Kenya does it again

Did you know that a Kenyan site, http://www.afrigadget.com was acknowledged as being one of the top 50 sites in the world by Time Magazine for 2008?

The site features many African ideas and how Africans are proving themselves innovative and getting themselves out of difficult situations. Some of the ideas are simply breathtaking and could be helpful to most of us.

The main guy, Erik, has been featuring in the Kenyan IT field for a long time and has come alive in the few camps organized to being together techies in Nairobi, mostly Barcamp. The last year's I managed to meet and chat him up. A pleasant fella.

He got together with some other Kenyans and did this site. A hapless feather on top of our hats, yet again, especially after our Rugby Sevens team kicked New Zealand's ass yet again over the week.

Kenyans: Could we actually be sick?

I'm an amazed fellow. Why is it that while we are known to be people who riot and cozz over trampled electoral rights (pretty low down in the pecking order) we are not rising to the occasion when it is most needed? We are living in a time when all we see on TV are scandals, scandals and more scandals that come in all the colors of the rainbow...especially Indigo.

Most importantly, these scandals are affecting us directly (we have established already that irrespective of who won the election, they are all birds of the same feather thus it'd have made no difference)...you name it, fuel, maize, drugs etc. Why is it that we are letting these people go scot free? Why are there no groups of people demonstrating on the streets are they did when it 'really did not matter'? Who told us that people in power cannot be brought down on their knees to respect the rule of law and the demands of the electorate while still in office and that we have to wait until election time to eject them (while sadly we still bring them back)?

Could it be that we are actually sick, that we have had our economic, moral and political nerves eaten up so much that when these guys bite the tenderest spots we do not have the nerve to respond? Could we be so weak that we cannot help but watch helpless as out beautiful beautiful country is being messed up by some senseless morons with total disregard to morality?

If indeed we are, then let's first admit it, get a proper diagnosis and then a cure to our society in order to attain the development and prosperity that we so badly need. But it has got to start with you and me, not the Americans, the Saudis or the Ugandans (I hear there's a massive oil discovery in Kabakaland).

My Country, my love

We have just recovered from the worst political crisis in the history of this nation. There has been massive bloodshed all over the land. Kofi Annan has done his shingdings and now we can face each other with some bit of confidence.

But the most amazing thing... Kibaki and Raila are getting into a coalition govt. They have taken so long to agree on a cabinet. So much tension as a result of the delayed announcement of the same. Eventually, Agwambo comes up onto my screen with a good news. Yes, you guess right...a cabinet is due for announcement. And yes, you are right again, 40 members it is.

Sounds familiar....? Ever heard of Ali baba and the 40 thieves?

We fight for democracy by killing ourselves. Then we pay very dearly for the same, up to 1.3 B a year to the same guys who caused the chaos.

Man, I love this nation.

Simple Logic

We as Kenyans have a thing for shortcuts. And name calling is not excluded from the phenomenon. Consider this:
We shorten names as follows:
Odhiambo - Odhis
Kariuki - Karis
Mwai - Mwas
? - Kaz
Then it using the same scientific logic,
Raila - ...... RAIS!

The digital divide

We have continually been seeing a paradigm shift in Kenya's IT and Telecoms industry, with the likes of Safaricom going multiplatinum.
Since the Industrial revolution in the 19th Century, we have seen countries that went ahead then industrially being ahead of the pack all along, especially now that the world is fully dependent on IT. Thing is, once a party goes ahead in terms of industry and technology, it is really a mule kick trying to catch up. Even the likes of China and Japan had their own industries long before the majority of Europe could catch up.
In Kenya, we had a chance in 1982 to get a fibre connection to the rest of the world. But those in authority seemed to think that it would be an intelligence security breach. The cable was then diverted to Malaysia (we all know where Malaysia is now in terms of technology).
I feel that though we are far behind the developed world in this regard, we as Kenyans have the intellectual capability to not only develop our own customized technology - instead of taking years adapting to exterior ideas, which were developed under very different settings and requirements - but also to compete in the global IT arena. Innovativeness and infrastructure are key to achieve this and we must shape the future of the country's (and possibly our neighbors') technological advancement by dictating what is best for us, and building (on) it accordingly. We also need to have in place a governance that really understands the implications of tech and recognize and promote local talent.
Let us not wait for the likes of google and microsoft to come and show us the way to go, but let us also develop stuff that we can indeed take to the world, in a way that it will have to embrace it in order to embrace Africa.
Not just in IT, but in all fields: medicine, Engineering, agriculture, building and construction, astronomy.

Kenya's political showcase

As I watched TV yesterday, I couldn't help but muster minister Kombo challenging the results of the Steadman polls, questioning the research company's funding arrangements. Yet past experience has it that this company is world-reknowned for its accuracy in its research polls. But then again, Kalonzo attracted a crowd to put Elvis Presley to shame, yet the polls indicate he is just a mere 'donkey', while Raila is tops. TV opinions indicate that majority of Kenyans do not want Federal governance as Raila and Kalonzo advocate for, yet the polls indicate otherwise. The country is torn between machungwa and the incumbent president. Unfortunately, tribal differences and lack of education are standing in the way of clearheadedness in taking Kenya to the place it belongs on the world map, a force to reckon with. I think we need to focus on integrity and issues, to make a wise vote for someone who has the very country's needs at heart, and the willpower to implement proper policies that'll benefit every beloved citizen for the common good.
But then again, as we head to the polls later this year, do we really have a candidate who is made up of this stuff? Am I being merely utopic?
One thing is for sure, kazi ya kutafuna machungwa iendelee....!