Kenya's telecom rolls out free Wi-Fi in over 200 constituencies

Telkom Kenya Limited has announced that it will be rolling out free Wi-Fi through government funded Constituency Incubation Hubs in the 290 constituencies across the country.

The initiative, which is a partnership between the Ministry of ICT and the National Constituency Development Fund (NCDF), will see Telkom Kenya install 1,160 Constituency Incubation Hubs, 4 per constituency, which will be equipped with 40 tablet devices, in every incubation hub.

Managing Director of the Enterprise Division at Telkom Kenya, Kris Senanu says the Hubs are aimed at benefiting youth entrepreneurs by way of helping them develop their ICT skills and applications.

“We are excited about the roll-out of this new government project. As a strategic partner to the Kenya government’s national ICT agenda, Telkom Kenya is able to provide end-to-end solutions, tailor-made to meet a growing set of needs for the Public Sector,” Senanu says.

The National Constituency Development Fund will fund the project for the supply and installation of the equipment component while the Ministry of ICT will fund the provision of Internet broadband services for a period of one year.

“Telkom Kenya has continued to invest in its network infrastructure with a sizeable portfolio in broadband infrastructure, submarine cables, and its management of the government’s National Optic Fibre Backbone,” Senanu added.

Kenya’s Internet users swell to over 5.5 million in the previous year, with a mobile telephony penetration standing at 88 per cent, with over 90 per of the phone users being able to access the internet. Most of the Kenyan government services are currently undertaken through the internet.