Credit : makueni . go . ke

Building a culture based on the digital economy that thinks innovation and exposure to potential innovation opportunities for Makueni residents . That is the basis why Makueni Tech and Innovation Hub was set up .

Background Overview

Makueni County in its early years of governance ran an ICT development flagship programme termed Tusomeei Computer Nduane ( TCN ) which was initiated by Governor H . E . Prof . Kivutha

“ The lack of ICT skills reduced the population ’ s employment opportunities in jobs that required the skills . ”

Kibwana . It aimed to provide basic skills and knowledge on computers to the communities of all social inclusions . The project spurred a need for more advanced knowledge and skills in ICT development leading to the inception , construction , equipping and operationalization of ICT centres across the County . The centres are mandated to offer basic ICT skills training coupled with e-government services to community members at the grassroots . It was also in the realization that the communities are equipped with digital tools such as smartphones , but there was a need to make use of the digital tools for their productivity and improve livelihoods , for example , using a smartphone to acquire information on increasing agricultural productivity .

A review of the programme revealed a need to capture innovators and

build them an eco-system and as such an innovation hub that would support the creation of an ecosystem in Makueni County for innovators , the tech hub was constructed and equipped in FY 19 / 20 . Given the fact that operationalizing the hub requires several programs to activate , it was seen fit to run an innovation challenge under the theme ‘ Economic Recovery amidst Covid-19 ’ where a total of 5 innovative ideas were awarded on 28th May 2021 .

How did the problem impact the population ?

The lack of ICT skills reduced the population ’ s employment opportunities in jobs that required the skills . It also limited their competitiveness ( need to build on the innovative culture ) in areas of interest such as farming since they lacked the information that would help them excel . They needed to access the information through the Internet , and most of them already had smartphones they could use . Other youth had ideas that needed nurturing .

Considering Makueni is largely agriculturally based , the communities needed to improve and leverage digital tools such as smartphones not only as communication devices but also to make use of the digital tools for their productivity and improve their livelihoods in gaining entrepreneurs skills and increase their knowledge on specific computer development avenues such as app development and accessing e-citizen services .

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