[kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?

[Ali Hussein]

Evans

Totally agree. As the saying goes GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out).

The issue of IEBC and how they have handled the vote counting is in  my
opinion a shame. I have heard stories and rumors of how servers have
crashed, bandwidth slow etc.

And before we blame other government agencies who are ostensibly supposed
to be there to help with different aspects of the IEBC operations we need
to remember that IEBC stands for *Independent *Electoral and Boundaries
Commission (emphasis on Independent). If a returning officer finds himself
without a vehicle do we blame the Ministry of Transport?

My point is that the Leadership of the IEBC has failed miserably in this
arguably the most important election. We should be told exactly what the
problem is and I do hope that this group will do a thorough post mortem of
what happened, what were the preparations, who were the vendors, systems
etc.

Let's not blame technology when we were unable to harness its power in the
simplest way possible. Vote counting doesn't require rocket science.

By the way I can bet you my next pay check that the main proponents of this
election already know who has won the election by now if their Strategists
are worth any salt.

I think one of the greatest issues that we face in this country is the move
from theory to practice. Most of us talk about Big Data, Business
Intelligence etc but how many of us actually practice it? It is time that
we really embrace the power of Technology in the right way.


*Ali Hussein*

*CEO, 3mice interactive media ltd*

*Partner, Telemedia Africa Ltd
*



Tel: +254713601113

Twitter: @AliHKassim

Skype: abu-jomo

LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim<http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>

Blog: www.alyhussein.com


On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 9:42 AM, Evans Ikua <ikua.evans at gmail.com> wrote:

> Edith, I beg to differ. Its not ICT that has failed here. Its the
> processes. Just throwing some expensive servers and plenty of bandwidth at
> a problem will not solve it. The top leadership has to fully understand
> their organization's ICT strategy. They have to internalize the
> opportunities that technology brings to the table, as well as the inherent
> risks that come with it. This cannot be left to techies, however good they
> may be. The reason being that if the organization that you lead fails (and
> the reason was technology), its you who is answerable, not the techies.
> This is the spirit of IT Governance.
>
> It would be interesting to know if the IEBC commissioners fully understand
> the risks of the technologies that they are relying on.
> Let us not blame the technology.
>
> Evans
>
> On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 8:55 AM, Edith Adera <eadera at idrc.ca> wrote:
>
>> Listers,
>>
>> It is a shame that for the first time in Kenya's history when IT is given
>> a chance to bring credibility and efficiency in the electoral process, ICT
>> has failed SPECTACULARLY!
>>
>> what went wrong?
>>
>> Edith
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>
>
>
> --
> *----------------------------------------------------
> Kind Regards,
> Evans Ikua,*
> lanetconsulting.com,
> lpi-eastafrica.org,
> ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
> Skype: @ikuae
> Cell: +254-722-955831
>
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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.
>
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