<div dir="ltr"><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:#20124d">I agree Patrick </div><div class="gmail_default" style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;color:#20124d"><br></div><div><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_signature" data-smartmail="gmail_signature"><div dir="ltr"><div><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div dir="ltr"><div><span style="font-family:tahoma,sans-serif"><b><font color="#20124d">Victor Kapiyo</font></b></span></div><div><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="1" color="#351c75">Partner | <i>Lawmark Partners LLP</i></font></div><div><font color="#000000" face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="1"><i>Suite No. 8, Centro House, Westlands, Nairobi | </i></font><i style="color:rgb(0,0,0);font-family:tahoma,sans-serif;font-size:x-small">Web: <a href="http://www.lawmark.co.ke" target="_blank">www.lawmark.co.ke</a> </i></div><font face="tahoma, sans-serif" size="1" color="#000000">====================================================<br><i>“Your attitude, not your aptitude, will determine your altitude” Zig Ziglar<br></i></font><br></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Wed, 15 May 2019 at 07:37, Patrick A. M. Maina via kictanet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>> wrote:<br></div><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex"><div><div class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpf4bbda34yahoo-style-wrap" style="font-family:"times new roman","new york",times,serif;font-size:16px"><div></div>
<div>I've made some enquiries and noted two potential issues that I would like to bring to the attention of fellow listers (especially those in government). My opinion is based on a brief exchange with the Dubai-based organizing company, as well as my understanding of the information published on their website as at today: <br></div><div><br></div><div>ISSUE 1: <br></div><div><span>It c<span><span>osts USD $1,495/- per delegate just to attend. </span></span></span>Networking is pitched as a benefit and included in the agenda. That combination makes the event look like a <span>"pay to network with government officials" business</span>. <span><span>Some questions..<br></span></span></div><div><span><span><br></span></span></div><div><span><span>a. Is this model of "exclusive networking" with public officials <u>for payment</u> not some form of corruption?</span></span></div><div><span><span><br></span></span></div><div><span><span>b. Are events that, by design (whether intentional or not), appear to offer special access to government officials, for payment, not unlawful and/or unconstitutional? <span><span><span>Perhaps legal experts can shed some light on this.<br></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span><br></span></span></span></span></span></div><div><span><span><span><span><span>c. Assuming attendees are attending in official capacity, as is appearent, why are government resources (time, expertise, human resources) being used to enrich a foreign company? </span></span></span><br></span></span></div><div><span><span><br></span></span></div><div><span><span>d. Further, I noted that the organizing company official refers to the delegate attendance fee (~Ksh 150,000/-) as an "<u>investment</u>". Investments have returns. What is the expected return that attendees are looking at? <br></span></span></div><div><span><span><br></span></span></div><div><span><span>e. Is this how people get preferential access (to unfairly influence skewed policies / strategies and/or unfairly win tenders)?<br></span></span></div><div><span><span><br></span></span></div><div><span><span>f. I thought government officials would be sensitive/alert to such apparent traps, now that there is an ongoing war on corruption...? Is there a formal vetting/screening process for such events to avoid trapping or embarrassing senior officials? If not, please see suggested checklist below which can be used as a stop-gap measure. <br></span></span></div><div><span><span><br></span></span></div><div><span><span>ISSUE 2:</span></span> <br></div><div>The event is organized by a "consulting" company in DUBAI whose business is <span>(according to their website): " to provide <u>business insight and intelligence</u> to our clients and give them <u>visibility in uncharted terrains</u></span>." <br></div><div><br></div><div><span><span>The speaker line up comprises</span> high profile public officials from Kenya, Uganda and
Ethiopia - who apparently will be giving "presentations" on a broad range of public
sector initiatives (as well as strategies and public policy issues), <span><span>to
an exclusive audience of paid up delegates<span><span><span><span></span></span></span></span></span></span>.</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Since <u>it is the speakers who come from the "uncharted terrains" (and have been screened to maximize public sector participation), it follows, logically, that they cannot be the "clients"</u> - they are the SOURCE of the sought insights. So who are the "clients" / recipients and how do they plan to use the information gathered? Has anyone asked that question?<br></div><div><br></div><div>I inquired about the speaking slots and was advised that the company has a <u>policy</u> that only Government officials and sponsors can give presentations. To me that signals an <span>economic intelligence </span>gathering event (with very broad scope!). <br></div><div><br></div><div>DISCUSSION:<br></div><div>This is the kind of meeting that government should organize with local (citizen owned) businesses, startups, final-year students, researchers and/or innovators to show them where they can explore opportunities and try offer them home-ground advantage and a foundation for rapid growth. But what are we doing instead?<br></div><div><span><span><br></span></span></div><div><div><div>I fear that we are <span>literally giving away valuable economic information that could be used to disadvantage our own local
