[kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?

[Harry Delano]

Hello, fellow countrymen...

 

Why I'm I loving this discussion; because it's open and interactive, rather
than a muffled one . Just a little matter I 

would like to point out..

 

If we have or can give 100% assurance that INTEGRITY here in this whole
process has, is and will never be in doubt, 

then whatever system failures, incompetencies, etcetra - can be addressed
and fixed.  

 

A post-audit would undoubtedly achieve this.  For now, let's all work to
promote integrity, in the current  manual

and computerized systems at IEBC.

 

Regards,

Harry

 

From: kictanet
[mailto:kictanet-bounces+harry=comtelsys.co.ke at lists.kictanet.or.ke] On
Behalf Of Ali Hussein
Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 10:49 AM
To: harry at comtelsys.co.ke
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?

 

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

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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