The issue of Data making headlines at Davos The World Economic Forum

As world leaders, top economists, politicians and C.E.Os of some of the major organizations in the world gathered in Davos Switzerland for the World Economic Forum, no one expected the issue about data to get any attention. With the kind of predicament many EU countries like Greece, Portugal  and Italy find themselves in which urgently require a bail-out package hence threatening the future of the Eurozone, one would expect that the in-tray was full already. That was not the case. World leaders present at the summit seem to appreciate the connection between data and economic development. While this doesn't come as news to some of the major private companies whose engine is data, many governments are yet to maximize on the amazing power of data and the information therein. On the contrary, many have made it their business to control the access, sharing and transfer of data between different users through bureaucracies and prohibitive policies thus stifling development unwittingly. But this seems to have changed.  With the evolution of the social media, many players and investors have come forth to offer very competitive products free of charge allowing users to interact and share whatever it is they want with friends, family members and even strangers. Networking sites like Facebook and Twitter are faced with a challenge of a deluge of data streaming in near real time from different corners of the world pushing their server capacities in unprecedented way.
Some people have argued that companies like Facebook are in custody of very personal information about their clients than even their respective governments do. Whenever one wants to use any of their products and services, they are required to furnish them with personal information. On top of that, these internet companies have developed algorithms that match the user's behavior on the internet with their profiles. This information has helped them customize adverts based on the users interactions, the web pages they visit most and how long they stay there.
Due to the improvements in internet access especially in areas that traditionally lacked or had very little presence in the world wide web, there has been a significant increase in data both textual(html), video, audio(podcast) and pictorial as folks take advantage of the myriad of platforms offering these services for free to share their lives and experiences with the entire world.
According to a report released by the World Economic Forum titled "Big Data, Big Impact: New possibilities for International Development", 'researchers and policy makers are beginning to realise the potential for channeling these torrents of data into actionable information that can be used to identify needs, provide services, and predict and prevent crises for the benefit of low-income populations'.
The successes in the mobile money transfer industry has been hailed as a perfect example of how valuable data really is. The penetration of cheaper phones  has seen many people especially in the developing world  able to afford smart phones  fitted with cameras, GPS and internet enabled, meaning that people can exchange information on the go. These data according to the report , if well managed and shared between different players and consumers of the data, has the power to transform the lives of people.
From disaster preparedness and prevention, disease monitoring , projections on the levels of poverty and consumer analysis etc the insights obtained from these data is amazing.
Several issues however have emerged regarding privacy of data, security of individuals generating this data and misuse is one such concern. For instance, is one able to 'opt-out' of the world wide web once they have created an online  presence. While most companies in custody of these data including credit card numbers, bank account and other personal data require these users to sign or approve their privacy policy before using their products and services, most people have been signing their privacy rights away since they were tired of reading the fine print normally written in legal jargon.
Despite the assurances made by companies, evidence still shows that there are loopholes that need to be sealed. Cases of hackers breaching the security apparatus of some of the major companies have been reported widely;  For instance, hackers broke the security of the Sony play station revealing their credit card information and other personal details of their customers thus putting them in great danger. A group claiming to be Saudis also hacked into Israeli's Tel Aviv stock exchange and the national airline. There was also online disruptions to several banks. While the latter case could be seen as a political issue, it still doesn't negate the fact that the concept of absolute security doesn't exist in the cyber world.
With the introduction of cloud computing, risks are expected to grow as more data will be lying out there in the cloud thus increasing the vulnerabilities. This therefore calls for capacity building especially among institutions in the developing world to prepare them for this eventuality. Since many governments are opening up thanks to the development and evolution of the IT sector, there ought to be deliberate incentives to train specialists who'll counter cyber warfare by preempting attacks with sophisticated firewalls.
Otherwise if people fear that their private information is likely to leak out there then chances are that they will be reluctant to supply any information at all. This also goes for governments that feel they are inadequate to counter any challenges brought  by the growth of the internet industry.

What role should the media play in elections?: Kenya votes

Everytime you switch on your tv set you wont miss at least one station discussing about the oncoming elections with an array of analyst paraded to give their perspectives. While this may be perceived as an obvious issue this being an election year, there seems to be an obsession among the media houses on whose name will appear on the ballot paper and likely scenarios if one group of politician either failing to make it or if they join forces to make a formidable team that'll defeat that or the other candidate.

Historically, Kenyans have been known to stick with one of their 'own' during elections not only as a sign of loyalty but sadly too, they believe that having one of their own in a position of influence will certainly ensure that they secure plum jobs in the civil service and win lucrative tenders in such departments as defense and education. This is normally at the altar of other voiceless minorities who essentially cannot garner enough votes to boost their bargaining power.

