[kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?

Fri Mar 8 07:55:20 EAT 2013

I personally heard this from the IEBC Chairman and was not amused. Such
things don't just happen - definitely somebody somewhere, either after the
testing or before, added this line of  code in the system.

For me, with such issues, it was better abandoned - to at least save
the integrity of the process.

Best Regards,
Davis M Onsakia
"One doesn't discover new lands without consenting to lose sight of the
shore for a very long time."

On 7 March 2013 20:11, Edith Adera <eadera at idrc.ca> wrote:

> Anyone saw this article and can verify content - i missed the press
> conference
>
>
> http://www.techmtaa.com/2013/03/07/kenyadecides-iebc-chairman-admitted-on-live-tv-that-their-system-was-hacked/
>
>
>
> ________________________________________
> From: kictanet [kictanet-bounces+eadera=idrc.ca at lists.kictanet.or.ke] on
> behalf of Gilda Odera [godera at skyweb.co.ke]
> Sent: Wednesday, March 06, 2013 8:02 AM
> To: Edith Adera
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?
>
> And when I say plan, it extends beyond IEBC. If the timing was too short
> to test properly as I see here below, I expected the ICT team to brief the
> Chairman of IEBC of the risk involved and for him to inform the public that
> much as they wanted an electronic voting system, the finances must be made
> available early enough and so they have no choice to go but to go manual.
> The buck then shifts to Treasury who must be pressurized to perform their
> functions effectively. This involves more people than just the IEBC  though
> they will now take the beating for accepting to use a system that had not
> properly been tested.
>
> Regards,
>
> Gilda Odera
>
> On Mar 6, 2013, at 12:14 PM, Dorcas Muthoni <dmuthoni at gmail.com<mailto:
> dmuthoni at gmail.com>> wrote:
>
> Now, there is loads of information that is becoming available about the
> system. I am sharing more that has come my way:
>
>
>   1.  The RFP used to source a vendor:
> http://buyersguide.ifes.org/procurement_pdf/1356124968.pdf
>   2.  RFP was closing only 4th January, 2013, yes..only this January
>   3.  An external party (US based) that seems to have been fully involved
> in the entire procurement process and i would imagine implementation as
> well is http://www.ifes.org/. See all details about their role in the RFP
> and others on their website.
>   4.  Project was USAID funded.
>   5.  A good blog with several discussions on this:
> http://iebctechkenya.tumblr.com/
>   6.  Stories on media that never caught quick attention:
> http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/article-108148/iebc-must-fix-results-transmission-system-fast,
> http://tinyurl.com/d9va4k4
>
> Before we blame anybody or feel sorry for any party, Please lets do a
> thorough review of the ongoings. I am sure we shall then address the IT
> problem in this case.
>
> On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 10:20 AM, Agosta Liko <agostal at gmail.com<mailto:
> agostal at gmail.com>> wrote:
> Roland
>
> The governance experts are saying - lack of governance
>
> The networking experts are saying - lets get better VPNS
>
> The server experts are saying - we should have used HP or SUN or IBM
>
> The database experts are concerned Oracle was used (Open Source Guys would
> want MySQL)
>
> Software Developers - why use language X and not you
>
> Software Testers - want more testing
>
> Everyone is pitching their wares ... no one is sure what happened .......
> ... and the job is over this week :)
>
> On Wed, Mar 6, 2013 at 10:00 AM, Roland Omoresemi <
> roland at tezzasolutions.com<mailto:roland at tezzasolutions.com>> wrote:
> Can we really blame ICT when the true culprit appears to be the lack of
> proper testing of the systems in play?
>
> IEBC could have performance tested (both load and stress) their systems to
> see how they would react under varying loads.
>
> The tools and human resources were right there in Kenya but it is obvious
> we failed to apply them to help create a different result than what we
> currently face.
>
> What we are witnessing is a classic case of what happens when we fail to
> adequately test our applications. Our non-conformance cost
> skyrockets...IEBC now has to worry about the cost of doing damage control
> on the biggest stage ever when it could have spent a fraction of the same
> cost to perform load or stress tests which would have helped them identify
> issues/bottlenecks in their systems long before now.
>
> This is also not much different from what some of our local companies
> do...we deploy critical systems without proper testing and we then pray and
> hope nothing happens.
>
> It is saddening that we don't see much value in setting aside adequate
> time for testing our applications (most especially those that are
> customer-facing) or we push whatever little testing we do to the very last
> minute when its practically too late to make any difference...or until the
> "s..." hits the ceiling and we then start to wonder why any of our issues
> could be happening.
>
> Could we really blame ICT here or should we be looking closely at our lack
> of proper software testing?
>
> - Roland
> ------Original Message------
> From: Edith Adera
> Sender: kictanet
> To: Roland Omoresemi
> Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> Subject: [kictanet] Has the ICT Sector Failed?
> Sent: Mar 6, 2013 12:55 AM
>
> 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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> ---------------------------------------------
> Roland Omoresemi | CEO
> Tezza Business Solutions Ltd
> p: +19139612234<tel:%2B19139612234>
> e: roland at tezzasolutions.com<mailto:roland at tezzasolutions.com>
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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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>
> 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.
>
>
>
> --
> 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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> 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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> 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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