KENYA GOVERNMENT TO INVEST HEAVILY IN THE ICT SECTOR, PLEDGES THE DEPUTY PRESIDENT

EACO proposes interventions in policy harmonization to enhance citizen participation and grow Intra-African trade 

Kenya: Deputy President, William Ruto pledged the government’s commitment to invest heavily in the ICT sector.

He said Kenya was banking on the sector, which he described as “a major transformative instrument,” to drive the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and reduce poverty.

The Deputy President urged ICT regulators in East Africa, including Communications Commission of Kenya to forge private public partnerships (PPPs) with the ICT industry captains to develop regional seamless connectivity to unite the region and provider cheaper services that will facilitate a free market to the region with a combined population of 120million.

Mr. Ruto was opening the East African Communications Organization (EACO) congress and Exhibition in Nairobi’s KICC that was preceded by EACO assemblies and workshops attended by the CEOs of ICT regulatory authorities, industry players and delegates from all five member countries of East African Community since Monday.

He called for reduction in the cost of ICT-related services particularly in mobile phones to benefit more users saying that before the advent of M-PESA, 80 per cent of Kenyans were unbanked but today Sh670billion is exchanged every year through M-PESA.

“We need a clear broadband framework both for the country and the region. Broadband is recognized for its high correlation with GDP growth and therefore high impact on productivity. We therefore need to look at infrastructure, cost of deployment and access so that more people can access ICTs at a lower cost”, he said, adding that in order to lower tariffs, service providers should seek avenues to share infrastructure across networks and pass on the benefits to the consumer.

Mr. Ruto also called for a clear spectrum policy aimed at optimizing the utilization of the scare resource and release it to other services such as digital broadcasting.

The opening ceremony was also addressed by the Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Dr. Fred Matiang’i’ who called for the harnessing of resources to development the ICT sector and especially in the development of local broadcast content to provide employment to the youth.

“Regional integration and seamless connectivity will not only help in uniting the region but further present cheaper regional communication and facilitate a free trade market. What was once a large landmass without physical or geographical boundaries can still be revived by taking advantage of ICTs to recapture our shared past and our common cultural heritage”, Said Dr.Fred Matiang’i –Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information and Communication.

Some of the key issues that have been put into sharp focus during this year’s congress include the provision of requisite legislation on Pay TV providers’ use of FTA content for commercial purposes, which has been termed as vague and hindering relationships between players.

Regulators have been asked to impose existing policies with explicit authorization on the provision of FTA channels on Pay TV platforms at no cost and the need to separate FTA and Pay TV by setting a minimum number of channels allowed on each platform in order to enhance content regulation.

On his part, the CCK Director General, Mr. Francis Wangusi who took over as Chairman of EACO for the next two years said: “Today as we start the Congress which is the highest decision making organ of EACO we should come up with resolutions and seek harmonization of regional ICT policies in order to address the disparities in access to communications services to all our citizens”

EACO provides a platform for dialogue and to exchange experiences crucial in formulating fair regulation for players in the communication sector within the East African region. The proposals presented to congress will be used to guide country and regional policies & legislation aimed at propelling the access and provision of fast, affordable, quality and secure communication services which support the various business processes of the private organizations and civil society.

KAMPALA CITY FESTIVAL 2013 UNVEILED

….as KCCA promises an exhilarating celebration of Kampala’s achievements

Uganda- The Kampala Capital City Authority has today announced the date, programme and layout of the all new Kampala City Festival that is scheduled for 6^th October, 2013 in Kampala City.

The Kampala City Festival which replaces the Kampala city carnival 2012 will become a much anticipated moment for citizens to share and learn, while acting as an economic engine for organizations to grow, network and prosper. 

L-R;KCCA Executive Director Jennifer Musisi and UBL Marketing Director Mrs.Grace Nshemeire Gwaku address the media at City Hall.

The Festival’s theme this year is ‘Our City. Our Celebration’ and will be a platform to celebrate the many things that set Kampala apart from other cities.

Speaking during the launch, Jennifer Musisi, KCCA’s Executive Director said, “We have a great history in Kampala that is known to the world over and the Festival will be recognition of that rich heritage. It is also a great opportunity for Uganda to show the world that we truly are a Centre of excellence and The Pearl of Africa.”  

Having been upgraded to the Kampala City Festival, the event promises to be even bigger and better and it will now be a regular event bringing together all city dwellers, stakeholders and the business community.

What began as a vision to bring the people of Kampala City together to celebrate Uganda’s 50 years of Independence has turned into an explosive event that’s not to be missed. It will be a platform to celebrate diversity, richness and culture of the local communities who are part of a solid and common future for Kampala that is constantly moving forward. The Kampala City Festival will consist of a programme of over 200 events that cross the worlds of business, fashion, art and culture, entertainment, technology and industry to engage the whole family and general public.

From a themed procession to an exhilarating concert by Ugandan musicians, the full programme consists of photographic and art exhibitions, tours and trails, street performances, large-scale interactive installations and even a fashion show!

“For a day, we will transform Kampala into one of the world’s greatest adventure for all. It is a chance to celebrate, support and find out more about our wonderful city and we would like as many people as possible to get involved and attend the Kampala City Festival 2013,”said Musisi.

