Over the weekend, the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy opened three wifi hotspots in stipulated areas in Mombasa and Kwale counties.
Also the ministry is today unveiling a Jitume Kazi digital laboratory. The new lab will be opened at the Kenya Coast Polytechnic.
The labs are “To equip the youth with digital skills for digitally-enabled jobs and digital entrepreneurship, the Ministry aimed to establish 1,450 digital hubs in each ward over five years. So far, 174 hubs have been established and operationalized.”
Additionally, the ministry is also commissioning the new regional Office of Data Protection Commissioner in Mombasa today which will be situated at Jubilee Arcade in Moi Avenue.
ICT Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo urged traders to fully utilise the free Wi-Fi hotspot connection to propel their businesses to greatness in the local and international markets.
Speaking during the official launch of three (3) free public Wi-Fi hotspots at the Marikiti and New Magongo markets in Mombasa County and Diani market in Kwale County, the CS said the free Wi-Fi hotspots will give the traders a chance to market their products and liaise accordingly with their suppliers and clients.
CS Owalo further stated that the government is planning to connect 25,000 markets countrywide to the free Wi-Fi hotspots.
“We want to introduce e-commerce within the Kenyan economy. Through the free public Wi-Fi hotspots, we are providing support to our mothers and the youths to get gainful economic activity going forward,” he said.
CS Owalo noted that so far, the government has connected 5,084 government services to the e-citizen platform, to ensure efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery.
The launch of the Wifi hotspots comes after the government underlined its recent one-year scorecard noting that the ministry had surpassed its target by establishing 421 free public Wi-Fi hotspots, outperforming the goal of two hotspots per county (94 hotspots).
Also, the Ministry indicated that it has identified 14,690 potential Wi-Fi hotspot sites across the country, based on high-impact areas.