12 | NEWSFOCUS October 30, 2018 www.mygov.go.ke Ministry firmly focused on the Big Four agenda Most of related programmes are already up and running, says Principal Secretary in the State Department of ICT BY DAVID MUKARA AND PHILIP RUTTO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS, ICT T he Ministry of ICT role in the Big Four Agenda is clearly defined and most of related programmes are already up and running, the Principal Secretary in the State Department of ICT Mr Jerome Ochieng, has said. In healthcare, through National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI), the Ministry is providing an infrastructure through which health related applications will run. This will, for instance, enable a patient have an x-ray at one health facility and access to it hassle free from any other centre courtesy of a centralised repository. The Principal Secretary was speaking at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development when he launched the Training of Trainers (TOT) Programme for the Ajira Digital Programme. The Trainers drawn from the 47 Counties are expected to train youths in their respective counties on Ajira Digital Programme. The programme seeks to introduce young people to online work and provide them with the necessary tools, training and mentorship to enable them to work and earn a decent income. In Food security, the PS said that the ministry will continue to enhance e-agriculture by providing data that can be helpful to the farmers. E-agriculture seeks to enhance agriculture and rural development through improved information and communication processes. “Technology is providing us with an opportunity to even be able to identify the best soils, the type of crops, the best time to plant because there is a lot of data and information about agriculture, that we can analyse to help us make the right decision so that we do not farm through guess-work but precision,” said the PS. In Housing, the Ministry is providing guidelines to the government department responsible for housing to ensure that the houses will be e-ready once they are completed. Additionally, the ministry is also working on a Geographic Information System (GIS) to capture, store, analyse, manage and present spatial data. In Manufacturing, the Prin1,000 Devices that can be assembled from Moi University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology assembly lines daily cipal Secretary said that the Ministry has already established two local assemblies for the laptops under the Digital Literacy Programme. The local assembly lines are in Moi University and Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology. Each line can assemble more than 1000 devices per day. Meanwhile, County Governments have been advised to invest in ICT system in all their departments so as to improve in their revenue collections and fiscal prudence. Addressing ICT delegates from all the 47 Counties at Bomas of Kenya during Connected Kenya Summit, Mr. Joseph Irungu, ICT Director at the Commission of Revenue of Allocation (CRA), called upon the devolved units not to concentrate only on automation of finance departments. “ICT systems are universal. Applications that work in the finance offices can also be used in the records registries,” he advised. He said all counties who have set up working ICT systems have seen sharp revenue collection upticks and prudence in financial management. The ICT director disclosed that only 32 counties have Ministry launches portal to spur service and product innovations CS says portal will be accessible in all the Huduma centres across the country BY PHILIP RUTTO DEPARTMENT OF PUBLIC COMMUNICATIONS, ICT T he Ministry of Information Communications and Technology launched a portal to receive innovations for business ideas and products. While launching the online platform during Connected Kenya Summit 2018 at the Bomas of Kenya, Cabinet Sechas retary Joe Mucheru disclosed that the project will have a startup outlay of one billion shillings. Mr. Mucheru said the portal will be accessible in all the Huduma centres across the country and urge innovators to make use of the platform to promote their ideas and product. “Make use of technology to collect, collate and disseminate information,’’ the CS urged the participants. The CS promised that individual patent rights will be safeguarded and that a team of experts will evaluate the viable innovations for clearance while the upcoming ones will be nurtured. The portal will be accessed through www.hudumawhitebox.com Meanwhile, The National Assembly ICT Chair Hon. William Kisang has announced that his committee will review obsolete laws to allow the ICT industry to grow without hindrance. He said the ICT industry is ever growing and that calls for commensurate frequency rate of law review. ‘’We will bring up legislations to help the ICT industry grow,’’ Mr Kisang assured the over 500 industry players. He asked them to come up with an ICT professional body to identify practitioners in the field. The communications committee chair’s advice comes at a time when many professionals seek to protect their organisations from quacks. Individual patent rights will be safeguarded and that a team of experts will evaluate the viable innovations for clearance while the upcoming ones will be nurtured. - CS Joe Mucheru tried to use the ICT systems while 15 counties are yet to utilise the technology in their service delivery. He attributed the low usage of ICT in service delivery at the county level to low or no budget allocations and nonprofessionalism in terms of personnel. There was a consensus that the use of ICT will no longer be a necessary requirement but a basic necessity, just like water and food. ‘’The worst fear is to fear to use technology,’’ the county delegates were told. ICT systems are universal. Applications that work in the finance offices can also be used in the records registries - Joseph Irungu
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