IfG.CC -
Institute for eGovernment

The collaboration is expected to lead to a more coordinated effort in promoting the technopolis to both local and international investors, leveraging Konza's advanced infrastructure and strategic incentives.

Konza Technopolis, Kenya’s ambitious smart city project, has entered a new phase of strategic collaboration with the Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest). The CEO of KenInvest, John Mwendwa, and his team recently visited Konza Technopolis for a familiarization tour, followed by discussions aimed at aligning national investment priorities with the technopolis’s development goals.

Konza City has been trying to make a name for itself, and for the most part, it has been trying to push that agenda.

Over the last couple of days, the developing city has been developing an action plan to pursue the offerings of the city under a "The Role of Emerging Digital Technologies in Shaping the Future of Smart and Sustainable Cities Post Covid-19" title.

The Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KoTDA) is banking on new partnerships to fast-track the development of the multi-billion-shilling smart city project in line with the government’s ambitious digital transformation agenda.

KoTDA’s new Board Chairman Prof Raphael Munavu said the foundation work for the technopolis has been completed and the next phase of growth will leverage public-private partnerships and development partners. 

Konza City Technopolis is looking at developing its Phase 1 infrastructure through smart technology to reap the benefits of innovation and connectivity.

In a demonstration of expanding technology to bridge infrastructure operations and improve service delivery to citizens, the Techno City has embarked on development of Phase 1 to world-class smart city building standards using smart technology solutions.

As Kenya gears up to step up its smart city game, Korean firms are seeking entry into the Kenyan market to provide smart technologies that can realize sustainable development in smart city construction projects.

The Korea Trade Development Agency (KOTRA) unveiled the Korean Pavilion at the 2023 BIG 5 Construction Roadshow in Kenya, where fifteen trend-setting companies showcased their innovative solutions, promising to bolster Kenya’s aspirations to become the digital and ICT hub of East Africa.

The report indicates that lack of a bigger pool of professionals and the high cost of entrepreneurship has been the greatest roadblock to progress.

It notes that although the country has emerged as one of three major tech hubs in Africa, alongside Nigeria and Morocco, Kenya still needs to address several roadblocks to lift the prospects of the burgeoning sector.

The Bills were formally submitted to the House before it went on recess and stand committed to the Departmental Committee on Energy, information and Communication for consideration and thereafter make report to the House.

The just-concluded national election in Ghana has some important lessons for Kenyans. Credited as largely successful by observers, it was not without shortcomings, notwithstanding that Ghana had more time than Kenya to register voters and clean out the e-register.

Kenya’s public libraries are moving online to deliver free Internet to over half a million library members from June this year, as Liquid Telecom Kenya and the Communications Authority of Kenya connect 46 branches of Kenya National Libraries Services (KNLS) for the first time.

Each of the 46 branches has been provided with an additional 11 computers, adding to existing computers, Kindles and tablets in a Sh72m rollout that is giving library members access to fixed and wireless Internet, on either the libraries’ computers, or on their own devices.

M-health can broadly be defined as the use of mobile technology to deliver healthcare services.

These are medical platforms that have allowed for patient data to be accessed remotely via online channels and the provision of a mobile interface provides that last mile that empowers practitioners and patients access much needed information while physically distant from the medical facilities.

According to Information and Communication Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang'i, multi-billion ICT projects in both the national and county governments are in jeopardy over inadequate personnel to execute them.

"The demand for IT skills in the government is increasing and as we are looking to digitise databases and automate processes in government, getting high-end personnel is our biggest challenge," he said.

The Kenyan government has launched the country’s first National e-Health Strategy aimed at ensuring health information is provided to the right person at the right place and time to support quality and efficient healthcare.

Medical Services Minister Professor, Anyang Nyong’o said the development of the e-Health Strategy comes at an important time when the health sector is implementing far reaching reforms to realize the right to health enshrined in the Constitution.

The Ministry of Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) on Wednesday, November 9, launched free WiFi at Nairobi's City Market to facilitate e-commerce.

ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo noted that the free public WiFi will be strong enough to handle transactions within the market and a circumference of a few metres around it.

Speaking at a prize giving day at Pangani Girls High School, Kilonzo said manual registers would re-introduce ghost voters and discredit the poll process.

"It's embarrassing... in fact I wanted Kenya to not only have electronic voter registration but also electronic voting. It's the only way to eliminate dead voters. Kenya is renowned for voter resuscitation more than Jesus! During elections dead people come to vote and people move voters from one location to another which is completely unacceptable," he said.

The Kenya government has taken some bold moves in e-services and the latest Sh14 million deal with the telco is expected to firm up the goal of e-governance that will reduce bureaucracy and cases of corruption. But, more importantly, in a global village that is the modern world, countries weighed down by corruption or below-par services rarely win the hearts of international investors who follow indices like the World Bank’s annual Doing Business survey.

• M-health can broadly be defined as the use of mobile technology to deliver medical services.
• There already exist medical platforms that have allowed for patient data to be accessed remotely via online channels and the provision of a mobile interface provides that last mile that empowers practitioners and patients access information far from hospitals.
• At a personal level, m-health is taking the form of mobile applications and interactive mobile sites that empower one to reach personal health goals by keeping track of a diet plan or fitness regimen.

When one mentions healthcare and mobile in the same sentence, the two concepts may seem the strangest of bedfellows, more so since traditional medical services have been obtained and delivered through physical trips to a hospital.

The four - Marsabit, Nandi, Vihiga and Lamu counties - now enjoy among others, Orange's Broadband Virtual Private Network (BVPN) solution that keeps clients connected with their workers anywhere, anytime and allows them to transfer data with ultimate ease, speed and without interruption.

This brings the total number of counties on its network to 31.

Murang’a county government's smart cities programme is expected to transform market centres with high potential through development of infrastructure projects.

Governor Irungu Kang’ata said resources would be channeled towards tarmacking the roads in the shopping centres to promote trade.

Mwale Medical and Technology City (MMTC) is finalizing the shipment of new construction equipment for new smart cities in Congo, Botswana and Sierra Leone that will begin in January 2024.

The construction will follow MMTC's inaugural Marathon scheduled to take place on December 16th, 2023, at MMTC in Butere Sub County Kakamega County.