businesses competitiveness (and lead to greater unemployment, increased
poverty and associated political risks). I think t</span>his casualness with potentially sensitive economic information is one major reason our country remains poor and our businesses struggle to compete regionally and globally. <span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><span><span><span>This is not about "protectionism" or
"nationalism" (terms that neo-liberals use to influence bad policies in
poor countries). It's about <u>developing sources of competitive advantage at nation level.</u></span></span></span><span><span><span><span><span> Ever wondered, for example, why prosperous (non-oil dependent) countries
don't do
such kind of events - unless they are (or have strictly vetted) the
organizers
and are in full control? </span></span></span></span></span> <br></span></div><div><br></div><div>What if foreign businesses (and/or top management in co-owned enterprises) have been doing better than their local counterparts, not because they have talent for better business models, but because they, and their governments, play a <u>smarter strategic game</u> that leverages our gullibility / <span>shortsightedness </span>for unfair INFORMATION ADVANTAGE? <br></div><div><br></div><div>Don't our CEOs have any interest in competing / expanding outside Kenya?<br></div><div><br></div><div>SUGGESTED INTERIM SOLUTION:<br></div><div>As a stop-gap solution, I'd like to propose the following 10-point EVENT VETTING CHECKLIST for government institutions to help screen all proposed events / conferences. This could be a starting point for the development of a robust information management framework:</div></div><div> <br></div><div>1. What exactly is the purpose of the conference / event? <br></div><div><br></div><div>2. Who is organizing it and why that particular entity (what unique value proposition does it offer to Kenya)?<br></div><div><br></div><div>3. How will the Kenyan people and businesses benefit (Short, mid and long-term)? There should be someone assigned to follow up on these benefits and give a status report within the identified milestones.<br></div><div><br></div><div>4. Why can't Government (relevant Ministry) organize an alternative event - on its own terms, and in public interest? <br></div><div><br></div><div>5. Is it a for-profit event? Are attendees paying? If yes, refer to 4. <br></div><div><br></div><div>6. If <span>the entity is profiting from government participation, was there a competitive bidding to give local event organizers a fair chance?</span><br></div><div><br></div><div>7. Is it in line with the constitution (or other laws) for Government officials to be the main participants in a private, <u>exclusive</u>, for-profit event? Does it create opportunities for a privileged few to gain unfair economic advantage?<br></div><div><br></div><div>8. Has a sensitivity analysis been conducted on the event, its organizers (if foreign), affiliations<span> (if foreign)</span>, goals, objectives? Has the company signed a conflict of interest disclosure form? Are the company shareholders local residents (or have sufficient local assents if foreign) to guarantee legal recourse for breach?<br></div><div><br></div><div>9. Have risks been identified and planned for (accept, mitigate, transfer, avoid)? Is there a risk matrix for the event? <br></div><div><br></div><div>10. Are contributors trained on intellectual property, its value to businesses and economic risks associated with conferences/events? Will there be a post event debriefing, where high risks have been identified?<br></div><br></div><div><span>Links:<br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span>1. Event link:</span></div><div><span><span><a href="https://bricsaconsulting.com/event/3rd-annual-information-communication-technology-africa/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://bricsaconsulting.com/event/3rd-annual-information-communication-technology-africa/</a></span><br></span></div><div><span><br></span></div><div><span><div><span>2. For a company that has been organizing high profile international public-sector events over several years, their twitter page has only 128 followers. <a href="https://twitter.com/bricsaconsultin" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://twitter.com/bricsaconsultin</a></span></div></span></div><div><br></div><div>Brgds,</div><div>Patrick.</div><div><br></div><div>Patrick A. M. Maina</div><div>[Cross-domain Innovator | Public Policy Analyst - Indigenous Innovations]<br></div><div><br></div><div><br></div>
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On Tuesday, May 14, 2019, 12:34:42 AM GMT+3, Barrack Otieno via kictanet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>> wrote:
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<div><div id="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyiv6405120254"><div><div dir="ltr"><div>Hi Fiona,</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Many thanks for your email. Is it open to the public? Just come across the information for the first time.</div><div><br clear="none"></div><div>Best Regards<br clear="none"></div></div><br clear="none"><div class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyiv6405120254gmail_quote"><div class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyiv6405120254yqt8958573857" id="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyiv6405120254yqt79516"><div class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyiv6405120254gmail_attr" dir="ltr">On Sat, May 11, 2019 at 10:20 AM Fiona Makaka via kictanet <<a shape="rect" href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a>> wrote:<br clear="none"></div><blockquote class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyiv6405120254gmail_quote" style="margin:0px 0px 0px 0.8ex;border-left:1px solid rgb(204,204,204);padding-left:1ex">
