#SOTN2016: Only 116 sub-locations countrywide remain uncovered by basic mobile voice services

There are only 116 sub-locations left in the country that are not covered by basic mobile voice services this is down from 1,119 sub-locations that had no network in 2013.

This was said by President Uhuru Kenyatta during his State of the Nation address at the Parliament grounds today.

As of 1999 Census there were a total of 6,612 sub-locations in Kenya meaning that 6496 sub-locations are covered by basic mobile voice services. The President pointed out that 2G mobile phone Penetration increased from 75% in 2013 to 94.4% in December 2015 and that the total number of Mobile Subscribers has increased from 29.7 million in 2013 to 37.7 million in Dec 2015. While Internet Penetration had doubled from 41.6% in 2013 to 82.6% in Dec 2015 with the number internet users increasing by an additional 21 million in last 3 years to hit 35.5 million users in Dec 2015.

“More connectivity means more people are enlightened. Therefore, we are also looking into supporting innovations and offer continued investment in IT which is evidenced by the growth of companies such as M-Kopa ,” said President Uhuru Kenyatta, “The facts that I have shared today speak to how technology has enlarged the democratic space for all Kenyans, and how it is helped us to “leapfrog” our peers by giving us access to knowledge and information at our fingertips irrespective of where we are in the country.”

On education, the president touched on Class One Laptop project which was part of the Jubilee Government Manifesto, stating that the devices were already in the country and are being subjected to tests.The project will start rolling out by end of this year.

“The World Economic Forum’s Global Competitiveness Report for 2014-15 has this to say: Compared to 144 countries, the Quality of our Education System Kenya is 30th and first in Africa. We are 32nd in Availability of research and training services and First in Africa; and 33rd in the capacity for innovation and First in Africa. These are just a partial reading of the comparative statistics. The conclusion is that Kenya is Number One in Africa in multiple categories. It is a testament to our high standards, reflecting our high expectations as a people, that we want to do more still. It is not enough to be number One in Africa. We must be able to become even better educated, more competitive, more driven to have the ability to attract the world’s cutting edge industries and investments in our economy.” He said.

He also added, “I am convinced that technology and the ability to innovate it, and use it to transform business is the bright future of our young people. They must be empowered; we must equip them to be future-ready. In recognition of this need, we undertook to provide digital devices to Standard One pupils in every public primary school,” said the President.

So far the President said that 22,000 schools are connected to power, 60.000 teachers have been trained on digital literacy and content for class one and two already digitized. By next year 1.5million class one pupils will have access to the devices that are already in the country and were launched at the Connected Kenya Summit dubbed as Learners Digital Devices (LDD) and Teacher Digital Devices (TDD)

On Digital Migration the president stated that the first phase was successfully completed leading to 63 licenced TV stations up from 11 TV Stations back in 213. He also commended the profileration of local content since Digital Migration, leading to 11.5% increase in TV viewership in the country.

He also called on the Kenyan Media to act responsibly while using social media or delivering their news so as to safeguard the unity of the country. ‘’Social media offers new opportunities for the Kenyan Journalists and this comes with the responsibility of being true. Terrorists are trying to anticipate media response to acts of terror. The fate of millions of Kenyans are at the tip of your pen therefore there is need to safeguard Unity from how we deliver news even through social media,” he said.

On Huduma Centres, the President stated that the centres were serving up to approximately 35000 Kenyans per day. The Government is also reviewing a section of laws and policy reforms around Security where there will be laws that will as well look into Cybersecurity. The President said that he will be tabling the report on security to the National Assembly in weeks to come.

“The Government’s most critical duty is to protect the lives and property of its citizens, and the sovereignty of the Republic. This task is today made more complex by violent extremism, geopolitical rivalries, and organised crimes such as cybercrime, and human and drug trafficking. I will be tabling before this House, the Report of the National Security Council on the State of our National Security where-in I outline specific measures that have been undertaken by my government to secure the people of Kenya,” he said.

The State of the Nation address to Parliament had been interrupted by loud whistling among parliamentarians earlier forcing him to stop and let the National Assembly Speaker take over. This caused a mixed reaction on Social Media platforms through #SOTN2016