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the kikuyu in me October 31, 2008

Posted by Mutongoria in self.
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this is from the Kikuyu in me

I met my uncle jana and he was at pain to describe how his nieces were disregareding his status as their father. Where i come from a person should call his father’s elder brother as something which loosely translates to: my older father. that, according to my uncle is not to be translated to something as shallow and inconsequential as ‘my uncle’.

Luckily for me, my mother is the older sister of the said uncle and i don’t have the obligation that my cousins have.

Welcome to Africa, don’t just marry that girl – she could be your relative: her uncles grandmother on his maternal side was once married to your aunt’s step sister who …. who was i talking about?

Enjoy your weekend

Google in Kenya October 31, 2008

Posted by Mutongoria in IT, news, web.
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Google’s recent investment in up and coming mobile service provider Mobile Planet is nothing to be ignored. Though it is unlikely to lead to an overhaul of the whole industry it will definitely raise the stakes in the messaging industry.

First though, South Africans are still reeling from the news that Google chose to build its African headquarters here rather than in their country! Google is not the first to do so – It comes after coca cola, Hilton, Celtek and countless other conglomerates that are increasing calling Nairobi home.

it has been suggested that it is not so much about ht existing infrastructure as to access to unlimited access to coffee plantations. lol. everyone knows that programmers practically live on coffee. For those from Pluto – Kenya produces the world’s best coffee.

So what opportunities does this provide for it-savvy entreprenuers in kenya?

  1. recognition in this blog, the Google blog and a million others
  2. cash investments for venture capitalist s who take Google’s lead as a show of confidence in this market
  3. technology down-flow from Google to all of us

Celtel on the other hand is sitting on a gold mine I can’t imagine the effect of a money transfer service across … is it fifteen African countries? This potential is what is making google make  specific investment in kenya in personel, technology and marketing. I have been seeing them at technology meets all over the place.

This then brings to the other point – Digital colonisation.

  1. Is it possible?
  2. is it happening?
  3. is it good?
  4. How far should we let it go?
  5. Who are the digital home-guards?

half past midnight October 29, 2008

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As I write this- it is twenty minutes past midnight- I have been working on connection my laptop to the internet via my samsung SGH E250. its not easy – especially if you have some knowledge in IT and you think you can just hack it!

The speeds are not bad.

Speedtest.net tells me that am doing 63kbps down and 17 kbps down. Considering that my house has practically no network, this is a miracle. I hope to get the safaricom modem over the weekend and will be keeping you updated on the comparison.

My phone has EDGE and theoretically it should be able to do 496 kbps in theory. Guess I’ll need to do some tree climbing before I can get that speed! wish me luck …

The main reason I wanted to get this internet connection was so that i could keep up my research an learning web stuff and also to make some money by developing some solutions for some people. I am a web enthusiast; php programmer being forced into asp and loving it. Been doing a lot of IIS of late, transferred an intranet that has more subsites than I care to count. You can imagine me – used to the beauty and strength of php and being fed on asp/x!

IIS is complicated – among those things that are soooo windows: application pools for ASP1 ASP2 and then for ASP# I need to get the latest IIS 7. who will help yours trully in setting up the websites, subdomains etc? your bet is as good as mine.

now as for the safaricom modem; they are selling me 1mb of data at ksh. 8. the monthly post paid acouont has kshs 4 to the mb but the smallest package sets you back kshs 1000. there are several factors for me

1. the reliability of hte connection

2. freedom to opt out at any time

3. network strength – everyone knows how the motherland is. hills and valleys. some places in he old times were measured by the number of ridges to be crossed. i still remember a place. not far from Mugoiri girls high school.

tomorrow am going for a burial. my mother’s lat born sister recently passed away and we are meeting tomorrow to lay her body to rest. Was to travel with my cousin but apparently his car is full. This is where procrastination gets back at me. I have been planning to do a driving course for the last year but have never gotten to it. now I’d be safe in the knowledge that my transi is catered for.

There it is my first new post with the safaricom connection. Am loving it. gotta go now. eat and sleep.

the week is here October 29, 2008

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Yes the week is here … and am here too. Time to catch up with office ssignments and prepare for a burial tomorrow. Am going to Murang’a for my aunt’s burial – last born on my mum’s side.

