<table cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="0" ><tr><td valign="top" style="font: inherit;">@Gilda,<br><br>good qtn that reminds me about the software behind MPESA is apparently claimed by both Vodafone (UK) and Kenya. Ofcourse Vodafone owns the copyrights - but was it created in Kenya, by a Kenyan? If MJ will in due course clear the air on this and the MOBITELEA saga, then we shall all be happier...<br><br>walu.<br> <br><br>--- On <b>Fri, 10/15/10, godera@skyweb.co.ke <i><godera@skyweb.co.ke></i></b> wrote:<br><blockquote style="border-left: 2px solid rgb(16, 16, 255); margin-left: 5px; padding-left: 5px;"><br>From: godera@skyweb.co.ke <godera@skyweb.co.ke><br>Subject: Re: [kictanet] The big Kwaheri: reflecting on 10 years on the MJ 10yr safari and his-tory - day 5<br>To: jwalu@yahoo.com<br>Cc: "KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions" <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke><br>Date: Friday, October 15, 2010, 10:30 AM<br><br><div
class="plainMail"><br>Chris,<br><br>Well said. May I ask, are there any entrepreneurs out there who developed any<br>applications that Safaricom adapted and what is their input in this discussion?<br>It would be nice to hear from them too......<br><br>Gilda<br>Quoting Chris Foster <<a ymailto="mailto:cgfoster@gmail.com" href="/mc/compose?to=cgfoster@gmail.com">cgfoster@gmail.com</a>>:<br><br>> Dear all,<br>> <br>> Muriuki invited me to join the list and contribute to this discussion. I am<br>> a PhD researcher from Manchester UK, currently researching the reach of<br>> mobile, focusing on mobile entrepreneurs in Nairobi. So I am very happy to<br>> be able to follow these interesting discussions on a subject close to my<br>> heart.<br>> <br>> I'm not sure I can add anything specific about the Kenyan context, in which<br>> you have far more knowledge than me, but perhaps I can present some insight<br>> on some wider
debates in mobile, where similar processes are happening<br>> around the world.<br>> <br>> I'd like to expand on Muriuki's previous point, about those employed in the<br>> mobile industry. In my view what may be most significant about Safaricom, is<br>> that it seems to be one of the first enterprises in Kenya to truly reach the<br>> poorest and successfully provide ICT goods. But in the rush to celebrate, we<br>> may have forgotten to consider the mobile entrepreneurs who have been<br>> crucial to providing this new reach.<br>> <br>> Here's two quotes about these mobile entrepreneurs from recent research:<br>> <br>> >From a study of mobile entrepreneurs in India - “A general store began a<br>> mobile phone re-charge service, moving to selling handsets, accessories and<br>> repair services phasing out the original business.....Similarly, several<br>> mobile recharge start-ups graduated to stocking the
entire range of mobile<br>> re-charge options, handsets, accessories and hardware repair.”<br>> <br>> A quote from a Telco employee in Peru - "[Referring to top-up and handset<br>> sellers]..those people, even telephone thieves, are working for us, only<br>> they don’t know it......They are employees of [the company], they are only<br>> lacking the vest; they work for us for free"<br>> <br>> I really like these quotes as they show the two sides of these forgotten<br>> mobile entrepreneurs. They seem to illustrate a fine line between mobile<br>> employment being a positive learning process for the information age, and<br>> vendors who induce spending and pass the profits upward to their bosses.<br>> <br>> Is it fine to praise the effective business model of Safaricom and forget<br>> about these entrepreneurs? How do we see the role of these often marginal<br>> entrepreneurs, is employment the most they can
expect? What are there things<br>> that Safaricom has done to help those employed in the mobile industry?<br>> <br>> Best Regards<br>> Chris<br>> <br>> ----<br>> Christopher Foster<br>> PhD Candidate, Centre for Development Informatics (CDI)<br>> University of Manchester, UK<br>> <br>> On Thu, Oct 14, 2010 at 8:41 PM, waudo siganga<br>> <<a ymailto="mailto:emailsignet@mailcan.com" href="/mc/compose?to=emailsignet@mailcan.com">emailsignet@mailcan.com</a>>wrote:<br>> <br>> > Muriuki,<br>> > I think MPESA has helped distribute wealth to the bottom of the pyramid.<br>> > There are thousands of people in the rural remote areas now who are able<br>> to<br>> > receive money from more fortunate relatives etc. simply because the<br>> channel<br>> > to send the money exists and is accessible. Imagine trying to send 300/=<br>> to<br>> > a villager 5 years ago and the bank
