<div dir="ltr">Greetings Listers,<div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">The Konza Secretariat (<a href="https://konza.go.ke/" target="_blank">https://konza.go.ke/</a>) has extended an invitation for the KICTANET community to the Konza Technopolis site on 25th June 2021.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Transport will be provided to and from Nairobi CBD. Those who wish to use their own transport are also welcomed. </div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Date: Friday 25th June 2021.</div><div dir="auto">Departure: Kencom, Nairobi CBD, opposition Hilton hotel</div><div dir="auto">Departure Time: 6.45am.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Those who are interested can reply to this email or write to <a href="mailto:info@kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">info@kictanet.or.ke</a>.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">This is a great opportunity to experience the depths of what is happening at Konza Technopolis first hand.</div><div dir="auto"><br></div><div dir="auto">Best regards </div><div><div dir="ltr" data-smartmail="gmail_signature">______________________<br>Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya<br><a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwendwa-kivuva" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwendwa-kivuva</a></div></div><br></div><br><div class="gmail_quote"><div dir="ltr" class="gmail_attr">On Thu, 3 Jun 2021 at 11:37, Benson Muite via KICTANet <<a href="mailto:kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke" target="_blank">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">On 6/2/21 7:54 PM, Mwendwa Kivuva via KICTANet wrote:<br>
> Muraya, has hit the nail on the head.<br>
> <br>
> There are several things we will always skirt around ...<br>
> 1. Financial propriety. If we put all the funds that have already gone <br>
> into Konza in a basket, can we distribute them in a transparent manner <br>
> to show value? That is why IEA put the value of each job created at <br>
> Konza at $32,000. Hot topic and very emotive.<br>
> 2. Talent sourcing for the secretariat. Is it at par with the vision city?<br>
> <br>
> <br>
> Finally, what has March 2020 to now (COVID-19) taught us about the gig <br>
> economy? That brick and motor ...<br>
> <br>
> A good part of Konza's vision can be realized without the edifice complex.<br>
Certainly, remote work is possible in a number of industries, so the <br>
demand for office space concentrated in high rise buildings will <br>
decline. Nevertheless, manufacturing still requires factories. Many <br>
people living in urban environments in Kenya will want/need "a flush <br>
toilet" and "internet/TV", so there is still demand for construction and <br>
infrastructure, though perhaps this can now be achieved more <br>
efficiently, equitably and in a wider set of locations.<br>
> ______________________<br>
> Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya<br>
> <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwendwa-kivuva" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwendwa-kivuva</a> <br>
> <<a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwendwa-kivuva" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://www.linkedin.com/in/mwendwa-kivuva</a>><br>
> <br>
> <br>
<br>
>> Thanks for sharing.<br>
>><br>
>> Listers, even the best-laid plans can miss their targets. I'd<br>
>> rather we discuss:-<br>
>><br>
>> 1. What went wrong.<br>
>> 2. What are the lessons to be learned.<br>
>> 3. Can the project get back on track?<br>
>> 4. Has it gone wrong? How long does it take to build a new city?<br>
>><br>
This is certainly good. There seems to be significantly more activity <br>
planning and launching, than serious actionable reviews and post-mortems <br>
to aid in preventing the same errors. Experiments to try new things that <br>
can lead to improvements should certainly be encouraged, and when they <br>
succeed replicated elsewhere.<br>
<br>
Regarding point 2, a study by John Kuria on tax incentives in EPZs <br>
suggests that productivity in Kenya is not high enough for many <br>
companies to remain in Kenya after the tax holiday is complete (likely <br>
since production costs are often lower elsewhere and local demand may be <br>
low):<br>
<br>
<a href="http://erepo.usiu.ac.ke/handle/11732/3650?show=full" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://erepo.usiu.ac.ke/handle/11732/3650?show=full</a><br>
<br>
Another study by Joseph Kosure indicates that having similar industries <br>
in a location such as an EPZ helps improve efficiency:<br>
<br>
<a href="http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/93531/Kosure_Perceived%20value%20of%20investment%20promotion%20incentives.pdf?sequence=3" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/93531/Kosure_Perceived%20value%20of%20investment%20promotion%20incentives.pdf?sequence=3</a><br>
<br>
Finally, the older study by Njue Chabari<br>
<br>
<a href="http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/19170/Chabari%20_The%20Role%20Of%20Export%20Processing%20Zones%20In%20Kenyaan%20Assessment..pdf;sequence=3" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">http://erepository.uonbi.ac.ke/bitstream/handle/11295/19170/Chabari%20_The%20Role%20Of%20Export%20Processing%20Zones%20In%20Kenyaan%20Assessment..pdf;sequence=3</a><br>
<br>
indicates some of the problems in obtaining information in Kenya about <br>
EPZ's 20 years ago. Some of the recommendations made in this study seem <br>
not to have yet been implemented. The study is interesting because it <br>
examines conditions of people working in EPZs, discussing problems such <br>
as housing, wages, attitudes to employers, training, etc. Of interest is <br>
how mechanization reduces need for labor in some industries, a trend <br>
that will only accelerate with improvements in robotics and artificial <br>
intelligence. This study was done 7 years after the establishment of <br>
EPZs - as such it is a progress report, but contains many insights that <br>
are still relevant today. Maybe something like this is needed for Konza <br>
and other related efforts?<br>
<br>
<br>
Regarding point 4, "深圳速度" ( for more information see <br>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen_speed" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shenzhen_speed</a> and <br>
<a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_is_Money,_Efficiency_is_Life" rel="noreferrer" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Time_is_Money,_Efficiency_is_Life</a>) or <br>
"Haraka haraka haina baraka" , maybe we can learn from each other.<br>
<br>
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