Young people in Bungoma County are increasingly accessing life-changing digital opportunities through the Government’s Jitume Digital Enablement Programme, an initiative that is accelerating digital job creation, enhancing digital skills, and bridging the digital divide at the grassroots level.
The programme, spearheaded by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy implemented by the Technopolis Development Authority (formerly Konza Technopolis Development Authority), continues to expand access to digital infrastructure and online work opportunities for youth across Kenya through the establishment of Jitume Digital Hubs.
Bungoma County currently hosts eight Jitume Digital Hubs located in Kabuchai, Webuye West, Kimilili, Chemoge, Tongaren, and Kanduyi. The hubs are equipping young people with practical digital skills, internet access, mentorship, and digital devices that enable them to participate meaningfully in the growing digital economy and access online employment opportunities.
At the Bungoma National Polytechnic, youth beneficiaries using the Jitume Digital Hub shared testimonies on how the initiative has opened pathways to digital work, enhanced their employability, and enabled them to generate income through online opportunities and digital skills training.
The Jitume Digital Literacy Initiative forms part of Kenya’s broader digital transformation agenda under the National Digital Masterplan 2022–2032, which seeks to position Kenya as a leading digital economy in Africa.
Since the programme was launched in 2023, nearly 350 Jitume Digital Hubs have been established across the country, with the National Government targeting the rollout of 1,450 hubs across all wards in the 47 counties. To date, more than 140,000 young people have undergone digital skills training through the programme, while close to 42,000 digital job linkages have been created for Kenyan youth.
The initiative is playing a critical role in empowering youth with market-driven digital competencies, expanding access to technology in underserved communities, and supporting the Government’s target of creating one million digital jobs for Kenyans by 2032.
Jitume Digital Hubs are designed as community centres for digital empowerment, providing access to computers, reliable internet connectivity, digital literacy programmes, mentorship, innovation spaces, and online work opportunities. The construction of Jitume Centres of Excellence in each county is underway with an expanded scope to also accommodate innovators, creatives and digital workers.
Speaking during an engagement session with youth at Bungoma National Polytechnic, Ruth Muriithi, Manager, Knowledge Economy & Innovation, noted that the programme is strengthening Kenya’s competitiveness in the global digital economy.
“Kenya continues to rank among Africa’s leading countries in internet connectivity and digital innovation. Initiatives such as Jitume are critical in ensuring that young people at the grassroots level can access digital skills, online jobs, and technology infrastructure that empower them economically and position Kenya competitively in the global digital economy,” she said.
The Jitume Digital Enablement Programme is implemented collaboratively by the Technopolis Development Authority, the Communications Authority of Kenya, and the ICT Authority, under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, in partnership with the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
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