Google to sign Internet deals with Kenya telcos
BUSINESS DAILY By IVY NYAYIEKA
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 27, 2018
Technology giant Google is looking to sign deals with Kenyan telecommunications operators that will deliver mobile internet coverage to remote locations through a network of floating balloons that could also significantly cut costs.
Google, through its Project Loon, has embarked on a global campaign to increase internet connectivity among the millions of people living in rural areas without ground stations and fibre connections.
Kenya’s Ministry of ICT welcomed the move arguing that an aerial network would bring down costs and deepen internet use across all segments of the population.
Treasury has noble intentions on ICT spending, but execution could be a nightmare
DAILY NATION By JOHN WALUBENGO
Tuesday June 21, 2018
Looking at the key budget lines for the ICT ministry reveals that ICT as a driver or an enabler of government services still has some long way to go before achieving its optimal impact.
Whereas the usual suspects – Digital Literacy Program (Laptop Project) and Konza Technocity – got their huge amounts of Sh11.9 billion and Sh8.3 billion, respectively, very little in the ICT budget speaks to the softer agenda of ICT as an enabler.
The ICT ministry budget has over the years been heavy on procuring hardware and software resources, but this has never quite translated into the desired outcome – in terms of acting as the core engine for delivering government services.
Implications of EU’s new General Data Protection Regulation
DAILY NATION By BITANGE NDEMO
Wednesday June 6, 2018
When the European Union sought to protect consumers, they intensified the use of International Organization for Standardization (ISO) certification.
In the early 1990s, Africa, which exported horticultural products to the EU, was forced to adopt the certification.
Once again, the EU wants to protect her citizens from abuse of data that is passively collected from consumers by digital solutions providers.
The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) came into force last week on May 25. The objectives of the regulation are to
Right to information from the State key in the war on graft
SATURDAY NATION By DEMAS KIPRONO
Saturday June 16, 2018
The Executive Order by President Uhuru Kenyatta on procurement in public institutions, and is in line with Article 35 of the Constitution, confers every citizen the right to access information held by the State, and, compels the State to publish and publicise any important information affecting the nation. The order makes it possible for citizens to access information on tenders, who was awarded the tenders, identity of the directors of companies awarded tenders, contract details and what was supplied among other things.
The Access to Information Act was passed in 2016 after over 15 years of advocacy led by the civil society. However, one big challenge is that, to date, the Ministry of ICT is yet to come up with regulations on issues such as fees chargeable to the public for obtaining information in whatever form, such as digital copies or photocopies. As it stands, neither the government nor private organisations are bound by any law when determining what to charge citizens for information sought.
Why ICTs are key to achieving Uhuru’s Big Four agenda
DAILY NATION By JOHN WALUBENGO
Wednesday May 30, 2018
The President’s legacy is hinged around the Big Four – agriculture, affordable housing, universal healthcare and manufacturing. From a layman’s perspective, these items have nothing or very little to do with ICTs.
But if we are to look at Kenya as a business enterprise, with the President as the CEO and the Big Four as his key departments, the question he would be asking is: How can ICTs be used to ensure that the departments deliver on their mandate in the most efficient and cost-effective way?
The answer would have to come from his chief information officer – the Cabinet secretary in charge of ICTs. However, the answers are not a problem since they are already known; implementation is always the problem when it comes to ICTs.