[kictanet] Happy New Year - ref: Re: Vision 2030: ICT and Other Sectors Converged (Day 3)

Sun Jan 1 10:58:01 EAT 2012

Madakitari Ndemo/Walubengo 

I said that we cannot generalize; each person's case is different. 

As for critics, I love them for they act as a reflection on what we do; sometimes, things are much clearer from spectator benches than in the muddle of the playground. Critics have their place. And just because they cannot do, doesn't mean they forsake their right to speak. My view is that we should tackle  the issues they raise because not all talkers are doers; yet doers can learn a lot from talkers.

And no; the view of things is not simply via the lens of adopted country experiences; we are creatures of collective experience. It is the reason Prof Makau sees Akamba vote versus Kukuyu versus Luo versus ..., Kenyan thing. In fact in some cases you would think he never left Kenya. I wish he talked more of class, the gap between the haves and have nots and how to address those.

Also, there is nothing wrong to go for presidency for any Kenyan, in or outside the country. Actually a person from the Diaspora could really be the person Kenya needs in that they are much more removed from the mess, less entangled with political IOUs and could perhaps be more objectives than the corrupt political cartels that run the nation today. Yours truly could be in such a race for change; and true change for that matter.

Jesus took a long walk in the desert (40 days + 40 nights) and came home; and indeed changed the world! 

Happy New Year

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Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama at aganoconsulting.com
Agano Consulting Inc.;  www.aganoconsulting.com; Twitter: nmatunda;  Skype: okiambe
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________________________________
 From: "bitange at jambo.co.ke" <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
To: Matunda Nyanchama <mnyanchama at aganoconsulting.com> 
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
Sent: Sunday, January 1, 2012 12:07 AM
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Happy New Year - ref: Re: Vision 2030: ICT and Other Sectors Converged (Day 3)

Dakitari,
Happy New Year.  Thank you for articulating the reasons why you need to come home.  If you came home and acted appropriately, you will change many sauls.

What I refuse to accept is the giving of conditions of return to your motherland.  India changed with the return of its professionals and academics.  They came and introduced to their people a new culture that was acceptable to much of the world.  They brought new value systems and work ethics.  Although corruption still lingers there, their impact has greatly changed India.

I did not say that you all back up and come.  You can even do more by contributing positively.  In a way just like a parent you need to mentor and walk through with us in both bad and good times.  Let me illustrate a little.

My kids are now teenagers and I caught myself being critical to practically everything they say or do. My fifteen year old daughter walked out of her room with something called a hipstar (a low cut trouser).  She perfectly thought she was dressed when I thought it was immoral and not acceptable.  My seventeen year old wants his trousers to sag (leave his buttocks naked).  Although I have seen other children wearing these obscene clothing I thought of these kids as un cultured.  I have changed strategy to see the world through their eyes but stuck with my conservativeness.  Amazingly we now talk and they sort of see my point too (sometimes) and I think I succeeded in stopping my son from having a tatoo.

Our diaspora academics see their motherland through the prizm of their adopted nations.  They want change.  They want someone to make the change.  This where I differ.  Take Prof. Makau for example, he seems to know what we need in a leader but cannot offer his leadership.  It will greatly help if he sacrificed his salarly to become Governor for example.  It will help us avoid failure in the political and social experimentation that we are about to start.

Yes as a developing country the salaries are poor. To meet the western standards you will teach several other institutions to barely meet your needs.  I lived through this.  Teaching in practically every institution in Nairobi.  Indeed I did not get a job when I came home.  For a full year I sold vegetables but this was the best experience that I ever had.  I made more money selling vegeis than I have made in any job.  This is because the entrepreneurial opportunities are just too many in our inefficient market.  There were frustrations like licensing and lack of export space but with patience most of this things work and make great changes to many lives.

Remittances are key to stabilizing our currency but we should never hope to develop our country this way.  I said our economy can grow at a rate of 20% if we dealt with the inefficiencies we have.  Diapora resources are largely for consumption and non performing investments (building mansion in rural areas that only rats live in).  We need Dr. Matunda to come up with innovative venture capital to take advantage of our ICT developments here.  We must move from criticism to doing something in your motherland.  There are no angels somewhere that can bring change.  By the way Americans sacrificed their lives to make it what it is today.

To succeed from the diaspora, allow yourself to grow through the rungs.  Every diaspora visiting home wants to go direct for Presidency.  It is a good dream but you need to show why we should elect you.  Let us build beautiful Kenya together, leverage on what our brothers and sisters have learnt elsewhere and parent our country through the eyes of its people.

Ndemo.

Sent from my BlackBerry®

-----Original Message-----
From: Matunda Nyanchama <mnyanchama at aganoconsulting.com>
Sender: kictanet-bounces+bitange=jambo.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.keDate: Sat, 31 Dec 2011 15:27:55 
To: <bitange at jambo.co.ke>
Reply-To: Matunda Nyanchama <mnyanchama at aganoconsulting.com>
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
Subject: [kictanet] Happy New Year - ref: Re: Vision 2030: ICT and Other
    Sectors Converged (Day 3)

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