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Many of us in the diaspora are wishing we were in attendance at the Barcamp event, but alas! - NOT. We are here online in spirit, feverishly refreshing the following pages, trying to teleport ourselves over to Nairobi (with obvious failure!)
Update: Skunkworks - Already has pics up, and video on White African. (Thanks Hash!)
Update 2: 69MB has posted thoughts on the barcamp experience.
Startups in Kenya
Treachery afoot: Chinois - Kenyan edition 2
October last year, I posted my reaction to the gifting of oil to china by the Kenyan president and his officials at the energy ministry, there was a bit of discussion, consternation and a comment implying that this was somehow o.k for kenya. You can read more here.
Story via Sociolingo and link to the story on Allafrica. (original appeared in The East African)
Now, it emerges that the very generous and *unprecedented! gift of oil to china from Kenya is being ‘regifted’ in the form of a possible sale on the open market. Just how rude is that?
There was outrage among European oil exploration companies interested in Kenya when it emerged last week that the state-owned National Oil Corporation of China - CNOOC - has quietly put out notices offering to farm out to third parties some of the oil exploration blocks granted to it by President Mwai Kibaki in April last year. The EastAfrican has seen a brochure the Chinese company distributed at the London Africa and Mediterranean Scout Check meeting recently. In an *unprecedented act of generosity, the government of Kenya last April gave the Chinese exclusive rights over a total of six out of 11 available blocks, including the hotly contested Blocks 9 and 10A in the Mandera area.
Now now now, there is an interesting, pertinent and unanswered question in that article, same question we had last year:
“What does the Kenya government gain in this transaction?” asked a representative of a European oil-prospecting firm that has put an application for exploration acreage.
The answer I reckon would be the good fuzzy gooey touchy feely collective altruistic feelings that will wash over us when we realise that China will get… “cash”. How does that make you feel? huh? does it affirm your belief that nations have an underlying sense of caring and exhibit random acts of extreme kindness, preferably dispensing with oil exploration rights to later be sold off? Makes you feel all nice and happy doesn’t it.
In the brochure, CNOOC announced that it is interested in farming out a portion of its working interests in Kenya for “cash,” future cost or a combination of the two; “alternatively, a proposed swap of acreage will also be considered,” it adds.
Well, attempts at snide remarks aside, this stuff is not adding up. Some roads in Kenya have been built and are continuing to be built by Chinese companies, so why wasn’t it clear from the ‘gifting’ of the oil that the roads are what we get in exchange for giving away oil blocks? What else are we getting or not getting? Oh well… i write to Prudie.
Dear Prudence,
My president gave a very nice gift of oil to China last year, my friends thought it was an early christmas gift and all…now china is selling those oil rights and is poised make a killing. I have several conflicting feelings about this ofcourse, as i cant help thinking that I am is getting the short end of the stick. Please include your thoughts on re-gifting (i know regifting exists since i saw it on Seinfeld), un-gifting if there is such a thing, and any guidance on the morality of gifts between differently endowed countries (I am talking natural resources). Thank you!
-A very kind kenyan.
AkalaNote1:I am shamelessly borrowing the title of this post from Stephen Colbert.
This post by Emeka Okafor of Timbuktu chronicles makes me just want to jump up and down with glee. “Simmer down now and write the post AFM”.O.k o.k. This is exciting!awesome!totally cool! omg! “Chill out and quit acting like a teenager seeing orlando bloom for the first time” o.k o.k! - Serious face on now…
The post by TC is about cell phone base stations run by wind and solar power currently in use in Namibia. These may already be in use by Celtel, since these stations were delivered to them in 2005 (per this post, also by TC) Does anyone reading this blog know if Celtel is currently using such base stations? If you have pics, or more info, please comment. TIA. I have made some enquiries and will update you once i know for sure.
Update:Sunday March 11th: Celtel does indeed use the wind powered base stations in kenya, a company called WinAfrique provides the wind turbines. Thanks Bankelele!
Why is this so apropos? There is now no excuse for mobile phone companies to neglect areas such as North Eastern Kenya in providing cell phone services. Places like baragoi and other remote parts of kenya can have cell phone coverage if more of these base stations are used. The initial cost of the solar panels and wind turbines will be paid off quickly and the mobile service provider will recoup their money in no time. One thing would be to find the most important outposts such as schools, boreholes, places of religious importance such as kisima - near maralal; install the base stations there.
More reading material from TC: PDF of Siemens PV systems for Telecom
AkalaNote: Barcampkenya - Nairobi is set for March 31st, please sign up here I join whiteafrican in providing drinks, since i can’t be there in person:- Incentive people!
