Kenya’s revenue has surged to a whooping Ksh.1 billion in daily collection from Ksh. 60 million, said Eliud Owalo.
Owalo, the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication and the Digital Economy, attributed the performance to the government’s move to digitise its services as it seeks to include every Kenyan into its digital transformation masterplan.
Kenya is chasing against its 2022-2032 Digital Masterplan to drive socio-economic progress and positioning Kenya as a leading digital hub in Africa.
CS Owallo spoke at Aga Khan University in Nairobi during the launch of a two-day global digital transformation conference.
“Kenya is now collecting Ksh.1 billion in revenue in a day compared to Ksh.60 million in past times, thanks to digitising government services,” said CS Owalo.
The CS cited achievements in his ministry since the Kenya Kwanza government took office in August 2022 among them reducing the timeline for laying fibre optic cables.
So far, 16, 862 government services have been digitalised, compared to 350 in the previous administration.
Over 100,000KM Fibre Optic Cable Laid
The government hopes to narrow the timeline for laying 100,000 kilomtres lines of fibre cables to two years from a five-year target.
Also Read: Aga Khan gains $4.5 million from Jubilee Holdings to emerge among NSE richest investors
“If we go that route which is now a work in progress it’s our estimation as opposed to the 5 years within which we identified about 100,000 kilometers of the fire. We will now be able to roll out 100,000 kilometres in a span of 2 years,” said Owalo.
The Government will make use of the existing Kenya Power infrastructure, to take fibre optic cable, to the rural areas.
“We are aware that quite a number of parts of the country are not yet fully connected to the reliable and stable internet. As a government therefore, we have embarked on an ambitious program of rolling out 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable to ensure that those parts of the country get connected.”
He said that the Government plans to launch 25,000 Wi-Fi hotspots across the country and also launch 1,450 digital hubs in each ward countrywide.
This, the CS said, will be achieved through collaborative efforts with private sectors.
Action Plan for Digital Transformation Implementation
The global digital transformation conference was attended by over 300 high-level stakeholders from education, health, media, and technology sectors.
It featured discussions on digital governance, AI in healthcare and education, cybersecurity, data privacy, and climate sustainability.
Dr. Sulaiman Shahabuddin, President and Vice-Chancellor of Aga Khan University, stressed the need to empower individuals and organizations through digital transformation.
He lauded the university’s recent adoption of an integrated electronic health record system, which anchors patient care, research, and learning.
The Nairobi conference saw attendants from 24 countries across the globe. It aims to provide actionable proposals (to be tabled before the Kenyan government) for digital transformation implementation in the region.
