[kictanet] What kind of CIO do you want in your County?

Tue Nov 8 00:12:09 EAT 2011

Waudo,
Our effective budget is not Ksh. 1 trillion.  This amount includes
committed funds for specific projects usually from Donor Agencies that
averages Ksh. 250 million each year.  The resource allocation too is
complex mostly based on population.  Remember our constitution talks about
equitable distribution of resources.  If we simply divide our tax revenue
by the number of counties, we shall create enormous disparities.

We need not go through any learning curve to attain maximum efficiency in
the management of country resources.  As I said before, we need to put
some science into our thinking.  This is why:  I met some two MPs recently
to give them some ideas on the Cancer Bill that was going through
Parliament.  I told them that we need not develop a knee jerk policy. 
That we have heavily focused on curative measures instead of prevention. 
I advised that what we needed most was funds for research especially to
determine why we are having high incidences of cancer.

I told them that one of my thesis on this is that due to excessive land
use "farmers" are using too much chemicals in order to improve on their
crop productivity and as a result contaminating water.  If we need to
reduce the number of cancer cases, we need to re-introduce compulsory what
used to be called reparian land.  This is where the environment used to
regenarate itself.  Most rivers up to 1980 had crystal clear water
compared to what we have today where most of our water is red from soil
errosion and contaminants.  I emphasized that we need to know the profile
of cancer patients and begin to sort out the problem from its root.

Unfortunately, my two MP friends did not attend parliament to share this. 
The Bill did not pass through stakeholder input as required by the
constitution for us to present a comprehensive understading of this
problem.  It was rushed through parliament.  As usual we celebrated but we
still do not know why cancer is ravaging through our people.

I have now concluded that this is how MPs work.  Just recently a
flamboyant MP hired a chopper and flew Miss Kenya to his constituency to
ostensively fight the jigger menace.  You and I know this was a one hour
photo op.  The cost was in excess of Ksh. 300,000 enough to hire a social
worker for one year to educate the population how to get rid of the menace
once and for all through local knowledge .

As 2012 draws near, this is the kind of people we need to send home.  Let
us begin from a clean slate.  We have a new constitution.  Let us get new
people and a new beggining.

Regards

Ndemo.

> Good idea.
>
> On Monday, November 07, 2011 1:35 PM, "S.M. Muraya"
> <murigi.muraya at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>   Dear Listers,
>   Suspect it is going to take 15-20 years before Kenyan counties
>   become like 60% effective in the utilization of funds.
>   When KES 150 Billion (15% of a KES 1 Trillion budget) is
>   devolved to 47 counties, each county (factoring populations in
>   each) will get at least KES 2.5B per annum.
>   In 5 years this is at least KES 12.5 Billion per county.
>   With 40% (of KES 2.5B = KES 1B) to be lost per annum lost
>   through mismanagement and theft, we MUST legislate / create
>   posts of County Chief Information Officers.
>   The CIO should head a committee of at least 5 people from
>   different "constituencies" in each county to be accountable
>   for the deployment of Information systems and services.
>   A technically literate person / committee responsible to to
>   make sure basic (accounting and project management) reporting
>   systems are in place in each county within 2-3 years.
>   Have looked at hundreds of pages of past US tenders /
>   requirements in the past two weeks regarding Information and
>   Collaboration systems and I am confident we are locally able
>   to deploy the same standards / products. We just need to make
>   sure we keep people who live in technical and ethical darkness
>   out of County IT Committees.
>   In the US, 2007 ICT budgets range from 3% for Government up to
>   8% (in the finance and education sectors) per anuum
>   [1]http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-57
>   1-generating-business-value-from-information-technology-spring
>   -2009/lecture-notes/MIT15_571s09_lec21.pdf
>   A good gauge of the quality of an IT Manager/ Director is
>   projects deployed well (enough to CONVENIENTLY provide
>   required business intelligence or transparency) under their
>   watch in the private of public sector.
>   This has more to do with work ethics + practical experience or
>   knowledge / certification.. NOT the outdated academics that
>   are over-emphasized in Kenya.
>   It seems to take a good IT Professional in Kenya, 2-3 years to
>   convince ignorant Business Executives, Organizational Leaders
>   and Public Officials to deploy basic Information Systems.
>   Which kind of companies were contracted under their watch?
>   Were local skills developed and certified in their department
>   / organization?
>   Typically an IT Manager / Director oppressed with very low
>   budgets (or needing a cut in the budget), cannot deliver
>   Quality Network, Computing and Information services.
>   What kind of CIO do you want in your County?
>   :)
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> References
>
> 1.
> http://ocw.mit.edu/courses/sloan-school-of-management/15-571-generating-business-value-from-information-technology-spring-2009/lecture-notes/MIT15_571s09_lec21.pdf
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and
> development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.