KONZA: The failed promise of Kenya’s smart city

I will be touring the place. There are things I can\’t understand. I won\’t
comment before I visit the site.

On Wednesday, June 2, 2021, John Kieti via KICTANet <
[email protected]> wrote:

> Hello,
>
> My overall sense is that Konza gets unfairly beaten up, by us commentators
> most of the time. To begin with, the project is very young compared to the
> likes of Shenzhen, which became an SEZ in 1980, 41 years ago. The problem
> arises when our planning and implementation horizon is too short. Even
> 10-15 years is too short for an objective appraisal of failing or
> succeeding. I think questions about the progress thus far can be more valid
> than a declaration that the project has failed.
>
> My 5 pence.
>
> Sent on the move …
> Blog: kieti.org
> Whatsapp: +254735764242
> Twitter: https://twitter.com/JohnKieti
> LinkedIn: ke.linkedin.com/in/kieti
>
> On Wed, 2 Jun 2021, 09:09 Grace Githaiga via KICTANet, <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> Good points @Ali Hussein <[email protected]>. I like your point number 3
>> \’can the project get back on track?\’
>>
>> Considering it was a vision 2030 project, can we say that that there are
>> still 9 or so years to get it back on track?
>>
>> Rgds
>> GG
>>
>> ————————————————————
>> ———————-
>>
>> *Grace Githaiga*
>>
>> Twitter: @ggithaiga
>>
>> Skype: gracegithaiga
>>
>> Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/gracegithaiga
>>
>>
>> .*..**the most important office in a democracy is the citizen. So, you
>> see, that’s what our democracy demands. It needs you!—-Barrack Obama.*
>>
>> ——————————
>> *From:* KICTANet >> [email protected]> on behalf of Ali Hussein via KICTANet <
>> [email protected]>
>> *Sent:* 02 June 2021 7:33 AM
>> *To:* [email protected] <[email protected]>
>> *Cc:* Ali Hussein <[email protected]>
>> *Subject:* Re: [kictanet] KONZA: The failed promise of Kenya’s smart city
>>
>> GG
>>
>> Thanks for sharing.
>>
>> Listers, even the best-laid plans can miss their targets. I\’d rather we
>> discuss:-
>>
>> 1. What went wrong.
>> 2. What are the lessons to be learned.
>> 3. Can the project get back on track?
>> 4. Has it gone wrong? How long does it take to build a new city?
>>
>> Regards
>>
>> *Ali Hussein*
>>
>> Digital Transformation
>>
>>
>> Tel: +254 713 601113
>>
>> Twitter: @AliHKassim
>>
>> Skype: abu-jomo
>>
>> LinkedIn: ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
>> <ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim>
>>
>>
>>
>>
>> Any information of a personal nature expressed in this email are purely
>> mine and do not necessarily reflect the official positions of the
>> organizations that I work with.
>>
>>
>> On Tue, Jun 1, 2021 at 7:32 PM Grace Githaiga via KICTANet <
>> [email protected]> wrote:
>>
>>
>> Listers
>> This may be of interest to some here.
>> Rgds
>> Grace
>>
>> Kenya was one of the earliest countries to outsource its dreaming to
>> McKinsey. The entire Vision 2030 strategy was developed by the Kenyan
>> government in conjunction with McKinsey & Company, with Konza being one of
>> many techno-utopian urban renewal projects the firm was involved in. At
>> first, most were undertaken in Asia, then, in the 2000s, the focus shifted
>> to African countries, which were seen as growth markets for big tech and
>> financial corporations.
>>
>> …the McKinseyfication of government and federal services often means
>> that the mere production of paperwork counts as progress. …The
>> question then becomes, Who is responsible for the failure of Konza?”
>>
>> Read on: restofworld.org/2021/the-failed-promise-of-
>> kenyas-smart-city/
>> —
>>
>> Grace Githaiga
>> KICTANet Convenor
>>
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>> KICTANet is a multi-stakeholder Think Tank for people and institutions
>> interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. KICTANet is a
>> catalyst for reform in the Information and Communication Technology sector.
>> Its work is guided by four pillars of Policy Advocacy, Capacity Building,
>> Research, and Stakeholder Engagement.
>>
>> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
>> online that you follow in real life: respect people\’s times and bandwidth,
>> share knowledge, don\’t flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>>
>> KICTANet – The Power of Communities, is Kenya\’s premier ICT policy
>> engagement platform.
>>
>