[kictanet] University of Nairobi Set Top Boxes

Mon Feb 18 08:34:38 EAT 2013

When you have too many engineers and too few technicians then you end up where we are with too much theory.

This situation is about to get worse as Canada has started a program to pick 1 million artisans from Kenya to go and settle in Canada, so those of you who still cannot change a light bulb it is time to learn as your friendly neighborhood electrician will soon be relocating to Canada.  It is clear now why Obama is fighting to give the undocumented Kenyans in the USA automatic citizenship as they are about to move to Canada which will force USA citizens to learn how to change light bulbs.

It was very hilarious to read a story in the same newspaper that carried the story of the Canadians about Housing Finance launching an initiative to train 1,000,0000 (1 million) artisans, where exactly will this training take place when we have upgraded all the National Polytechnics to universities and village polytechnics to their constituent colleges?

The STB fiasco should be an eye opener, there is no way we shall become an industrialized  nation by 2050 without technical personnel, someone has lied to us that to become an knowledge based economy everyone must be graduate.

In closing, please note that UON has done what is expected of them the design of the STB which should have been emailed to a polytechnic where a prototype would have been produced and also a manufacturing process which would then have been presented at "the next big thing" breakfast where Kenya's great industrialists and Dr. Mwangi would pour billions to setup a local manufacturing plant, they would then cash out by floating the company on the GEMS with Eng. Mugo Kibati (MIT alumni) ringing the bell at the demutualised Nairobi Securities Exchange (NSE) formerly the Nairobi Stock Exchange (NSE) marking our takeoff towards realizing one of the pillars of Vision 2030.

This will not happen because we have killed the polytechnic leaving an insurmountable gap between design and product.

Regards

PS.  I love my mental brilliance on a Monday morning after a most restful weekend, now where can I get a cheap ticket to China?

Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

________________________________
 From: Mark Mwangi <mwangy at gmail.com>
To: robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk 
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
Sent: Friday, 15 February 2013, 21:23
Subject: Re: [kictanet] University of Nairobi Set Top Boxes

But how much do you really need to assemble set top boxes? Is this that complex an operation? Start with a thousand units, scale with increased demand. Is this rocket science? The university or the lecturers involved (who mostly run private firms) couldnt raise seed money? 

We have a problem with wanting to start with a bang. No culture of starting small and growing. 

On Friday, 15 February 2013, Kivuva  wrote:

Phares, I'm a great proponent of local industrialization. It does a
>lot of good to a countries economy, number one being reducing capital
>flight.
>
>But the scenario is this, UoN have said they have prototypes that are
>viable, but they don't have any means to produce them. Now, if we can
>crack it and do it locally, that's the best move. But suppose those
>strategic investors don't show up? Should the idea just die out and we
>remain mass consumers, or should we outsource manufacturing/licence
>the prototype to Asian and have a piece of the cake?
>
>On 15/02/2013, Phares Kariuki <pkariuki at gmail.com> wrote:
>> Manufacturing locally would absorb quite a number of semi skilled
>> individuals into the workforce. Always a good thing.
>>
>> Outsourcing is not always a good idea. Check what happened to Dell & ASUS.
>> Even the all mighty Apple Inc & Samsung.
>>
>> Let's make them. Lets sell them. Lets figure out supply chain for the
>> greater East African region. Then we can tinker with other electronics.
>>
>> We have the capacity. Why not do it?
>>
>> Sent from my iPhone
>>
>> On 15 Feb 2013, at 17:30, Kivuva <Kivuva at transworldafrica.com> wrote:
>>
>> I dream when we will have outsourced manufacturing jobs overseas, and have
>> big companies like Apple, HP, here in Kenya, then earn foreign exchange on
>> the distribution and sells all over the world. But it sounds like a pipe
>> dream.
>>
>> US is not suffering from outsourcing since the companies earn abnormal
>> profits from that. Only the poor jobless hands-man is the one who suffers.
>>
>> But here in Kenya, we have non. No manufacturing companies outsourcing to
>> Asia, and no outsourced jobs coming back home.
>>
>> Regards
>>
>>
>>
>> On 15 February 2013 15:38, <peres_were at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:
>>
>>> +1 Ali. I noted in Obama's State of the Union Address a new initiative
>>> the
>>> US govt is setting up called "Manufacturing Innovation Hubs" aimed at
>>> spurring innovation in Manufacturing.
>>>
>>> In addition, a number of US companies such as Apple and Ford are bringing
>>> back manufacturing to the USA.
>>>
>>> Peres
>>> Sent from my BlackBerry®
>>>
>>> -----Original Message-----
>>> From: Ali Hussein <ali at hussein.me.ke>
>>> Sender: "kictanet"
>>>  <kictanet-bounces+peres_were=yahoo.co.uk at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>>> Date: Fri, 15 Feb 2013 15:23:46
>>> To: Peres Were<peres_were at yahoo.co.uk>
>>> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>>> Subject: Re: [kictanet] University of Nairobi Set Top Boxes
>>>
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-- 
Regards,

Mark Mwangi

markmwangi.me.ke

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