[kictanet] Tech Solutions for Covid-19

Sun Apr 5 11:44:57 EAT 2020

Dear Liz,

Greatful for the direction.  Government as always makes declaration like
working from home without following up on how to ensure it is effective. We
can focus the Senate to the barriers members have raised hindering digital
access especially under  the circumstances including:
Affordability-all of us using data bundles to work from home are excluded.
We must revisit the % and numbers around Kenya's contribution to the 4
billion of those connected as  purported by MNOs.
Tax among other government regulations ofcourse as you described especially
around emerging technologies like community networks. Community networks
should be allocated spectrum to serve rural communities.
Online safety and security especially for vulnerable
individuals/communities. Online hygiene should be promoted the same way we
are promoting handwashing around COVID-19.
Lack of relevant content especially for for vulnerable communities
Digital skills at grassroots
Cultural biases towards internet use
Alternative sources of power and energy

On Sun, 5 Apr 2020, 11:08 Liz Orembo, <lizorembo at gmail.com> wrote:

> Charles. I tend to think that the current situation about internet pricing
> has to do with the market structure.  CA had made some interventions on
> mobile money such as mobile wallet ineteroperability but 2 years down
> nothing changed.
>
> In terms of internet connection,  there's little competition in the
> urban.  Rural folks have to stick with Safcom because of network issues
> from the other telcos.
>
> Maybe safaricom and Airtel can also tell us what interventions they have
> made,  including promoting cashless transactions and internet access,
> during this period.
>
> Now going back to the discussions.  What can the Senate do? How has
> internet tax affected access across the country?  Remember in 2018 internet
> tax rose from 15%-20%. This cost was passed down to consumers. Should the
> Senate consider zero rating internet tax duting this period?
>
> On Sat, Apr 4, 2020, 16:13 Charles Wesonga Juma <cjumaster at gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> Dear Liz,
>>
>> Well put! Can kictanet advocate for free internet at this time of
>> COVID-19.  Or just free internet days even if on a sunday. Safaricom is
>> taken advantage of the situation.  The bundles are running out faster than
>> before.  Who wants to join in pushing for lowering costs of internet
>> especially at this hour of need.
>>
>> On Sat, 4 Apr 2020, 16:03 Liz Orembo via kictanet, <
>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>
>>> Thank you Barrack.
>>>
>>> Indeed we don't have to reinvent the wheel. Africa has dealt with a
>>> pandemic before and community based solutions worked well in the case of
>>> Ebola. How can such initiatives like covid19.ke expand to the villages?
>>> Can the government work with ushahidi to provide data for mapping? They are
>>> already collecting this data and following the leads for testing. I wish
>>> such mapping could also help kenyans make judgements on their commuting.
>>>
>>> I like the way this situation has forced people to embrace technology.
>>> My mum's vicar delivered her sermon last sunday through youtube. But
>>> unfortunately the situation also exposes inequality of internet access. You
>>> know the experience of streaming youtube videos on safaricom bundles. They
>>> vanish no sooner than!
>>>
>>> @wash waiting for your views on how the tech community can help.
>>>
>>> On Sat, Apr 4, 2020 at 12:11 PM Barrack Otieno <otieno.barrack at gmail.com>
>>> wrote:
>>>
>>>> Dear Liz and listers,
>>>>
>>>> My responses in line
>>>>
>>>> On Sat, Apr 4, 2020 at 9:54 AM Liz Orembo via kictanet <
>>>> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>> Good morning listers,
>>>>>
>>>>> The senate has established an ad-hoc committee that will oversee the
>>>>> responses of the national and county governments to the covid 19 pandemic.
>>>>> The committee has issued a call for submissions on the following themes.
>>>>>
>>>>>    1. *Health *- includes community health,  testing centers, mental
>>>>>    health, role and engagement of county governments.
>>>>>
>>>>> *BO : Instead of re-inventing the wheel why don't we coalesce around
>>>> efforts such as COVID-19.Ke. You cannot manage what you don't know, we need
>>>> to know areas that have been hit the hardest to ensure correct measures are
>>>> taking to avoid any further spread. The Ushahidi platform on the above link
>>>> can help us to monitor and control the spread of COVID-19.*
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>    1. *Economic and Finance Issues - *Includes macro economic
>>>>>    effects, measures that the government can take to cushion SMEs and
>>>>>    borrowers.
>>>>>
>>>>> *BO: The government has an elaborate structure from the County
>>>> Commissioners to Chiefs to Chairman of Nyumba Kumi. We can encourage
>>>> sharing for information through Whatsapp to identify needy cases, those
>>>> that might need food and other humanitarian support to survive. I propose
>>>> that Whatsapp be made totally free on all Networks to facilitate
>>>> communication.*
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>    1. *Social, Public order and Human Rights - * Includes protection
>>>>>    of vulnerable groups, and enforcement of curfews
>>>>>
>>>>> *BO : We need to combine Government and Community Structures to
>>>> continuously inform, educate and possibly find ways of entertaining the
>>>> Community in ways that will result in behavior change. Over communication
>>>> is the key word.*
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>    1. *Access to Food, Water and other basic commodities *Includes
>>>>>    measures to support continuous production and supply of essential services
>>>>>    at affordable prices. Food, water etc
>>>>>
>>>>> *BO : encourage citizens to utilise available resources carefully.
>>>> Encourage citizens to take care of each other within local communities and
>>>> share what they have while maintaining the guidelines that will avoid the
>>>> spread of the pandemic.*
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>    1. *Support services and cross cutting issues - *Includes
>>>>>    awareness creation, how to combat stigmatization and network access across
>>>>>    the country.
>>>>>
>>>>> *BO . As indicated above let us coalesce around initiatives such as
>>>> covid-19.ke <http://covid-19.ke>, the hrose has already bolted, we cannot
>>>> start new initiatives , let us bolster existing initiatives.*
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> Listers, what are your views?  How can ICTs help in these 5 areas? and
>>>>> how can the government improve its communication and network connectivity
>>>>> across the country?
>>>>>
>>>>> Please find attached the call for public participation with more
>>>>> details. The deadline for submission is 8th April.
>>>>> --
>>>>>
>>>>> Best regards.
>>>>> Liz.
>>>>>
>>>>> PGP ID: 0x1F3488BF
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>>>>>
>>>>> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder
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>>>>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
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>>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> Barrack O. Otieno
>>>> +254721325277
>>>> +254733206359
>>>> Skype: barrack.otieno
>>>> PGP ID: 0x2611D86A
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>
>>> --
>>>
>>> Best regards.
>>> Liz.
>>>
>>> PGP ID: 0x1F3488BF
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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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