After Africa

How many Tanzanians will have inked fingers after today?

 
 
Elsie at The Mikocheni Report has been blogging for a while about the elections today.

Cool photo to prove voting is done.

(Wish it was my photo!)

 

Photos from the Uchaguzi Tanzania's situation room at the iHub in Nairobi

 
More photos here.

Uchaguzi live in action at iHub in Nairobi

 

Tanzanians are voting today, 31 October 2010 to elect the President of the United Republic of Tanzania, President of Zanzibar, Members of Parliament and Members of the Zanzibar House of Representatives.

Through the Uchaguzi platform civil society monitors the elections in a cooperation between citizens, election monitors, Tanzanian NGOs and a team based in Nairobi.

Have here a quick look behind the scenes of the Uchaguzi from the situation room in Nairobi around 10 this morning. Some volunteers have been here since yesterday, and more are coming in, in fact now the number has already doubled from the time of recording. 

Basically, there are two situation rooms in Dar es Salaam - the Legal Human Rights Centre, and the Bagamoyo University (office in Dar es Salaam) where Friends of Education and HakiElimu are operating from (check the live report from one of the situation rooms in Tanzania here.) And then there is the one in Nairobi, supporting the two situation rooms in Tanzania.

Do also have a look at the on-line Situation Room for the Tanzanian elections here. 

Personally, I am here to learn how crowd-sourching works practically - hoping to understand the processes behind the updates here. In particular, I am curious on understanding how civil society benefits from using a tool like Uchagzu.

Follow more election updates on Twitter here: #uchaguzi, #TZelect and #uchaguzitz.

And go on for more updates here:

Uchaguzi Feeds from mainstream media

Global Voices

The Mikocheni Report

Labda Hata Mimi

Swahili Street

Scent of Eden

Paradise comes in many versions.

Plug me in!

 

Kenyan Ideas

 
The mirror is in fact a DVD-player!

2000 KSH, and you're ready to rock'n'roll on the Ngong Road

Did you bring a gift for Kenya?

 
Part of my job while in Kenya is to get some inputs back for a website on Anti-Corruption, so obviously I sharpened my observations from the point of departure.

I am reading Michaela Wrong’s book ‘It’s Our Turn to Eat'. Add to that a couple of years in Africa, and I see the different nuances of corruption in anything.

However, still, Kenya has taken me by surprise.

People talk endlessly about corruption, but as soon as I suggest quoting or filming, they look back at me as if I have no idea of where I am.

But people talk.

On the plane I got seated next to a young man of Ethiopian origin, who used to live in Kenya, now Canada, and was on his way to Uganda. He said he left Kenya due to the fact ‘that you cannot make money there’, so now he drives a truck in Canada and sends money home to his family in Nairobi.

While crossing the Mediterranean we had a long talk about how you can make money on things which are not legal, or maybe not legal. Like selling miraa. Or bying cars from Japan, taking them from Mombassa to Juba in South Sudan and sell them for a hefty profit.

He explained that, no doubt, he hated the widespread corruption in Kenya, but also that you cannot avoid using the same methods in order to make a living.When I arrived at the customs in Jomo Kenyatta I chose ‘Nothing to Declare’, a man with a broad smile asked me:

Didn't you bring a gift for Kenya?’

I replied 'ah, ah!' in a tone matching the nonsense, but mainly because the man took me completely by surprise. Walking out of the airport I was left with the feeling that I had absolutely no clue if I had just walked through one of these moments where Africa strikes back at the clueless mzungu?

Yesterday's Daily Nation put a retreating Minister of Foreign Affairs on the front page, stating that he didn't do (corruption) it - but that the civil servants did; and that fuelled several conversations with taxi drivers and askaris, going on about 'how much the wafisadi eat, leaving nothing for the poor'.Yesterday, a radio reporter also covered the story about the minister, quoted Kibaki, saying 'that corruption mainly occur behind closed doors'.

It sure made me wonder if Kibaki ever go out at all.

In particular, because corruption at points is so tangible in Kenya.

Like the intimidating, and probably drunk, police officer demonstrating the complex art of kitu kidogo on a dark suburban roadwhen I returned to my guesthouse by taxi.

You wonder why corruption is a habit so hard to beat, when everyone agrees it is bad. You smile back at the passifying smiles accompanying the 'pole' from Kenyans responding to the contemplations they've already heard a thousand times before.

John Githongo, in Michaela Wrong’s book ‘It’s Our Turn to Eat’, explains: ‘You simply do it because you can’.

Maybe it is all about psychology, isn't it?!

Uchaguzi. Tanzania Decides. Now up and running!

UCHAGUZI, TZ is a platform that leverages on USHAHIDI's web and mobile-based technology software, enabling unprecedented collaboration between election observers and citizens to monitor elections in near-real time.

Check it out now - the Tanzania elections are on Sunday, and it will be interesting to see how the crow-sourching tool will boost information in this regard.

UCHAGUZI is a collaborative initiative between TACCEO, Tanzania; HIVOS, Netherlands; Haki Elimu , Tanzania; Jamii Forums, Tanzania; TWAWEZA , CRECO, Kenya in association with USHAHIDI and SODNET, Kenya as technology & strategy partners.

African Guest House Typicalities



Nairobi Revisited

I arrived at 6 this morning to Nairobi. 

The jacarandas have turned purple;

The rain came only three days ago;

Drivers zig-zag, trying to avoid the deep, dark pot holes;

The wings of white ants are scattered around the house corners;

People are walking in long lines along the road side trying to avoid the mud:

Clear signs of African rain season.

I missed this whole vibe so much, that I don't even wanna think about it.