[kictanet] Vision 2030: ICT and Other Sectors Converged (Day 1)

Tue Dec 13 19:48:44 EAT 2011

Dear Harry and Listers - Thanks for welcoming me to this forum. I will do my
best to respond to your various questions. Please my answers to your
questions Harry, interspersed in your questions below [in brackets].

From: kictanet-bounces+mugo=vision2030.go.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+mugo=vision2030.go.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On
Behalf Of Harry Delano
Sent: Tuesday, December 13, 2011 8:45 AM
To: Mugo Kibati
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Vision 2030: ICT and Other Sectors Converged (Day 1)

Dear Listers - Ladies and gentlemen,

Good morning, and herein lies an opportunity to take part in shaping what
should be a very important vision for 

this nation. I personally trust that opinion and important suggestions here
are of huge value, and that it is not late 

for the Vision 2030 Team to incorporate some in their blue print, and also
that this blue print has inbuilt flexibility

to make adjustments as much as it is desirable as we move forward to
implement. 

Dear Mr. Mugo Kibati,

Welcome on board, and as a vision for this country, we congratulate the team
for being bold. I believe the forum here 

will focus heavily on the ICT Sub-sector. But, just as the Vision 2030
correctly correlates interdependence between different

projects on the map, we will not hesitate to point out that ICT needs the
rest as enablers, just as the rest needs it.

My first question is, what are the clear bench marks to achieve the stated
vision for the country, looking at the project

pillars listed?  How do we measure and audit achievements to date to
ascertain whether this ship is on course..?

[That's a good question. There are indeed clear targets for the various
flagship projects. The level of specificity and clarity varies of course
from project to project. In areas such as, say roads, where there is
substantial past experience, the targets are clearer. In areas which are new
to us and there are several - e.g. Special Economic Zones, the Lamu Port
South Sudan Ethiopia Transport (LAPSSET) Corridor, we have to keep refining
targets and timelines. In almost all cases, the actual timelines can only
really be determined after detailed feasibility or engineering designs are
complete. At the Secretariat, we have spent considerable time and effort
working on a case by case basis to streamline targets and to try and force
implementation road maps and funding models for each project no matter how
complex or novel to the implementing agencies. Please visit the website
www.vision2030.go.ke which is a continuous work in progress to get a feel of
the status of the various projects with respect to set objectives and
targets - both medium term as well as long term. Please note that for this
first medium term plan running from July 1 2008 to June 30 2013 the focus is
essentially on laying the foundations for Vision 2030 which includes lots of
structures, systems, planning and even mindset change!]

We have been on the website checking out the Key pillars and the enablers;

I note that, under the Macro Enablers section, the project in which we have
had keen interest falls under the heading 

" <http://www.vision2030.go.ke/index.php/projects/details/Macro_enablers/2>
Energy Generation of 2300MW and distributed at competitive prices"

While the endeavor towards generation of enough power, for adequate,
quality, reliable and affordable energy is 

laudable and ongoing, we urgently need to address the question of
"distribution" of the same to go lock-in-step 

with these valiant efforts.

I believe Energy distribution should be listed as a "Macro-Enabler", then
this way we can now address the question

of the monopolized aspect of it that currently is almost crippling and
reducing the project to naught, at the expense

of progress in other project areas. No doubt ICT sub-sector will be a huge
victim.

Left unchecked, a monopolized energy distribution network on which
everything else hinges as we go forward, could 

as well be equated to a "national security disaster-in-awaiting". Can the
team review the objectives in this area to focus 

heavily on this aspect also, and propose, pursue and lobby unrelentingly
towards a de-monopolized energy distribution

design. Let this nation have the benefit of redundancy in this area. Short
of this, we are left at the mercy of the current

national distributor. At the very best, it might remain a cog in the wheel
of this Vision2030.

I would wish to draw the team Vision2030 to the tremendous success that
we've all witnessed in the Telecommunication

subsector, since liberalization was introduced from around 2002/3 and
competitiveness brought about the huge 

dividends that we now reap. We herald this as one of the greatest turning
points in this industry. Let's go that route in 

the energy subsector.

[Energy Distribution is indeed under Macro-Enablers and I will check to see
why we haven't included it. You raise a major philosophical issue on
liberalizing distribution using the success of the Telecom sector as a
benchmark. I do not fault you on that but in other jurisdictions such as the
US where both the Telecom and Energy distribution sectors were liberalized,
the success of the liberalization of energy distribution is in serious
question even while the telecom sector has very successfully liberalized. It
could a matter of methodology and not liberalization per se but it still
gives on pause given that is much more sophisticated and mature liberal
market environment. In any case, unbundling has to be the first order of
business, followed by careful de-monopolization of each component of the
bundle. Generation is already liberalized but not so transmission and
liberalization and we are at the nascent stages of unbundling. Also, please
note the Rural Electrification has been hived off KPLC to the Rural
Electrification Authority in bid towards reducing that monopoly power and
for higher efficiency. In the US, states there has been a trend towards
state run distribution monopolies. Please email me a concept note and we can
open up a discussion at the Ministry of energy.]

Harry

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