Ground breaking of a software factory in Mulot, Bomet County

The ICT Authority will this week host the ICT sector in a ground breaking of a software factory in Mulot, Bomet County themed “Fostering Digital Transformation” The ceremony will be officiated by the Hon Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Innovation & Youth Affairs and attended by Government of Kenya Agencies, County Governments, Academia, civil society, ICT Firms as well as Professional bodies.

CS Mucheru in April 2022 launched the Kenya National Digital Master Plan (2022 – 2032) has consolidated all government  ICT initiatives into a 10-year plan thus creating a single point of reference for all government ICT Plans. The Plan identified the establishment of two software industries through which the government will employ over 100,000 software engineers to develop applications for the region as well as the global market.

The establishment of the software industry in Bomet county  will go a long way with the set agenda In the National Digital Master Plan which highlighted the establishment of two software industries in the country. The software Industry is aimed   to create employment for over 100 000 youth in Software engineering, spur the country's Industrialization agenda and enhance economic growth through ICT.

The emerging trends in ICT sector and continuous demonstration of expertise in ICT by youth in the county’s and they will accelerate utilization of the ICT for the country’s benefit. Bomet County and especially Mulot area has been identified as an area with potential software engineers which if tapped well will create software enterprise for the country as well as for the region.

The event will also discuss, among others, the strides the government has achieved in broadband connectivity, government services transformation, products & data management services, digital skills capacity building to the citizens approach, and innovation.

The Digital Master Plan builds on the pillars of the Kenya Digital Economy Blueprint, and the achievements of the Kenya National ICT Master Plan 2014 – 2017. The National Digital Master Plan 2022 - 2032 aims to provide a holistic and coordinated approach so as to ensure the alignment and optimization of ICTs resources with changing needs.

The Masterplan is anchored in four pillars which are; 1) Digital Infrastructure, 2) Digital Government Services, Products & Data Management, 3) Digital Skills and 4) Digital Innovation, Enterprise and Digital Business.

As part of the implementation of the Master Plan, the ICT Authority rolled out the implementation of the Digital infrastructure by installing public WIFI sites across various location within the Nairobi County. In addition, the Citizens Digital skills program was launched on June 2022 targeting to train 20 million citizens on the competencies and expertise required for the digital economy and to bridge the digital divide.

To achieve the objectives of these pillars, a multi stakeholder approach is critical where the stakeholder’s participation and engagement are prioritized due to the complexity and the resources required.

Towards achieving this objective, an event has been planned on 29th July 2022, in Bomet County which will bring the MCDAs, ICT industry players, academia, professional bodies and donors together to deepen the understanding on how to foster the digital transformation and conduct the launch of the Kenya Software Industry in Bomet County.