<html><head><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body dir="auto"><div>Mwendwa</div><div><br></div><div>I agree. But then I think that the county's are basically on their own and they should do all they can to bring themselves into the 22nd Century.<br><br><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.231373);"><b>Ali Hussein</b></span></div><div><br></div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; ">+254 770 906375 / 0713 601113</div><div style="font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium; -webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.296875); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); -webkit-text-size-adjust: auto; "><br></div><div><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Twitter: @AliHKassim</span></p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font></font></span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Skype: abu-jomo</span></p><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">LinkedIn: <a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim" target="_blank">http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim</a><a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim" target="_blank"><span style="text-decoration: none;"></span></a></span></p><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);"><font></font></span><p style="margin: 0in 0in 0pt;"></p><font><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Blog: <a href="http://www.alyhussein.com/" target="_blank">www.alyhussein.com</a></span><br></font></div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.292969); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.230469); -webkit-composition-frame-color: rgba(77, 128, 180, 0.230469); "><br></span></div><div>"I fear the day technology will surpass human interaction. The world will have a generation of idiots".  ~ Albert Einstein</div><div><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.231373);"><br></span></div>Sent from my iPad</div><div><br>On Dec 22, 2014, at 2:20 PM, Mwendwa Kivuva <<a href="mailto:Kivuva@transworldafrica.com">Kivuva@transworldafrica.com</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><span>Ali, proper implementation of USF will save us from the poor speeds</span><br><span>you are experiencing in Lamu.</span><br><span></span><br><span>As for Telkom, a complete exit by the government would do the trick.</span><br><span>If it's made a parastatal, it will be another conduit for the</span><br><span>executive to reward political cronies and siphon taxpayers money.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Kencel/Zain/Airtel has survived the tough landscape as investors try</span><br><span>to keep afloat their capital. This would be the case if Telkom was</span><br><span>completely privatised.</span><br><span></span><br><span>Let market forces, regulation, and policy decide the fate of the</span><br><span>industry, but we should do everything possible to keep Telkom afloat.</span><br><span></span><br><span>On 21/12/2014, Ali Hussein via kictanet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>> wrote:</span><br><blockquote type="cite"><span>Listers</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Happy Holidays.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Interesting story in the Sunday Nation on the above. It's especially</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>poignant for me as I sit in Lamu trying to send an email for the last two</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>hours with no success. I have both Orange and Safaricom and both have failed</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>me dismally. I'm left wondering:-</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>What National Broadband Strategy if we can't get the key county headquarters</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>connected even with decent reliable connectivity. Maybe it's because it's</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the season of Kaskazi which is interfering with connectivity.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Anyway, back to the Telkom issue:-</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Clearly, the government is yet to think through a clear strategy on how to</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>handle  the impending exit of France Telecom  from the shareholding of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Telkom Kenya - even as the country's third mobile operator in terms of</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>subscribers sinks deeper  into financial distress.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>The uncertainty around the fate of what was once one of the largest state</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>corporations with a workforce of more than 23,000 employees is captured in a</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>recent letter by Information and Communications Secretary, Dr Fred</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Matiang'i, to President Uhuru Kenyatta.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Writing in October, Dr Matiang'i argued that the insolvency of Telkom Kenya</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>was bound to affect negatively the government's plans in the ICT sector.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>According to Dr Matiang'i, Telkom Kenya's dwindling fortunes will put the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>success of the national broadband strategy, including  the plans to roll out</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Huduma Centres at risk.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Read on:-</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span><a href="http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Why-State-should-worry-over-impending-collapse-of-Telkom/-/440808/2564164/-/11c8wxk/-/index.html">http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/Opinion/Why-State-should-worry-over-impending-collapse-of-Telkom/-/440808/2564164/-/11c8wxk/-/index.html</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Question(s)</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>1. I hope Dr. Matiang'i was misquoted because for the life of me I can't see</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>how the collapse of one company can put the whole country's Broadband</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Strategy at risk. Can someone please explain this to me? I doubt this is the</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>case. Was the management contract for NOFBi so skewed to favour Orange</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Telkom that we are now unable to extricate ourselves?</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>2. Are we serious about connecting the country? By now we should expect at</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>least the same level of connectivity as Nairobi. We now know that the myth</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>of our country's GDP coming majorly from Nairobi is just that. A myth.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Again, when are we going to get the Universal Access Fund working? At this</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>rate we might as well call it a Phantom.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>3. Why are we wasting so much energy on Telkom Kenya? I do commensurate with</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>the current Government because they really were saddled with this albatross.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>But now it's time to put it out of its misery. This may sound callous but</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Orange is going nowhere. Even the staff know it. If we want to save Kenyan</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>jobs then let's step in and revert it back to being a parastatal because</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>clearly the French have funked it.</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Ali Hussein</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>+254 770 906375 / 0713 601113</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Twitter: @AliHKassim</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Skype: abu-jomo</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>LinkedIn: <a href="http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim">http://ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Blog: <a href="http://www.alyhussein.com">www.alyhussein.com</a></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>"I fear the day technology will surpass human interaction. The world will</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>have a generation of idiots".  ~ Albert Einstein</span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span></span><br></blockquote><blockquote type="cite"><span>Sent from my iPad</span><br></blockquote><span></span><br><span></span><br><span>-- </span><br><span>______________________</span><br><span>Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya</span><br><span><a href="http://twitter.com/lordmwesh">twitter.com/lordmwesh</a></span><br><span></span><br><span>The best athletes never started as the best athletes.</span><br><span>You have to think anyway, so why not think big? - Donald Trump.</span><br><span>"You miss 100 percent of the shots you never take." - Wayne Gretzky.</span><br><span>Tackle the biggest frog first.</span><br><span>I will persist until I succeed - Og Mandino.</span><br></div></blockquote></body></html>