The visiting VeSeL researchers brought back some newspapers from Nairobi, which contained some interesting things:

The Sunday Standard on 27 May 2007 had a tech section, in advance of the e-Learning Africa conference in Nairobi that week, along with a paid supplement about the conference. This included a story on the battle between cheap laptops (OLPC and Intel). It did not specify whether either would be available in Kenya, but noted that countries had until 31 May to place orders for 250,000 or more OLPCs at $175 each. Intel claimed to have orders for 'thousands' of 'Classmate' PCs at just over $200 each. Prices of both are expected to fall to below $100.

A separate story reported on Computer Aid International, which has sent over 75,000 PCs to developing countries, half of those to schools. It has provided computers to 36 weather stations in Kenya, to record and analyse data for crop and livestock productivity, and to forecast malaria outbreaks.

The visit began with a meeting in Nairobi. 'Excellent prospects here,' reported Souleymane Camara after meeting with Dr. Kahiu N'Gugi of the University of Nairobi. 'We are now all talking the same language.' Souleymane and Cecilia Oyugi, from Thames Valley University in the UK, will be in Kenya until the end of the month.

They next met with Masters students in Agriculture from the university. These students will form a key part of the VeSeL team as the main local researchers; VeSeL provides a context for their degree projects.