The Computer Society of Kenya

Since 1986

Legal vacuum delays work on Kenya’s technology city

KonzapxDAILY NATION  By OKUTTAH MARK

Monday December 23,2013

Kenya’s dream of building Africa’s first technopolis is falling behind schedule shackled by delay in passing the law it needs to enter into contractual obligations with financiers.

Work on the project was to begin this month but has now been moved to next year pending Parliament’s passing of the law.

“We cannot start the project, including full-scale external fund-raising for Phase One before the law is passed,” said John Ngumi, who chairs the Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KOTDA) board.

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61,000 tutors to be trained on laptop use

DNLaptop1806cDAILY NATION BY NATION REPORTER

Friday December 20,2013

Some 61,000 teachers have been selected for training on computer use ahead of the anticipated launch of the laptop project next year.

About 700 of the tutors based in Nairobi have already undergone training on the use of computers in basic learning.

On Thursday, Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang said there were several training centres being established in all the 47 counties to fast-track the project.

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4 countries ponder capping mobile roaming charges

FredMatiang27ipxDAILY NATION By Nation Reporter

Thursday December 19,2013

Four East African countries are considering imposing a ceiling on the high roaming charges levied by mobile operators on subscribers travelling across the region.

In a meeting held in Nairobi, communication ministers from Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and South Sudan agreed to explore ways of bringing down calling rates and data charges across the region in a new move aimed at improving social and economic integration.

“The ministers agreed to jointly explore ways of lowering the regional roaming charges including defining wholesale and retail price caps for roaming charges based on best practices,” a communiqué signed by the four ministers read in part.

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CCK revises digital signal rates for broadcasters

cofexBUSINESS DAILY By OKUTTAH MARK

Tuesday December 17,2013

Broadcasters will pay the controversial digital content distributors fees based on usage rather than on the number of channels being hosted under new rules announced by the regulator Monday.

Previously, the two licensed digital signal distributors, Signet and Pan-Africa Network Group (PANG) charged broadcasters based on their own internal rates.

Signet for instance charged per capacity consumed (mega bit) which the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) has adopted on a lower scale while PANG charged per channel without taking into account usage.

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Three firms listed for laptops deal

DnLAPTOPs1204rdpxDAILY NATION By AFP

Monday December 16,2013

Three foreign companies have been shortlisted for the supply of learners’ laptops which will cost the government Sh25 billion.

Olive Telecommunications, an Indian device developer, has topped the list after it quoted Sh22 billion, the least price.

Hewlett Packard from Europe (HP) is second after quoting Sh23 billion, while China’s Haier Electricals Appliances Corporation is third (Sh24 billion)
The negotiated price includes the cost of supplying 20,637 laptops for tutors and will see the government save Sh10 billion compared to the last tender, which was cancelled in September. Then, the lowest bidder quoted Sh32 billion.

Education Principal Secretary Belio Kipsang Sunday said the tender could be concluded in the next two weeks after due diligence is conducted on the lowest bidder.

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Taskforce to explore 4G spectrum-sharing options

tiampatiSUNDAY NATION By CHARLES WOKABI

Sunday December 16,2013

The government has appointed a task force to prepare a spectrum-sharing model among mobile operators for the roll-out of the 4G network.

In an interview with The Sunday Nation, Information, Communication and Technology Principal Secretary Joseph Tiampati said the team will begin work immediately and is expected to deliver its recommendation to the government in two months.

The 10-member task force includes officials from the ICT ministry, Communications Commission of Kenya and private sector representatives, and is required hold extensive consultations with relevant stakeholders in the industry.

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Birth documents, ID now a must in new SIM card rules

cofexDAILY NATION By CHARLES WOKABI

Thursday December 12,2013

You will now be required to present a copy of your birth certificate in addition to the national identification card to buy a SIM card if proposed regulations are approved.

Industry stakeholders reviewing the regulations yesterday also proposed making it mandatory for subscribers to submit a passport size photograph and proof of residence during the registration process.

The new regulations are aimed at curbing crimes perpetrated using mobile devices.

