I concur<br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Mon, Jul 7, 2008 at 5:18 PM, Harry Hare <<a href="mailto:harry@africanedevelopment.org">harry@africanedevelopment.org</a>> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="border-left: 1px solid rgb(204, 204, 204); margin: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; padding-left: 1ex;">
Dear all,<br>
<br>
IMHO in this day and age we should not be talking about "regulation" or<br>
"regulating" anything, this is concept that has been overtaken by events as<br>
we entered the information age characterised by abundance as opposed to<br>
scarcity. We should focus our efforts in "facilitation" and let the industry<br>
find its own equilibrium. At the end of the day, the boys will be separated<br>
from the men - apologies for not being a GSM (Gender Sensitive Man)<br>
<br>
Facilitative regards<br>
Harry<br>
<br>
-----Original Message-----<br>
From: kictanet-bounces+harry=<a href="http://africanedevelopment.org" target="_blank">africanedevelopment.org</a>@<a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><br>
[mailto:<a href="mailto:kictanet-bounces%2Bharry">kictanet-bounces+harry</a>=<a href="http://africanedevelopment.org" target="_blank">africanedevelopment.org</a>@<a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>]<br>
On Behalf Of John Walubengo<br>
Sent: 07 July 2008 12:46<br>
To: <a href="mailto:harry@africanedevelopment.org">harry@africanedevelopment.org</a><br>
Cc: <a href="mailto:secretariat@kif.or.ke">secretariat@kif.or.ke</a>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<br>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] Legislation and Regulation for e-Commerce in Kenya<br>
<br>
Marcel,<br>
<br>
It looks like quite some work has been ongoing in this area...unfortunately<br>
it seems as if it was restricted within KIF only? I wonder if Computer<br>
Society of Kenya (CSK, Waudo r u there?) or Information Security Audit &<br>
Control (ISACA-Kenya Chapter) just to mention some of the big IT<br>
Associations in Kenya were involved. I beg to be enlightened.<br>
<br>
This brings in an old question - who really represents the IT Profession in<br>
Kenya? Shem has been on record as saying that IT is the only discipline<br>
where we seem to lack bodies with the same authority as LSK (Law Society of<br>
Kenya), IEK (Institute of Engineers of Kenya), Medical Practictioners Board<br>
amongst others to regulate the IT Profession.<br>
<br>
And by the way, KICTAnet does not fit the bill either (and has a different<br>
objective anyway). But time has come to really start thinking of regulating<br>
the IT profession, even as we struggle to regulate the industry...Ideally,<br>
CSK should take the lead on this, but they have been awfully quite except<br>
when they award prizes at the end of the year (Waudo I know u will kill me<br>
offline but I just had to say it!).<br>
<br>
KEPSA? very reputable and effective particularly in the Manufacturing sector<br>
but on IT? am not sure they have been as effective - particularly because<br>
the link between KEPSA/KIF and the IT industry has been 'cloudy' for lack of<br>
a better word...Can for example CSK or ISACA be part of KEPSA without being<br>
part of KIF? I again need to be enlightened.<br>
<br>
O.K. I agree I did digress, but just thinking loudly and saying that as we<br>
think of regulating electronic transactions, we also need to simultaneously<br>
start regulating the IT profession..but maybe I am wrong. Particularly<br>
because regulation can and often leads to suppression...<br>
<br>
walu.<br>
--- On Sun, 7/6/08, Marcel Werner <<a href="mailto:marcelcwerner@gmail.com">marcelcwerner@gmail.com</a>> wrote:<br>
<br>
> From: Marcel Werner <<a href="mailto:marcelcwerner@gmail.com">marcelcwerner@gmail.com</a>><br>
> Subject: [kictanet] Legislation and Regulation for e-Commerce in Kenya<br>
> To: <a href="mailto:jwalu@yahoo.com">jwalu@yahoo.com</a><br>
> Cc: <a href="mailto:secretariat@kif.or.ke">secretariat@kif.or.ke</a>, "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions"<br>
<<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>><br>
> Date: Sunday, July 6, 2008, 6:43 PM<br>
> Legislation and Regulation for e-Commerce in Kenya<br>
><br>
> Kenya ICT Federation (KIF) - Briefing Note # 3 - Report -<br>
> Public Panel 19<br>
> June 2008<br>
><br>
> *Electronic commerce (e-commerce) will add at least one<br>
> percent point growth<br>
> to Kenya's overall economic growth within five years.<br>
> This is contingent<br>
> upon the adoption of legislation that supports electronic<br>
> transactions. *Kenya,<br>
> as an emerging economy and regional leader, lags behind in<br>
> having a legal<br>
> framework for e-commerce in place. The current situation is<br>
> an anachronism<br>
> hampering national development, placing provincial centres<br>
> at a<br>
> disadvantage, and harming global competitiveness. Both<br>
> external and internal<br>
> trade require the new framework.The Kenyan private sector<br>
> strongly supports<br>
> e-commerce legislation, as well as legislation of the<br>
> Information and<br>
> Communication Technology sector that guarantees an open<br>
> market and promotes<br>
> innovation.<br>
><br>
> Why e-commerce law? Today, legislation supporting<br>
> electronic transactions<br>
> represents the single most powerful innovation opportunity<br>
> in the legal<br>
> framework of the ICT sector. Legislation is needed to:<br>
> -Legalize e-commerce transactions by recognizing an<br>
> electronic signature<br>
