Kenya’s Nakuru County Government and the State House Digital communications office, have teamed up to provide free Wi-Fi to residents in the county for at least a month. The project was launched in partnership with Infonet Africa, and reportedly cost $2.2-million. With a population of 1,603,325, it is the fourth largest county in Kenya after Nairobi, Kakamega and Kiambu.
“Jubilee pledged to connect five towns to free Wi-Fi. The journey to keep the promise has just begun. We are committed to ensure Kenyans, particularly the youth are connected,” said State House Digital Director Dennis Itumbi during the launch. He also added that it will be rolled out to other counties soon. “Nakuru is only a pilot for this massive project that we will undertake in coming months. We will next roll out the service to Kisumu.”
Adding to President Uhuru Kenyatta’s mandate of a digital government, State House Digital has also agreed to design and deliver a website, as well as an Android App in the near future.
Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua said the county would connect farmers to the Internet and improve research in institutions of higher learning.
“We are ready to ensure that our people benefit from connectivity, we are certain we will transform the democratic space and open up opportunities,” the Governor said.
According to Capital FM, “State House has occasionally made major announcements through social media, including President Kenyatta’s official twitter account which is largely relied by the media and Kenyans in getting information.”
Charlie Fripp – Consumer Tech editor