Our media has lately been engrossed with the politics of who is going to win the elections and how individual tribes are expected to determine the fate of one or the other candidate. This to me is missing the key point which doesn't really help anyone at this moment in time. Kenya is at a critical period especially after the disputed 2007/2008 elections which saw the death and massive displacement of thousands of innocent people, loss of property and defilement of women and children. The judiciary is trying very hard to facelift its hitherto tattered image which was renown for selling justice to the highest bidder.

In my view, when media houses dwell so much on political parties, their candidates and voting blocks,  they are playing into the hands of these politicians by granting them free publicity which they are after. What in my view the media should do is to take seriously and urgently the responsibility of shaping the opinion of the voters by engaging politicians in televised debates bringing all the presidential candidates in one platform for thorough interrogation. This should further be extend across the board to include contestants in both the senate and governor posts, otherwise we will get a raw deal as the same failures in parliament reappear elsewhere and clog our system thus slowing down the pace of devolution down to the counties.

Personally am fed up with the soap opera that is our parliament with politicians as casts most of whom have a mastery of tribal politics and always seen organising 'homecoming' parties and unnecessary rallies to whip up tribal support while pretending to be fighting for the greater masses. They have even infiltrated into our churches subterfuging men of cloth who shamelessly lay hands on their heads for blessings even before repenting for the blood on their hands that's crying for justice from the same God.

What we need more is to hear them being engaged in debates on issues that affect us. I want to hear the kind of blueprint the Premier Raila has for the thousands of unemployed graduates idling in estates with nothing to do, not just short term casual labor which is the domain of city council work. I want Ruto to clearly tell us what he intends to do in order to revolutionize our agriculture sector and ensure that a majority of Kenyans are cushioned from hunger in the face of climate change and that we achieve sustainable development before the MDGs deadline elapses; Uhuru Kenyatta needs to tell us what he intends to do about our ailing shilling, the high cost of living and the extravagance in the government's  expenditure. He also needs to tell us what measures he has taken to fast track the EAC(East African Community) and establishing building blocks for trade between our neighboring countries; i want Kalonzo to tell Kenyans what his principles are, what has he done for this country and his constituency since he became an Mp or his is just another attempt to wield the instruments of power in order to protect his cronies while amassing enormous wealth while maintaining the status quo. Last but definitely not the least, what practical steps would Martha Karua, being the only female candidate, do concerning the dragon of corruption in this country and the rule of law. Why should we trust her? Is she ready to be the commander in chief of this country, does she appreciate the repercussions of our defence forces going to Somalia and how that is gonna affect our economy and security in the long run? 

These are very critical issues that i believe any leader intending to lead this country ought to be judged against. We have a new constitution in place that was voted in by a majority of Kenyans in 2010 since they were convinced that it would mark a new chapter in their lives and ultimately bring an end to businesses as usual that characterized our politics and thus ensure that there is a paradigm shift in the way we think and approach issues as a country.Anyone who falls short of any of these demands is not fit to ran this country and therefore its only prudent to spare Kenyans the pain of having to go through a ballot paper full of candidates who don't matter. This in my view is what we should focus on.

The State of the Economy 2012:How the economy is going to tip the scales in favor of or against candidates in the oncoming elections.