> -Manage and control e-commerce risks<br>
> -Remove e-commerce barriers<br>
> KIF has studied drafts currently circulating in the public<br>
> domain, the<br>
> Information and Communications Bill, 2008, and the<br>
> Electronic Transactions<br>
> Bill, 2007, respectively, both of which are of the highest<br>
> technical<br>
> standards. Public panels and hearings with sectors of the<br>
> economy (including<br>
> tourism, agriculture, ICT) have been held on 6th and 27th<br>
> May, 4th June and<br>
> 19th June. The Kenyan private sector has expressed<br>
> overwhelming support for<br>
> urgent legislation of e-commerce.<br>
><br>
> Suggested improvements in Bills - The public panels and<br>
> hearings to date<br>
> have yielded the following important issues for improvement<br>
> in the current<br>
> Bills:<br>
><br>
> - Provisions on who can prosecute are missing<br>
><br>
> - Liability of Internet Service Providers must be<br>
> demarcated<br>
><br>
> - Clarification on which commercial documents are<br>
> excluded from<br>
> proposed legislation<br>
><br>
> - Eliminate any ambiguity on admissibility of<br>
> electronic evidence<br>
><br>
> - Need for data protection and privacy provisions<br>
><br>
> - The Bills are more lenient on e-commerce fraud<br>
> than on<br>
> traditional fraud<br>
><br>
> - Remove inconsistencies in determining crimes and<br>
> punishments<br>
><br>
> - Provisions for the inclusion of cyber-crime<br>
> within the scope of<br>
> the Extradition Act<br>
><br>
> - Creation of an Administrator for e-commerce laws<br>
> whose functions<br>
> will be policy implementation and advisory, as a<br>
> multi-sectoral body with<br>
> industry associations including KIF, lead regulator<br>
> Communications<br>
> Commission of Kenya and co-regulator Central Bank of Kenya<br>
><br>
> Gains in tourism, agriculture, healthcare<br>
><br>
> Industry sectors, notably the tourism industry, are<br>
> expressing their desire<br>
> to see e-commerce covered by law. In tourism, on-line<br>
> travel bookings have<br>
> exceeded 80% in the USA and 50% in Europe. Decline in<br>
> off-line bookings is<br>
> in ample evidence. Those destinations that cannot legally<br>
> support abundant<br>
> on-line booking, such as Kenya, will loose market share.<br>
> E-commerce in<br>
> agriculture will improve small-holder's living<br>
> standards. Great impact is<br>
> expected notably in the coffee sector that provides<br>
> livelihood to at least 5<br>
> million Kenyans, as well as in the dairy industry.<br>
> Healthcare efficiency and<br>
> affordability will improve by on-line health data<br>
> management systems.<br>
> Business operators in rural towns and rural centres have<br>
> also expressed keen<br>
> interest, as they see scope to address issues of trade<br>
> efficiency and<br>
> security in rural Kenya.<br>
><br>
> What is e-commerce<br>
><br>
> E-commerce is a method of trading that replaces paper-based<br>
> documentation by<br>
> a mutually binding electronic protocol between buyers and<br>
> sellers.<br>
> E-commerce is gaining ground globally and has become an<br>
> irreversible trend.<br>
> Many trading partners are already practicing e-commerce, by<br>
> mutual<br>
> agreement, also in Kenya. However, e-commerce will reach<br>
> its full potential<br>
> when parties that do not know each other are able to trade<br>
> with full mutual<br>
> protection under the law. This will benefit large numbers<br>
> of consumers and<br>
> businesses, including small-holder farmers, tourism<br>
> operators, small-scale<br>
> industry and services providers in almost any business<br>
> sector.<br>
><br>
> About KIF<br>
><br>
> The Kenya Information and Communication Technology<br>
> Federation (KIF)<br>
> represents the ICT industry with Government and with<br>
> private sector bodies<br>
> e.g. Kenya Association of Manufacturers and Kenya Private<br>
> Sector Alliance<br>
> KEPSA <<a href="http://www.kepsa.org/" target="_blank">http://www.kepsa.org/</a>>. KIF is a legally<br>
> registered membership based<br>
> Association, made up of trade associations and professional<br>
> bodies within<br>
> the national ICT industry, as well as commercial<br>
> corporations. KIF has been<br>
> accepted as the private sector voice of ICT by Government.<br>
> KIF contributes<br>
> ideas to key sectors like healthcare, education,<br>
> agriculture, construction<br>
> industry, and last but not least supports e-government<br>
> development. KIF is a<br>
> membership-driven organisation. Members bring issues on<br>
> public policy and<br>
> industry development forward for KIF to take action. Issues<br>
> include:<br>
> innovation promotion, education improvement, duties, taxes<br>
> and levies, rural<br>
> ICT investment. KIF has a strong and active network, with<br>
> excellent<br>
> relationships with all government agencies. KIF membership<br>
> is open for<br>
> market segment associations and individual companies.<br>
> Membership charges are<br>
> annual and based on company size. Contact:<br>
> <a href="mailto:secretariat@kif.or.ke">secretariat@kif.or.ke</a>, 020<br>
> 4440102<br>
> MARCEL WERNER, Chairman, Kenya ICT Federation<br>
><br>
> please send any business mail to:<br>
><br>
Marcel.Werner@innovation-africa.or.ke_______________________________________<br>
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</blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br>Joseph Manthi<br>CEO<br>MEO Ltd<br><a href="http://www.meoltd.com">http://www.meoltd.com</a>