The national government plans to create a digital super highway aimed at rolling out 100,000 kilometres of fibre cables, installation of wifi hotspots in 25,000 identified areas and building 1,450 digital innovation labs across the country.
Speaking in Mombasa, Dagoretti South MP John Kiarie who is also the chairperson of the departmental committee on communication, information and innovation said a lot happening in digital space across the world and the ambitious plan seeks to lay the ground for the digital revolution in Kenya.
The digital innovation labs will be installed in all the wards across the country as the installation of wifi hotspots will be done in markets and social centres.
Kiarie said that the whole programme will require a massive investment not only for the Kenyan government but also corporates and other development partners.
“In the supplementary budget, even as the other sectors were getting a cut, the ICT and digital economy created a modest additional funding and this is because this government is keen on rolling out the digital super highway project,” he said.
“It is an ambitious plan which will take time but again the first step of implementation required a lot of planning and laying of groundwork and mobilisation of resources, although the project has been rolled out."
He said that the first 5,000 kilometres of fibre is already contracted for and this is being funded using money from a partnership between the ICT and the communications authorities utilising the universal service funds.
The installation of wifi hotspots has also been done in some parts of the country, the MP said that more are expected to be installed.
In the trial process which is currently going on, he said that they have seen the importance of the digital hubs because they enable Kenyans especially youths to be able to go to the centres which are also known as ‘Jitume centres’ to get skills on digital space and get employment which is available online.
“We have seen those who have youth who have benefitted by getting job opportunities online from different, this is we are saying that the main aim of Jitume centres is getting our young people to move from learners to earners just by acquiring their digital training skills,” he said.
He said that the government will work with MPs through the CDF fund and in partnership with the Ministry of ICT to ensure that the digital labs are built in every ward.
Kiarie said that the government has also increased the number of government services on the digital platform— e-Citizen.
He said when the Kenya Kwanza government came into power, there were only 300 government services available on the digital platforms but the number has increased to more than 13,000.
