The Communications, Information, and Innovation (CII) Committee recently met with the ICT Authority (ICTA) to discuss concerns over several key digital projects, including the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP), e-Citizen platform, and public Wi-Fi initiatives.<\/p>\n
During the meeting, CII Chair Hon. John Kiarie sought clarity on ICTA\u2019s role and its approach to ensuring the sustainability of these initiatives.<\/p>\n
\u201cIs ICTA a regulator or an implementor? What is ICTA\u2019s project sustainability plan?\u201d Kiarie pressed.<\/p>\n
ICTA CEO Stanley Kamunguya clarified that the authority primarily acts as an implementor, while regulatory responsibilities are being reassigned to the Communications Authority of Kenya.<\/p>\n
Kamunguya stated that ICTA focuses on delivering infrastructure and digital services but acknowledged the challenges in deploying and maintaining public Wi-Fi infrastructure.<\/p>\n
He revealed plans to transition to a lease model in which a supplier would maintain the infrastructure to enhance sustainability.<\/p>\n
Regarding the KDEAP and e-Citizen, Hon. Kiarie further questioned ICTA\u2019s role and management of these projects, including details on ownership and the implementation of the Ksh 3.5 billion KDEAP initiative.<\/p>\n
In response, Kamunguya explained that the e-Citizen platform was handed over to the government in January 2023, under the oversight of the Attorney General, before being transferred to the Ministry of Immigration in July 2024.<\/p>\n
ICTA managed the platform until the handover.<\/p>\n
Concerns were also raised about incomplete ICT hubs. \u201cThe hubs were launched, but the computers have never been connected to the internet,\u201d said Hon. Hamisi Kakuta.<\/p>\n
The ICTA CEO clarified that the ICT Hubs initiative is a multi-agency project where ICTA provides devices, but internet connectivity is not part of their mandate.<\/p>\n
Hon. Kimaiyo questioned the practicality of launching additional Wi-Fi hotspots if existing ones are not operational, with Hon. Kakuta warning against the \u201cmisplacement of public resources.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hon. Irene brought up the issue of gender disparity in ICT training programs, questioning why more men than women are enrolled in ICT courses.<\/p>\n
Kamunguya acknowledged the disparity, citing a UNESCO study indicating that women globally are less likely to pursue careers in technology.<\/p>\n
However, he assured the Committee that gender inclusivity remains a priority in ICTA\u2019s programs.<\/p>\n
The Committee also encouraged ICTA to reconsider its criteria for identifying underserved areas eligible for the Universal Service Fund (USF) allocations.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou might want to look at the underserved criteria so that other areas can also benefit from the USF fund,\u201d Hon. Kiarie suggested.<\/p>\n
The CEO agreed, emphasizing the need to reevaluate the criteria to ensure equitable service delivery across the country.<\/p>\n
Hon. Kitur suggested exploring a partnership with Starlink to address connectivity gaps, particularly in remote areas.<\/p>\n
In response, Kamunguya confirmed that ICTA is considering low-earth orbit satellite options like Starlink to overcome connectivity challenges in areas where Kenya Power and Lighting Company (KPLC) services are unavailable.<\/p>\n
Further concerns were raised by Hon. Mumina about the Horn of Africa Gateway Development Project (HOAGDP).<\/p>\n
\u201cNone of our people are aware of the Horn of Africa project. Who exactly is being sensitized?\u201d she asked.<\/p>\n
The CEO admitted that community engagement on the project had only begun in August, which might explain the lack of public awareness.<\/p>\n
As the meeting concluded, it was evident that while ICTA has made strides in expanding Kenya\u2019s digital infrastructure, significant gaps remain in project completion, sustainability, and transparency.<\/p>\n
The Committee urged ICTA to provide more detailed reports on project budgets, timelines, and operational challenges.<\/p>\n
Chair Kiarie emphasized the need for improved project oversight to ensure Kenya\u2019s digital agenda progresses effectively and equitably.<\/p>\n
The post ICTA faces scrutiny over incomplete projects and sustainability plans<\/a> first appeared on KBC<\/a>.<\/p>\n The post ICTA faces scrutiny over incomplete projects and sustainability plans<\/a> appeared first on KBC<\/a>.<\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Communications, Information, and Innovation (CII) Committee recently met with the ICT Authority (ICTA) to discuss concerns over several key digital projects, including the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project (KDEAP), e-Citizen platform, and public Wi-Fi initiatives. During the meeting, CII Chair Hon. John Kiarie sought clarity on ICTA\u2019s role and its approach to ensuring the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":0,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-98045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized","entry"],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=98045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/98045\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=98045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=98045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/chezaspin.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=98045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}