Marsabit launches hub to ready youths for digital economy

Governor Mohamud Ali joins traditional dancers during the launch in Turbi town, North Horr constituency.

The Marsabit government has unveiled a visionary project aimed at reimagining the county's fortunes through technology, youth empowerment and climate-smart solutions.

Speaking during the launch on the Desert Stars Innovation and Sustainability Hub, in Turbi town, North Horr constituency, Governor Mohamud Ali declared the occasion as more than a construction milestone, but a historic leap for the people of Marsabit.

The technology arm will ready Marsabit’s youth for the digital economy, ranging from software and data skills to content creation—while directly addressing local challenges such as market access, water-point monitoring and e-government services.

Conceived as a dual engine for progress, the hub will house a world-class digital innovation centre and a climate-smart agriculture incubator.

The sustainability arm, meanwhile, will transform drylands knowledge into dignified livelihoods, offering training in climate-resilient agriculture, improved livestock management, water harvesting, value chains and kitchen gardens.

“Today, here in Turbi, we do more than break ground for a building. We are breaking ground for possibilities. We are opening doors. We are striking the rock so that water may flow for a new generation—not in pipes alone, but in skills, ideas, jobs and hope,” the governor said.

“For decades, Marsabit has always meant distant—distant from services, distant from opportunity. With this hub in place, we are redefining Marsabit to mean first—first to try, first to learn, first to adapt.” 

Ali painted a stark picture of the digital gap confronting Marsabit, where internet access in some areas languishes below one per cent.

"This is not just a statistic—it’s a wall that stands between our young people and the global marketplace,” he said, pledging that the hub would serve as an anchor institution for digital skills and access across the county.

“When more people step through that doorway, the gap between our rural reality and global opportunity narrows. That’s how we turn inclusion from promise into practice.”

Ali reiterated that the hub is strategically situated in Turbi to serve all corners of Marsabit—North Horr, Moyale, Saku and Laisamis—giving every community a seat at the table of progress.

“This hub sits where it should. Planted in Turbi along the highway, the hub is a peace asset by design. When livelihoods grow across boundaries, the incentive to protect peace grows with them,” he said.

North Horr MP Wario Guyo emphasised the necessity of innovation for Marsabit’s youth.

"Our people have no jobs; livestock alone won’t sustain us and farming is no longer enough. Today, Desert Stars is born, which is a project that ensures our young people catch up with the world. Our people must work and Marsabit must change," the MP said.