Category Archives: Google

Easter Reading

Kenyan Blogs to Read this Easter

Been a busy week, with a bit of travel, a lot of sports to watch and not much time to blog, so here are a couple of posts of note from the last week from friends and online colleagues.

Ka-investor explains the beauty of Twitter – it is simple, accessible from anywhere, via mobile phone, but which may take away some effort from doing full blog posts (and I’m guilty of that as well)

Maishinski explains how to make money in a recession e.g. buy cows cheaply because of the drought

This was a week of shocking layoff announcements, from Zain-Kenya (#2 mobile company) and even giant brewer – East African Breweries, and some more layoff perspectives from Grains of Masala. However senior Kenya government workers  are immune from the wave, as explained by Coldtusker

The Kenya Capital investment group has another corporate earnings roundup, as Equity Bank shares begin another curious ride that their CEO prophesied last month after the share split.

The creation of new districts (administrative political/government territories) appears to be an expensive futile exercise at the Nairobi Chronicle reports.

Finally, a rant by Kahenya becomes one of the most revealing posts on how lack of regulation in the communications sector stifles investments and profitability. I am also listed as a trouble maker owing to my links to Google

Google Launches Local Maps Domain for Kenya

On March 31, 2009, Google launched the local domain for Google Maps in Kenya, – an interactive map with many features and business listings.

Some Features: 

  • Users can add locations to their own my maps (Local celebrities have contributed (Wangari Mathai, Churchill, and Julie Gichuru)
  • Content can be added to maps by individuals such as photos of a place, restaurant reviews, hotel information (no. of rooms, visa card accepted) and Wikipedia entries.
  • Photos that have coordinates can be over-laid.
  • Business owners can add their business locations and details.
  • Collaborate users can share information and invite/select others to contribute on parties, events, add maps and event-related information.
  • Privacy information can be designated as private or public (search engine accessible).
  • Local websites can embed google maps by simply by adding some code.
  • Mobile phone same features for Kenya also accessible via Google Maps for Mobile – like search, driving directions, show traffic, favorites, and “my location”.
  • Mapmaker: Tool can be enhanced with google mapmaker.

All these are Free

Other Mapping Events

  • March 31 Skunkworks Tuesday at KCCT Teleposta Towers 4th Floor, from 5.45 pm. A talk by Dennis Karanja, Regional Director EA Sybase, a mobile phone application development company.
  • More developer workshops being held today @Google.
  • Google will also sponsor Where Camp Africa on Saturday April 4.

Best bank for netpreneurs?

This is based on a skunkworks discussion thread and as many answers are welcomed. A growing number of young Kenyans are now making money online from blogs and websites; They often earn money in and receive foreign cheques for $50, $100 or $200 (e.g. from Google Adsense) but have different experiences when they try and encash them. I use Co-op Bank, but the cost of Kshs. 1,000 (losing ~13%) to get funds one month later is something I’m sure another bank can improve on

My questions to the netpreneurs earning from advertising and other online sources is what did you do with your last adsense cheques? Where do you bank them? What kind of bank account do you have? How much does it cost to clear such a cheque and how long before funds are available? and finaly What do you as a young digital entrepreneur /internet like about your bank?

Results (after a week)
Concept says Family Bank – Kshs. 650
I say Co-op Bank – – Kshs 1,000
and KCB Customer Service the only of three dozen banks to reply to e-mail says minimum Ksh.800 maximum Ksh.4800 plus postage charge of Ksh.300. (so Kshs 1,100)

Education Moment

Google hosted the latest skunkworks where the debate was how to design a better computer science curriculum. Present were a team from the Google EngEDU (Engineering Education) which works with campuses to mould student skills that will enable them to adapt to a work environment at Google, and through continuous learning within Google that feeds back into universities through training.

Present was a nice mix of professionals, programmers, coders, Google, who were ex-students of Nairobi, Kenyatta, JKUAT, Strathmore and other foreign universities.

