Stories about Kenya from May, 2010
Nigeria: Exclusive interview with Nigerian soul artist
KenyaChristian blog has an exclusive interview with Nigerian soul artist Nneka Egbuna.
Kenya: No need for unnecessary ICT regulations
Erik discusses ICT regulations in Kenya: “Maybe, instead of adding unnecessary regulations, governments should look to truly and strongly punishing unfair and dirty practices that are already on the books.”
Kenya: Mocality – a mobile business directory
Moses writes about Mocality, a mobile-based and crowd-sourced business directory operating in Kenya.
South Africa: Economic Benefits of 2010 World Cup
It is always the fun bit that we focus on when thinking about major world tournaments. There is the other side, which has corporate gurus and the business world talking.
Egypt: No Longer Jewel of the Nile
Four of the seven upstream Nile Basin Initiative countries have decided to sign a new Nile deal. Despite strong Egyptian and Sudanese opposition, Tanzania, Uganda, Rwanda and Ethiopia signed a new water-sharing agreement. Egyptian bloggers react to the news in this post by Marwa Rakha.
Kenya: Linking banks and mobile payments
Erik writes about linking banks and mobile payments in Kenya: “People are excited about M-Kesho (money for the future) which launched yesterday, where Safaricom has linked their mobile payments service Mpesa as a joint venture with Equity Bank in Kenya.”
Africa: On Africa’s Tech Entrepreneurs
“A Rising Tide: Africa’s Tech Entrepreneurs,” is Erik's post about technology entrepreneurs in Africa based on his talk at NetProphet 2010 in Cape Town, South Africa.
Kenya: New book by Kenyan blogger available online
Kenyan poet and blogger, Njeri Wangari, reports that her new book is available on Amazon: “Some good news for all those with Amazon accounts, my book is now available on Amazon for only $12. For Kenyan buyers, I will update you immediately the book hits the shelves.”
Kenya: Elderly women taking self defence lessons
Elderly women in Kenya are taking self defence lessons: “Elderly women in Korogocho, Kenya are sick and tired of the numerous stories of rape against their peers. So these feisty mamas have decided to take matters into their own hands. To combat the violence, an elderly Kenyan woman has decided...
Kenya: Nairobi BarCamp is back
Nairobi BarCamp is back: “After giving it a miss in 2009, the Nairobi BarCamp's back this year. This time around, the venue of the event's what is easily becoming the hot-bed of mobile-based, IT and other solutions developers ‘joint’- the aptly named, iHub.”
Africa: International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia comes to Africa
International Day Against Homophobia and Transphobia (IDAHO)) is a day is recognized by people joining together to speak out against homophobia, its effects and results focusing on ways to change how people perceive homosexuality and promote equality. The day is held on May 17 every year. The focus this year is on three Africa countries: Kenya, Uganda and Malawi.
The Aid Transparency Movement
The momentum of the aid transparency movement is palpable, but without greater coordination and aggregation, so much transparency will lead to more confusion than clarity. Raw data must be presented in ways that are easy to understand, and that tie directly to accountability initiatives at the local and national level in each country.
Kenya: Netizens discuss proposed constitution of Kenya
The proposed constitution of Kenya has been officially published and will have to be subjected to a referendum. The proposed constitution results from the Harmonized draft constitution that was written by the Committee of Experts last year. The Kenyan Attorney General officially published the proposed constitution on April 7, 2010. Kenyans are currently discussing the document online.
Kenya: Proposed Constitution is idiot-proof
So, the Kenyan proposed constitution is idiot-proof as blogger Maina puts it: “Anybody can read this katiba and understand what each article says without needing an expensive lawyer or re-reading it severally.”
Africa: African entrepreneurs you should know
Ory writes about African entrepreneurs: “Anyway, I thought I’d share the profiles of some of these entrepreneurs with you…always important to keep telling the success stories, no? First is Erik Charas (@erikcharas), he is the president of @Verdade (the truth), which is Mozambique’s biggest circulation newspaper. @Verdade reaches more than...
Africa: Homophobia exists in Africa
“Homophobia exists in Africa, as does influenza,” argues blogger Gukira: “This comparison is only partly gratuitous as I am interested in scales of virulence. We know that African bees are the deadliest; the sun in Africa is hotter than anywhere else in the world; viruses from Africa are the most...
Kenya: How to buy goods online from Kenya
Jigsawman tips on how to buy goods online from Kenya: “One question that always storms my comments section is users asking for ways to buy goods from online.One major myth that internet users from Kenya share is that paypal does not work here but this is very wrong.”
Kenya: Kenyan poet/blogger releases a book
Kenyan poet, blogger and Global Voices Online author, Njeri Wangari, has released a book titled Mines &Fields: My Spoken Words.
Tech for Transparency in Sub-Saharan Africa
Transparency and accountability efforts are supported by a growing tech community in sub-Saharan Africa, though a widespread lack of access to information and communications technology (ICT) and a consequent lack of understanding and interest in these tools constitute a significant challenge to their success.
Kenya: Macdonald Mariga – First East African to play at the UEFA Champions League
"Thank you Mr. Mariga for giving me that feeling of being proudly Kenyan," says Kenyan blogger Yasin Ansari as MacDonald Mariga becomes the first East African player to ever play at the UEFA Champions League.
Sub-Saharan Africa: Catching Up with Online Transparency Projects
The rise of multiparty democracy in Africa has led citizens and civil society to demand more transparency and accountability from their governments. New technologies can buoy their efforts, but such initiatives face major obstacles including infrastructure, lack of political will, and a shortage of techinical skills and personnel.