Been doing some changes over my place of work – new server for a new intranet. And there are issues … gotta go!

an even better idea October 25, 2008

Posted by Mutongoria in news, politics, Uncategorized.
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Rastaman 24-Oct-2008 …reply # 97957
Dagitari, yes blame the leaders but assuming that what you say is totally factual, I don’t think that if our intentions are to get justice and pass punitive measures to the perpetrators we should single out the leaders. Unfortunately, neighbour rose against neighbour, and neither Ruto or Uhuru held a panga. If we want justice, let’s shoot the leaders together with the individuals who kamatad the pangas and we have justice. Let’s look for all the guys who looted and stole and killed, try, convict and sentense them. That’s justice, amen?

THE WAKI REPORT AND THE INDIANS October 25, 2008

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The political landscape is becoming hotter and hotter. And I think it is for all the proper reasons; Now William Ruto has said that he is ready to resign if there is appropriate evidence that he was inolved in planning and executing the post election violence. Which other evidence does he want apart from the written and reseached evidence of a respected judge of the court of appeal? Who else should give evidence against Ruto for him to accept the truth?

I have seen a section of the report that lists the members of parliament who planned and executed the post election violence. Here it is:

(1) the late hon. Lorna laboso former odm mp, sotik constituency.
(2) the late hon. David kimutai too former odm mp, ainamoi constituency.
(3) the late hon. Kipkalya kones former odm mp, bomet constituency.
(4) hon. William ruto odm mp, eldoret north constituency.
(5) hon. Franklin bett odm mp, bureti constituency.
(6) hon. Boaz kaino odm mp, marakwet west constituency.
(7) hon. Sally kosgey odm mp, aldai constituency.
(8) hon. Fred kapondi odm mp, mt. Elgon constituency.
(9) hon. Henry kosgey odm mp, tinderet constituency.
(10) hon. William ole ntimama odm mp, narok north constituency.
(11) hon. Omondi anyanga, odm mp, nyatike constituency.
(12) hon. John pesa odm mp, migori constituency.
(13) hon. Ramadhan kajembe odm mp, changamwe constituency.
(14) hon. Najib balala odm mp, mvita constituency.
(15) hon. Chris okemo, odm mp, nambale constituency.
(16) hon. Elizabeth ongoro odm mp, kasarani constituency.
(17) hon. Uhuru kenyatta, pnu mp, gatundu north constituency.
(18) hon. Kabando wa kabando, pnu mp, mukurueni constituency.
(19) hon. Stanley githunguri, pnu mp, kiambaa constituency.
(20) hon. Peter mwathi pnu mp, limuru constituency.

I cannot believe that the list above is 100% authentic but I believe it.

I think Justice Waki is the first Kenyan commission chairman to actually do his job. With that he has exceeded he expectations of amny a kenyan. Waki has done his part and now the best we can do for ourselves now is to help ourselves by executing justice effectively and efficiently without fear or favour. Ruto should be investigated and like any other kenyan made to pay for his sins. he should not be crying wolf even before most Kenyans have had a chance to read the whole report.

Many Kenyans died in the post election skirmishes and that culture of impunity must not  be allowed to continue. Perhaps Ruto ordered the killings with the expectations that they wold be forgotten and that they would another day and go and kill a few more people. Someone must rise up and say NO.

The Waki report is, however, not perfect. It fails on the application of the post election remedies to the wider causes of the violence. Hope you all know that this is NO LONGER a country for Africans.

  1. Kenyans are the most receptive people int he world [they are ever receptive to foreign cultures]
  2. there are places that a black Kenyan cannot go to. in this category are countless ranches that do no accept Kenyan tourists, restaurants and of course private game parks
  3. less than 10% of Kenya is actively farmed
  4. some of the white farmers who were kicked out Zimbabwe have set up camp in kenya
  5. Kenyan land – iko na wenyewe
  6. Kenyan agriculture has its owners [africans make about 10 bob ker kilo of coffee/tea while white middle men -dormans, williamson, unilever, brokebond and others make hundreds pere kilo]
  7. Indians are taking over the Kenyan business landscape – construction, development, farming, retail, electricity, telecommunications

Do you know that out of all the construction going on in Kenya 90% is Indian, 5% is Kikuyu and the rest is for the rest of Kenyans. imagine if we kicked out the Indians from this country – there would be so much more left for us to share. I do not propose us taking over private property but I think Africans must demand their own place in their own continent. Giving away our own properties and wealth to foreigners is not the best ting that we can do for the motherland.