So what ails the Kenyan computing curriculum?
– Universities are large factories, that focus on quantity (of students) not quality (of learning) to support their income streams
– Lecturers are lazy (don’t want to teach new concepts or learn new developments), instead they spend more time outside, on more lucrative consultancies
– Students are programmed to (cram) pass exams, obtain degrees and gain employment. Few are inspired to learn outside, or become developers. They accept poor learning, without challenge, and will riot over food but not poor lectures
– Engineering/ computer science curriculums are static, have not changed in years. It is difficult to change the curriculum as it involves all departments of university, and even consultation with the Government (for public universities)
– There is little research and publishing at universities
– There was an unresolved debate of why JKUAT is a ‘better’ institution for technology programs than Nairobi University which has more resources and ‘better’ lecturers

What can be done?
– Teach children more computer/programming skills (in high school) before university
– Universities should be encouraged to compete more with each other
– Corporations should establish mentorship programs
– More programming languages should be taught, even at schools e.g. python, .net, ruby, java, not just C++ and Visual Basic.
– Engineering students remain highly employable in other sectors like accounts and audit

What else is happening?
– Google now has a director for education for Africa (A sign of better things to come)
– South Africa has signed up to link with TEAMS (submarine cable), and Governments now recognize that skills shortage is the next critical area to address after bandwidth
– Google will be working with Strathmore, Nairobi, JKUAT and with other universities on design of better computer science curriculum.

elsewhere

Safaricom University: the latest Safaricom Options magazine talks about a corporate learning & development initiative the company has with Moi University that began in October 2006. Safaricom helps design the electrical engineering curriculum at the University to produce competent engineers with skills that are useable by Safaricom, with the top performing telecommunication bachelor of engineering students, currently in first and second year, eligible to be offered attachment places at Safaricom. The collaboration is next targeting a master’s telecommunications program (to be based in Nairobi). More on Moi and JKUAT collaborations.

Universities need Change: A very timely post this week from Gukira on the difficulty of doing research from a technological standpoint at Nairobi University. For one who is used to the research recourses available at a US university, Kenyan universities are rather close-minded about IT access to research students’ e.g.

– Internet resources are lamentably bad
– Printing costs are exorbitant.
– Could not get into the library could not even apply to get into the library
– Faculty members teach ridiculously high loads
Read more

Multimedia University: The Government has gazetted the establishment of the Multimedia University College of Kenya, formerly Kenya College of Communications Technology (KCCT)

Multimedia Cows: Over the weekend, I heard about Michigan State University research program with Maasai pastoralists – where they used GPS to track the movement of cattle and their grazing patterns to help pastoralists find pasture for their cattle easier, and by having to walk shorter distances.

University Blog: Diary of a Kenyan Campus Girl is a great read about university life by a female student studying computer science at JKUAT.

Spotlight on foreign investors

after Morgan Stanley & Safaricom

Rift Valley Railways: This week as the patience of the governments of Kenya and Uganda reached new highs, local stakeholders finally got rid of the managing director. More stories are now coming out on the (lack of) financial strength of the backers of the railway. The East African newspaper has (consistently) had the best coverage of the railway management over the last two years.

About a year ago, the former MD gave a talk on the difficulties he faced in reviving the railway and the way forward for the 25 year program.

Tiomin is another ‘foreign investor’ who never had financing that was sufficient enough for them to launch their operations in Kwale, even after the government and the courts gave them go ahead

Zain is the new brand of the former Celtel Group that is expanding all over Africa. But according to their group financial results for the half year, Kenya is the only African country where they did not gain subscribers over the last year. At June ’08, Kenya had 1.9 million subscribers compared to 2.4 million in June 2007. Compare that to Uganda 1.8m (up 100%) and Tanzania 2.8m (up 48%). Half year revenue and loss was $79.4 million and $26.4m compared to %100m and a loss of $4.2 million at the same point in 2007 Safaricom is blamed for defending their market turf

Google have bought into Mobile Planet a leading local provider of value added mobile services (and also a Safaricom partner).