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Over the past year, the government has offered digital training to more than 390,000 young people and has generated 139,000 online job opportunities, revealed Eliud Owalo, the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communication, and The Digital Economy.
Addressing the audience at the inauguration of the Jitume ICT Hub in Ruiru town yesterday, Owalo highlighted the significant impact of the government’s digital transformation initiative on the youth, enabling them to earn substantial monthly incomes through remote work.
Owalo noted the government’s commitment to supporting this initiative, evident in the establishment and outfitting of Jitume ICT hubs across nearly all constituencies nationwide, complete with internet access.
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Encouraging young people to enroll in the free digital training programs available at various digital hubs nationwide, Owalo underscored the digital sphere’s emergence as a major job provider, emphasizing the government’s goal of establishing 1,450 digital hubs nationwide, down to the ward level, to engage more youth.
According to Owalo, traditional office jobs are no longer the sole means of employment, as the government has fostered an enabling environment, erected Jitume hubs, and annually created over 100,000 digital job opportunities.
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Furthermore, plans are underway to ensure internet connectivity in all markets to stimulate e-commerce growth, ultimately transitioning the nation into a 24-hour economy. Owalo disclosed collaborations with the Kenya Power Company to utilize their poles for internet cabling, ensuring that every electrified household is also connected to the internet.
Additionally, a scheme is in place to internet-connect all 25,000 markets countrywide to bolster e-commerce.
Accompanying Owalo, Ruiru MP Simon Kingara stressed the importance of embracing digital work, urging young people to seize digital job opportunities. Kingara confirmed plans for the construction of eight digital hubs in his constituency, with allocated resources.
Beneficiaries Stephen Ochieng and Peter Karanja shared their success stories, with Ochieng earning close to Sh1 million monthly and Karanja over Sh700,000 monthly through remote work.
Ochieng, formerly a seller of used computers, found digital work more lucrative than his previous endeavors, while Karanja, a former clothes vendor in Githurai, attested to the specialization and profitability of online work.
