<div dir="ltr"><div><div>Dr,<br><br></div>Excellent insights. "<b>No country has developed on the backdrop of peasant mentality<br>
devoid of research, policy and industry working in unison</b>" --- must be the quote of the week <br><br></div>Mutuvi.<br>
</div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Fri, Aug 23, 2013 at 1:42 PM, Bernard Kioko [Bernsoft Interactive Limited] <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bkioko@bernsoft.com" target="_blank">bkioko@bernsoft.com</a>></span> wrote:<br>
<blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex">Daktari,<br>
<br>
I guess these are the insights I was looking for and yes I do see the<br>
balance. I guess I just didn't follow up keenly on what ICT Board was upto.<br>
<br>
Thank you for your reply.<br>
<div class="im HOEnZb"><br>
Kind Regards,<br>
<br>
Bernard Kioko<br>
Chief Executive Officer<br>
Bernsoft Interactive Limited<br>
P.O.Box 15177-00100 Nbi,Kenya<br>
Office: <a href="tel:%2B254-703-080-000" value="+254703080000">+254-703-080-000</a><br>
Mobile: <a href="tel:%2B254-722-540-883" value="+254722540883">+254-722-540-883</a><br>
<br>
<br>
</div><div class="im HOEnZb">-----Original Message-----<br>
From: Bitange Ndemo [mailto:<a href="mailto:bitange@jambo.co.ke">bitange@jambo.co.ke</a>]<br>
Sent: Thursday, August 22, 2013 9:20 PM<br>
To: <a href="mailto:bkioko@bernsoft.com">bkioko@bernsoft.com</a><br>
Cc: <a href="mailto:bitange@jambo.co.ke">bitange@jambo.co.ke</a>; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions<br>
Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT BOARD - ANY LESSONS TO LEARN<br>
<br>
</div><div class="HOEnZb"><div class="h5">Bernard,<br>
The changes you are seeing now are as a result of the lessons we learnt and<br>
correctly recommended that ICTB be combined with e-Government. Most of ICTB<br>
budget came from the World Bank and it meant that we do things as per the<br>
demands of the Bank. Majority of the staff were paid by the Bank on<br>
contract basis.<br>
<br>
Mid stream we changed policy and indeed communicated that we had shifted<br>
from marketing Kenya abroad to local outsourcing. This was necessitated by<br>
the digitization program from WB resources. Indeed work was done in<br>
Ministry of Lands, State Law Office and Judiciary. Registries that today<br>
demad several applications and back end work. If we had succeeded in<br>
bringing the different ICT units together, we shall have realized our local<br>
outsourcing much earlier and we hope this happens since they will be singing<br>
from one hym book.<br>
<br>
It was pointless to continue marketing Kenya abroad when we had sufficient<br>
work locally. In several fora, I stated that we wanted to invert India's<br>
strategy (in October I will be in India to elaborate our strategy which the<br>
Indians picked from Media) by looking more inwards for outsourcing.<br>
Once we became proficient and realized internal efficienies, then we could<br>
now move to the outside world. We still have the opportunity to use this<br>
strategy.<br>
<br>
On the innovation side we continued to encourage companies like IBM to bring<br>
their research experience to Kenya. Indeed if you peruse through the MOU,<br>
we shall share IP proceeds while at the same time developing capacity.<br>
Research is the backbone of any country that is building innovative capacity<br>
like Kenya. We must inculcate that culture by learning through others and<br>
that is what we were doing.<br>
<br>
Our efforts to incubate several startups at Sameer flopped as we could not<br>
get the funding. There were several firms from the creative industry who<br>
would have benefited from the program but we were told to hold it until<br>
Konza was built. As you know Konza was not just a real estate exercise as<br>
some of you may have thought. We were trying to create a non existent<br>
creative economy ecosystem. To realize the triple helix model of<br>
development just like the newly induatrialized or industrialized countries.<br>
No country has developed on the backdrop of peasant mentality devoid of<br>
research, policy and industry working in unison.<br>
<br>
If you correlate for example, the growth of Korea and research spending, you<br>
will see almost a perfect positive correlation. The more the country is<br>
spending on research, the more developed it becomes and more sustainable<br>
wealth creation.<br>
<br>
Working in Government is probably the most difficult assigment anyone can<br>
do. You get criticism from everybody. There are multiple and conflicting<br>
interests from various interest group that one must balance. There is a<br>
selfish parliament and individuals that no selection process can be fair.<br>
We tried our best and let us now support those in office to try as much.<br>
<br>
Personally, I have no intention of ever wanting to serve in our sector at<br>
the administrative level. I continue to play a key role as a newly<br>
appointed Honorary Chair of the Alliance for Affordable Internent (A4AI) and<br>
an advisor to the Better than Cash Alliance. I will also continue to<br>
participate in activities that will deepen the application of technology in<br>
Kenya. I also have time now to write more than I have done before.<br>
<br>
It is pointless to be aspectator who only highlight mistakes of those in the<br>
field. I want to see you seek to lead ICTA just like Yawe has done with<br>
Posta.<br>
<br>
<br>
Ndemo.<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
<br>
> Listers,<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> Now that the ICT Board has been disbanded (or absorbed not sure<br>
> which), my head has been active with the thoughts of what really went<br>
> wrong there and what lessons can be learnt. How did that board not<br>
> leave us with anything tangible or is it just me who didn't follow on what<br>
they did.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> I always felt (quietly) that the ICT Board was going about their<br>
> initiatives in the wrong (or not practical) way but I kept silent<br>
> because I always kept feeling its me who was wrong. Now, more and more<br>
> now, am starting to think something was wrong there.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> Anyone with any insights.<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> Kind Regards,<br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
> Bernard Kioko<br>
> Chief Executive Officer<br>
><br>
> Bernsoft Interactive Limited<br>
><br>
> P.O.Box 15177-00100 Nbi,Kenya<br>
><br>
> Office: <a href="tel:%2B254-703-080-000" value="+254703080000">+254-703-080-000</a><br>
><br>
> Mobile: <a href="tel:%2B254-722-540-883" value="+254722540883">+254-722-540-883</a><br>
><br>
><br>
><br>
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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.<br>
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</div></div></blockquote></div><br><br clear="all"><br>-- <br><div dir="ltr"><div>There is always a way where there is a will.>><br><br></div><br></div>
</div>