AYF-News> Africa pushed into the dark age but we can push it back into the 21st Century

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-----Original Message-----
From: Ngunjiri Nderitu [mailto:ngunjiri@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] 
Sent: Mittwoch, 9. März 2005 14:53
To: DigAfrica@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [DigAfrica] Africa pushed into the dark age but we can push it
back into the 21st Century



Eric, it goes without saying that African countries are in
dire need of a clear ICT strategy. With that, there needs
to be a stable foundation set to ensure growth, scalability
and of course far reaching benefits (and quality) right
down to the retail consumer. In other words, long-term
sustainability. The management of resources by various
regulatory entities across the continent has been a farce.
Collectively, termed as a corrupt continent beyond
redemption, we have been conditioned to accept matters are
they emerge. We are told that is how the cookie crumbles. I
beg to differ. Why are we afraid of the truth? Let?s face
it, we are the architects of our very own disasters.

When Africans attempt to fix their problems, we (Africans)
are the first to fire salvos against our very own. Little
wonder we have to keep crossing oceans in search of
'expertise' to get us out of trenches we expertly dug and
willingly jumped into. The telecommunications sector in
Kenya sucked. Period. Something had to be done. You know
what they say about a rotting fish. It starts from the
head. If the regulators had done their job, then they would
not be sipping tea with their grandchildren this afternoon.
Let me hasten to add whether they found this disorder
created by their predecessors is immaterial. They had all
the time to show commitment to change. Unfortunately, they
preferred fat brown envelopes and sponsored safaris to
international destinations for seminars that did nothing to
improve the sector. You should have seen the CCK guys in
Morocco last year and they way they were spending.

The truth will finally emerge and at that stage, I would
like to see what the vociferous critics of Minister Tuju
will have to say. 

When members of the Kenya Pipeline Corporation were sacked
last year, we had venom spewing from all directions. The
minister has since proven how corruption, mismanagement and
sheer incompetence failed to produce the desired results.
Now we know. Suddenly, we (collectively) have gone silent.

Like I said earlier...God Bless Minister Tuju.

Oh! and there is simply no correlation between Togo's
political crisis and CCK's disbandment. The former is a
case of inherited dictatorship sanctioned by a rubberstamp
parliament. On the other hand, Minister Tuju is acting well
within the boundaries of the ICT laws of the land. 

Let him finish his job.


