Ministry of ICT to launch software factory in Bomet

Joe Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs. [File, Standard]

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 along with the agenda set 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 counties will accelerate the 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 locations within Nairobi County. In addition, the Citizens Digital skills program was launched in 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 of how to foster digital transformation and conduct the launch of the Kenya Software Industry in Bomet County.