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Court puts off digital TV migration to Dec 23

TVpx2DAILY NATION By Nation Reporter

Wednesday December 11,2013

The High Court has put off the digital migration of TV scheduled for this Friday until December 23, when a ruling on the case challenging the move will be made.

The injunction could be extended if the ruling in the case filed by Nation Media Group, Royal Media Services, and the Standard Media Group would not be ready then.

The media houses are challenging the proposed switch-off on grounds that it is unconstitutional and that the illegality in the process be addressed before it becomes effective on Friday.

Earlier Tuesday, Justice David Majanja had declined to assent to the plea by the three media houses to have the digital migration suit determined by three judges, saying he could handle it.

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CCK rolls out five-year plan to speed up growth in ICT

wangusiBUSINESS DAILY By OKUTTAH MARK

Thursday December 5,2013

The Communications Commission of Kenya has unveiled a five-year strategic plan that seeks to, among other things, increase the contribution of the ICT sector to the country’s gross domestic growth (GDP) by 100 per cent.

The regulator seeks to expand the contribution of the sector to the GDP from the current 2.2 per cent to five per cent and mobile penetration from 75.8 per cent to 90 per cent by 2018.

It also aims to deepen mobile penetration from the current 75.8 per cent to 90 per cent in 2018 while wireless broadband is expected to go up to 10 per cent within the next five years from the current 2.4 per cent.

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Is CCK right to require firms to host websites locally?

walubengoDAILY NATION BY John Walubengo

Tuesday December 3,2013

Recent reports indicate that the Communication Commission of Kenya, CCK is planning to play a more assertive role in the Internet content market in Kenya.

In a yet-to-be denied article in the Business Daily, CCK was reportedly planning to introduce regulations that would force Kenyan telecom operators, ISPs and other content providers such as media houses to host their online data locally.

It is true that hosting data locally may improve response times, avoid international bandwidth costs and retain capital that would otherwise be paid to foreign hosting companies.

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NDEMO : The story behind Kenya's Open Data

Bitange-NdemoDAILY NATION By Bitange Ndemo

Monday December 2,2013

With more than 50 per cent of Africa’s urban dwellers connected on to internet, the continent of Africa is changing. Changing irreversibly.

In Lions go Digital: The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa, respected global consultancy group McKinsey reveals remarkable findings of a continent with massive growth potential, and with ICT at the centre of it all.

By 2025, internet penetration in the continent will rise from 16 per cent today to more than 50 per cent, or 600 million users. The contribution of internet to GDP will skyrocket from $18 billion today to $300 billion. E-commerce sales will hit $75 billion and productivity gains will exceed $300 billion.

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Public key infrastructure will push intra-Africa trade

manSUNDAY NATION By Mbugua Njihia

Sunday December 1,2013

Kenyans are a scared lot when it comes to government projects that point to personal tracking and infringement of user privacy. This has been especially fuelled by the very public citizen lash back in the US and Europe following allegations of government snooping.

I have on a number of occasions opined that the issue of privacy is overrated and many times taken out of context. At a recent workshop organised by the ICT Authority to update on the progress of the public key infrastructure project, consumer concerns on privacy came to the fore at the mention of the push toward one digital and unique identifier.

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Media push to delay digital switch

dncourtCCK2611c.JPGDAILY NATION By PAUL OGEMBA

Wednesday November 27,2013

Three media houses want a five-year delay in the switch to digital broadcasting.

Nation Media Group, The Standard Group and Royal Media Services said they were not opposed to digital migration, but with the way it was being implemented.

They said the shift from analogue to digital broadcasting was unconstitutional.

They said the illegality in the process needed to be addressed before the switch-over on December 13.

Through lawyer Paul Muite, they said the government should give a transition period of five years during which both analogue and digital signals would be beamed side by side so consumers can watch television.

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Forum calls for links among agriculture app developers

GRIDAILY NATION By JOSHUA MASINDE

Tuesday November 26,2013

Technology is increasingly playing a key role in transforming agriculture in East Africa, although industry players are calling for more collaboration if they are to get the most out of the applications.

