WEZESHA In Kenya, 2009 was ushered in with excitement and hope among the IT fraternity for it is the year when the country would become part of the global fibre optic network. Kenyans have had to bear the burden of expensive and inefficient Internet access when available; furthermore, it was mainly restricted to the urban areas. During the year, this dream was realised with the landing of the
SEACOM and the Government owned
TEAMS under sea cables. The Government is committed to the development of the information and communication sector in Kenya. However, the government soon realised that for Kenyans to be able to utilise the Internet capacity effectively, they needed Internet ready computers. According to the data book on information and communication technology, 2009 published by the
World Bank, there are only
1.4 computers for every 100 people in Kenya. This is a grim statistic when placed alongside countries such as Sweden with 88.1 computers for every 100 people.
In this regard, the government through the
Kenya ICT Board (KICTB) has initiated the one million computer initiative that aims to enable Kenyans acquire laptop computers through the provision of a subsidy. The programme has been branded ‘Wezesha’ or ‘to enable’ in English. Easier access to end-user equipment would enable more people to benefit from the affordable connectivity that has become available.
