[kictanet] Taifa Laptop

Sat Aug 27 13:37:36 EAT 2016

I think the root of this lively discussion has been   the JKUAT
administration seemingly *forcing* students to buy the Taifa laptops, and
not admitting new students who do not do so. It's one thing to have a
policy where a Govt body buys locally assembled or manufactured products. I
think it is another thing to force a private citizen to buy a product
locally made or not, and deny one access to higher education even at a
public institution, if said product is not purchased.

I'm all for buy and build local, but there are surely other ways of
implementing it. This for me crosses a line. The special software argument
doesn't fly since that said software can quite easily run on other
hardware. What about choice of buying the Taifa laptop at a better price
(as a result of various interventions) to the regular market?

On Aug 27, 2016 1:19 PM, "Ali Hussein via kictanet" <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

Waithaka

And Kenyans are not desperate people‎ and we don't make crappy products!
Let's get over the mentality that everything good has to come from outside!

I agree with you. I assure you however that not all Kenyans like to buy
foreign. We just want to make sure that Kenyan companies don't get way with
producing or giving crappy service and want us to buy just because it's
Kenyan!!

The days of *Serikali Saidia* are gone. It has to be *Tusaidiane*.

*Ali Hussein*
*Principal*
*Hussein & Associates*
+254 0713 601113

Twitter: @AliHKassim

Skype: abu-jomo

LinkedIn: http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim

"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what
no one else has thought".  ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi

Sent from my iPad

On 27 Aug 2016, at 11:20 AM, Waithaka Ngigi via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

NASA today has good QA systems and products, yes. But, that didn't happen
overnight... When they started, their systems were of such poor quality
that quite a number of astronauts lost their lives, The Challenger incident
being the most well known.

Despite these set backs, they didn't issue a tender to Russia and/or EU to
sell them their technology, they rolled their sleeves and got down to work.

‎India, last year got to Mars. They spent 1/1000th of the NASA budget,
built a simpler craft and got there.  There were many naysayers who
ofcourse questioned the wisdom of the entire project. Those who asked why
can't India just buy rockets & spacecraft from US & Russia instead of
forcing these 'crapy' rockets on 'poor' Indians. But, they were smarter
than that. They knew the so called crappy rockets would get them there
eventually. And they did!

This is what we lack; we mostly look for quick solutions as opposed to
sustainable solutions.

And Kenyans are not desperate people‎ and we don't make crappy products!
Let's get over the mentality that everything good has to come from outside!

Waithaka Ngigi

Alliance Technologies
www.at.co.ke
*From: *Ahmed Mohamed Maawy
*Sent: *Saturday, August 27, 2016 10:54 AM
*To: *Waithaka Ngigi
*Cc: *Ahmed Mohamed Maawy via kictanet
*Subject: *Re: [kictanet] Taifa Laptop

Waithaka.. NASA has some of the most sophisticated and quality assured
software there is.

And the NASA I know wont procure something that will compromise the quality
standards they have. Just think about it. They send a space-craft to Pluto
against 1000 parameters that they need to get right. The project costs
billions of dollars. And they made it to pluto. Thats worth a clap. What is
not worth a clap is getting desperate people to buy your technology.

On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 10:47 AM, Waithaka Ngigi <ngigi at at.co.ke> wrote:

