This blog is written by Lynn Sellanga, Liaison Officer at NaiLab. She reports on the 1%EVENT in Nairobi.
What can I say? The 1% Event was a great success, filled with work, fun and more fun. We had about 65 guests in attendance, with more walking in at various points of the day. Our three local cases were based on issues that affect Kenyans directly and that could possibly be solved by an ICT solution.
As Nailab staff in conjunction with Jasper Grosskurth, we had come up with business cases that that directly affected Kenyans in one way or the other. The cases were the public education system, the transport industry and how to prevent the 2007/08 post-election violence from recurring in next year’s elections. The international business case belonged to a business owner in Amsterdam and it involved converting their project results into visually attractive reports (“Team Text to Change” is my name for them 
).
Team Text to Change
A few guests started trickling in even before ten o’clock. Due to the traffic jam on that day (Nairobi Show), the event started slightly late. But people were ready to work and as soon as Sam Gichuru and our local business cases owner Gregg Mwendwa briefed the guests on the tasks at hand, everyone was ready to go. People broke out into four different groups, depending on which business case they wanted to work on. Once they settled, they introduced themselves to each other and started to work. You could see the intensity on people’s faces, while at other times, laughter broke out spontaneously, easing the mood of otherwise intense topics.
Team Ma3
We had invited a matatu driver and conductor to narrate to their team (TeamMa3) their experience in the transport industry. The laughter in this group was more evident than in any other group. I suppose it’s because all of us have had humorous moments riding on matatus and buses. The laughter was punctured by serious conversations and taking of notes as they tried to note down the issues that were prevalent in the industry.
At a nearby table, (Team Read with Us) was graced by the presence of a teacher, the deputy head of Milimani Primary School. She was able to give firsthand information on the plight of her school and primary schools in general, as well as the government’s role in the education system. The discussions around this table were heated as the state of the public education system is a sensitive issue not only among teachers, but also parents who are complaining about its dwindling status.
Team Read With Us
The emotions at the last team’s table (Team Wale Wasee) were clearly evident on their faces as they sat down with two people who live in Kibera slums and were directly affected by the Post-Election Violence in 2007/2008. Relieving that experience was motivation enough for this team to try and come up with solutions to avoid a repeat of the same event in the upcoming 2011 elections.
Team Wale Wasee
It was interesting to see how engrossed everyone was such that they did not want to take a lunch break, but rather preferred a working break, as they continued working on their projects. Time moved rather fast as it was soon time for presentations.
Wale Wasee’s main message was that everything starts with us as Kenyan citizens changing the way that we think, act and speak. They urged the audience to think about the creation of a national campaign supported by the mainstream media, mobile and offline groups spreading peace, and propagating information positively. They also felt that it was important to keep politicians accountable for their actions and speech, not just on a national level but in the grassroots too.
Fun and Games
Team Ma3 was on point, highlighting how the transport industry had deteriorated and most if not all Kenyans have been angered at one point or another with something happening on the road. Their ICT solutions were fresh and innovative. One of them was to create a “Name and Shame” group (http://namendshame.blogspot.com/2011/10/1-event.html), whereby passengers can send an MMS through their phone that would be posted on a Facebook page that they had created. The content of the message was simply to report errant drivers, conductors, unroadworthy vehicles by stating the number plate of the vehicle and also taking a picture where possible. Another solution that they had in mind was group SMS’s for drivers, to alert each other on traffic, allowing for drivers to maybe find suitable alternate routes, or simply be prepared mentally as they approach high traffic areas. Hopefully team Ma3 will see their ideas through, they are after all, pretty cool.
Read with Us solutions to an embattled public system called for the government to really embrace technology as the key to the public education system disaster. Introduction of virtual libraries, podcasts, e-books, virtual learning centres and videos were some of the ideas that they had thought of. They called on IT developers to come up with platforms that would necessitate education through information technology. ISPs were also urged to provide affordable internet access to regions that were otherwise unable to afford it. Another solution that they had in mind was the creation of digital villages which would promote e-learning in different communities. They also addressed the shortage of teachers, and urged the government to employ more teachers, as it may be a while until the government decides to use ICT as a solution to the public education system.
@samgichuru talking about the NaiLab
To sum it up, the 1% Event Nairobi was a remarkable event. We had someone asking if we can make it a monthly affair instead of a yearly event. All our guests were overwhelmed at the welcome they received, and the opportunity to contribute their skills, knowledge and opinions towards solving different business cases. New friendships and connections were made, something that may not have happened if not for the 1% Event. From our business cases, it was evident that in Kenya that there are a lot of issues that need to be addressed and 8 hours are not sufficient to flesh them out. That being said, our 8 hours were productive and it’s our belief that this was the start of something new, and people will be motivated to think in new ways and be innovative enough to create solutions for the issues that are currently pulling us down as a nation. It was an intense day, one that forced us to think hard and engage ourselves in issues that for a while have seemed insurmountable. The 1% Event enabled us to see that together, we have in our hands the power to make a difference.
