[kictanet] 3 Media houses protest Majanja's Digital Migration Ruling

Bitange Ndemo bitange at jambo.co.ke
Tue Dec 31 00:50:55 EAT 2013


Waithaka,
I fully understand your frustration but there is no straight answer until
the law is changed.  We first made a mistake when we allowed foreigners to
craft the law.  That is where we missed "national interest".  It was meant
to stop the Kanu government from stealing.  It must be revised with such
thinking in mind.  Allowing restricted tendering to only Kenyans.

Whatever you are trying to say or what Dr. Matunda has stated is justified
but we must clean house to avoid getting back to other controversies if
national interest resources are sold or there is no resources to optimally
utilize the resource.  We also mus deal with vultures who will abuse the
same rules as has happened before. The current policy framework indeed
enabled the sector to flourish by allowing foreign investment while they
search for local partnerships.  If they fail, the stock market was to pick
up the shares and enable a more inclusive process that brings in smaller
investors.

Prior to this CCK was sued left, right and center and when cases fail they
allege corruption because ordinary citizen will buy this. We need FDI to
grow the economy while at the same time enabling our own to invest.  If
every FDI ends up in court then we undermining the economy.  This is what
used to happen when local share requirement was 70%, 60$. 40% and 30%.
There are hundreds of tier two licenses that have been given but it turned
out to be a conduit to acquire spectrum and sell.

We are not honest to ourselves.  We are a simply rotten people. Some
policies will never function well until we embrace ethics, live by ethics
and speak ethically.  This is what makes the work of a public servant very
difficult.  There are many hard working and honest public servants whose
names are dirtied by powerful wheeler dealers

We seriously must begin to build honest and credible institutions.
Judiciary too need to build capacity around technology. It requires all of
us not just the public servants.


Ndemo.


> Muthusi,
>
> There was a point I thought we were making progress in this debate, but,
> it
> seems we are back to square one in procurement of projects of *National
> Interest* and comparisons to marking of college exams.
>
> If the example, from say Canada, on procurement of projects of National
> Interest that has been clearly illustrated does not strike any cords with
> you, then I am not sure anything else ever will.
>
> They say you cannot fool everyone all the time, and I'll just pen-off by
> saying the debate has turned so simplistic as to not warrant any further
> comment.
>
> Waithaka Ngigi
>
> Alliance Technologies
> Nairobi, Kenya
>
> www.A1.io
> On 30 Dec 2013 19:39, "Mutua, Muthusi" <Mutua at cck.go.ke> wrote:
>
>>  Indeed Wambua, across the border is Tanzania a consortium comprising
>> two
>> local media firms had to sell off 49% equity to foreign investors after
>> it
>> was unable to raise the required capital even after wining the licence.
>> This means the company now can no longer be called local in the strict
>> sense.
>>
>> Its all good sounding to root for Kenyan companies, but the reality is
>> you
>> cannot apply this fully across the board. Its for this reason you see
>> our
>> leaders working to attract foreign investment. This is not t





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