> Ahmed,
>
> This is way too simplistic...
>
> It's like the German Chancellor saying since they have VW, BMW & Mercedes
> there's no need for The German Government to buy and promote upcoming
> German products.
>
> Would NASA in the US consider buying a cheaper Super Computer from China,
> for example, because HP & Dell need to sort out their business models?
> Huawei, for reasons disguised as 'National Security' cannot sell a single
> product to the US Govt... Not when US has firms like CISCO & Juniper
> building similiar equipment.
>
> ‎The thinking that there's no patriotism when purchasing products is only
> propagated at the developing world's so that they can open up their markets.
>
> Waithaka Ngigi
>
> Alliance Technologies
> www.at.co.ke
> *From: *Ahmed Mohamed Maawy via kictanet
> *Sent: *Saturday, August 27, 2016 10:01 AM
> *To: *Ngigi Waithaka
> *Reply To: *KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions
> *Cc: *Ahmed Mohamed Maawy
> *Subject: *Re: [kictanet] Taifa Laptop
>
> Personal comments:
>
> A business model that forces success is not a successful business. Its a
> dictatorial business.
>
> Examples of famous products from Kenya that Kenyans use:
>
>    - M-Pesa
>    - M-Kopa Solar
>    - Mobius
>    - Ushahidi
>    - BRCK
>    - BitPesa
>    - KopoKopo
>    - PesaPal
>    - And the list goes on...
>
> Some businesses just need to sort out their business models.
>
>
>
> On Sat, Aug 27, 2016 at 9:51 AM, Walubengo J via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> @ Prof Ndemo,
>>
>> As you well know and remember, we experimented with our famous e-Maddo
>> machines that were assembled at a local university and we tried to sell
>> them to government ministries - without much success.
>>
>> Each ministry had and perhaps still has its 'owners' who will NOT want to
>> buy local when they can buy foreign - with some good 'personal returns' :-)
>>
>> We have great ideas, but zero execution.
>>
>> #What_Would_Magufuli_Do :-)?
>>
>> walu.
>>
>> ------------------------------
>> *From:* Bitange Ndemo via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>
>> *To:* jwalu at yahoo.com
>> *Cc:* Bitange Ndemo <bndemo at bitangendemo.me>
>> *Sent:* Friday, August 26, 2016 11:20 PM
>> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] Taifa Laptop
>>
>> David,
>> You are a great man.  Keep on sharing your experiences. Policy is a
>> democrat's tool for benevolent dictatorship.  The Government should just
>> have a policy to buy lab tops and desk tops from JKUAT.  Our taxes should
>> be spent on our products.
>>
>> Ndemo.
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 26, 2016 at 4:24 PM, David Otwoma via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>> Michael,
>>
>> I first met Taifa laptops when we had the ASK Show in 2015. I thought it
>> great then, and seeing this new development I think it is very good. http://www.jkuat.ac.ke/
>> departments/it/taifa-a3- laptop/
>> <http://www.jkuat.ac.ke/departments/it/taifa-a3-laptop/>
>>
>> It reminded me of how I returned to Kenya in 2006 after almost 10 years
>> abroad. The government had just removed duty on PC parts and hence since I
>> was entitled to  a 40 foot container with my personal effects I filled it
>> with motherboards, RAMs, HDs and other things not available locally. When
>> it was eventually cleared I got some of my childhood pals we grew together
>> in Eastlands and we would assemble "No Name" tower or desk top and enabled
>> many who could not afford branded i.e. IBM, HP, Dell etc. to still enjoy
>> what a computer can as the hardware of essence is the motherboard, RAM, HD
>> while software those days one could pirate MS without dire consequences.
>>
>> My bossom buddy got his son admitted to JKUAT and when the boy was sent
>> home for not having a laptop I advised he gets the Taifa as he will pay by
>> installments. Going forward what JKUAT may do is enter into an agreement
>> with some commercial bank(s) who can provide soft loans (now that interest
>> rates are coming down by law) to enable those who wish to pay back in 4 or
>> 5 years to have that facility.
>>
>> Globally I used to see German made (Siemen Company) desktops and towers
>> sold to students through local arrangements with European banks not only in
>> Germany but in Austria and Switzerland too. That does not stop those who
>> may wish to buy say Apple, Toshiba, HP etc at a premium doing so. The
>> beauty is we have our own, even if forced down out children's' throats, it
>> eventually will bring about the effect I have seen in far of places like
>> Japan, South Korea, USA just to name a few. I remember a friend who had to
>> attended a 6 months training course in Japan was issued a Toshiba laptop
>> and its cost included in the training package. the whole class had more
>> than 20 Africans and it occurred every year since 1997. If JKUAT can borrow
>> that leaf and extend beyong 1st years reporting to civil servants who have
>> to attend some compulsory courses not available at Kenya School of
>> Government it will be great as it would boost usage and outlet of this
>> Taifa laptops. Better still is making a deal with government entities like
>> the Ministries, Parastatals etc and supply us with this laptops. Only last
>> week I was issued with the biannual replacement of my laptop witha HP
>> imported from United Arab Emirates and I am willing to bet half my August
>> salary that it was purchased in excess of kshs. 70,000 while its specs are
>> not so different from the Taifa laptop! Why are we happier creating jobs
>> for technicians (since someone may argue degree holders should not be
>> assembling laptops) abroad while our own youths are jobless. Why do we wish
>> to export our dollars abroad when we could pass the money to our own
>> locally to spend locally, the bigger chunks, eventually?
>>
>> Finally every-time I visit West African countries I notice they do not
>> wear suits like we do in kenya starting from their President down to the
>> street urchins. They have evolved a sophisticated clothing industry that do
>> not allow 'someone died aka mitumba' industry as we have here.
>>
>> Let me start counting the minutes to Furahi day.
>>
>> --
>> --
>> David Otwoma, PhD
>> Chief Scientist,
>> National Commission for Science Technology and Innovation (NACOSTI)
>> Utalii House, P.O Box 30623-00100 Nairobi, Kenya
>> Safcom tel: +254 722 141771,
>> Orange tel: +254 (0)20 2346915,
>> email: otwooma at gmail.com & otwoma at uonbi.ac.ke
>> http://www.facebook.com/ profile.php?ref=profile&id= 100000614284149
>> <http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?ref=profile&id=100000614284149>
>> http://www.nacosti.go.ke
>> &
>> Chairman,
>> Eastern Africa Association for Radiation Protection,
>> http://www.eaarp.org/
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 12:10 PM, Musya Michael via kictanet <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke > wrote:
>>
>> Anyone using this laptop? Experiences so far?
>>
>> http://www.the-star.co.ke/news /2016/08/22/parents-protest-
>> jkuats-imposition-of-taifa- laptops-on-students_c1407693
>> <http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/08/22/parents-protest-jkuats-imposition-of-taifa-laptops-on-students_c1407693>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Regards,
>>
>> Michael Musya.
>>
>>
>> I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.
>> Philippians 4:13
>>
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>> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
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>> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
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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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>
>
>
> --
> *Ahmed Maawy*
> Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
> Curator - Global Shapers Mombasa Hub
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>
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>
>

-- 
*Ahmed Maawy*
Executive Director - SwahiliBox / M-Power (CBO)
Curator - Global Shapers Mombasa Hub
Ambassador - Open Knowledge
Director - Startup Grind Mombasa
Software Developer - AJ+ / EveryLayer
(KE) +254 714 960 627
Skype: ultimateprogramer

swahilibox.co.ke
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