A great meeting this morning with our Digital Opportunity Trust team, Muriuki and Alex, joined by their CSC Tanzania DOT representative, Phillip.
Muriuki explaining Kenyan dynamics
Alex in full swing
Luigi and Andrea discussing
Junko giving presents from Japan to Alex and Phillip from DOT
Sunday morning, we had the ‘Kenyan Education session’. The most amazing thing for me to learn was of the population demographics. 80% of the population are now literate, and 80% or so are with a mobile connection. ICT – Information and Communications – is a huge focus in Kenya as part of the Kenya 2030 vision. To hear how there are challenges along the Western border with Somalia – refugees, migrating populations looking for water/grazing – and those far north who are isolated…..and do not feel ‘Kenyan’. Interestingly particularly in the western areas that the very challenges I describe above, stop the progression as in an area where there is conflict, organisation are reluctant to put infrastructure in. By this I mean better water supply, education and even ICT.
The positivity the Kenya DOT team told us about the new Kenyan constitution was addictive. For example, the president said that ‘X’ was to be the new Minister of Justice. The new constitution does not allow this and Civil Authority for the first major time, said NO. A new and independent non politicaly aligned Minister for Justice was announced 2 weeks before our arrival. Much progess. However, with an outside head on, Inna (IBM Finland) and I raised the question…’How does the nation know about it’s rights, the individual Kenyan, how do they understand the constitution.’. The answer was not completely clear, and of course had some possible holes…..but it was still progress. Each MP takes the constitution back to their area. And for the first time it is translated from English to Swahili. This still leaves multiple languages in Kenya not covered, but you have to start somewhere, right?
simpsonmich 