The government is moving closer to its plan of establishing a Digital Hub in every ward, with 588 sites already committed as part of a wider effort to bring digital services, skills and economic opportunities closer to communities.
The rollout is being supported by the purchase of thousands of computers, construction of new facilities and measures aimed at keeping the centres running after they are established.
Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Principal Secretary Eng. John Kipchumba Tanui said the progress of the Digital Hubs Programme was reviewed during a meeting with the National Assembly NG-CDF Committee on Thursday.
Tanui described the programme as one of the government's major grassroots digital infrastructure projects, saying it would help young people, innovators and businesses gain better access to technology and opportunities in the digital economy.
He said the programme had also addressed challenges that had made it difficult for some community digital centres to remain operational in the past.
"The journey to this point has not been easy. For many years, sustaining community digital centres remained a major challenge. While facilities were established in different parts of the country, many struggled to remain operational due to inadequate funding for essential recurrent costs such as electricity, internet connectivity, maintenance and management."
According to Tanui, a key step towards addressing the problem followed President William Ruto's meeting with elected leaders during the first Kamukunji focused on speeding up the Digital Superhighway Programme.
He said the meeting resulted in changes to the NG-CDF Act, giving constituencies the power to establish Digital Hubs at ward level and allowing them to use up to 3% of their NG-CDF allocations to meet operational expenses.
"One of the key outcomes was the amendment of the NG-CDF Act, empowering constituencies to establish Digital Hubs at the ward level and allowing up to 3% of NG-CDF allocations to support their operational costs. This landmark policy decision laid the foundation for sustainable grassroots digital infrastructure across Kenya," Tanui stated.
While presenting the programme's progress to the committee chaired by Musa Sirma, Tanui said 588 Digital Hub sites had so far been committed across the country.
The government has also completed the procurement of 10,000 locally assembled desktop computers. The equipment will be used to equip the first 100 pilot Digital Hubs while also supporting local computer manufacturing.
A further 10,000 computers are being procured under the Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project, with the process now at its final stages.
At the same time, procurement is underway for another 2,222 desktop computers to be funded through the Exchequer.
The government is also expanding the physical infrastructure needed to support the programme, with construction ongoing for 46 Centres of Excellence and 40 Standard Digital Hubs.
Tanui said talks with lawmakers focused on speeding up the establishment of Digital Hubs in every ward, improving the way the facilities are managed and developing public-private partnerships.
The partnerships are expected to help the centres provide training while linking users with employment and business opportunities.
Tanui said the hubs would serve as key access points for people seeking to build digital skills, develop businesses and take part in online economic activities.
"These Digital Hubs are gateways to digital skills, innovation, AI, software development, entrepreneurship, online work, e-commerce, access to government digital services and countless opportunities within the digital economy. They will ensure that every ward has the infrastructure needed to empower young people, innovators and businesses to participate fully in Kenya's digital transformation,"