Hardware. Unexplored Potential

Kenya has a technology sector that has been accelerating over the last four odd years. We have had many startups move from oblivion into the mainstream and a lot of emphasis has been given to the new cutting edge sphere’s of technology. Some of these are:

  • Cloud Computing
  • Mobile Apps
  • Mobile Platforms
My problem? It’s great to have innovation around all these sectors, but the infrastructure required to run them will always be a source of money. Let me give a simple example. It’s not ‘cool’ to work on TFT Screens etc. However, an expertise in building TFT screens/CRT’s etc will eventually lead to the expertise required to build low power devices for devices such as the iPhone. Much as Samsung competes with Apple, Apple was one of their single largest customers last fiscal, contributing 5.7B USD to Samsung’s books (roughly 4%). Much as it’s good for Kenya to be leading in the mobile arena, it’s really unfortunate that we have not began innovating around the hardware side.
The ‘Kabambe’
The ‘Kabambe’ was a simple phone with only the most basic features that was developed by ZTE Technologies. It’ had a basic LCD screen with horrible visibility during the day. This was five years ago. Currently, ZTE are now OEM’s for Android. They have manufactured many high end android devices and they are one of the largest providers of hardware for Orange, both with regards to the devices and BTS infrastructure.
The ‘ZTE 225′ or Kabambe, as it was known in Kenya
How does Hardware Innovation Come in?
Huawei started off by running, then eventually building PBX switches targeted at SMEs. This eventually gave them enough legroom to launch their first digital switch (which at the time had the largest switching capacity in China). They continued expanding and eventually were able to start offering CDMA/GSM/UMTS, in roughly 1997.
This is similar to Nokia/Siemens/Ericsson/Motorola etc. Most of the companies that traditionally provided back infrastructure for PBX systems moved into the mobile space (it was only natural, fixed line communication was a dying business). Thing is, the skill-set required to launch and maintain a good GSM network works very closely with the skill-set required to make a good mobile phone (issues around network stability, power utilization etc). It was rare, at the time, to find a mobile phone manufacturer who did not deal in telecommunications infrastructure. The eventual entrants into the space (HP/Samsung/Acer/Palm etc) all had a previous background in electronic devices. We never really had a startup that was able to penetrate the smartphone market without either a telecommunications infrastructure background or a computing device background. As smartphones picked up, the manufacturers of said computing devices (HP/Samsung/Palm etc), grew at a higher rate as the devices took a a more end-user focused orientation which the companies had better experience in.
If you cycle back to ZTE & Huawei, they are now making amazing devices (both affordable and useable e.g.
The IDEOS, a USD 100 smartphone from Huawei
The ZTE Blade, a USD 150 Smartphone, available in Kenya
The Point?
In our Vision 2030 statement BPO is one of the pillars of the new economy. I believe (personally) that this is a waste of time primarily because one of the pillars of our economic growth is based on us maintaining low income rates for skilled labour (if we become expensive, we lose out), which is a conjecture, really.  I like the direction that has been taken with regards to software, but I believe more emphasis should be placed on hardware in Kenya. We will never be able to produce affordable phones before we are able to produce affordable computer monitors (the materials required are the same and the monitors reduce the cost of the raw materials in the economy). Why should we produce affordable phones? Because no matter how much software we develop, the customer will need to have a device to use the software/consume our media. Why can’t we be the ones manufacturing the devices? That will also give the local ecosystem an edge with regards to software development (the hardware devices will need to have some form of software be it from Microsoft/Google etc). If you think about it, Apple has expertise in both hardware & software and that’s what makes it a great company. All the great software companies today are acquiring a hardware skillset (Google/Microsoft/Oracle etc)… It’s time Kenya started thinking in the same direction…

Why I detest the term “Reform”

I’m typically not too keen on reading papers but I saw this the other day and got rather irritated. Why? Because I believe as Kenyans we are being taken for a ride. Kindly note, I have no issues with Mr. Kungu Gatabaki, he just happens to be the trigger behind this post, his ability remains to be seen. My problem is with his choice of words and what said choice of words has come to represent in Kenya. What word is this?

 

REFORM

Why do I have a problem with this? It’s the Go-To term for any civil servant who has one thing in mind – to disappoint the citizen… To elaborate:

  • Police Reforms – Police commissioner after police commissioner, we were told how crime would be fought and the police fource cleaned up… the net result? Kenya Police is the most corrupt institution in the country and actually in greater East Africa.
  • Parliamentary Reforms – Our members of parliament basically still set the bar for human dysfunction. Do we really need to expound?
  • Electoral Reform – Took the death of 1,000 people for us to start trying to figure out how to run proper elections.
  • Education Reform – The free Primary education was poorly implemented, 844 still a mess.
  • KPLC – Really, this is the epitome of silly. An organization that has not figured out, in the last 50 odd years, that it does rain in Kenya from time to time, in fact, they *depend* on the rain to generate power, but somehow, seems that their latest product is an instant blackout, just add water. Additionally, the gall to say that they compete with kerosene?
  • Presidency – We heard this, all of us…. “Gone with the fancy motorcades”, “Gone with the roadside declarations”… End result? The presidential motorcade is as large as it has ever been in Kenya’s history, roadside declarations had to be nipped in parliament…
  • Judiciary – We have a new CJ, let’s wait and see if he’ll have fries with his words…
  • Corruption in General – We had a wanted drug barron as the head of our anti corruption effort. If we kept on in that direction, we would have one Tom Cholmondeley as our Minister for Internal Security, Kamlesh Pattni leading the finance effort, William Ruto as a minister (oh, wait, that’s actually the case etc etc.

