Residents of Kiambu County will enjoy FREE, FAST and RELIABLE public Wi-Fi connections in the coming weeks, following a partnership with
Africa’s leading data, voice and IP provider, Liquid Telecom Kenya and the Kiambu County Government, led By H.E Governor William Kabogo.
“The Wi-Fi initiative is driven by the county’s mission to better use technology to improve service delivery for all Kiambu County residents,” said the Governor.
The high capacity Wi-Fi networks to be delivered in Kiambu County, will cover a 5km radius from the Central Business Districts (CBDs) of each of the county’s four largest towns(Thika, Kikuyu, Ruiru and Kiambu towns), with a capacity of 10 Megabytes per second(Mbps).
The Kiambu County Government has decided on the first four hotspots, in each of the towns, to be at the bus stage, main hospital, main market and the county government headquarters.
Kiambu County Governor William Kabogo explained that the Wi-Fi hotspots will help county residents get access to the information required for services such as applications for business permits among other services.
Kiambu County ICT Director Douglas Njiraini said the Kiambu Wi-Fi connection will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase being installations in Thika, Kikuyu, Ruiru and Kiambu towns.
The project is part of Liquid Telecom’s Hai brand.
In Kiambu, the project will be implemented in phases with the first phase targeting Thika, Ruiru, Kiambu and Kikuyu towns. The second phase will connect Limuru, Kabete, Lari, Gatundu South, Gatundu North, Githunguri, Kiambaa, and Juja.
The County Government has identified areas to be first in connected to the Wi-Fi installations. In Thika- bus stop and at the level 5 hospital. In Ruiru- Ruiru sub-county hospital and bus stop. In Kiambu town- near Kiambu hospital and in Kikuyu- the sub county offices, main stage, market and at Alliance bus stop.
The Kiambu County Government is hoping the free Wi-Fi will allow for the uptake of services under the Digitika Portal. The Digitika Portal enables residents to log in and request services from the county as well as make online payments using MPESA, Airtel Money, Visa or MasterCard.
There is now expected to be an increased uptake of e-learning by colleges and universities within Kiambu County. in addition, Youths within the County will be able to seek employment, venture into economic activities such as e-commerce, as well as access many services offered by both national and county governments that can provide them with incomes. Residents will also be empowered to participate in the formulation of policies.
Research shows there is a direct correlation between internet access and economic growth, with World Bank statistics showing that a 10 per cent increase in Internet access results in approximately 1 per cent of extra growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year.
Internet access has been widely tipped to be the key in Kenya’s economic performance, creating at least 1,000 jobs a month in the business process outsourcing sector since 2013, according to the ICT Authority of Kenya.
“Free Wi-Fi is a facility that is gaining traction globally. And it is time for Kenya to be on the same level of technological advancement as other countries in the world. It is for this reason that we at Liquid Telecom Kenya are committed to ensuring every Kenyan has access to the Internet as we aim to provide free Wi-Fi across all towns in the country,” said the Head of Government Affairs at Liquid Telecom Kenya, William Oungo.
“The Wi-Fi initiative is driven by the county’s mission to better use technology to improve service delivery for all Kiambu County residents,” said the Governor.
The high capacity Wi-Fi networks to be delivered in Kiambu County, will cover a 5km radius from the Central Business Districts (CBDs) of each of the county’s four largest towns(Thika, Kikuyu, Ruiru and Kiambu towns), with a capacity of 10 Megabytes per second(Mbps).
The Kiambu County Government has decided on the first four hotspots, in each of the towns, to be at the bus stage, main hospital, main market and the county government headquarters.
Kiambu County Governor William Kabogo explained that the Wi-Fi hotspots will help county residents get access to the information required for services such as applications for business permits among other services.
Kiambu County ICT Director Douglas Njiraini said the Kiambu Wi-Fi connection will be rolled out in phases, with the first phase being installations in Thika, Kikuyu, Ruiru and Kiambu towns.
The project is part of Liquid Telecom’s Hai brand.
In Kiambu, the project will be implemented in phases with the first phase targeting Thika, Ruiru, Kiambu and Kikuyu towns. The second phase will connect Limuru, Kabete, Lari, Gatundu South, Gatundu North, Githunguri, Kiambaa, and Juja.
The County Government has identified areas to be first in connected to the Wi-Fi installations. In Thika- bus stop and at the level 5 hospital. In Ruiru- Ruiru sub-county hospital and bus stop. In Kiambu town- near Kiambu hospital and in Kikuyu- the sub county offices, main stage, market and at Alliance bus stop.
The Kiambu County Government is hoping the free Wi-Fi will allow for the uptake of services under the Digitika Portal. The Digitika Portal enables residents to log in and request services from the county as well as make online payments using MPESA, Airtel Money, Visa or MasterCard.
There is now expected to be an increased uptake of e-learning by colleges and universities within Kiambu County. in addition, Youths within the County will be able to seek employment, venture into economic activities such as e-commerce, as well as access many services offered by both national and county governments that can provide them with incomes. Residents will also be empowered to participate in the formulation of policies.
Research shows there is a direct correlation between internet access and economic growth, with World Bank statistics showing that a 10 per cent increase in Internet access results in approximately 1 per cent of extra growth in Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per year.
Internet access has been widely tipped to be the key in Kenya’s economic performance, creating at least 1,000 jobs a month in the business process outsourcing sector since 2013, according to the ICT Authority of Kenya.
“Free Wi-Fi is a facility that is gaining traction globally. And it is time for Kenya to be on the same level of technological advancement as other countries in the world. It is for this reason that we at Liquid Telecom Kenya are committed to ensuring every Kenyan has access to the Internet as we aim to provide free Wi-Fi across all towns in the country,” said the Head of Government Affairs at Liquid Telecom Kenya, William Oungo.
1 comment:
Good intiative
Post a Comment