[kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?- dongondi at iebc.or.ke

Wed Mar 6 23:55:01 EAT 2013

@white african,
Dismas Ongondi is on dongondi at iebc.or.ke- but obviously he is unlikely to have time to check his emails :-)

@ Wash,

I wouldn't blame Dismas on this hitch.  We must appreciate that IT has moved beyond the cables and software and is now a really a Board Room issue.  Blaming Dismas for this is similar to a bank(organisation) sacking the Finance Director because the Bank posted loses. Replacing the Bank's Finance Director does NOT mean you will avoid the loses the following year. In other words, making loses (or failures) is a manifestation of deeper systemic factors that include both Micro(internal) and Macro (external) issues.

As someone who works in  a "semi"-government institution, I can tell you that one may know what needs to be done, but getting it done  requires so many chains of approval that most of time, you are always running on a crisis mode. I recall once I was trans-"fired" because the Web +email serever had crashed. And this was because the organisation had not bought the server hardware (procurement issues) and so we were keeping the eServices running on an old PC borrowed from somewhere. The hard-disk+memory simply got overwhelmed and the box eventually collapsed before the organisation could get its act together.

Was I qualified? I hope so, Did I ask my organisation for the correct hardware at the right time, I definately think so. Was I creative (by making to do with what was available?) I believe so. But when it failed, the top had to look for a fall-down guy.  Such reactions are cosmetic and not transformative since the underlying problem  remains and will keep erupting, again and again.

The best solution, is for organisations to appreciate that ICT is no longer a "support" function.  It is now THE FUNCTION/DNA of an organisation.  You switch it off, you kill the organisation.  And unless and until  ICT becomes a board/commissions' standing agenda the same way, Finance & Audit, or HR & Remuneration maybe, then we may today ask for Dismas Ongondi's head, and tomorrow, it will be Washington Odhiambo's neck...either the problem will stubbornly be still be  here with us in 2017.

walu.

________________________________
 From: Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo at gmail.com>
To: jwalu at yahoo.com 
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
Sent: Wednesday, March 6, 2013 6:43 PM
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?

If he hasn't committed suicide already, then I don't know. What he's done (buck stops with him anyway for recruiting the minions) is an abomination - in Naija parlance!

PS: I will never apologize for this.

On 6 March 2013 15:02, Erik Hersman <erik at zungu.com> wrote:

Does anyone on the list have the contact information for Dismas Ongondi at IEBC?
>Dismas Ongondi - Director of Information Communication Technology
>As head of the ICT department, he has been in charge of 
the technological revolution at the commission. The implementation of 
the an electronic results transmission technology and biometric voter 
registration has been under his docket. He is the man Kenyans will be 
focusing on tomorrow when Presidential results are relayed 
electronically. 
>Erik Hersman
>
>
>www.ushahidi.com | www.iHub.co.ke
>www.whiteafrican.com | @whiteafrican
>
>
>
>
>
>On Mar 6, 2013, at 1:49 PM, Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>I would be curious to know when the selected vendor actually indeed receive their contract for the work to begin. My experience with public procurement (GoK, USAID, etc), once the bids are closed, it will usually take more than 30 days to get everything finalized internal to the buying organisation for a contract to be issued and hence works to begin.
>>
>>
>>Considering this was a software project for custom tool and several integration requirements with several third party applications. The problems were are seeing are really a manifestation of how the preparedness process went.
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 1:24 PM, Erik Hersman <erik at zungu.com> wrote:
>>
>>Agosta,
>>>
>>>
>>>I think it's clear that we all understand that tech issues happen, on this list we understand that better than most.  However, how are you supposed to help if you don't know what's wrong?
>>>
>>>
>>>That's really what's at issue here.  It's about understanding how it works first, then who's involved, then what's wrong, then what (if anything) we can do.  Do you find something wrong in that train of thought?
>>>
>>>
>>>Erik Hersman
>>>
>>>
>>>www.ushahidi.com | www.iHub.co.ke
>>>www.whiteafrican.com | @whiteafrican
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On Mar 6, 2013, at 1:01 PM, Agosta Liko <agostal at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>
>>>Daudi
>>>>
>>>>My point is when people work on complex systems ... like the election system, things fail and most times they recover.
>>>>
>>>>Lets not have a public hazing exercise -- Unless we say we know for a fact what the problem is
>>>>
>>>>and in that case, first step would be to offer help to IEBC - or the staff there. We know them !!
>>>>
>>>>There are too many of us who are now offering solutions on blogs, websites etc etc
>>>>
>>>>Maybe this will bring in more grants .....
>>>>
>>>>Thanks
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 12:55 PM, Daudi Were <daudi.were at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>On 6 March 2013 09:56, Agosta Liko <agostal at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>>
>>>>>about the RFP ...
>>>>>>
>>>>>>----------------------------------------
>>>>>>
>>>>>>THIS REQUEST FOR PROPOSAL (RFP) IS THE EXCLUSIVE, CONFIDENTIAL, PROPRIETARY PROPERTY OF THE INTERNATIONAL FOUNDATION FOR ELECTORAL SYSTEMS (IFES). IT MAY NOT BE COPIED, TRANSMITTED, OR DISCLOSED BY ANY MEANS WITHOUT THE EXPRESS WRITTEN CONSENT OF IFES . BY ACCEPTING A COPY HEREOF, RECIPIENT AGREES TO (I) BE BOUND BY THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS CONTAINED HEREIN (INCLUDING BUT NO T LIMITED TO THE CONFIDENTIALITY PROVISONS), (II) USE THE RFP (AND ANY RELATED DOCUMENTS) SOLE LY FOR EVALUATION PURPOSES AND FOR RESPONDING TO THIS RFP, AND (III) RETURN OR DESTROY THE RFP (AND ANY RELATED DOCUMENTS) UPON IFES REQUEST OR UPON YOUR DECISION NOT TO RESPOND TO THIS RFP
>>>>>>
>>>>>>----------------------------------------
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>Liko,
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>The RFP maybe belong to IFES (and that can be disputed), the election and the electoral process belongs to Kenyans. 
>>>>>We not only have the right, we have the RESPONSIBILITY to question what is going on with the ICT systems at Bomas. 
>>>>>Since you keep telling us to expect things to fail and then expect them to be fixed why don't you tell us WHAT failed and WHAT is being fixed. Simple enough. If you don't want to tell us what is failing and what is being fixed then tell us WHY you can not tell us. Is it that you don't know, in which case you should join is trying to find out WHAT is going on. 
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>The integrity of our election is much more important that a warning IN CAPS about which obscure company owns which document. 
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>We ask these questions are patriots, as concerned citizens who want our electoral commission to succeed. Obscure confidentially clauses or not. 
>>>>>
>>>>>D
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
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>>>
>>>_______________________________________________
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>>>
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>>>
>>
>>
>>
>>-- 
>>Muthoni
>>
>>My Blog: http://rugongo.blogspot.com/
>>--------------------------------------------
>>Mahatma Gandhi once said:-
>>
>>First they ignore you,
>>Then they laugh at you,
>>Then they fight you,
>>AND THEN YOU WIN!!! 
>
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>
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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.
>

-- 
Best regards,
Odhiambo WASHINGTON,
Nairobi,KE
+254733744121/+254722743223
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ 
I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler.

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