year, while the Bishop fundraises through a system that is open
>>> to public scrutiny. Would you then make a policy decision on this? On
>>> a light note, may I remind you that your responses will go into the
>>> 'manifesto' and translate into more or less "votes" :)
>>>
>>> Listers, let the debate continue.
>>>
>>> Rgds
>>> GG
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> ----------------------------------------------------------------------
>>> ------------- If you have the strength to survive, you have the power
>>> to succeed. Life is all about choices we make depending upon the
>>> situation we are in. Go forth and rule the World!
>>>
>>>
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