Principal Secretary ICT and Innovation Jerome Ochieng and PS Industrialization Betty Maina today led a high level government delegation to inspect the JKUAT Taifa Laptop assembly plant inspect on its readiness for the second Phase of the Digital Literacy Program Implementation.
Jerome revealed that a total of 1.2 million devices are set to be installed in digital learning resource centers which have been set up in the respective Counties in the second phase set to kick off soon and will from there be dispatched to all schools countrywide.
“To ensure the sustainability of the program, the government has hired 47 ICT experts in all the 47 County headquarters to support the implementation of the program”. He said
The PS pointed out that in the first phase 1 million devices were dispatched to over 19,000 primary schools across the country with an aim of ensuring that the number of E-ready digitally enabled students is increased in readiness to the 21st Century knowledge based economy.
He further revealed that the Government has put up plans to enable the JKUAT assembly plant and the one at Moi University supply computer devices to Government agencies and thus support manufacturing in line with the big 4 agendas.
The PS further pointed out that the Government has brought on board members of the Parliament through the Parliamentary Committee on ICT to push for legislation of policies required to scale up local assembling and manufacturing of the electronic and Computer devices in the Spirit of Buy Kenya Build Kenya.
The level of competence and intellect displayed at the local Taifa assembling plant is a clear indicator that Kenya is now ready to manufacturer Computers and other electronic devices and sell them both locally and across the region. “He said.
Jerome challenged the local communities to embrace and own the digitization program and provide the first line security systems by ensuring that they report cases of misuse, mishandling and even theft of the devices that are currently in the local learning institutions.
The PS who was accompanied by the Parliamentary Committee on ICT members William Kisang, George Kariuki Marwa Kitayama and Mwambu Mabonga further revealed that various Government Agencies which includes the Kenya Institute of Education, Ministry of Education and other research bodies have been looped in to build content for the learning devices.