<html><head></head><body dir="auto" lang="en-US" style="background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); line-height: initial;"> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Ali,</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">I don't think Daktari, if I could speak for him, is saying that we start with mediocre products. If anything, he says he's used the laptops and bought a lot more others for students. And they work.</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">If you were to rewind computer history, what did IBM say about the first Apple Computer, Apple I.... a sub-standard toy that'll never amount to anything.</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">30 yrs later, Apple trounced IBM to be come the most valuable tech company.</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Not too long ago, what did BlackBerry say about the first Android Version from a little unknown company that was eventually bought by Google?</div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br></div><div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">First generation products generally rely more on vision than outright sheer performance. Yes, Taifa wouldn't beat Dell or apple today, but as the Kenyan Nation let's buy into that vision. That's the least we can do for Taifa!</div> <div style="width: 100%; font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"><br style="display:initial"></div> <div style="font-size: initial; font-family: Calibri, 'Slate Pro', sans-serif, sans-serif; color: rgb(31, 73, 125); text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Waithaka Ngigi<br><br>Alliance Technologies<br>www.at.co.ke </div> <table width="100%" style="background-color:white;border-spacing:0px;"> <tbody><tr><td colspan="2" style="font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> <div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(181, 196, 223); border-top-width: 1pt; padding: 3pt 0in 0in; font-family: Tahoma, 'BB Alpha Sans', 'Slate Pro'; font-size: 10pt;"> <div><b>From: </b>Ali Hussein via kictanet</div><div><b>Sent: </b>Friday, August 26, 2016 5:53 AM</div><div><b>To: </b>Ngigi Waithaka</div><div><b>Reply To: </b>KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions</div><div><b>Cc: </b>Ali Hussein; KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions</div><div><b>Subject: </b>Re: [kictanet] Taifa Laptop</div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div style="border-style: solid none none; border-top-color: rgb(186, 188, 209); border-top-width: 1pt; font-size: initial; text-align: initial; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"></div><br><div id="_originalContent" style=""><meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"><div>Daktari</div><div><br></div><div>I'm with you. Mine is to debunk the myth that we have to start from mediocrity to grow our local industries. We don't have to use the same legacy thinking of yesteryears. </div><div><br></div><div>Local industry is critical for development even as we move even more faster towards the utopia of the Information Age. Even the Americans are realizing that the notion of outsourcing to China may be a short time profit thing but not necessarily good for the country. However, there's a deliberate effort to encourage this. Like <b>The</b></div><h1 id="section_0" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 7px; border: 0px; line-height: 1.3; vertical-align: baseline; background-image: none; word-wrap: break-word; word-break: break-word;"><font size="3"><span style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Revitalize American Manufacturing and Innovation Act of 2013</span></font></h1><div><br></div><div><a href="https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revitalize_American_Manufacturing_and_Innovation_Act_of_2013">https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Revitalize_American_Manufacturing_and_Innovation_Act_of_2013</a></div><div><br></div><div>Let's support local products and solutions. But let's also ensure we hold ourselves to the highest standards possible.</div><div><br><div><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><span style="-webkit-tap-highlight-color: rgba(26, 26, 26, 0.294118); -webkit-composition-fill-color: rgba(175, 192, 227, 0.231373);"><b>Principal</b></span></div><div><b style="background-color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0);">Hussein & Associates</b></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 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></span></p><font><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>"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi</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><div><br>On 25 Aug 2016, at 10:57 PM, Bitange Ndemo <<a href="mailto:bndemo@bitangendemo.me">bndemo@bitangendemo.me</a>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div dir="ltr">Ali,<div>I have actually used Taifa and I was impressed with the product. It was a mistake that we killed Nyayo car because we ended up probing up the Proton from Malaysia that was started exactly the same time. Some of the imported computers are hopeless. I can show you several e-waste that we keep on importing simply because it is imported. We have killed the textile industry by wearing other people's used clothes yet an economist will tell you that the price of a new product drops when supply increases.</div><div><br></div><div>Ndemo. </div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 10:28 PM, Ali Hussein via kictanet <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="auto"><div>This notion that local equates or should be inferior harks us back to the Nyayo Car. We shouldn't expect mediocrity just because it's local. The days of comparative advantage and 'National Pride' for inferior products MUST end otherwise we will continue to lag behind as a contingent.