Key sponsorship packages include: Platinum Sponsorship – UGX 200Million, Gold Sponsorship – UGX 80Million, Silver Sponsorship – UGX 25Million, Kid Zone Sponsorship – UGX 25Million, Media Tent Sponsorship – UGX 25Million and Non-Sponsor/Ordinary Participants: UGX 1Million

Uganda Breweries Limited under their flagship brand Bell Lager has been confirmed as a platinum sponsor of this year’s Kampala City Festival, speaking at the press conference UBL Marketing Director Grace Nshemeire Gwaku said, “We are proud to associate the Bell lager brand with this year’s Kampala City festival because of its rich heritage. The festival is the appropriate platform for the residents of Kampala City to celebrate their achievement and be proud of their city”.

Information about Kampala City Festival is available on KCCA’s website www.kcca.go.ug. The public can also get real time information and updates by visiting KCCA’s Facebook page on https://www.facebook.com/kccaug on and Twitter handle on https://twitter.com/KCCAUG .You can also look out for press and posters for details.

ACCESSKENYA IN DRIVE TO CONNECT COUNTY GOVERNMENTS

Kenya - Leading Corporate Internet and IT Solutions Provider AccessKenya Group has announced plans to aggressively target the 47 county governments for connection on its fibre and wireless networks and extend other ICT solutions to the counties, within the remainder of 2013 and in 2014.

“AccessKenya Group is committed to delivering localized ICT solutions to every county and elevating the ICT standards of Kenya,” comments Group Managing Director Jonathan Somen.

He says the firm is in the process of actualizing its national expansion strategy and has already rolled out its network in Kakamega, Kericho, Machakos and Meru. "As AccessKenya, we appreciate that each county has unique ICT needs so we plan to work with county governments and ICT managers to tailor make solutions for the counties. We further aim to expand our national coverage directly with our own network during 2013 and into the future so as to take advantage of this opportunity and be the preferred one-stop ICT solutions provider,” notes Somen.

Recently, AccessKenya won the Machakos County business, an enviable triumph given the county’s prominence for hosting Konza Technopolis. "As we seek to partner with county governments, we are particularly enthusiastic about Machakos as it brings us very close to where Konza City is being built. It also allows us to deploy our expansive expertise to this strategic County Government as it crafts its own ICT policies and lays foundation towards actualizing Vision 2030.”

According to Mr. Somen, the company plans to invest over Ksh. 35 million towards the national expansion roll out this year, a strategic move necessitated by growing demand for broadband services across the counties according to the company’s feasibility assessment done over the past year. So far the fi

rm has connected 15 towns outside of Nairobi including Kisumu, Eldoret, Kakamega, Kericho, Nanyuki, Nyeri, Thika, Nakuru, Naivasha, Kiambu, AthiRiver, Ngong, Kilifi, Elburgon and Mazeras.

Ten counties are planned for connection before the end of the year, and already the firm is digging fibre network extensions on the North Coast of Mombasa and AthiRiver to add up to over 400km of fibre network in Nairobi and Mombasa. Among towns listed for connection before year end include Kitale, Kisii Kiambu and Embu.

Somen was quick to emphasize that clients located out of Nairobi and Mombasa are getting excellent broadband experiences exactly the same as those in the major cities. Over the past three years, Access Kenya has focused primarily on reliable service as being the key focus of the company as that is what customers rank as their number one requirement.  In addition, a second focus on excellent 24-hour customer service has been invested in, ensuring that in the event that a customer does have a problem, they will receive prompt, accurate and efficient service and resolution.

AccessKenya expansion plans come in the wake of sustained efforts from competing Telco’s to get a share of the growing data market. "We plan to expand our territory nationally and protect what we already have. Part of our efforts is constantly upgrading our connectivity including our recent meshing of our core fibre network infrastructure to give alternative paths for traffic. This now means that in our network, a customer will only have a service issue if we have 3 fibre cuts on our network and this benefits all 550 fibre connected buildings on our infrastructure,” confirms Somen.

KEEPING KENYAN GIRLS IN SCHOOL

Kenya — Procter & Gamble the world’s largest consumer goods company and the makers of Always sanitary pads is committed to contributing to Girls Education in Kenya. Through the Always Keeping Girls in School program, Procter & Gamble intends to provide 10,000 girls with on free sanitary pads and puberty education to empower girls to stay in school. The program which will kick off in October 2013 will be executed by Health Education Africa Resource Team (HEART) in partnership with the Ministry of Education, Science and Technology.

HEART CEO Vickie Winkler (left) P&G's Irene Mwathi (centre) and Loresho Primary's Brenda Langa

Speaking during the 2013 launch,  Mr Aziz Jindani P&G’s Country Manager said that the company was proud to have been the pioneers of the sanitary pads programs which was made possible by meaningful partnerships.

“We are happy to reintroduce this program so that we can keep more of our Kenyan girls in school. We remain committed to partnering with partners such as the Ministry of Education; Girl Child Network, HEART and UNESCO to reach more girls in our society,” said Mr Jindani.

Mr Jindani added that the program and its partners had in the past provided needy school girls with over 6 million free Always sanitary pads and puberty education. Research conducted by FAWE has shown that a girl who is absent from school due to menses for four to five days loses a total of almost 3 months of school every year.

HEART Executive Director Vickie Winkler said that the organization will work with P&G to identify new areas of needs on the ground while working with the teachers and the local HEART team to provide the health education to the schools.

“We hope that together with P&G we will abolish the stigma and embarrassment that a young girl goes through. Our interaction with the girls has shown that those who lack sanitary pads resort to using unhygienic methods which in the end lead to absenteeism.”

This year, the Always sanitary pad is marking its 21st year since its introduction into Kenya. The brand has constantly lead in innovation and ensured that the Kenyan consumer gets the best in technology.