  1. how  many Kenyans own plots in India?
  2. how many Kenyans have contracts to supply the government of India?
  3. how many Kenyans have contracts to supply the military of India?
  4. How many Indian companies have given good fortunes to Kenyans- as in Kenyans have grown through the levels and gone into management and ownership?

There is the other thing that I have been seeing in kenyan society. MODERN SLAVERY.

Have you seen some old mzees who have worked for indians alltheir lives and the mzees keep geting thinner and thinner. I think there is a spiritual connectiona that binds the mzees to work for their bosses forever and that spirituall colonialism is something that we must stop. Hope you ahve already seen the speaker’s seat at the kenyan parliament. it was donated to kenya by the government of India. it has a snake on either side. i think that seat is a totem – a physical item thrug which the government is bound to the indians. It needs to be thrown out and burned.

Financially the slavery is executed by paying the person just enough to keep him around. something to eat and some hope that one day things will be better. Alternatively reminding that person often that you can do without them anytime. that they should kiss your boots or be ready to disappear.

Economically – i think Kenya as a country cannot afford to keep entertaining them Indians. i saw a report some time back that showed how much the UK government was spending on immigrants inclusive of direct cash input as well as rebates, concessions etc compared to how much the UK government was making from the migrants in terms of fees, taxes [private and biz] etc. the report was able to conclude that the UK government was a profit of a out 1.6 billion pound from the immigrants. I wish someone could do a similar report for Kenya.

There are many problems in kenya and some of them are that there is not much wealth to go round. to much of it has already been stolen by indians and whites. Too much of it only has room for farm hands and cleaners. too many politicinas have been compromised to become part of those who fight against the african.

There is need for a change.

mskenyan – the font – Obama font October 25, 2008

Posted by Mutongoria in IT, politics, web.
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Just leant that there is a font called mskenyan – alegedly. Never heard of it.

According to this website, there are some mad americans who want other americans to believe that Obama was born inKenya. ANd theyknow thathow? The birth certificate has an mskenyan font! Puh-li-eaze!!

let me be a Kenyan politician for a minute.

That was not me. I was misquoted! and that party has no association with this one.

Speaking of websites, Obama has totally changed the way elections will ever be done across the world. he has bronght a new meaning to mobilising citizens. His website is way beyond expections. his website clearly outshines that of his Republican rival John McCain.

let usforthe sakeof posterity discuss what there is on the his website that you love – or hate.

You can try rank it on the following criteria:

  1. graphic design
  2. Usability
  3. Relevance
  4. Speed
  5. Content.

Let me know how many marks you award it.

the Waki Report October 24, 2008

Posted by Mutongoria in Uncategorized.
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What do kenyans want? that is the question that should be in everyones’s mouth. Instead they are thinking- waht do kenyan politicins want. Alternatively should we make all of them deaf and mute?

Perhaps yes, perhaps no. I have been able to get my hands on a 500 page document called the Waki Report. There is so much oppsotion to the Waki report perhaps because it tells us the truth that we are too sahamed to hear.

Waki may be the first senior kenyan politicioan who was sent to do a joband he actually did it. YOu sent him to do a report hoping that he would ask you waht you wanted written in that report instead he goes and does his own thing – totally unafrican. where is waki’s respect for his leader? wher eis waki’s loyalty tot he status quo? those are possible ustions int he head of an old-school thinking african.

kenyans owe Wakia thank you.

  1. Thank you for finishing the report on time
  2. Thank you for making th report public
  3. Thank you for not seeking an extension
  4. Thank you for going round the country collecting information
  5. thanking for the report
  6. thank you for truth
  7. thank you for making the recommendations
  8. thank you for being fair
  9. thankyou for not being used bysome against others
  10. thak you for the narations

perhaps kenya will now be a better place. Let it be know that you cannot kill people and walk away. Let it be known that you cannot destroy a whole nation,. you can chat some people sometime. You can cheat all the people sometime. You cannot cheat all the people all the time.

Impunity could be the worst thing that can happen to kenya. people doing what they want; when they want so long as they can shout.

