ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has said the digitisation of government services, which aims at curbing corruption, is progressing well.
So far, 16,972 government services have been digitised, enabling Kenyans to easily access government services on eCitizen platforms.
“We are digitalising all government services and in future Kenyans will not have to visit government offices for services,” he said.
“We do not want unnecessary bottlenecks between Kenyans and the government where some state officers still ask for bribes to provide services.”
Only 350 services were available on the eCitizen platform when President William Ruto took over leadership in 2022, the CS said, adding that the Kenya Kwanza administration is keen on the transformational agenda.
“Going forward, we will completely eradicate corruption in government offices through digitisation of all services,” Owalo said.
“We want Kenyans to transact business with the government from the comfort of wherever they are without physically visiting government offices.”
Users will have direct access to services and transactions will be between Kenyans and their phones, and the government itself without brokers in between, he added.
Noting that most Kenyans still have no access to smartphones, the CS revealed that the government has secured partnerships and will embark on local assembly of the devices, instead of importing them from China and other countries.
The initiative will reduce the cost of smartphones. The Neon brand handsets, retailing at Sh7,499 per unit, are available at all the Safaricom branches or Jamii Telecom shops countrywide.
“This will enable Kenyans to access smartphones, especially the youths so that they can transact businesses at their comfort zones,” Owalo said.
He added that cheap devices are key to bridging the technology gap, which has undermined the uptake of government digital services.
“These smartphones come with all essential features, allowing users to access government services conveniently from anywhere. There will no longer be a need to visit government offices in person,” Owalo said.
Besides smartphones, the government will explore the frontier of computer hardware and software.
“All we are asking is cooperation from the public. Let us embrace and support government programmes. We need to work together to realise all these development goals,” he said.
The government, he said, has trained 390,000 youth on digital skills and created 139,000 digital jobs across the country.
The target is to create a minimum of two million jobs for the youth by the end of the year.
“This will be a game changer because it is the only space which has got abundant opportunities for our youths to exploit their full potential,” he said.
Currently, jobs are either limited or non-existent, and youth should take advantage of digital space which has massive opportunities.
“We no longer need to take our youths abroad for jobs because they can work for those technological companies right here in the village.”
Owalo reiterated the President's determination to have every ward a digital hub.
“I am under instructions from President Ruto to facilitate that so I don’t have an option as the CS. We must deliver on that agenda for the benefit of our youth to get employed,” he said.
“We are going to install hubs in each ward in the country. We are working with MPs to ensure every ward gets a digital Hub. We are also providing Wi-Fi-hotspots in markets to support e-commerce.”
He urged youth to take advantage of the Jitume Programme to gain digital skills that would enable them to acquire online jobs and become self-employed.
The programme's aim is to provide the youth with access to digital services, skills and opportunities to enable them to take advantage of technology for job creation.
“The government promised to help our youth access job opportunities and the digital hubs are part of the initiatives. Our youth now can work remotely for different clients abroad,” Owalo said.
The labs will not only be used to train the youth, but also ensure that they earn as they learn.
The CS said 1,450 ICT hubs will be put up across the country with free public Wi-Fi hotspots.
“The government would connect the internet in the digital hubs and provide resources for the youth, giving them access to digital services, skills and opportunities,” he said.
He challenged the youth in Nyanza to improve their livelihoods through government-sponsored ICT hubs to be constructed across the country.
Already, 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cables have been established across the country, making it easier for citizens to access the internet.
