Residents of Trans Nzoia County have been urged to exploit government-enabled free public Wi-Fi hotspots to increase their sources of livelihood.
Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS), Mr Eliud Owalo, made the call during the launch of free public Wi-Fi hotspots at Sikhendu and Kiminini markets and Kitale Bus Park on Thursday.
CS Owalo was accompanied by his health counterpart, Ms. Susan Nakhumicha, Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang, Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu, Communications Authority CEO Ezra Chiloba, Area County Commissioner Gideon Oyagi, and several Members of County Assembly, among other government officials.
The ICT CS implored the Trans Nzoia youths and traders to tap and leverage what he described as immense job and income-generating opportunities courtesy of the free public Wi-Fi hotspots.
“One of the Kenya Kwanza’s pre-campaign pledges was establishment of a sustainable digital infrastructure to enable Kenyans to access numerous job and economic development opportunities provided by technology,” remarked Owalo, who emphasised that the Digital Superhighway and Creative Industry were two of the pillars enshrined in the government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) model.
According to Owalo, the ICT ministry was in the process of connecting a total of 25,000 markets with free public Wi-Fi hotspots countrywide.
And in order to ensure maximum use of the free public internet hotspots, the CS disclosed that the government will establish a total of 1450 digital hubs, one in each ward, countrywide.
“The main objective of digital hubs is to build capacity among members of the public, particularly youth, thereby acquainting them with the basic technological skills required for online economic empowerment,” explained Owalo.
Urging Trans Nzoia County residents to embrace the free public Wi-Fi hotspots initiative, the CS reminded them of the government’s plan to digitise all its functions, which will be a complete shift from manual paperwork to e-citizenship.
“In addition, the envisaged e-citizen system of public service provision will greatly curb the perennial problem of graft in public offices,” he added.
He assured Kenyans of the government’s plan to introduce affordable smartphones to the market at a cost of about Sh5,000 each.
This, he said, would enable more Kenyans to benefit from the ambitious public Wi-Fi hotspots programme and, in the end, enable the government create more jobs as well as improve Kenyans living standards.
“The government is fully aware of the current high cost of smartphones, which is one of the challenges affecting smooth uptake of the free public Wi-Fi hotspots,” noted Owalo.
Speaking at the same event, CS Nakhumicha lauded what she termed a mutual working relationship between the ICT and health ministries. “This is the main reason I have accompanied my colleague to this event,” stated Nakhumicha.
“Provision of most health services in our health facilities will soon go digital,” she added while urging the locals to exploit the digital hubs and free public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Senator Chesang, who is the Senate’s ICT Committee Chair, echoed Owalo’s sentiments and appealed to the National Assembly to shoot down a motion before it whose aim is to ban the Tik Tok application.
Instead, as legislators, we should craft and put into law rules that would regulate usage of online applications. Otherwise, supporting ban of Tik Tok would be undermining the good and hard work of our CS,” urged Chesang.
By Maurice Aluda
