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An ambitious
plan to have 210 internet access points around the country was unveiled in
February at the ICT Development Conference. The digital villages/e-centres
are part of the National ICT Master Plan launched by the Ministry of Information and Communication.
According to the private and public partnership, each constituency would get
one digital village. Registration by investors and sponsors was carried out by ICTVillage.com.
At the February
conference, prototypes of the e-Centres were unveiled. It was made of a cargo
container outfitted with solar powered electricity outlets and structured
cabling. It also had 8 PCs with TFT monitors placed on 2'x2' desks. Kenya
AfTech and Digital Village Institute provided the containers; Davis & Shirtliff provided
solar power panels for the centre while Kenya
Data Networks are to provide internet connectivity to each digital centre. The
local network cabling was done by Ace Villa while the Ministry of Information
facilitated the rest and provided subsidies. The set-up cost is estimated at between KShs. 140,000 ($2,000) and
K.Shs. 2.5 m ($37,715) depending on whether or not major components of the e-centre are subsidised/funded.
).
The idea behind
the digital centres is to ensure awareness and provide the rural community with
access to email, internet, electronic payment services, health information,
e-government and stock market information. Other services would be remote
online education, data gathering and e-monitoring of projects under CDF, LATF
and other devolved funds.
Made in Kenya Network will provide
premises for a digital village in Subukia Constituency. Unlike the prototype
unveiled at the ICT for Development Conference, the premises are expansive
(about 0.4 acres), secured along a main road and allows for different
activities – including training - | 