No no no!

There should be cases in court; then we can discuss forgiveness. lakini hiyo blanket amnesty – hapana!

making cars like computers October 23, 2008

Posted by Mutongoria in IT, news, politics.
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At a recent computer expo, Bill Gates reportedly compared the computer industry with the auto industry and stated:

“If GM had kept up with technology like the computer industry has, we would all be driving twenty-five dollar cars that got 1000 miles to the gallon.”

In response to Bill’s comments General Motors issued a press release stating the following: “If GM had developed technology like Microsoft, we would be driving cars with the following characteristics:

1. For no reason whatsoever, your car would crash twice a day.

2. Every time they repainted the lines on the road, you would have to buy a new car.

3. Occasionally, your car would die on the freeway for no reason, and you would accept this, restart, and drive on.

4. Occasionally, executing a maneuver such as a left turn would cause your car to shut down and refuse to restart; in which case you would have to reinstall the engine.

5. Only one person at a time could use the car, unless you bought ‘Car95′ or ‘CarNT’. Then you would have to buy more seats.

6. Macintosh would make a car that was powered by the sun, was more reliable, five times as fast, and twice as easy to drive, but would only run on five percent of the roads.

7. The oil, water, temperature and alternator warning lights would be replaced by a single ‘general car fault’ warning light.

8. New seats would force everyone to have the same butt size.

9. The airbag system would say ‘Are you sure?’ before going off.

10. Occasionally, for no reason whatsoever, your car would lock you out and refuse to let you in until you simultaneously lifted the door handle, turned the key and grabbed hold of the radio antenna.

11. GM would require all car buyers to also purchase a deluxe set of Rand McNally road maps (now a GM subsidiary), even though they neither need them nor want them. Attempting to delete this option
would immediately cause the car’s performance to diminish by 50 per cent or more.

12. Every time GM introduced a new model, car buyers would have to learn how to drive all over again because none of the controls would operate in the same manner as the old car.

13. You’d press the ‘Start’ button to shut off the engine.”

Need i say more?

kenya commercial bank website review October 23, 2008

Posted by Mutongoria in IT, news, reviews, Uncategorized, work.
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I’d started talking about the Kenya commercial Bank website. It sucks. Here is my take

Homepage:
That thing on the left side … What is that? It is dirty and lacks direction. I.e. there are no links to follow up the stories [banners] on that. How many people know what the kcb foundation is and  where is the link to a page that has that information? KCB you are bringing beraucracy online and we will not stand and take it.  Online beraucracy ; is the art of using your webpage to make people line up only to be told to go to an alternative queue [link]. That is prime real estate that you should use to persuade potential visitors to become clients – not to give them your own understanding of beraucracy.

Alternatively youcan lese that space to me. would that be check or cash?

Branding – Colours
Last time I checked KCB corporate colours were navy blue and green. Has that changed? I don’t think so. I still see it in their adverts, their posters – especially those for the new system. The website has no navy blue. There is only green and white. And a huge irregular white space right at the middle of the banner! The green is a attractive but its too much. They should have used a different shade or texture in the backgrounds. Something to make the webpage pop out. Right now the page fades into the background. A gray or navy blue with texture would have been amazing.

The banner flash.
Too slow. That is what preloaders are for!

Interactivity
Click here to download the form, then print it out, fill it in and then send it to any of our branches or use DHL. Lets assume am stupid for one minute. I think I’d not want to go beyond the print it out blab bla bla. Why cant people fill it in online and then go and sign at the branch when the documents are ready???

That website needs to offer and receive information from the customers. The only form there is the contact us form that has … wait for it … Nothing!

Electronic banking

They say:
Sometimes there seems not to be enough time in the day to do some of your banking. That why KCB is making easier for you, with a range of services with the objective of saving you time and ultimately giving you the banking convenience that you want. You can now access your money, account details and transaction or send money more conveniently than before.
My answer:
Where is the actual electronic banking.? Where do I click? How fast can I send money? There is a link I love. Login here. Alternatively: Not Registered: Register here.

All in All

There is nothing on the kcb website that would make anyone want to become their client. They don’t have the ‘selling line’

Rating:
Design 4/10
E-commerce 2/10
Information Architecture 6/10
Interactivity 2/10
Content 5/10
Usability 3/10

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