The Communications Authority of Kenya (CAK) and mobile telephony operators have kicked off a drive to connect banditry prone areas in Kitui County to the communications network.
This is a big relieve to residents of Mwingi North and Kitui East who have in the past borne the brunt of banditry attacks by armed herders from the neighbouring counties of Tana River and Garissa.
At Kimela area in Mwingi North, Safaricom has set up a communication base station (mast) that has offered residents easy access to ICT services stretching over 70km away. In the past, the area had no access to network connectivity, making it and other surrounding areas easy targets for bandits.
Addressing the press on Wednesday at Kimela while on a tour to evaluate the success of the installed communication station, officials from CAK and Safaricom said the two entities were committed to ensure network connectivity to un-served and underserved populations in Kitui County and other parts of rural Kenya.
Gababo Wako, who is in charge of frequency management at CAK, said more than 2,000 people will benefit from the service in Kimela while another 8,000 were expected to be connected when CAK and mobile operators roll out the second phase of network connectivity in the county.
Eengamba, Makuka and Malalani, all in Kitui East, have also been connected in the first phase of the drive. This has significantly reduced incidences of banditry.
Communication challenges
“Other than making communication easier, the ICT services will bolster security in marginal areas as well as boost other socio-economic activities,” Wako noted.
He said a study conducted by CAK revealed that close to 200 sub-locations out of the 7,000 in the country had no network connectivity.
Informed by this study, Wako said CAK set aside Sh1.2 billion as an affirmative fund for mobile telephony operators as subsidy to enable them install communication facilities in these parts of Kenya.
Gideon Kimaku, the head teacher at Kimela primary school on whose land the communication station is erected, hailed the facility as a breakthrough in addressing communication challenges and insecurity. He said in the past, people in the area were marooned and had no way of passing information to security operators in case of attacks or other emergencies.
“It is also very convenient for us as teachers to receive circulars from the ministry through emails and social media,” the teacher said.
The facility installed in 2017 has also opened up Kimela for business. Two years ago, the nearest M-Pesa shop was 78km away but currently the small market has three outlets.
