[kictanet] US and OpenData vs Kenyan Situation

Fri May 10 16:58:01 EAT 2013

That is exactly my point Rad.

On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 4:48 PM, Rad! <conradakunga at gmail.com> wrote:

> Gentlemen, lets not lose sight of the forest for the trees.
> Open source or proprietary software in the MUCH larger scheme of the core
> issue of accountability is neither here nor there i think.
>
>
> On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 4:16 PM, Evans Ikua <ikua.evans at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I see. You are looking at the technology side of things. Still we can
>> have that discussion outside this thread. I think the point here was about
>> the processes that lead to openness. regardless of the technology deployed.
>> If that info was given to me in a proprietary platform, I would still
>> happily consume it.
>>
>>
>> On Fri, May 10, 2013 at 4:12 PM, S.M. Muraya <murigi.muraya at gmail.com>wrote:
>>
>>> 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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>>>>>>
>>>>>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
>>>>>> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/murigi.muraya%40gmail.com
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>> 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
>>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> *----------------------------------------------------
>> Kind Regards,
>> Evans Ikua,*
>> lanetconsulting.com,
>> lpi-eastafrica.org,
>> ict-innovation.fossfa.net,
>> Skype: @ikuae
>> Cell: +254-722-955831
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> kictanet mailing list
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>>
>> Unsubscribe or change your options at
>> https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/conradakunga%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> 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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