On Mon, 7 Mar 2005 14:35:51 -0800 (PST)
 osiakwan eric <eosiakwan@xxxxxxxxx> wrote:
> 
> Dear Africans and Africans in the world,
> 
> What happened in Kenya a few hours ago in the same as
> what happened in Togo with the death of President
> Gnassingbe Eyadema of Togo a few weeks ago and if we as a
> people did put pressure on the Togolese authorities to
> return to constitutional rule then i call you to join me
> in demanding that the Kenyan authorities recind their
> decision to interfer with a State institution in the
> manner in which thay have done. 
> 
> Read below
> 
>
--------------------------------------------------------------------
> 
> Press Release 
> 
> For Immediate Release 
> 
> Tuesday, March 8, 2005 
> 
> The 7th of March 2005 will go down in history as one of
> the darkest days in 
> Kenya's and Africa's communications sectors. This is the
> day that the Kenyan 
> Government, in a totally incomprehensible manner
> dissolved the 
> Communications Commission of Kenya's Board of Directors
> and relieved the 
> Director General of his duties. 
> 
> The actions taken by the government can only be construed
> as intrusive, 
> obstructive shortsighted and diversionary as they come in
> the midst of an 
> ongoing liberalisation of the sector, end of exclusivity
> of Telkom Kenya and 
> fast convergence of technologies that are currently
> presenting regulators 
> worldwide with unforseen challenges. 
> 
> It is our contention, on behalf of the industry, that
> this was a hurried, 
> unplanned and poorly thought out action. The ongoing
> disputes within the 
> sector which have been prompted by the newly opened
> market demand that the 
> country have a stable, objective and level-headed
> regulator. The immediate 
> former Board of Directors and Director-General had
> successfully managed 
> Kenya's transition into a competition framework. 
> 
> Besides this, the immediate former Director General is
> the current Chairman 
> of the International Telecommunications Union Council
> which oversees 
> telecommunications worldwide. This is due to recognition
> by the 
> International community of CCK's outstanding efforts to
> reform Kenya's 
> regulatory environment from one of the worst in the world
> to the current 
> status where we are being emulated by countries such as
> South Africa because 
> of our exemplary and progressive regulations. 
> 
> This action by the Government has thrown the entire
> industry into disarray. 
> The CCK Board plays such a crucial role that now no
> further licenses can be 
> issued, no disputes can be settled and no formal
> regulatory interventions 
> can take place and there is no clear communication from
> the Government as to 
> how affairs within the sector are to be managed. 
> 
> Currently over 100 companies await the processing of
> their licenses in order 
> to establish business, employ Kenyans and bring
> communications facilities 
> and services to the economy. This has all been cut short
> by interference 
> from the very Government that committed itself to
> economic reforms, improved 
> employment and support for private-sector driven
> development. 
> 
> The appointment of an acting Director-General from a
> Ministerial department 
> also raises questions as to the sincerity of the
> Government in providing for 
> an independent regulator as mandated by the Law (KCA
> '98). 
> 
> We do not need to emphasise the fact that the same
> Government has failed in 
> it's primary role of providing policy guidance for the
> sector over the past 
> 4 years and instead has resorted to frustrating and now
> completely disabling 
> the only agency that has promoted investment and
> development within Kenya's 
> communications sector. 
> 
> On hearing this news, the Chairman of the African ISP
> Association, Mr. W. 
> Stucke, who is based in South Africa reacted by saying
> "Good grief! Now 
> watch investments in Africa as a whole, not just Kenya
> wither up and blow 
> away in the wind..." 
> 
> It is our understanding that the position of Director
> General has tenure of 
> office under the Communications Act '98 and his removal
> from active duty 
> without any explanation begs the question as to whether
> the government 
> really respects the Law. This same law has safeguards to
> protect the 
> regulator from interference but these seem to have been
> completely ignored 
> by the Government who today are interested parties in the
> communications 
> sector. 
> 
> We hereby express our outrage at the way in which this
> matter has been 
> handled and demand an immediate explanation from the
> Government regarding 
> it's actions and it's plans to restore confidence and
> stability in the 
> communications sector in the shortest time possible. 
> 
> Mr. Joseph Mucheru, 
> For Telecommunications Service Providers of Kenya 
> 
> Chairman 
> For more details, Call +254 20245630 
> 
> -- 
> Joseph Mucheru 
> Chairman 
> Telecommunications Service Providers Association of Kenya
> (TESPOK) 
> 14th Floor, Bruce House - Standard Street 
> P O Box 27589 -00506 Nairobi, KENYA 
> Tel:    +254-20-245036 
> Http://www.tespok.co.ke 
> 
>  
> 
> STOP PRESS! Kenyan Govt dissolves CCK Board! 
> > Importance: High 
> > 
> > 
> >I am sitting here writing this email in a state of shock
> and disbelief. Two 
> >hours ago I received a frantic phone call from a shaken
> member of the press to 
> >inform me that CCK has been dissolved. 
> > 
> >In a press release that was sent out at 7:45pm this
> evening, the Minister 
> >for Information and Communication, Raphael Tuju
> announced that he has 
> >dissolved the CCK Board of Directors and sent the
> Director General S Kirui on 
> >compulsory leave. The former secretary to the National
> Communications 
> >Secretariat Dr. J. Kulubi has been appointed as acting
> DG. 
> > 
> >This is an utter disgrace and has shocked the industry
> to the core! My phone 
> >has been ringing off the hook. This government
> interference in our sector has 
> >gone too far! And especially coming the day after a
> damning report on how the 
> >immediate former Assistant Director was relieved of duty
> by Minister for 
> >Communications after exposing a massive racket in which
> Telkom Kenya was being 
> >fleeced of millions of dollars. 
> > 
> >It appears that this most recent development has the 3rd
> GSM license fiasco as 
> >some kind of smoke screen - maybe to divert Kenyans
> short attention span from 
> >the very serious questions that the investigative report
> in yesterday's East 
> >African Standard raises. 
> > 
> >Anyway I now need to go to my arsenal and get ready to
> do battle. 
> > 
> >Weep for your country dear Kenyans - as we fight to
> bring sanity into our 
> >nation's affairs! 
> > 
> >Brian 
> >-- 
> >Brian Longwe 
> >Chief Technology Officer 
> >ISP Kenya Ltd. 
> >P.O. Box 43042, Nairobi, Kenya 
> >Tel: +254 2 444 5959; Fax: +254 2 4446772 
> >E-mail: cto@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx 
> >Website: www.ispkenya.com <http://www.ispkenya.com> 
> 
> 
>  
> 
> 
> Eric M.K Osiakwan
> Phone: +233.24.4386792
> Smail: Pmb 208, Accra-North
> Web: www.cyberimagegh.com
> Blog: http://afrispa.skybuilders.com/users/Eric/blog.html
>               
> ---------------------------------

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