 

At the core of this problem, in my opinion, is an issue of honor. We never keep our word in Kenya. Our leaders don’t and consequently, we don’t. We have lost faith in our leaders and in each other… Proof? We never show up on time, knowing full well that chances are, the other person will be late. The real tragedy is that  most of the time, they *are* late. What do I want from a leader? Someone to tell me, flatly, that the situation is bad. Dire. And that it will take a tonne of work to get it done. We have such leaders, the problem is, they are rarely elected… We need honesty. Integrity. We keep appointing people of questionable ethics into positions of leadership, not realizing that you are affected at the end of the day, whether directly or indirectly. At the end of the day, it heavily reflects on our character as Kenyans, who we choose to be our leaders. We complain that our leaders do not pay taxes, yet we happily avoid paying taxes in a shop when buying a PC. We complain when the president stops traffic, yet the real tragedy is that we can’t overlap because of the police. If we as a society embrace the fundamentals of social justice, it will eventually trickle upwards to our leaders.

 

Art Caffe – Overdue Post

I first started blogging about the Art Caffe in Nairobi in June last year. I’m finally publishing the post. Now, this is less a ‘review’ more a ‘rant’. Let me explain. I’ve been to Art Caffee three times… All three times I’ve had a *bad* experience.

Friends had been going to the Art Caffee and seemed to enjoy the experience, when it opened, but it was always out of my way, so I never really bothered going there. So, the first time at the Westgate Mall, I decided to try it out. Here goes experience one:

First Experience: House Coffee is a Latte

This was during one the first #140 Conference. The service was prompt. I asked what I then thought was a pleasant waitress (this would change by the time I had left the establishment) for a latte. I was served standard house coffee. She apologized about it, said something about the machine.  I figured, oh well, I’m was going to be there for a short time, let me enjoy the coffee and the ambience. So, I requested the bill which again promptly arrives, but it reads that I had a double latte (which is in excess of 200 bob), I tell her I had house coffee.  She then tells me that I had a ‘Double Latte’ and that it’s the same thing as house coffee. I explain the difference between the two to her and she simply says I ‘don’t know what I’m saying they are the same thing, if I don’t want to pay, I should say so. The price difference was 100 bob, I was leaving, I let it slide.

 

Second Experience – Coffee is above 100 KES

A friend of mine started working at the Art Caffe and suggested that I should give them a second chance. One Sunday evening, in June, I chose to stop by for a quick meal & coffee. As I approached the place, I noticed that it seemed congested, I asked the waitress at the door for a seat, politely informing her that I will not have company, hence I needed space either at the bar or at a two seater table. She chose to ‘politely’ inform me that in said establishment, coffee was in excess of 100 KES, and that  I should bear that in mind. I responded by telling her that I was well aware of the pricing and that she should get a handle on her job, there is a menu if I needed to check pricing, I’m perfectly capable of reading. It later hit me that she actually had not listened to a word I was saying and probably was assuming I chose to speak to her to find out the pricing. I did go in, had a cappuccino, which I did not finish due to time constraints.

 

Experience 3 – Still not good enough

This particular issue got to their management and that weekend they requested me to come back for a ‘better experience’… Being rather open minded, I showed up the next Saturday. I was seated. Chose to work. Waited. For two odd hours, no service, the initial excuse was that they were having their morning team meeting and hence would get to me in a while. The meeting ended and every waiter I beckoned said they have gone to get me the ‘waiter responsible for my table’. I did place an order, eventually, but it never arrived. You can imagine my surprise when, a few min later, a european family came to order breakfast got roughly 3 waiters taking their orders (suddenly table responsibility was not an issue) and had their meal in roughly 17 min. While I sat. Idle. I left without as much as a blink from the staff…

I eventually figured it out, after speaking to a couple of their waiters I realised why. Apparently, it’s because I’m black… Yes… According to the waiters, Kenyan’s tip badly hence you don’t prioritize serving them, while the others tip well… My problem with such reasoning is that it perpetuates the myth, because, if the Kenyans are necessarily treated badly, they will not tip, because the service was poor. So it’s a nasty cycle. The management has been made aware of this, but they don’t seem to really care about it. On speaking to my friends, I found out that they all had had issues at one point or another with the Art Caffe, similar issues. These have been raised severally to their management but have fallen on deaf ears… I don’t know whichI find worse, the persistent poor customer service that management ignores or the incorrigibly provincial thinking shown by their staff.

My suggestion? They should hang one of these at their door, that way, I’d have known not to bother…