By Peter Ochieng
The government is working on a broader plan of leveraging on Kenya Power lines to facilitate internet connectivity across the country.
Speaking during the launch of Jitume Digital Laboratory at the Seme Technical Vocational Centre in Kisumu County on Friday, Eliud Owalo, Cabinet Secretary (CS) for ICT and the digital economy said the plan has been mooted under the Kenya Kwanza government’s digital transformation agenda.
“Anywhere there is an electricity transformer, and there are 74,000 of them, we are going to terminate fibre at that transformer. And once we terminate fibre at that transformer, we will be able in equal measure to connect the internet to the closest institutions and even markets so that our mothers and sisters can also have access to the internet for the purposes of e-commerce,” stated the CS.
“If we go that route, the implication is that anywhere there is a meter, even if it is a household, we are going to take fibre up to that meter. We are hoping to turn Kenya into a digital economy,” he added.
If that direction is taken, the CS said Kenya will be totally transformed in the next two years.
“When we came into government, good people, we only had 350 government services available on the E-Citizen platform. Today, we have managed to digitize a total of 17,017 services.”
Seme Technical Vocational Centre started in 2019 with less than 300 students. Currently, the institution is home to 1,400 students. The Konza Metropolis provided 100 computers to enhance uptake of ICT related courses at the TVC.
The CS Said through partnership with Konza, they had installed 17,000 digital devices in 205 learning institutions across the country.
Speaking at the event on behalf of area MP James Nyikal, Michael Odero, Seme CDF manager, said cases of insecurity had been reported around the TVC.
He said that as a mitigation factor, a police station is being put up towards the institution. Additionally, he said they will soon roll-0ut a street lighting project towards the institution, in a bid to enhance students’ safety.