[kictanet] US and OpenData vs Kenyan Situation

Fri May 10 16:04:36 EAT 2013

Hey Sam, lets not muddy the waters here! We can always start another thread
and thrash out those issues of FOSS vs proprietary.

My point was, just as Rad is concerned about the spending of public
resources and accountability from one perspective, I am also concerned
about the same from my own perspective. He has right, and I have the right
to get this information. As he rightly puts it, this kind of openness can
go a long way to eradicate corruption and wastage. Just like I would like
to know how much the Government spends on ball pens and what brands they
buy. I remember Dr Ndemo telling us in a meeting some time back that the
Government buys a Bic ball pen for Ksh 200. As a tax payer and a
stakeholder in this country being a citizen, I need to know how the
Government spends my money.

On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 3:54 PM, S.M. Muraya <murigi.muraya at gmail.com>wrote:

> Evans,
>
> Assuming 1 million Kenyans are in local and government offices weekly, how
> much citizen time is wasted seeking updates which could be provided over
> email or CRM web portals?
>
> Has deployment of "free" Linux Mail Servers in many .go.ke offices
> improved communications with the general public?
>
> If in some cases proprietary software provides more productivity, than
> FOSS, for thousands of internal end users who serve millions of Kenyans,
> should we still ignore it?
>
> When was the first/last time you got an email or sms to collect some
> documents or permits you applied for in a sirikali org?
>
> Let us plan for some demos...
>
> Sugar CRM (a very good open source CRM) + a Web Browser
>
> vs.
>
> Dynamics CRM + MS Outlook.
>
> Yes? No?
> On May 10, 2013 2:13 PM, "Evans Ikua" <ikua.evans at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> You are very right Rad and I concur with you. I would for instance want
>> to know how much money the Government pays in software licenses annually,
>> and for which applications.
>>
>>
>> On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 1:28 PM, Rad! <conradakunga at gmail.com> wrote:
>>
>>> It is debatable whether the initiative lived at all.
>>>
>>> As it stands the data on that portal is completely dependent on the
>>> benevolence of bureaucrats and politicians, and as long as that is the case
>>> it is difficult for it to succeed.
>>>
>>> Ideally there should be legislation to compel all government bodies to
>>> open up their data on request from the citizens. See Finland for a good
>>> example. They credit openness of information as a key factor of low levels
>>> of corruption.
>>>
>>> For example I requested a dataset on
>>> 1) Who travelled to London at public expense for the Olympics
>>> 2) What was the total expenditure across the board for Kenya's
>>> delegation - travel, accommodation, per diems, etc
>>>
>>> The response was "let me try to ask". Unsurprisingly, that was the last
>>> I heard of it.
>>>
>>> Until we plug that fundamental flaw this initiative will remain a
>>> textbook effort
>>>
>>> On Friday, May 10, 2013, Walubengo J wrote:
>>>
>>>> Just wondering,
>>>>
>>>> In the likely departure of both PS Ndemo and CEO Paul Kukubo, I wonder
>>>> how much TTL (time to live) there is for our  https://opendata.go.ke/initiative.
>>>>
>>>> Contrast below:
>>>> ~~~~
>>>> Today, as he heads to Austin, Texas, for a Middle Class Jobs and
>>>> Opportunity Tour<http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2013/05/08/president-obama-headed-austin-heres-why>,
>>>> President Obama signed an Executive Order<http://www.whitehouse.gov/the-press-office/2013/05/09/executive-order-making-open-and-machine-readable-new-default-government->directing historic steps to make government-held data more accessible to
>>>> the public and to entrepreneurs and others as fuel for innovation and
>>>> economic growth. The Executive Order declares that information is a
>>>> valuable resource and strategic asset for the Nation. We couldn’t agree
>>>> more.
>>>>
>>>> http://wh.gov/J5tb
>>>>
>>>> ~~~~
>>>>
>>>> walu.
>>>>
>>>
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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.
>>
>

-- 
*----------------------------------------------------
Kind Regards,
Evans Ikua,*
lanetconsulting.com,
lpi-eastafrica.org,
ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
Skype: @ikuae
Cell: +254-722-955831
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