<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META http-equiv=Content-Type content="text/html; charset=iso-8859-1">
<META content="MSHTML 6.00.2900.2180" name=GENERATOR>
<STYLE></STYLE>
</HEAD>
<BODY bgColor=#ffffff>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>The late Dr Geoffrey William Griffin often said
that one can say almost anything in this world to anybody, so long as they say
it politely, respectfully and with no malicious intent.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>Joe, I agree with every word you say - and the new
DG most definitely does not fall in the category of a village idiot appointed by
the political all-mighties for perceived loyalty rather than competence. Anybody
who knows him, however fleetingly, will testify to his gentlemanly mien and
obvious competence.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>However Joe, when you use value-loaded words like
"whining", to quote just one, it distracts from the deep essence of your
well-reasoned argument. People then focus on the negative emotions created by
the use of such terms, rather than the very sensible point you are
making.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>All said and done, I think we have the right person
in the right job - let us welcome him, and add value to his onerous task by
engaging positively with him.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>And let us maintain courteous, respectful and
constructive dialogue.</FONT></DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2>That is my two cents worth!</FONT></DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV><FONT face=Arial size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV>
<DIV align=justify><FONT color=#0000ff
size=2><STRONG></STRONG></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT color=#000080><FONT size=2><STRONG>Fredrick Okono
</STRONG></FONT><FONT
size=2><STRONG> </STRONG></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><FONT size=2><STRONG><FONT color=#000080>Deputy
Director</FONT></STRONG><FONT
face=Arial> </FONT></FONT></DIV><FONT
face=Arial size=2><STRONG><FONT face="Times New Roman" color=#0000ff>
<DIV align=justify>
<HR style="WIDTH: 628px; HEIGHT: 3px" SIZE=3>
</DIV>
<DIV align=justify></FONT></STRONG></FONT><STRONG><FONT size=2> <IMG
style="WIDTH: 75px; HEIGHT: 43px" height=53 alt="" hspace=0
src="cid:007001c8ee51$270638e0$6600a8c0@CFSKENYA" width=75 align=baseline
border=0><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"></SPAN></FONT></STRONG></DIV>
<DIV align=justify><FONT color=#000080 size=2><STRONG>Computers for Schools
Kenya </STRONG></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=justify><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
color=#000080 size=2>Semco</FONT></SPAN><SPAN
style="FONT-SIZE: 12pt; FONT-FAMILY: 'Times New Roman'; mso-fareast-font-family: 'Times New Roman'; mso-ansi-language: EN-US; mso-fareast-language: EN-US; mso-bidi-language: AR-SA"><FONT
color=#000080 size=2> <?xml:namespace prefix = st1 /><st1:PlaceName
w:st="on">Business</st1:PlaceName> <st1:PlaceType
w:st="on">Park</st1:PlaceType> | Unit 1, <st1:Street w:st="on"><st1:address
w:st="on">Mombasa Road</st1:address></st1:Street> | <st1:address
w:st="on"><st1:Street w:st="on">P.O. Box</st1:Street> 48584-00100</st1:address>
| Nairobi , Kenya |<BR>Tel:254(0)202060919, Tel/Fax: 254 (0)20 2060920 Mobile
(0)723-527106|Email:</FONT><A href="mailto:mary@cfsk.org"><FONT color=#000080
size=2>fredokono@cfsk.org</FONT></A><FONT color=#000080 size=2>|Website:
</FONT><A href="http://www.cfsk.org"><FONT color=#000080
size=2>www.cfsk.org</FONT></A></SPAN><FONT color=#000080><FONT
size=2> <FONT face=Arial> </FONT></FONT></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=justify><FONT face=Arial color=#000080 size=2></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV><FONT size=2></FONT></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV></DIV>
<BLOCKQUOTE
style="PADDING-RIGHT: 0px; PADDING-LEFT: 5px; MARGIN-LEFT: 5px; BORDER-LEFT: #000000 2px solid; MARGIN-RIGHT: 0px">
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial">----- Original Message ----- </DIV>
<DIV
style="BACKGROUND: #e4e4e4; FONT: 10pt arial; font-color: black"><B>From:</B>
<A title=jmanthi@gmail.com href="mailto:jmanthi@gmail.com">Joseph Manthi</A>
</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>To:</B> <A title=fredokono@cfsk.org
href="mailto:fredokono@cfsk.org">fredokono@cfsk.org</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Cc:</B> <A
title=newvisionkenya@yahoogroups.com
href="mailto:newvisionkenya@yahoogroups.com">New Vision List</A> ; <A
title=kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke
href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">KICTAnet ICT Policy
Discussions</A> ; <A title=alai.robert@gmail.com
href="mailto:alai.robert@gmail.com">Robert Onyango-Alai</A> </DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Sent:</B> Thursday, July 24, 2008 5:25
PM</DIV>
<DIV style="FONT: 10pt arial"><B>Subject:</B> Re: [kictanet] New DG</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr>Washington:<BR>I am not being personal, everything I have stated
here is either what Shem has said himself and what is in public record. One
thing about democracy is that the person in power appoints his people. When
that person is off power, all his people are replace with those of the new
"presidents" political persuasion. I do not see what you guys are whining
about.<BR><BR>Under the circumstances, the current leadership would have
appointed a village idiot to run CCK because according to them the idiot was
qualified and there would have been nothing wrong with that. You are listening
way too much to the WB/IFC to be of any good to the country. This guy has
worked in CCK - as someone else has stated. He probably knows more about
deregulation and ICT than 90% of the subscribers to this list - me and Shem
included - because deregulation is an economic concept. I expect him to lead
the CCK into the right direction.<BR><BR>Having some ICT knowledge does not
make you a good Regulator Manager. The problem with people complaining too
much is that their audience stops listening.<BR><BR>Give the guy a chance and
stop whining about who should and who should not have been
appointed.<BR><BR>And thats my last 2 cents<BR><BR>JOe <BR><BR>
<DIV class=gmail_quote>On Thu, Jul 24, 2008 at 10:11 AM, Odhiambo Washington
<<A href="mailto:odhiambo@gmail.com">odhiambo@gmail.com</A>> wrote:<BR>
<BLOCKQUOTE class=gmail_quote
style="PADDING-LEFT: 1ex; MARGIN: 0pt 0pt 0pt 0.8ex; BORDER-LEFT: rgb(204,204,204) 1px solid">
<DIV class=Ih2E3d>On Thu, Jul 24, 2008 at 4:29 PM, Joseph Manthi <<A
href="mailto:jmanthi@gmail.com">jmanthi@gmail.com</A>> wrote:<BR>>
Washington:<BR>> The appointment of a DG, as I said, is political. This
we have to live with.<BR>> Instead of Shem giving the guy a chance to
fail, he automatically starts<BR>> complaining about what criteria was
used to appoint him after failing to be<BR>> considered. What does that
tell you about Shem?<BR><BR></DIV>He did not whine about having failed to be
considered. I'd still like<BR>to stand by the<BR>summary I gave of how I
understood him.<BR>
<DIV class=Ih2E3d><BR><BR>> All I am saying is that anyone in his right
mind would not hire someone who<BR>> has been accused of gross
mismanagement of a very high profile parastatal.<BR><BR></DIV>Accused.
