President William Ruto has pledged that all primary schools will have access to the internet by 2030.
Speaking during World Children’s day, on Friday, the Head of State affirmed that the project set to benefit about 40,000 children will be a boost to the country’s education system.
He also noted that the move would impart digital literacy among children and help prepare them for the workplace environment.
“Access to the internet in schools remains a necessity to impart digital literacy to children to prepare them for the workplace and the future world of work,” Ruto said.
“To address this, my government is working to connect all primary schools to the Internet by 2030 through the GIGA partnership that has already provided Internet access to 110 schools to benefit about 40,000 children,”
Ruto had earlier announced that phone calls would be accessible in his government.
The country’s first-in-command made the announcement during the campaign period.
At the time, he said he would ensure that every household was connected to WiFi to ensure that everyone makes phone calls free of charge through WhatsApp.
“Just the way we did the last mile for electricity, we will also do the last mile for internet connection across the country so that every household and market is connected to WiFi,” he said.
The head of state said the program would cost the government Ksh38 billion to roll out.
“We have said, the way we are making roads for people to use for free, we should also connect houses to the internet for free,” he said.
The latest comes days after Information, Communications and the Digital Economy (IC-DE) CS Eliud Owalo announced plans to help micro and small business to digitize their operations by giving them access to free internet and support to build essential skills for businesses on the world wide web.
While launching a free WIFI hotspot at Nairobi’s City Market, Owalo urged the Small and Medium Enterprises sector to take full advantage of the digital hubs that the government is setting up across the country and join the E-commerce model.
Owalo disclosed that the Kenya Kwanza Government intends to establish up to 25,000 free hotspots throughout the country, over the next ten years.
“There is a need to develop digital business skills and to transform traditional businesses to digital enterprises,” he told traders at the City Market.
The CS said the hotspots project was part of the Kenya Kwanza Government’s promise and effort to transform Kenya into a globally competitive digital economy.
“Our vision is to create a reliable and secure high-speed digital infrastructure, as the avenue for the envisaged transformation,” he said, adding, “To achieve this, we also need to develop digital business skills and transform traditional businesses to digital enterprises.
“The government intends to convert the whole country into one giant network of digital hubs, through provisions of hotpots,” Owalo stated.
Other hotspots will be set up at various markets within the city and elsewhere in the country.
“We will take the hotspots to schools, hospitals, and to all major government and public installations,” the CS added.
He further disclosed that the hotspot connectivity was the start of the fulfillment of the promise by President Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza government to incorporate people living at the lowest levels of the social and economic ladder into the national digital economy.
“The notion of uplifting the hustler population through the digital economy is a practical commitment of President Ruto’s government,” he stated.
