Kenya ICT Board and Safaricom Partner to Host Connected Kenya Summit

WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2011.

The Kenya ICT Board in partnership with integrated communications company Safaricom will host the Connected Kenya Summit 2011 from the 18th of April to 21st April 2011 at Leisure Lodge Resort in Diani.

Previously held as the Connected Government Summit, the Connected Kenya Summit will include a greater representation from the private sector than the previous conference. The theme for this year's summit is, "Innovating for the Citizen".

Overall, the summit's aim is to establish a collaboration platform where sharing of priorities between the government and the private sector take place with a view to linking and speeding up implementation of government ICT projects on a world-class standard.

The participants meet to deliberate on key priority areas and identify areas for greater cooperation to help achieve service delivering to the public in a transparent, efficiency and effectiveness manner.

"We expect this to be a successful event particularly in aligning the role that shared services will play in Kenya Vision 2030," Kenya ICT Board CEO Mr Paul Kukubo, said during the launch. "We want to thank all our sponsors, Safaricom being the main technology sponsor, IBM, Orange Telkom, Equity Bank, Seven Seas, SAP and Huawei Technologies and all media sponsors including CIO and Homeboyz for supporting this event."

 "Safaricom feels honoured to support and be part of this great initiative because we believe the role of ICT is integral to the socio-economic development of this country and the achievement of the country's development objectives as captured in the Kenya Vision 2030. As Safaricom, we are already playing an active part in creating a digitally-inclusive Kenya," Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore said.

During the summit, Mr Collymore is expected to be one of the key speakers, handling the topic, "The Future of Innovation in Kenya".

About Connected Kenya... Connected Kenya Summit has four main objectives. First, to ensure capacity building of the senior government officials in the implementation of ICT projects as they move toward transforming public services provision. Second, to increase the understanding of the participants of shared services, managed services and Public Private Partnership rules as well as their potential for supporting transformation in ICT projects. Third, to raise awareness on key government's ICT projects that are currently on-going and those that are about to be commissioned. Lastly, the Connected Kenya Summit aims to provide a platform for the senior government officials to network and bond with various private companies represented.

About Kenya ICT Board… The Kenya ICT Board was established by H.E President Mwai Kibaki, as a state corporation under the State Corporations Act Cap. 446 on February 19, 2007. The Kenya ICT Board's mission is to champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment. Its vision is to make Kenya a top ten global ICT hub by 2030. Some of the key ICT projects that the Kenya ICT Board has been facilitating with remarkable success so far include digitization of records at Ministry of Lands, Company Registry and the Judiciary. These projects have so far cost the Government in conjunction with the World Bank $10 million and it is also to be noted that the number of Kenyans using internet services has grown to 8 million. This is in tow with Kenya's Vision 2030 in which Kenya aims to become a top-3 outsourcing location in Africa by 2015.
Visit www.ict.go.ke

About Safaricom

Safaricom offers total communications solutions to a growing clientele in Kenya. With a subscriber base of over 17 million, Safaricom provides a comprehensive range of services under one roof: mobile and fixed voice and data services on a variety of platforms: Kenya's widest and only 3G network; a growing fibre optic cable footprint and its most expansive WiMax presence. Safaricom also pioneered commercial mobile money transfer globally through M-PESA, the most successful such service anywhere in the world.

SAFARICOM MARATHON RAISES SH47 MILLION, NEXT EDITION ON JUNE 25

Tuesday, March 1, 2011...Last year's Safaricom Marathon helped to raise a record-breaking Ksh47 million, further building the event's profile as a major fund-raiser for community development in Kenya.

The amount is a 27 per cent improvement on the Ksh37 million raised from the 2009 event and the highest ever in the event's 11-year history. As is tradition, the money shall be handed out as grants to a number of conservation and community development projects in several parts of the country.

"We are extremely delighted by the continued success of this unique event and we are happy to lend it our name and support. Its founding mantra of running for a cause is well-aligned with our own pillars of community engagement, support and sustainability. We are glad that the Safaricom Marathon continues to make a real positive difference in the lives of Kenyans," said Safaricom CEO Bob Collymore.

The CEO spoke at Serena Hotel during the launch of this year's Safaricom Marathon which will be held at the traditional Lewa Wildlife Conservancy venue on the morning of June 25. Safaricom announced that it would continue to be the title sponsor of the event with a Sh8.8 million package this year, part of an existing five-year contract.

Since inception, Safaricom Marathon has helped raise a total of $2.75 (about Ksh225 million at current rates), financing a number of projects not just in the immediate neighbourhood of its idyllic Lewa Wildlife Conservancy venue, but in the rest of the country as well. These interventions straddle Education, Healthcare and Conservation, among others. Last year for instance, some Sh3 million out of the cash raised was used in re-settling people displaced by the post-poll chaos of 2007/8.

The marathon, which has built an international profile based on its unique setting, punishing course and support for local communities will retain its 3-race format: a Full Marathon (42 km), Half Marathon (21 km) and a Children's Fun Run (5 km).

Organizers expect a maximum field at this year's Safaricom Marathon, the 12th edition of an event that has been described as "one of the top 10 things to do before you die".

The 2010 edition attracted a field of 1,150 runners, against 1,000 runners who took part in 2009, with enthusiasm for the event being capped only by its unique venue in a wildlife conservancy where human numbers have to be kept at a minimum.

Safaricom's title sponsorship was last year supplemented by generous support from a number of traditional sponsors some of whom are expected back this year: Nokia Siemens, LG, Standard Chartered, Andy Forwarders, Linksoft Communications, Huawei, PesaPoint, Highlands Water and British Airways and GSK among others.

Registration is now open with May 20, 2011 deadline. Registration is on a 1st come 1st served basis. Should entries fill up before then, registration will close.

For race information and entry forms please log onto www.tusk.org, www.safaricom.co.ke and www.lewa.org