[WSIS CS-Plenary] [WSIS THETHA] [kenyawsis] Government offices to acquire internet access

[Sangonet]

Hello all,

hope you all read this story - quite an ambitious project by the government.

http://www.nationaudio.com/News/DailyNation/28022004/News/News2802200426.htm
l

a few things come to my mind.

1. About the upcoming civil society involvement at the ICT board and
upcoming participation the National Strategy ICT workshop. While It is a
good strategy to speak as an insider, I fully support comments from others
of the need to be cautious and ensure that civil society maintain the
reputation of being the voice for the voiceless and also for the call for a
strategy meeting to thrash out the  objectives of Kenya civil society and
specific issues relating to Kenya's ICT policy.

This also reminds me that the Kenya civil society caucus on WSIS also needs
to reach out to other civil society actors who are involved in related
policy matters and speaking to various government structures such as during
the Kenya consultative group meeting in November last year -
http://www.worldbank.org/ke/cg03.htm. The civil society present at the
meeting (ActionAid Kenya, Institute of Economic Affairs, and the NGO
Council) did present a paper about various policy issues from a civil
society perspective in Kenya.

Looking at the papers presented at this consultative group meeting, there
are already conflicting areas between KEPSA's paper and the civil society
paper. The KESPA paper covers some major issues that need to be addressed in
infrastructure development (including the ICT sector) by advocating for a
greater framework for private sector participation, while the civil society
paper calls for government to ensure provision of basic services as the
rights of citizens. This raises a serious question about how the Kenya civil
society caucus would work within KESPA and how it relates to the wider Kenya
civil society organizations?

To these effect I would urge the meeting agenda to discuss ways of working
closely with other civil society actors to ensure that civil society
participation in policy engagement is strengthened and well coordinated. For
example would this have been effective collaboration, the civil society
paper presented at the consultative group meeting would have been stronger
and covered more on ICT policy issues.

2. The second issue relates to the specific story below.....two things

One it seems the government is not presenting a clear position on a
centralised ICT strategy, here we see Minister Murungaru spearheading this
e-government strategy without a clear position on the role of Information
minister and the transport and communications minister. It is a high time we
start seeing an integrated ICT approach!

3. Open Source and Free Software Issues..

This might related more directly to my colleague - Mr. Bill Kagai. While
this ambitious e-government strategy gets in place, your call for 'Building
Govt. Contacts Database' is more urgent than ever to target these policy
makers so that come 2007 we will not have expensive proprietary software
further deteriorating the current state foreign debt more so at the expense
of local expertise and business opportunity as those presented by free and
open source solutions.

Please Mr. Kagai forward this development to the FOSSFA network and lets
hope the advocacy campaign and other directed efforts will yield better
results to Africa.

regards,

Njenga Njuguna
--------------------

Government offices to acquire internet access
By NATION Reporter

All Government ministries and departments will be accessed on the internet
as from June this year.

National Security minister Chris Murungaru said yesterday the ambitious
programme, under which websites would be developed for each ministry and
department, would cost Sh2.5 billion spread over five years.

Dr Murungaru said the undertaking, a product of the e-government strategy,
would enable the Narc Government to deliver services efficiently to the
public.

"The e-government will facilitate better and efficient delivery of
information and services to the citizens. It is a fundamental element in
modernisation of government," he said.

The minister was speaking at his Harambee House office accompanied by the
head of the Civil Service, Mr Francis Muthaura, and a special adviser to the
Cabinet, Dr Peter Gakunu.

The programme, set to be implemented in three phases, will enable the public
to apply for identity cards, passports, and to access Government ministries
online.

Under the first phase, which ends in June this year, the Government will
ensure that the infrastructure to implement the strategy is in place.

The second phase, which is scheduled to end in 2007, will see the Government
linking up its ministries and departments through the internet.

"By the end of this medium term phase, the Government should be able to
communicate within itself," he said.

However, it is the third phase that will open the Government to public.

The project will enable the public to vote on line in the next General
Election. It will also be used to trade in Treasury bills and bonds, and to
get other services on line.

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