The Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo on January 12, 2023, launched a government public WiFi service at Moi Gardens in Kericho Town.
This adds to 17 other hotspots that have been launched countrywide in Nairobi, Nyeri, Bondo, Ahero and Kapsabet.
The government intends to roll out 25,000 hotspots in total by the year 2027 targeting people in markets, schools and various value chains within the Kenyan economy.
Further, the government is collaborating with Google and local telco providers in the commissioning of the hotspots countrywide to cover 1,450 villages.
It also plans to roll out 100,000 kilómetros of fibre optic cable to ensure all parts of the country are ICT enabled.
The government hopes the free internet connectivity will spur social and economic activities within these counties and contribute to the national economic advancement since residents will be able to market, promote and sell their goods and services online with ease.
Online jobs
Speaking during the event, CS Owalo urged the youth not to rely on white-collar jobs but to capitalise on the government’s digital initiative by tapping into the available platforms that offer jobs online and can transform their lives by earning decent wages through online writing, transcription, affiliate marketing, product reviewing jobs among others.
“Our intention as the government is to leverage technology for digital jobs for the youth in order to achieve a range of 1.5 million to 2 million digital jobs over the next two years,” Owalo said.
“Every year in the next five years the government will be launching 5,000 Wi-Fi hotspots in all counties and we are confident that we will meet our targets for the benefit of all Kenyans,” he added.
Meanwhile, to ensure Kenyan citizens are able to access services anywhere and anytime, digitization of all government services and all government records is on-course starting with the Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning in a move aimed at making the country efficient, paperless and friendly.
