Branton,

It is quite unclear which candidate answered these questions. Please clarify. Also, do indicate whether these Q's are coming from the electoral team or ordinary members.

Abbas.

> Date: Thu, 29 Mar 2012 20:45:23 +0300
> From: bruceobwari@gmail.com
> To: wikimediake@lists.wikimedia.org
> Subject: [Wikimedia Kenya] ANSWERS TO QUESTIONS BY ANN NJERI
>
> 1. Why do you think you suit to be in the board of WKME?
> Firstly, I am willing to contribute my time and other resources as a
> leader as I seek to serve others with the objective of attaining the
> common good for society as a whole. I know there are those specialized
> skills and talents that I have which will contribute to build WKME,
> especially the Kenyan chapter. I may not know much but I’m willing
> to learn and I believe that’s the most important thing. I am a team
> player who believes that the more is yielded when we collaborate. We
> also need a female representative on the board and a place which I am
> ready to take up.
> 2. What is your take on the level of participation of members in the
> WKME projects/meetings/mailing list? Anything you think should be
> done differently?
> There is room for improvement, I speak also for myself. We need to be
> more dedicated to the projects that we do as well as build the spirit
> of solidarity in our midst by taking all successes and failures as a
> team and not individually.
> I would suggest that we attempt to have online meetings where we can
> conference as well as chat live. This will help counter the problem of
> unavailability of members for the meet-ups, increase number of
> meetings and kill the problem of need for geographical proximity.
> 3. As a board needs members with different skills (e.g.
> administrative, financial, public relations etc) please tell us which
> particular skill set you have worked in previously, like another
> society or organization?
> I have accounting skills that have been gained not only theoretically
> but practically. I have completed CPA (certified Public Accountant).
> I have also worked in Sarova Stanley in the accounts department. This
> will help assist greatly in maintaining accurate accounts based on
> accounting standards requirements.
> I am also a marketer having only one year left to complete my degree
> in Marketing and Finance. Early next month I will be working in
> Synovate Kenya, a research firm. The skills gained therein will be
> useful for us to develop strategies and invest in research that is
> useful in solving various challenges we have like getting and
> retaining editors.
> I also serve in the Leadership of Global Leadership interlink (GLI),
> an international organization that is seeking to build leaders in
> their formative years so that they can uphold ethical principles all
> through their lives. We carry out duties like organizing conferences,
> training of members, preparing content to be taught and discussed
> among other administrative tasks.
>
>
>
>
> 4. Which languages have you worked in so far? And what is your
> position on both a language policy and language strategy for WMKE?
> Sadly I have not worked in any languages so far but I do intend to in
> the future. A language strategy can be that of getting as many tribes
> as possible to contribute to building of Wikipedia. It may seem
> difficult but we have an example from the current local radio stations
> broadcasted in various local languages to learn from. Our pride comes
> from our culture which gives us our identity, something we should all
> be proud of.
> 5. How would you best deal with the issue of editor attraction and
> retention in our local chapter to ensure the growth of WKME as a
> whole?
> I think the best place to start is to research into the question “Why
> don’t people edit, and if they do, why are most people not committed?”
> The answers to the above questions can give us a guide to formulate
> strategy that will increase and retain editors.
> On speculation though, I think the idea of Wikimedia has not really
> sunk in the mind of many Kenyans let alone the issue of editing. I
> remember when we went to Kenyatta University and one of the senior
> lecturers had not heard of the concept Wikipedia. There is need to
> increase the sensitization that will help us attract more Kenyans. We
> need to come up with appeals that will reach out to the human
> component in all humans; that of contributing to the common good of
> all. There is need to communicate the benefits that people will get
> once they become contributors because most people look at their end of
> the deal “What’s in it for me?” The benefits need not be monetary
> because the last thing we need to do is increase our costs.
>
> 6. Now that we are an independent chapter, how do you plan to raise
> funds supposing the parent Wikipedia Foundation won’t avail funds to
> run the aforementioned project?
> Partnerships are crucial, which can be very fruitful in a day when
> firms are seeking avenues for CSR (corporate social responsibility).
> We just need to be bold and creative enough to come up with projects
> and present them to the corporate for financing. It’s not easy, but
> it’s possible. It doesn’t have to be about the money only since there
> are institutions that periodically change their computers so we can
> solicit for donations of computers to those schools that have few or
> none.
> The Ministry of Education can be a powerful source of finance. We can
> avail ourselves as the tools they will use to carry out their
> objectives since theirs is about advancement of education. The offline
> Wikipedia that is customized to the Kenyan syllabus can be very
> useful.
>
> 7 What kind of project/activity would you envision WKME and its
> members to undertake in order to fulfill the objectives of Wikimedia
> Foundation as a whole?
> I believe the project that is of utmost urgency is to both localize
> the content of the offline Wikipedia as well as continue sensitizing
> others of our existence and attract more people on board that will
> contribute to achievement of these objectives.
> There should be increase in telling the African story, be it through
> stories or even telling the history of our country in ways that will
> make people grow in the knowledge of the richness of our heritage.
>
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