Konza Technopolis has broken ground for the construction of the first Center of Excellence Digital Innovation Hub in Riruta, Dagoretti South. This marks the commencement of a broader initiative that aims to establish 1,450 digital hubs across all administrative wards in the country.
Speaking at the groundbreaking ceremony, Eng. John Tanui emphasized the importance of the initiative, stating, “This groundbreaking signifies the start of the 1,450 digital hubs in all the wards in the country.” The Jitume Hub program is a key component of the government’s effort to enhance digital skills among Kenyan youth, providing them with opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship.
The initiative, implemented in collaboration with the National Government-Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF), builds on previous efforts to introduce digital hubs in Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) institutions. Tanui noted, “We have been rolling out Jitume Hubs in our Technical and Vocational Training institutions, and we are glad to see the youths gain appropriate digital skills enabling them to secure employment or undertake income-generating activities. Now we are targeting the youths outside learning institutions by constructing the hubs in each ward.”
The Center of Excellence Digital Innovation Hub is one of three types of Jitume hubs to be constructed. According to Hon. John Kiarie, MP for Dagoretti South and Chairman of the National Assembly’s Committee on Information, Technology, and Innovation, each constituency will host a model Center of Excellence equipped with 100 devices, while standard digital hubs will have 50 desktop computers, and normal digital hubs will be equipped with 30 desktops. These hubs will be accessible to the public, allowing more people to acquire digital skills.
The NG-CDF Committee has allocated Ksh100 million to support the construction of digital hubs, ensuring the timely completion of the project. Musa Sirma, Chairman of the National Assembly Select Committee on NG-CDF and MP for Eldama Ravine, reiterated the commitment to timely execution: “We have allocated more resources to the constituencies’ CDF to ensure they complete the Jitume Digital Hub within this financial year.”
The Jitume Digital Hub program aligns with the Kenya Kwanza government’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), specifically the Digital Superhighway initiative. This agenda encompasses the construction of digital hubs, expansion of the fibre optic network to 100,000 kilometers, digitization of government services, and provision of internet access in all public facilities.
Under the Jitume initiative, the government has already established 290 digital hubs, training over 400,000 youths. The expansion of these hubs is expected to bridge the digital divide and empower more Kenyans with essential technological skills for the modern economy.
