2018 Research and Innovation Conference

Permanent URI for this collection

http://hdl.handle.net/11071/9519
Theme: Looking into the future : solving tomorrow's problems with today's research
Venue: Strathmore University, Nairobi, Kenya
Dates: 29/10/2018 - 02/11/2018
Thematic areas
  1. ICT, Mobile Applications and Cyber-Security
  2. Mathematical Applications and Economics
  3. Tourism and Hospitality
  4. Humanities and Social Sciences
  5. Renewable Energy and Energy Efficiency
  6. Law and Justice
  7. Health, Healthcare Management and Research Ethics
  8. Public Policy, Governance and Integrity
  9. Business Innovation and Management
  10. Food, Energy and Water (FEW) Nexus

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Browsing 2018 Research and Innovation Conference by Subject "Blockchain technology"

Now showing 1 - 3 of 3
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    Blockchain certificates: a prototype implementation for digitizing educational certificates
    (Strathmore University, 2018) Otolo, Richard; Maingi, Eunice; Sevilla, Joseph
    The prevalence of fake academic certificates in the country is worrying. This has come to light in the media during the vetting process for different jobs such as when recruiting candidates for key public sector positions. The fraudulent use of fake qualifications is a fact that educational institutions and employers have to face. In order to curb this trend, institutions have taken measures that usually involve a third party to verify the authenticity of educational certificates. The main weaknesses of this approach include the time taken to verify certificates is too long. Additionally, the fact that there is an intermediary introduces aspects such as extra costs and the potential inaccessibility to institutions in all geographies. This research project proposes to set up a system that not only makes it easy to maintain records of academic achievement but also make the fast and effective verification of a certificate’s authenticity possible. The system will rely on distributed ledger technology also known as blockchain, to accomplish this goal. A blockchain is a trustworthy, distributed digital ledger that contains records of transactions that are replicated across many systems. The records are cryptographically guaranteed to be immutable. This research intends to leverage these and other features of distributed ledgers in order to develop a system that can address the issue of fake certificates.
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    Smart democracies in Africa: legitimizing Kenyan elections through block-chain technology
    (Strathmore University, 2018) Nyiha, Adrian; Wanjau, Munene; Mwandware, Dalton
    In numerous nations in sub-Saharan Africa, national elections are accompanied by allegations of – if not actual – malpractices, including electoral fraud, imprisonment of opposition candidates, and constitutional amendments to extend the limits of leaders’ terms in office beyond what the electorate seems to desire. Often, these serve to exacerbate ethnopolitical and other tensions and conflicts among multiple factions. Such blemishes on the voting process reduce the legitimacy of the government in the eyes of the populace. If these elections were watertight, and, more importantly, were seen to be watertight, the governments elected through them would gain a measure of legitimacy. Consequently, sub-Saharan African states could move closer to lasting peace. Since the emergence of the cryptocurrency Bitcoin, the spotlight has slowly shifted towards the vast potential of its underlying technology: the blockchain. Where elections are concerned, this ‘trustless’ system has the capability to solve four critical issues in the voting process: lack of transparency, lack of election system security, constitutional amendments to change presidential term limits and the cost burden of the election process. However, the blockchain is not without its challenges. A legal framework acknowledging it as a tamper-proof source of truth where votes are concerned will be necessary. Regulations will also have to be crafted to ensure the network’s independence, voter anonymity, and the equal say of every citizen. Other pertinent issues are the assignment of liability for errors, and of responsibility for updating the blockchain’s code.
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    Unpacking the disruptive potential of data driven policy making process and blockchain technology in enhancing good governance transparency and development among African countries in line with Agenda 2030
    (Strathmore University, 2018) Okello-Orlale, Rosemary
    This paper on Unpacking the Disruptive Potential of Data Driven Policy making process and block-chain Technology in enhancing Good Governance Transparency and Development among African Countries in line with Agenda 2030 analyses the various challenges policy makers in Africa’s government institutions faces and how Big data and block-chain technology are increasingly becoming the cornerstone on which policy-makers can be able to make effective decisions for public good. As public problems grow in complexity and increasingly require new forms of expertise and information, policymakers across Africa need to explore new ways to become more data driven. And Since Big Data and block-chain technology are being, touted as a potentially transformational force for policy makers and their ability to increase the accessibility and inclusivity of institutional systems, the article examines their disruptive potential to government services (R Zambrano - 2017). And the importance of having better data for better policy (S. G. Verhulst 2017) this paper explores nature of the problem as well as the potential—and current limitations in public policy.