Steven Clift
Mon, 30 Dec 2002 07:06:55 -0800
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Thank you David Sawe <http://www.tanzania.go.tz/psrp/Sawe.html> from Tanzania for sending this along. DO-WIRE members <http://e-democracy.org/do> specifically interested in e-democracy trends in Sub-Saharan Africa are encourage to join the DO-AFRICA sub- list. Send an e-mail to <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. To track down the main author of the message below try his company: http://www.circuitspackets.com A related story on the use of SMS in the Kenyan elections: http://allafrica.com/stories/200212190517.html For the Kenyan election news and results see: http://www.eastandard.net http://www.eastandard.net/elections2002/ http://www.nationaudio.com/elections/ http://www.kenyaelections.com/ http://www.kenyanews.com/ The victor: http://www.kibakiforpresident.net President's residence - in virtual transition: http://www.statehouse.go.ke Steven Clift Democracies Online ----- Original Message ----- From: Cheick Gologo To: African Information Society Initiative - Discussion Forum <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> Sent: Monday, December 30, 2002 10:15 AM Subject: Re: Role of ICTs and Kenya Elections > Congratulation ! This is a good example showing the > efficient use of ICT for Democracy and good > governance.The ICT's real time applications are > making elections in Africa fair and transparent. > > Cheick > > > --- Bill Kagai a écrit : > > Hello all, > > > > For the first time, we Kenyans have more or less > > agreed that this time we have had a fair election > > with the highest number of voters turning out to > > vote. > > > > One key instrument has been the mobile phone. > > > > Picture this; > > > > 1. Planning - Political strategists came up with > > huge databases of their supporters with cell phone > > numbers and let the dynamics of networking at > > grassroots level take effect. In other words, > > because of this instrument, people who had not met > > before could contact each other and assist wherever > > they could. The youth manning the polling stations > > could call for support incase of any hitches. > > > > 2. Campaigning - The use of sms (short messaging > > service) was intense and balanced for the leading > > presidential candidates. Kenya has more than one > > million mobile phones users outstripping by far > > fixed lines subscribers and a message to one cell > > phone number can reach at least 4 people. > > > > 3. Results Diseminination - As soon as votes are > > counted even in the remotest areas, results can > > easily be accessed immediately as opposed to > > previous elections where people had to wait for > > ballot boxes to be transported to key counting > > points and it is believed rigging used to happen > > during the trasportation. > > > > We in the ICT field know this is a best practice on > > how ICTs can help curb rigging, enhance transparency > > and keep people together. The two cell phone > > poviders were licensed less than five years ago and > > cover most of Kenya and have outstripped fixed lines > > government provider by more than 300% in that short > > period. > > > > Incidentally, no fixed lines were working in all the > > polling stations I visited further proving the > > maxim..Africa telecommunications development will be > > more wireless than fixed. > > > > Cheers, > > Bill Kagai > > > > > > > > > > --- --- ------- End of forwarded message ------- ^ ^ ^ ^ Steven L. Clift - W: http://www.publicus.net Minneapolis - - - E: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Minnesota - - - - - T: +1.612.822.8667 USA - - - - - - - ICQ: 13789183 *** Past Messages, Discussion http://e-democracy.org/do *** *** To subscribe, e-mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] *** *** Message body: SUB DO-WIRE *** *** To UNSUBSCRIBE instead, write: UNSUB DO-WIRE *** *** Please forward this post to others and encourage *** *** them to subscribe to the free DO-WIRE service. *** *** Please send submissions to: [EMAIL PROTECTED] ***