Broadband has in recent years impacted and transformed peoples’ lives in different ways and continues to shape the modern economy. However, there continues to exist certain challenges such as digital divide in accessing broadband services that have somewhat negated the broadband imprint envisioned in the first National Broadband Strategy (2013-2017) that aimed at transforming Kenya into a knowledge-based society enabled by high-capacity nationwide broadband connectivity. Besides infrastructure capacity limitations and inadequate institutional framework, cyber security, privacy and data protection have also in part affected the uptake of broadband services in Kenya.
Nevertheless, the knowledge economy also known as the fourth industrial revolution presents and continues to provide a platform upon which Kenya can leverage on new technologies such as Internet of Things (IoT), Big Data Analytics, Artificial intelligence (AI), and distributed ledgers to actively participate in the global economy which invariably demand high-speed broadband and data services.
The process of formulating this Strategy has given us the opportunity to take stock of past successes and failures. Through this process, we have also envisioned the strategic objectives for the future while at the same time appreciating the rapidly evolving ICT landscape. The strategic themes adopted in this Strategy reinforce our broadband vision, namely, to be a globally competitive knowledge-based society enabled by broadband. It complements, among others, the African Union Agenda 2063 and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as we embark on the next phase of the Vision 2030 journey – the Medium Term Plan III (MTP) (2018–2022) and the implementation of the Big 4 Agenda.
In the implementation of this Strategy, we entrust the various agencies identified in the respective action areas with the firm belief that through implementation of the strategic initiatives, the societal and economic benefits of digital transformation will be realized. We reaffirm the need to harness the synergies and inter-linkages prominent in digital landscapes towards this end.
I am optimistic that with the envisaged partnerships and collaboration of all stakeholders, the objectives we aspire to accomplish will ultimately translate into milestones that will in fullness of time be attributed to our collective efforts. I strongly urge each one of us to embrace broadband; the key to a true knowledge-based economy that will cement our position within the information society.
Thank you and God bless you.
Hon. Joe Mucheru, EGH
Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology