[kictanet] US and OpenData vs Kenyan Situation

[S.M. Muraya]

Sawa. Mine is about "practicals" about "opening information" to the Kenyan
public :=)
On May 10, 2013 4:04 PM, "Evans Ikua" <ikua.evans at gmail.com> wrote:

> 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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