President Uhuru Kenyatta has launched a number of projects during his term as president, keen to meet his Big 4 Agenda of universal health care, affordable housing, manufacturing, and food security.
As he looks to secure his legacy, a number of projects he has pursued have been technology-oriented. While some have already commenced operations, others are at different levels of establishment.
The projects are crucial to keeping Kenya and its workforce remain competitive in the current technology-driven world, the game changers in innovation are; machine and deep learning, artificial intelligence, blockchain technology, the internet of things, robotics, augmented reality, and virtual reality.
Here are the projects, the president has launched to this effect.
Semi-conductors Technologies factory
On April 26, 2021, Kenyatta opened the Semi-Conductors Technologies (STL) factory at the Dedan Kimathi University of Technology which is set to manufacture integrated circuits and sensors as raw materials in the electronic gadgets manufacturing industry.
The factory, which is the only one of its kind in Africa, is a public-private partnership (PPP) between the university and American nanotechnology firm 4Wave Inc.
This is one of the anchor projects of the university's technology park. The technology park is a 177-acre facility dedicated to the set up of enterprises including start-ups in food bio-resources value addition, ICTs and technological products.
KIRDI Techno-Centre
The government is in the final stages of completing a Ksh5.33 billion technological building which is set to line Nairobi's Skyline once complete.
The project is being undertaken under the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) umbrella which is a national research institution and mandated to undertake multidisciplinary research and development in industrial and allied technologies.
Located at the Junction of Lusaka Road and Dunga Road in South ‘B’, The KIRDI technology centre (techno-centre) is a Vision 2030 development project which is set to host a number of technology projects that will be undertaken by the institution.
Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) in Konza City
While Konza City is marked to become the Silicon Savannah in Kenya, an educational institution is also set to be built in the area to a tune of Ksh10 billion.
The institution Kenya Advanced Institute of Science and Technology (KAIST) is expected to have a significant impact on the attainment of Vision 2030.
The Univesity which will one of a kind in the East African region is set to transform Kenya into a middle-income country through the promotion of science, technology, and innovation for national economic growth.
To this end, the medium-term plan is to issue specialized research and training in various cutting-edge engineering and advanced science fields.
Land Digitisation
In 2019, President Uhuru Kenyatta announced that the government had updated 75 topographical maps, drawn six full county maps, and digitized the cadastral plans for Nairobi County.
He noted that new cadastral maps for the Capital City of Nairobi were a milestone in the country’s urban development.
Uhuru further observed that the development would facilitate quality physical planning, spur increased revenue collection, and promote environmental conservation by the use of detailed and accurate maps.
In April 2021, the Ministry of Lands launched Ardhisasa, the National Land Information Management System.
The essence of the platform, Uhuru pointed out, would be to speed up land transactions and enable the common mwananchi to access all services offered at the Lands ministry through the digital platform.
"At the click of a button, users will now be able to search and carry out various land transactions, drastically reducing human interactions, delays, and other inconveniences previously experienced at land registries," the President stated.
Advanced Weaponry
In April 2021, the president opened a Ksh4 Billion small arms factory in Ruiru, Kiambu County as part of a broad multi-agency national security industries strategy.
Speaking at the unveiling ceremony, the President said Kenya seeks to enhance her self-reliance in security through local production of equipment and technologies in line with the Big 4 Agenda and Vision 2030.
He pointed out that the arms factory will lower the cost of acquiring weapons for Kenya's security agencies and establish a sustainable national security industrial base that provides jobs for the Kenyan youth.
