Kenyan Pundit

- New model for wireless internet?

- On why telling a black person thatthey are “articulate” is not a compliment.

- 2008 aspirants get their blog on.

- Interesting model for smaller scale VC funding - something like this would be easy to implement in Kenya.

Popularity: 7% [?]

Catch BBC’s webcast on the mobile phone revolution in Kenya (Hat tip Sameer!).

AOB: The Acumen Fund is now accepting applications for fellowships - deadline is Jan 31, 2007. They are a great organization doing interesting work and for those of you MBA-types who are thinking about how to make the leap from corporate America I think this is a great opportunity. More details from the website: Each year, the Acumen Fund Fellows Program provides extraordinary young professionals with a unique opportunity to use their skills to effect real social change with our portfolio organizations in Kenya, Tanzania, South Africa, India and Pakistan, and to build lasting relationships with other like-minded individuals. Joining us in September, fellows will spend one year working with our team and with local entrepreneurs, gaining intensive experience in price performance, logistics, distribution systems, scaling and innovative technology. Fellows will learn and apply these skills while enjoying an unusual level of responsibility both at Acumen Fund and within our portfolio organizations. Ideal fellows include those who have already decided on a career in venture philanthropy, those who are seeking a career at the highest levels in the corporate world but want to better understand and have an impact on problems of global poverty, and budding social entrepreneurs who want to learn about managing organizations in the most demanding settings.

Popularity: 2% [?]

The Take Back the Tech Campaign has been launched in conjunction with the global 16 Days Against Violence Campaign. The Campaign is being used to highlight ways in which technology can be used to either perpetuate or prevent violence against women. For details on how to participate, click here.

A friend of mine had to change her phone number, email addresses and eventually her physical address after being stalked by an ex so the issue is real to me. I’m also concerned about the fact that KBW is not a strong haven for female bloggers like it was in the early days…though natural attrition may account for some of that, I wonder whether self-censorship has played a role in the aftermath of the cyber-stalking accusations that dominated KBW some months ago and the marked discomfort among some readers with women expressing their sexuality.

Popularity: 15% [?]

Via FibreAfrica mailing list:

- The expression of interest to package local funding closed on November 8th. The financing for 40% of the project is expected to come from the stock market. To read the advertised tender (and other upcoming tenders) click here.
- Shares are expected to be cross-listed in the 3 East African stock markets.
- Expression of interest to build 4,300 km of rural fibre (last mile-ish) closes on December 15th

Projections for Kenya’s fibre capacity of the next 20 months:
- 2 submarine fibres
- 3000 km national backbone fibre
- 4300 km rural fibre
- 500 km metropolitan rings

Popularity: 7% [?]

I was reading through the latest edition of the Computing Connections newsletter and couldn’t helped but be impressed by a number of developments in the ICT sector. Hard to believe that as recently as 2003, wi-fi and VOIP was illegal in Kenya.

Though there is still much progress to be made, the landscape (especially from the government and regulatory perspective) is VASTLY improved and demonstrates how much progress the country can make if we had the right people in policy/decision-making positions.

Some highlights from the report:

- So far this year, ten small business process operations have been launched in Kenya.

- Mobile operators will be required to contribute 1% of revenues to a Universal Access Communications Development Fund (which is apparently making them unhappy…I hope the government ignores them on this one and how about lowering tariffs?).

- Sammy Kirui, who was fired from the CCK amidst wide protests, is doing a good job at Telkom Kenya and pushing aggressively into the wireless/cdma space. I admit I was one of those people who very very sceptical about Kirui’s move and about Waweru’s move to the CCK, but it seems to have worked out.

- There are plans to revive the former KPTC telephone assembly plant and use it to manufacture mobile phones, low-costs computers etc.

- In a case over the issuance of a competing gateway license, the Communications tribunal ruled that “the Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) was to ignore any policy guidelines of a specific nature coming from the Ministry as the [Communications] Act was clear that CCK was to give “due regard to policy guidelines of a general nature”. This means that CCK’s independence as a regulator has been reemphasized and underlined.” This is HUGE. Most regulatory bodies in Africa suffer from a lack of independence due to constant interference from the government, ICASA is South Africa is a good case in point.

- KDN’s plans for a national fibre network are full-steam ahead.

Popularity: 3% [?]