The residents of Trans Nzoia have been urged to take advantage of government-provided free public Wi-Fi hotspots to eke out a living.
Eliud Owalo, the ICT Cabinet Secretary said this during the inauguration of free public Wi-Fi hotspots at Sikhendu and Kiminini markets, as well as Kitale Bus Park, on Thursday.
CS Owalo was accompanied by Ms. Susan Nakhumicha, his counterpart in the Health Ministry, Trans Nzoia Senator Allan Chesang, Nominated Senator Karen Nyamu, Ezra Chiloba, the CEO of the Communications Authority, Gideon Oyagi, the Area County Commissioner, and several Members of County Assembly, among other government officials.
The ICT CS urged the youth and traders of Trans Nzoia to harness the substantial opportunities for employment and income generation offered by the free public Wi-Fi hotspots.
“Under the Kenya Kwanza initiative, a key pre-campaign promise was the establishment of robust digital infrastructure to grant Kenyans access to diverse employment and economic prospects driven by technology,” Owalo noted. He underlined that the Digital Superhighway and the Creative Industry were fundamental components of the government’s Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) model.
According to Owalo, the ICT ministry was actively linking a total of 25,000 markets across the nation with free public Wi-Fi hotspots.
To ensure optimal utilization of these free public internet access points, the CS revealed that the government would set up 1450 digital hubs, one in each ward, nationwide.
“The primary goal of these digital hubs is to empower members of the public, especially the youth, with essential technology skills for online economic advancement,” Owalo elaborated.
Encouraging the residents of Trans Nzoia County to embrace the free public Wi-Fi hotspot initiative, Owalo reminded them of the government’s ambition to digitalize all its operations, transitioning from manual paperwork to e-citizenship.
“Moreover, the proposed e-citizen service delivery system will significantly combat the persistent challenge of corruption in public offices,” he added.
He reassured Kenyans of the government’s intention to introduce affordable smartphones to the market, priced at approximately Sh5,000 each.
This move would allow more citizens to benefit from the ambitious public Wi-Fi hotspot program, ultimately leading to the creation of more jobs and an enhancement in living standards.
“The government is fully cognizant of the current high smartphone costs, which hinder the smooth adoption of free public Wi-Fi hotspots,” Owalo emphasized.
Speaking at the same event, CS Nakhumicha commended the cooperative relationship between the ICT and Health Ministries. “This is why I am accompanying my colleague to this event,” she pointed out.
“The delivery of most health services in our healthcare facilities will soon become digital,” she added, encouraging locals to leverage the digital hubs and free public Wi-Fi hotspots.
Senator Chesang, who chairs the Senate’s ICT Committee, echoed Owalo’s sentiments and urged the National Assembly to reject a motion that aims to ban the TikTok application.
“Instead of supporting a TikTok ban, we, as legislators, should draft and enact regulations that govern the use of online applications. Otherwise, endorsing the TikTok ban would undermine the hard work and positive efforts of our CS,” Chesang urged.