By coincidence,many countries are preparing for elections slated for this year. In the US its yet another time when the Democrats and Republicans flex muscles in fierce public campaigns to woo voters as candidates engage in publicized debates on issues affecting Americans like jobs and healthcare insurance; In Kenya politicians are helter-skelter either hoping from one amorphous political party to another or cooking expedient political parties over a weekend retreat in readiness for the oncoming elections.
In Nigeria pundits suspect that the recent declaration by Goodluck Jonathan's government to scrap oil subsidies hitherto enjoyed by a small fraction of Nigerians, are directly related to elections. The government on the other hand maintains that by cutting oil subsidies, its going to save over 8 (eight) billion USD which would be used in other priority areas like improving the dilapidated infrastructure like roads, modernizing the railway transport and improving education among many others. Uganda has also announced that as part of its austerity measures, the government will also reduce oil subsidies in an attempt to cut down on expenditure and save money which could be used in other needy areas like improving healthcare and the construction of infrastructures.
Inflationary rates the world over have skyrocketed forcing people to spend their meager savings in order to stay afloat. The cost of food commodities has also increased tremendously affecting virtually everyone. This is inspite of the FAO's Food Price Index (FFPI)-a measure of the monthly change in international prices of a basket of food commodities- showing that on average, there was a downward trend in the prices of food with the December FFPI dropping 2.4 percent translating to 5 points from November. This trend however isn't felt on the ground by the common man because of a myriad of middlemen hovering like vultures waiting to capitalize on any available opportunity.
The prices of basic commodities like vegetables, cereals, maize and wheat has continued to increase unabated. This upward spiral has squrely been attributed to the recent inflationary conditions that have affected many governments. Banks have increased their lending rates while hoarding the much needed dollars; traders in gas and petroleum products have also reacted to this phenomenon by adjusting their prices to abnormal heights with a knock-on effect which eventually pushed up the commodity prices at the retailer level.
The end cosumer has been forced to bear this burden single handely as many governments continue to engage their exchequers to observe strict austerity measures which involve cutting government expenditures to key public utilities while scrapping in toto areas thought to be dispensable.
The end result has been that many people are facing poverty infront of them since they are forced to spend their meagre resources and savings in order to stay afloat.
Its against this backdrop that many voters will be looking at a candidate who is going to deliver them from this manace. This therefore means that politics as usual cannot be tolerated since the voting patterns this time round are going to be dictated by the people's stomachs figuratively speaking. Politicians therefore have the daunting task of creating jobs for the unemployed, developing infrastructures that'll attract foreign investors, streamlining the financial sectors which have wasted government funds through bailout packages. They will also have to craft laws and  policies especially in the agricultural sector aimed at boosting the production levels in order to cushion people from the increasing food prices. This is especially important considering that many developing countries GDP's are driven by the foreign exchange from the agricultural exports and cash crops.
Freezing worker's salaries in an attempt to stem inflation isn't a panacea in itself but rather a desperate intervention that won't take us very far. Some economists have argued in favor of the increase in inflation as a way of resuscitating a collupsed economy. This idea may sound absurd especially in circles where governments have been rendered helpless as the free market economy continues to dictate the demand and supply rates which have a bearing on the inflation rates at any given time but when there are very few options at our disposal any solution is worth trying..

Was it an outright faux paus or a judicial gaffe: The Nancy Barasa's Debacle.

The thought of a senior judicial officer entrusted with the solemn responsibility of restoring the lost confidence in our judiciary being reported to have treated a security guard at a local shopping mall -the Village Market didn't go down well with most Kenyans. The incidence happened after the deputy Chief Justice allegedly ignored the security guards stationed at the mall with metal detectors. Its a security requirement and measure that anybody entering the mall in the upmarket Nairobi undergoes screening for any explosive devices after several incidences reported about grenade attacks by the Somali Al shabab militias and their sympathisers; This comes in the wake of the Kenyan military incursions in to the Al shabab strongholds inside Somalia aimed at dismantling the Al qaeda linked group after a series of blatant kidnappings that saw one French tourists kidnapped to Somalia and later on died in the hands of the militias. So as a security measure, everywhere you go in Nairobi before entering a building you'll most likely encounter security guards armed with metal detectors ready to frisk you. You'd expect the deputy CJ to be accustomed to this checks by now if in deed she's is an ordinary Kenyan who shops like any other person but no she didn't.