charges plus transport to the<br>> "nearest"<br>> > town where the bank has a branch, plus bank restricted opening hours,plus<br>> > queues in the bank, plus possible lodging costs, plus other compexities<br>> that<br>> > would have involved! Economists also say (<br>> > <a href="http://blog.icresource.com/2008/03/01/principles-of-economic-circulation/" target="_blank">http://blog.icresource.com/2008/03/01/principles-of-economic-circulation/</a>)<br>> that<br>> > wealth is not just having money, but also how FAST that m oney circulates<br>> in<br>> > the economy. One person having 1000/= in a week is not the same as 7<br>> people<br>> > handling that same 1000/= through 7 separate transactions in the same<br>> week.<br>> > In this way I think MPESA has revolutionarised the lives of Kenyans beyond<br>> > doubt, created new wealth, inreased GDP by improving CIRCULATION of
money<br>> > and helped to redistribute wealth, especially to the bottom of the<br>> pyramid.<br>> > A person in the village able to receive money in an easier way from more<br>> > fortunate realtives is also able to invest, e.g. in agriculture,<br>> education,<br>> > health, etc. at the grassroots. To mis-quote a certain obscure philospher<br>> > of yore, MPESA is the mother of all killer applications!<br>> ><br>> > Kind<br>> > Waudo<br>> > On Thu, 14 Oct 2010 20:09 +0300, "muriuki mureithi" <<br>> > <a ymailto="mailto:mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke" href="/mc/compose?to=mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke">mureithi@summitstrategies.co.ke</a>> wrote:<br>> ><br>> > Fellow listers<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > This is getting very close from the heart ------ keep them coming ---<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > Joe
Mucheru put out a very interesting hypothesis and most likely a<br>> fact<br>> > that ...’ Safaricom ecosystem has created thousands of millionaires ‘ <br>> as<br>> > MJ created a US$1 Billion + company in 10 yrs .....<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > One thing one may want to understand from your own experience is whether<br>> > Safaricom generated new wealth and then redistributed to create the<br>> > millionaires cited above, or did the system suck resources from bamba 5’s<br>> > and concentrate to a few? Were there losers in the process? Were the<br>> > bottom of the pyramid part of the equation or lost out? Think of that guy<br>> > who was selling airtime in the streets some years ago, did the system<br>> > develop a channel for upward mobility in the value
chain? In other words<br>> > where is the guy who was selling airtime 10 yrs ago in the streets?<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > If you think so – what should MJ have done to address the situation ......<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > cheers<br>> ><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > Muriuki Mureithi<br>> ><br>> > _______________________________________________<br>> > kictanet mailing<br>><br><a ymailto="mailto:listkictanet@lists.kictanet.or.kehttp" href="/mc/compose?to=listkictanet@lists.kictanet.or.kehttp">listkictanet@lists.kictanet.or.kehttp</a>://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet<br>> ><br>> > This message was sent to: <a ymailto="mailto:emailsignet@mailcan.com" href="/mc/compose?to=emailsignet@mailcan.com">emailsignet@mailcan.com</a><br>> > Unsubscribe or
change your options at<br>> <a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan.com" target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/emailsignet%40mailcan.com</a><br>> ><br>> ><br>> > _______________________________________________<br>> > kictanet mailing list<br>> > <a ymailto="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" href="/mc/compose?to=kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><br>> > <a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet" target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</a><br>> ><br>> > This message was sent to: <a ymailto="mailto:cgfoster@gmail.com" href="/mc/compose?to=cgfoster@gmail.com">cgfoster@gmail.com</a><br>> > Unsubscribe or change your options at<br>> > <a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/cgfoster%40gmail.com"
target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/cgfoster%40gmail.com</a><br>> ><br>> ><br>> <br>> <br>> -- <br>> Christopher Foster<br>> mob: 07751 537350 | skype: cgfoster<br>> <br><br><br><br><br>-------------------------------------------------<br>This mail sent through IMP: <a href="http://horde.org/imp/" target="_blank">http://horde.org/imp/</a><br><br>_______________________________________________<br>kictanet mailing list<br><a ymailto="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" href="/mc/compose?to=kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><br><a href="http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet" target="_blank">http://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</a><br><br>This message was sent to: <a ymailto="mailto:jwalu@yahoo.com" href="/mc/compose?to=jwalu@yahoo.com">jwalu@yahoo.com</a><br>Unsubscribe or change your options at <a
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