The Communications Authority of Kenya is set to spend Ksh 5 billion laying 2,500 Km of fibre across 19 counties in Kenya. The Authority says it has already laid 1,300 Km of fibre which is 50% of the entire project. The Authority did not share a list of Counties it is targeting.
David Mugonyi, the Director General of CA, said recently that Phase II of the project will be undertaken in partnership with the ICT Authority (ICTA) and Kenya Power, He said this will facilitate last-mile connectivity to 3,800 public offices and institutions across the country. With access to broadband still low in most rural areas, this initiative if implemented well can help with socio-economic development which can translate to business growth and formation, particularly in knowledge-intensive industries.
“Today, connectivity is the biggest driver of the global economy. Without robust, secure and competitive telecommunications markets, Africa’s participation and capacity to exploit the opportunities of a rapidly expanding digital economy are significantly constrained”, said David Mugonyi.
He also noted that expanding access creates exposure to cyber threats. Kenya has established the Cyber Security Operations Centre for the ICT and Telecommunications Sector to enhance cyber security in the country. These regulations, Mugonyi said, will boost the capacity of both public and private sector institutions supporting critical information infrastructure sectors such as e-government, telecommunications, banking and finance, transportation, energy and health, which are all anchors of a thriving digital economy.
“The fundamental character of technology is how quickly it changes. As a regulator this makes life interesting and this is why we are undertaking a major reset of our legal frameworks and establishing a Regulatory Sandbox to ensure emerging technologies and the pace setters that are using them are not hampered or slowed down by regulatory challenges’’, he said.
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