Well this is my theory; In Kenya, there are essentially two tribes, forget about the forty plus nonsensical associations.  These two tribes have very glaring disparities which have nothing to do with how one wags their tongue or spells/misspells a word-accent. It has everything to do with economic power. How much resources one has will determine who calls the shorts or who ends up being the errand boy.
Whatever Ms.Barasa displayed is not entirely new to Kenyans or in deed in our moral fabric. Our founding fathers received the same kind of treatment-or even worse- under the oppressive regime of our colonial masters.  They were made to strip naked in front of their children while women were defiled and others short dead for defiance. The same culture of impunity was handed down long after the colonialist left our country and sadly our new leaders in the new independent Kenya perfected the evil. This was evident in the way the first Prime minister and President of the new Kenyan republic Mzee Jomo Kenyatta treated his ministers. Rumor has it that the old man would sermon ministers in statehouse where he'd order them to lie flat on the floor before administering lashes on their behinds like they did in high schools.
The next president after him- Daniel Moi- wasn't good either. The only difference is that instead of personally whipping errand servants and ministers in line, he used proxies inform of structures controlled by top security officers who detained people unleashed terror in form of torture. Nothing was done to him.
Those were the days when multipartism was a foreign concept as the single party system dominated our lives and political system.
Then came in to power our third president Mwai Kibaki-an LSC fellow who graduated with distinction. He claimed that he believed in an open and free system of government with transparency and accountability. He made grand promises on how he's going to transform our country by restoring law and order, maiming the corruption ghost and his brother called impunity. Well, its obvious that those were just a promises as he slowly surrounded himself with power elites and anti-reformers steeped on blocking any attempts to institute key reforms that would upset the status-quo.
So you'd ask, how does this tie in into the Nancy Barasa's faux paus. You see, in Kenya and in deed other economies where there's a huge economic disparity between the rich and the poor, if you are rich-belonging to the 'haves' tribe- you expect everyone to hold a brief for you and recognise you even in the darkest of nights. Whenever other hoi ppolis are queuing to either cast their votes, purchase fuel or reduce their meager savings in a local ATM machine due to the high cost of living-manufactured by members of the other tribe(the haves), you think they are wasting your precious time and the obvious instinct would be to jump the queue since you have other important businesses to attend to.
While common sense and a belief in a just and credible judicial system capable of handling this whole incidence in a free and fair manner would require of us to at least hear the story from both sides, chances are and naturally so that, members of a 'tribe' would most likely side with their own. Many Kenyans apart the poor guard, have silently suffered from this kind of undignified treatment from people like Barasa who wield power and spit on the face of other people.
Whats the way forward...
Kenya just unveiled a new constitution the other day full of promises all aimed at righting historical wrongs perpetuated by people with connections and influence. The judiciary is one such key organ and arm of the government that needs thorough reforms and that's why the process of vetting both the CJ and his deputy were done in the open to give Kenyans a chance to also interrogate such people bestowed with the responsibility of steering the reform agenda as stipulated in the constitution all in an effort to redeem its bad  image.
Whether she survives the onslaught from a barrage of public criticism directed her way so far is a matter of time. But the question that begs is that, will a person given such a solemn responsibility to end impunity in our judicial system really enjoy the confidence of Kenyans after her appalling misdemeanor at the Village Market that portrayed nothing but outright impunity which reminded Kenyans of Egypt biblically speaking? How will she raise her finger at the corrupt judges and magistrates without casting an image of a hypocrate? Will she be respected by her peers and most importantly the people under her leadership? These are hard questions that luck immediate answers but what's clear though is that Kenyans have raised the bar and its upto Nancy Barasa to decided whether she matches the standards or just call it a day.

My 2012 Wish List

Well, its yet another year full of promises but to others it could be quite dull especially if nothing good is in the offing for you. This is the day when folks make plans or resolutions regarding what they'll do or not do; habits to kick and get rid off; something you've been planning to buy but somehow money just ran out of your pockets in 2012-blame it on inflation, or simply a holiday somewhere in Hawaii.Oh! i'd love that!
This is the same year when Iran recently test-fired its long range missile while threatening to block the Strait of Hormuz if the US & its allies goes ahead with their suctions over its nuclear activities; North Koreans have a younger and new leader at the helm to preserve the power in the family etc etc.
This is also the same year sports-wise when London will be hosting the Olympics; Africans will be treated to a spectacular African cup of nations tourney; Poland and Ukraine are gearing for EURO 2012 which makes my football diary kinda loaded already.

Politically, Americans are gearing for elections and so are we here in Kenya. Nigerians woke up to the sad news that Good Luck Jonathan's  government will literary wean them off oil as it were by withdrawing the subsidies hitherto poured on the petroleum products claimed to benefit only the middle class who can afford   energy products- am still wondering why a country the size of Nigeria- being Africa's largest producer of oil- still imports oil owing to the fact that it lacks infrastructure in the form of a refinery- what a shame! Their team failed to qualify for the African cup of Nations and currently the security forces are battling with a terrorist organization going by the name Boka Harram. Their wish list must be longer than mine i suppose...

So what is in my wishlist; well, all i want for starters is to have a good health and happiness:)) Did i also mention that i'd love for my blog to win the Yobloco Awards:)? Wont that be so cool? Yea, that'd put icing on the cake. I also want peace in war-torn areas- Our troupes are on the ground in an effort to contain an amorphous Al shabab militia group in the neighboring Somalia-American troupes just managed to withdraw the last group of troupes in active combat in Iraq; maybe we can borrow a leaf or two; The Kenyan shilling has gained some substantial ground against the world majors like the greenback and the Euro- hope it maintains that momentum.
I want a free world where everybody has an equal opportunity to shine and help make this world a better place, coz we are team members after all, aren't we? That also comes with responsibility...Its a package.
                                                       HAPPY NEW YEAR FOLKS!