At a recent ICT for agriculture forum held in Rwanda, the director of the Centre for Technical Cooperation of Agriculture, Mr Michael Hailu, said closer cooperation between farmers, extension workers, and software developers is necessary if production is to be enhanced. Such links would stem duplication of farming apps.

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Kenya, Senegal lead in internet growth contribution in Africa

TechpicDAILY NATION By CARLOS MUREITHI

Sunday November 24,2013

Kenya and Senegal might not be Africa’s largest economies but the two countries have the largest share of Internet contribution to Gross Domestic Product.
According to a new report by McKinsey & Company, a global management consulting firm, this achievement is as a result of the governments making concerted efforts to stimulate Internet demand, increase private consumption, which accounts for 85 per cent of the internet growth in each country.

In the report titled, ‘Lions go Digital: The Internet’s transformative potential in Africa’, the McKinsey & Company’s study examined the progress and potential of the Internet in 14 economies that together make up 90 per cent of Africa’s GDP: Morocco, Algeria, Egypt, Senegal, Ivory Coast, Nigeria, Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, Tanzania, Mozambique, Angola, South Africa and Ghana.

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Safaricom links buildings to fibre optic grid for free

cableBUSINESS DAILY By OKUTTAH MARK

Wednesday November 20,2013

Safaricom will connect buildings to the fibre optic grid for free as the listed telecom firm races to woo customers.

The firm has started connecting buildings in Westlands area to its recently laid Sh8 billion fibre cable as it prepares for a national roll-out of the service.

Telecom firms charge between Sh100,000 and Sh200,000 to connect buildings to their fibre networks and require office blocks to subscribe a minimum average of four megabytes Internet capacity.

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Kenyan innovators showcase their ICT creations in Kigali

agrihackDAILY NATION BY NATION REPORTER

Monday November 18,2013

Three Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) students were among techies who presented their innovations at the regional agrihackathon competition in Kigali last week.

Clinton Busolo, Jeffrey Cherogony and Brian Kanyiri presented their MkulimaLeo mobile application.

They said their task was to come up with innovative ways of tackling farmers’ challenges in regard to accessing financing  for agribusiness; accessing and sharing information on soil fertility, fertiliser, weather, pests, diseases and access to farming inputs.

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State to halve print adverts as it goes for digital media

FredMatiang27ipxDAILY NATION By Nation Correspondent

Friday November 15,2013

The government will slash its spending on print advertising by 50 per cent and instead advertise on the internet, a Cabinet Secretary has said.

Speaking at a workshop in Nairobi yesterday, ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i revealed that the government is currently researching on ways to reduce its spend on newspaper advertisements.

“We will, with immediate effect, embark on spending more on digital advertising to reduce costs,” Dr Matiang’i said.

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Pursuing the Konza dream of a ‘Silicon Savannah’ for Africa

KonzapxDAILY NATION By John Kamau

Thursday November 14,2013

Transforming the dusty plains of Konza into Africa’s “Silicon Savannah” – a software designers’ hub, meant to be a centre for IT specialists and a saucepan for the ICT investor, is going to be the country’s game changer.

While there is still little glitz over the plain, besides the perimeter wall - and controversy – the $14.5bn project will place Kenya ahead of other African countries once the Konza Technology City, which will be built about 60km from the capital, Nairobi, takes off.


It is estimated that the entire project will be ready in about 20 years, and will create close to 20,000 jobs by 2015 and an estimated 200,000 jobs, when fully commissioned in 2030.

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Mobile firms and CCK in drive for service fund

wangusiDAILY NATION By Nation Correspondent

Wedesday November 13,2013

The Communications Commission of Kenya and mobile phone companies will unveil a roadmap to the launch of the Universal Service Fund.

The fund was set up to help step up telecommunication infrastrnucture in rural and remote areas, which are normally considered financially unviable.

Safaricom, Airtel, Orange and yuMobile are meeting with the regulator under the Universal Service Advisory Council.

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