That's the point. He's not convicted as yet, though in your mind
you've<BR>done just that - convicted him!<BR>
<DIV class=Ih2E3d><BR><BR>> And therefore complaining of the DG's
appointment using such flimsy reasons<BR>> as that he is not an
"informatician" - whatever that means - lends itself to<BR>> questions
about impropriety.<BR><BR></DIV>"informatician" - I did not look it up from
any dictionary, but the<BR>way I saw it,<BR>anyone on this list would easily
know what he meant from the context. How<BR>comes you don't?<BR>Anway, I
personally do agree with his "flimsy" reasons, since I'd have loved
to<BR>see someone with the "relevant industry" qualifications (as opposed
to<BR>"relevant political"<BR>qualifications) being appointed to such a
position. Political<BR>considerations for appointments<BR>should have been
shelved looong time. IIRC, there was strong<BR>proposition sometimes
back<BR>for such appointments to be vetted by parliament. How this became
a<BR>cropper is so clear<BR>in my mind, but is OT for this list so I will
not delve into it.<BR>
<DIV class=Ih2E3d><BR><BR>> The DG is a manager, he is not a technician.
Now if he was appointed to<BR>> discuss original thoughts about technical
issues then we would have a<BR>> problem.<BR><BR></DIV>You miss the point
once again! The manager, without having clear and<BR>better
understanding<BR>of what the "technician" is talking about, will always
swing towards<BR>the whims of his/her<BR>political masters, the technicians
best-interests notwithstanding.<BR>I'd hate to try to make an economist
officiate on ICT-related issues<BR>which have no bias towards<BR>economics
(and that would be shallow anyway). If you were appointed to<BR>be the CEO
of a<BR>Kenyatta national Hospital and you aren't a doctor by
profession,<BR>guess where the hospital would<BR>be headed?<BR>In summary,
Dr. Ochuodho strong proposition was to have<BR>industry-related
qualifications considered<BR>for such appointments, not political.<BR>
<DIV class=Ih2E3d><BR><BR>> In every country I know Spectrum allocation
is an economic issue and not a technical one.<BR><BR></DIV>A very simple
case that I know of: Sometimes back, FM stations in<BR>Nairobi were ordered
by CCK to<BR>have their transmitters moved from where they were installed
initially<BR>to Limuru, because there were<BR>so much frequency
interference. Some stations even jammed their<BR>competitors. I don't want
to indulge<BR>further into this, but I think the initial decision to let
the<BR>transmitters be installed was approved by the "manager".<BR>
<DIV class=Ih2E3d><BR>> In this case the DG - if that is the criteria
under contention - is more qualified in my book than Shem.<BR><BR></DIV>What
Dr. Shem (let me be fair to his rightly earned titles as well)<BR>inferred
was simply "to have doctors run hospitals".<BR>I did not see (or maybe I was
selective in my reading) anywhere where<BR>he cast aspersions on the person
of the DG.<BR>
<DIV class=Ih2E3d><BR>> Further there is no cloud hunging over his
head.<BR><BR></DIV>I maintain that such cloud is none of our business in
this forum. Why<BR>don't you stay focused on the issues<BR>relevant to the
subject, than getting personal?<BR><FONT color=#888888><BR>--<BR></FONT>
<DIV>
<DIV></DIV>
<DIV class=Wj3C7c>Best regards,<BR>Odhiambo
WASHINGTON,<BR>Nairobi,KE<BR>+254733744121/+254722743223<BR>_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _
_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _<BR><BR>"Oh My God! They killed init! You
Bastards!"<BR> --from a /. post<BR></DIV></DIV></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> </DIV><PRE>No virus found in this incoming message.
Checked by AVG - http://www.avg.com
Version: 8.0.138 / Virus Database: 270.5.5/1571 - Release Date: 7/24/2008 5:42 PM
</PRE>
<P>
<HR>
<P></P>_______________________________________________<BR>kictanet mailing
list<BR>kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke<BR>http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet<BR><BR>This
message was sent to: fredokono@cfsk.org<BR>Unsubscribe or change your options
at
http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/fredokono%40cfsk.org<BR></BLOCKQUOTE></BODY></HTML>