2 Preamble
The National ICT policy was last reviewed
in 2006. Since then, the sector has experienced
rapid technological advancement, changes to
the legal and administrative framework and
many emerging issues. The latter include
increased IT enabled services, increased
demand on bandwidth and for Quality of
Service (QoS), challenges of cyber-security,
integration projects and harmonization of ICT
policies regionally and internationally.
This policy is a product of an all-inclusive,
participatory and consultative process. It is
guided by the following principles; Putting ICT
at the centre of the national economic agenda,
Improving access to ICT especially broadband,
efficient public service delivery and
maintaining an open government, Putting the
private sector first and Leveraging on ICT to
promote Sustainable Development Goals.
The main policy objectives are to (1) Create
the infrastructure conditions for use of alwayson, high speed, wireless, internet across the
country. Provide enabling infrastructure and
frameworks that support the growth of data
centres, pervasive instrumentation (Internet of
Things), machine learning and local
manufacturing whilst fostering a secure,
innovation ecosystem; (2) Grow the
contribution of ICT to the economy to 10% by
2030, by using ICT as a foundation to the
creation of a more robust economy, providing
secure income and livelihoods to the citizenry;
(3) Leverage regional and international
cooperation and engagements to ensure that
Kenya is able to harness global opportunities;
(4) Position the country to take advantage of
emerging trends such as the shared and gig
economy by enhancing our education
institutions and the skills of our people, and
fostering an innovation and start-up ecosystem
that is able to lead on a global scale; and (5)
Gain global recognition for innovation,
efficiency and quality in public service delivery.
Services will be delivered in a manner that
ensures we have a prosperous, free, open and
stable society.
These objectives will be actualised
through four thematic focus areas: Mobile
first; which will ensure that every Kenyan can
access inexpensive Internet and reasonable
access to locally produced devices;
Ministry of ICT, Kenya
Market; designed to increase the overall
size of the digital and traditional economy to
10% of GDP by 2030; Skills and Innovation;
which outlines a careful plan designed to jumpstart a self supporting ecosystem that will
produce world-class research, technology
products and industries; Public Service
Delivery; requires that all government services
are available online, that every Kenyan has
online access and that government services are
delivered quickly and fully at the time and place
that they are needed.
The government will also continue to play
its role in promoting broadcasting and
telecommunication services through: provision
of infrastructure to enable expansion of digital
TV coverage in unserved and underserved
areas; encouraging development of high
quality, easily accessible, relevant local content;
development of a National Language Policy to
encourage use of local languages in developing
content; ensuring that the radio frequency
spectrum is managed in equitable and
transparent manner with specific and clear
conditions;
encouraging
sharing
of
infrastructure and enforcement of quality of
services regulations to ensure availability of
reliable services by service providers and
realization of an effective postal and courier
ecosystem to drive the development of ecommerce and the digital economy.
The implementation of the policy will
necessitate institutional reforms in some SemiAutonomous Government Agencies that will
result in a more vibrant sector
Finally, to implement this policy
effectively, the current legal, institutional and
regulatory framework will be reviewed and
aligned to the strategic policy focus. A robust
monitoring and evaluation system will be put in
place to track its implementation and the
reviews will be shared annually.
Jerome Ochieng
Principal Secretary for ICT and Innovation and
for Broadcasting and Telecommunications
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November-2019