1 Foreword
One of the main priorities of the
Government towards the attainment of Kenya
Vision 2030 development goals and objectives
for wealth and job creation is the achievement
of an industrialised information society and
knowledge economy. The objective is to
facilitate the creation of dignified jobs that
provide financial security and independence to
allow greater innovation and future thinking.
By providing local and international
connectivity across the country and region, and
developing
in-country
solutions,
the
Government will enable creation of online and
digital jobs, markets, and quality skills allowing
Kenyans to embrace the shared economy. In
this way, citizens will transition from
traditional ways of working to innovative,
digitally enabled forms of work.
This review of the Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) Policy of
March 2006 is inspired by, first, the need to
align the Policy with the new constitutional
dispensation in Kenya, and Vision 2030. This
review specifically aims to incorporate the
lessons learned from the Vision 2030
Medium Term Frameworks and takes into
account the three underlying pillars of Vision
2030, (Economic, Social and Political) and the
United Nations Sustainable Development Goals
(UN SDGs). The overarching focus will be to
provide access to ICTs, especially broadband, to
all Kenyans and seamless connectivity to the
East African Community member states with
proactive collaboration at regional and
international levels, leveraging our leading
position in Fintech and our capital markets.
Secondly, the review is meant to provide a
proactive framework that is in tandem with
current technological realities and dynamics,
and one that will guide the orderly
development of the ICT sector so as to ensure
maximum developmental impact for the benefit
of all Kenyans.
Ministry of ICT, Kenya
In reviewing this policy, the Government
has taken into account the tremendous impact
of globalisation and the rapid changes in
technology. These changes have invariably
affected the traditional approach to the
management of public affairs and service
delivery, and increasingly inform the need for
an adaptive policy and regulatory response.
This revised Policy provides a clear and
compelling vision to drive social, economic,
cultural and political transformation through
the effective use of Information and
Communications Technology (ICT) in the years
ahead. The Policy provides many of the key
strategies essential for achieving Kenya’s
national development targets. Going forward,
the Government will concentrate on speeding
up the development of new generation mobile,
high-speed, secure and ubiquitous ICT
infrastructure,
developing
a
modern
technology-enabled
industrial
system,
implementing the national big data strategy
and enhancing national cyber-security.
By harnessing the power of ICTs, private
and state-owned enterprises are expected to
improve their sourcing, sales and logistics
systems; streamline operations, track market
trends and boost their marketing, research and
innovation capabilities. Enterprise operations
will become more efficient, translating into
productivity gains and the creation of new
markets for innovative products and services.
The strategies and action plans developed as a
result of this policy will continue to bring about
the rapid transformation of Kenya.
In conclusion, it is my conviction that this
Policy will continue to set the pace and give the
right direction to further the development of
our economy in general and the ICT sector in
particular for the benefit of all stakeholders.
Joe Mucheru, EGH
Cabinet Secretary for Information,
Communications & Technology
4/37
November-2019