KONZA: The failed promise of Kenya’s smart city

Hi SM,

I happened to have sat close to the Presidential dais during the launch of
Konza and indeed he (president Kibaki) pointed to the fact that just as
there were many that never believed in free primary education, Konza will
one day become a reality and disapprove of the naysayers. Indeed as it is
said in Africa, old men see further from their seats than young men on top
of trees. Time will tell. Meanwhile @Ali Hussein <[email protected]>
waiting to be part of the delegation to eat biriani at Konza Technopolis.

Best Regards

On Wed, Jun 2, 2021 at 11:34 AM S.M. Muraya via KICTANet <
[email protected]> wrote:

> I completely agree but what did Kibaki think? His generation has/had
> insight often lacking in ours. This is a Mzee who understands how towns and
> cities are developed over time.
>
>
> www.standardmedia.co.ke/commentary/article/2000075826/president-kibaki-why-i-believe-in-konza-technology-city
>
>
> On Wed, Jun 2, 2021 at 9:39 AM Muchiri Nyaggah via KICTANet <
> [email protected]> wrote:
>
>> I think there’s time to reimagine Konza to fit our own context and
>> aspirations. A completion date of 2050 means it would be served well by
>> tangible deliverables every medium term that connect with the local sector
>> rather than a reliance on China and the West’s big tech firms to deliver
>> big wins.
>>
>>
>> Muchiri
>>
>>
>> On Wed, 2 Jun 2021 at 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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>> —
>> Kind regards,
>>
>> Muchiri Nyaggah
>> @muchiri
>> Cell: +254 722 506400
>> Skype: mrmuchiri
>>
>>
>>
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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,
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>> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>>
>> KICTANet – The Power of Communities, is Kenya\’s premier ICT policy
>> engagement platform.
>>
>
>
> —
> SMM
>
> *\”Better a patient person than a warrior, one with self-control than one
> who takes a city.\” Prov 16:32*
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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.
>