<div><table class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpf7d998d9yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydp4fefbdd3yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247yahoo-compose-table-card" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"><tbody><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"> </td></tr></tbody></table><table class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpf7d998d9yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydp4fefbdd3yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247yahoo-compose-table-card" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"><tbody><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" valign="top"><table class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpf7d998d9yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydp4fefbdd3yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247yahoo-compose-table-card" width="100%" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"><tbody><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"><br clear="none">
Good morning Listers,<br clear="none">
Do we have a representative participating in this conference?<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
<br clear="none">
Regards,<br clear="none">
</td></tr></tbody></table></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="max-width:100%;height:auto"><br clear="none"><table class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpf7d998d9yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydp4fefbdd3yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247yahoo-compose-table-card" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"><tbody><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1" style="max-width:100%;height:auto" align="left"><table style="border-collapse:collapse" class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpf7d998d9yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydp4fefbdd3yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247yahoo-compose-table-card" width="430" cellspacing="1" cellpadding="1" border="1"><tbody><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="color:rgb(1,53,90);font-size:13px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif;font-weight:bold">Fiona Makaka</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="color:rgb(84,84,84);font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif">Associate - Telecommunications, Media and Technology</span></td></tr><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><br clear="none">
<table style="border-collapse:collapse" class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpf7d998d9yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydp4fefbdd3yahoo-compose-table-card gmail-m_5809141846332036247yahoo-compose-table-card" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="0" border="1"><tbody><tr><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="color:rgb(84,84,84);font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(1,53,90);font-weight:bold">T: </span> +254 (709) 830 100 | </span></td><td colspan="1" rowspan="1"><span style="color:rgb(84,84,84);font-size:12px;font-family:Arial,Tahoma,Geneva,sans-serif"><span style="color:rgb(1,53,90);font-weight:bold">E: </span> <a shape="rect" style="text-decoration:none;color:rgb(84,84,84)" href="http://branding.tripleoklaw.com/rs/07285j1M" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">fmakaka@tripleoklaw.com</a></span></td></tr></tbody></table>
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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 clear="none">
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</blockquote></div></div><br clear="all"><br clear="none">-- <br clear="none"><div class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyiv6405120254gmail_signature" dir="ltr">Barrack O. Otieno<br clear="none">+254721325277<br clear="none">+254733206359<br clear="none">Skype: barrack.otieno<br clear="none">PGP ID: 0x2611D86A<br clear="none"> <br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"><br clear="none"></div></div></div><div class="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyqt8958573857" id="gmail-m_5809141846332036247ydpe4f84fcdyqt10772">_______________________________________________<br clear="none">kictanet mailing list<br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke</a><br clear="none"><a shape="rect" href="https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/listinfo/kictanet</a><br clear="none">Twitter: <a shape="rect" href="http://twitter.com/kictanet" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://twitter.com/kictanet</a><br clear="none">Facebook: <a shape="rect" href="https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://www.facebook.com/KICTANet/</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">Unsubscribe or change your options at <a shape="rect" href="https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/pmaina2000%40yahoo.com" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">https://lists.kictanet.or.ke/mailman/options/kictanet/pmaina2000%40yahoo.com</a><br clear="none"><br clear="none">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 clear="none"><br clear="none">KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.<br clear="none"></div></div>
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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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