</div><div><br></div><div>Let's buy local yes. But let's continuously demand the highest standards. It is the only way to keep local industry alive.<br><br><div><span><b>Ali Hussein</b></span></div><div><span><b>Principal</b></span></div><div><b style="background-color:rgba(255,255,255,0)">Hussein & Associates</b></div><div style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium">+254 0713 601113 </div><div style="font-family:Helvetica;font-size:medium"><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.<wbr>com/in/alihkassim</a></span></p><font><br></font></div><div><span><br></span></div><div>"Discovery consists in seeing what everyone else has seen and thinking what no one else has thought". ~ Albert Szent-Györgyi</div><div><span><br></span></div>Sent from my iPad</div><div><div class="h5"><div><br>On 25 Aug 2016, at 9:39 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy via kictanet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><wbr>> wrote:<br><br></div><blockquote type="cite"><div><div dir="ltr"><div><div>Its not that I am disputing that fact Dr. Ndemo. But the fact that they can pay extra to buy a foreign product gives that extra room for choice - in a free market choice is a must have. Having a free market is in some circumstances maybe even better for the development of our own products. Competition breeds efficiency in the long-run.<br><br>I totally agree that we need to support Taifa as a product and make it scale. But again the consumer has the right to have a choice. Some kids go to University barely on loans that they can raise from family, if they could. Some just can not - and in my personal capacity having been one of those on that demographic I can feel what some of these kids can feel.<br><br></div>It just means that we need to become better business people to market that product better.<br><br></div>I believe Kenyans can be patriotic. All they need is a reason to be so. All they need is leadership.<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 9:33 PM, Bitange Ndemo <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:bndemo@bitangendemo.me" target="_blank">bndemo@bitangendemo.me</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr">Ahmed,<div>They did not but in Korea everybody had to use the local products. To buy foreign, you had to pay extra. In fact even today only 1 in 10 cars on the road that is not Korean. The point I am making is that our problems emanate from the appetite of foreign goods. That is how we are not creating jobs. Freedom even in the most free states is relative. Our security now and in the future depends on what we do with unemployment. </div><span><font color="#888888"><div><br></div><div>Ndemo.</div></font></span></div><div><div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote">On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 9:23 PM, Ahmed Mohamed Maawy <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:ultimateprogramer@gmail.com" target="_blank">ultimateprogramer@gmail.com</a>></span> wrote:<br><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div dir="ltr"><div>Agreed with you bwana Ndemo 100%<br><br></div>But the point of all this is that the Koreans didn't come to force us to buy their units.<br></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div>On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 9:19 PM, Bitange Ndemo via kictanet <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><wbr>></span> wrote:<br></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div dir="ltr">Michael,<div>I have bought six of Taifa Laptops for students who come to me for help. They are happy with the product. I don't buy Taifa because it is cheap. I buy to support the growth of light electronic manufacturing industry in Kenya. We have bought garbage in form of tablets for many years from Asia. We effectively supported Asians to go through the learning curve. Today they dominate the sector. India is making the industry a priority and estimates show it will top more than $ 900 billion by 2020.</div><div><br></div><div>Before we criticism these noble efforts we must look back and correct our attitude. We supported Koreans perfect the Hyundai, Indians perfect the Mahindra, Japanese perfect the Toyota Mark II and Chinese perfect their electronic manufacturing capability. Kenya will not wake up one day and produce a perfect product without going through a learning curve. JKUAt has had to go through the learning curve since they produced their first computer, Madaraka with the support of the Ministry of Information and Communications. We have a collective responsibility to be part of the solution to our perennial problems of unemployment. Without the local market we cannot scale. Patriotism means we make certain sacrifices while giving constructive criticisms. Africa will never get out of poverty by being consumers of other people's products. Go buy Taifa and give some advise on what they need to improve. It has warranty and personally I have no problem with the lap top.</div><div><br></div><div>Ndemo.</div></div><div class="gmail_extra"><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div><div>On Thu, Aug 25, 2016 at 12:10 PM, Musya Michael via kictanet <span dir="ltr"><<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><wbr>></span> wrote:<br></div></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex"><div><div><div dir="ltr">Anyone using this laptop? Experiences so far?<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.the-star.co.ke/news/2016/08/22/parents-protest-jkuats-imposition-of-taifa-laptops-on-students_c1407693" target="_blank">http://www.the-star.co.ke/news<wbr>/2016/08/22/parents-protest-jk<wbr>uats-imposition-of-taifa-lapto<wbr>ps-on-students_c1407693</a><span><font color="#888888"><br><div><br clear="all"><div><br></div>-- <br><div data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr">Regards,<br><br>Michael Musya.<br><br><br>I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.<br>Philippians 4:13</div></div>
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