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The Communications Authority of Kenya has spent Sh1.1billion to connect 14 sub-locations to mobile network services in West Pokot County, as it seeks to avail communications services to more areas across the country.
Making the announcement, CA Director General Ezra Chiloba said the area was among those identified for connectivity in the second phase of the implementation under the Universal Service Fund (USF).
The USF is a special fund created to avail communications services in various parts of the country, especially in areas that are mostly remote and hard-to-reach.
The sublocations include Akiriamet, Kases, Kiwawa, Meshau, Lotokum, Kola, Ompolion, Kaptolomwo, Kachawa, Amaler, Emboasis, Kokwoptorir, Marus, and Pkpogoh.
The Authority targets to connect 101 sub-locations across 19 Counties by June this year, opening up hitherto unconnected areas to a new world of opportunities.
“This project will facilitate residents of the beneficiary sub-locations to enjoy a host of services, including mobile voice, data, Internet, and a bouquet of other value-added services, including mobile money transfer services,” said Chiloba.
Under the first phase of the project, CA connected seven public secondary schools to high-speed Internet in the area out of the 884 connected across the country.
Chiloba said the Authority had faced various challenges in the implementation of the projects, including community resistance and vandalism of the infrastructure in some parts of the country.
“Residents of Akiriamet will no longer have to climb trees to look for a mobile network signal again, because of what we have done here. They can spend that time scouting for market opportunities for their livestock, connecting with their people in the four corners of the world,” he said.
The Authority is now in the planning stages of the third phase of the project, which will target 68 sub locations across the country, seven of which as in West Pokot County.
West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo lauded the Authority’s communications interventions in the area, which he said will go a long way in transforming the lives of the people in profound ways, including tackling insecurity challenges.
ICT Cabinet Secretary Joe Mucheru who graced the occasion said the Universal Service Fund projects were greatly complementing the various initiatives that the government put in place to narrow the digital divide, lower the costs of communications services, and enhance the country’s competitive edge in ICT developments.
The USF was established in 2009 to facilitate the widespread availability of communications services in various parts of the country.
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