SIAYA, Kenya Mar 16 – The government will use the existing Kenya Power infrastructure to take fiber optic cable to the rural areas, cabinet secretary for Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, Eliud Owalo has said.
Owalo said that the government has already embarked on the program that will see over 100,000 kilometers of fiber optic cable laid as part of the last-mile internet connectivity across the country.
He was speaking today at Ajigo and Ndori markets in Bondo and Rarieda sub-counties respectively where he officially launched free public Wi-Fi.
“We have changed the model of rolling out the fiber. As opposed to digging trenches to lay fiber, we are going to leverage on the already existing Kenya Power lines so that as we roll out electricity, we also roll out fiber using the same lines” said Owalo.
He was flanked by Siaya county commissioner, Susan Waweru, Bondo member of parliament, Dr. Gideon Ochanda, former Rarieda MP, Nicholas Gumbo, and former police spokesman, Charles Owino among others.
Owalo said that the government plans to launch 25,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country and also launch 1450 digital hubs in each ward countrywide.
“To sort the question of youth unemployment, we want to establish and operationalize a digital hub in every ward,” he said adding that already, members of parliament have facilitated the review of the constituencies development fund act so that three percent of the funds will be used to establish the facilities.
The cabinet secretary called on Kenyans to support the Kenya Kwanza government to enable it to deliver on its mandate, adding that the days of politicking were over.
Owalo said that through the leadership of President William Ruto, the government was committed to the improvement of infrastructure in the wider Nyanza region.
