Residents of Akiriamet in Sigor, West Pokot will become the first community in Kenya to enjoy free internet connection and phone charging.
This is after a Digital Community was established in the area to improve internet connectivity and power services. This will save locals the hustle of spending on mobile data, as the burden of cost of living weighs heavily on majority of Kenyans.
The initiative has been spearheaded by ATC which is operator and developer of wireless communications real estate.
ATC Kenya CEO, Thomas Sonesson, in his speech, noted that the company settled on Akiriamet owing to its marginalized nature, which in turn has seen the area remain unserved for years.
He noted that the Digital Community will be critical in addressing the needs of the community such as education, healthcare access, financial inclusion, and career development, all these with an overall goal of improving the quality of residents’ lives through connectivity.
The residents of Akiriamet will enjoy uninterrupted internet connection as the digital community will be powered by solar panels.
Before the project, locals had to trek for over 50 kilometers to nearest shopping centre to charge their phones.
The initiative is projected to exponentially nurture digital skills of the community.
Through free access to internet, the community will be able to access timely information on educational matters, health and also help towards financial inclusion and career development.
The project will not be the only one in the country but rather it is supposed to act as a pilot study.
ATC Kenya is set to roll out the second Digital Community project in Busho area of Kwale County before the end of 2022, with plans to construct and deploy at least 15 more in 2023 across the country.
The digital community comes at a time when President William Ruto has promised to deliver a digital highway to open up the country.
Ruto said that his government will make sure that every Kenyan is connected to the internet.
“Every Kenyan will have internet connectivity in the next five years, so as to support this young person struggling with bundles. Every school, hospital, dispensary and even market will be connected to the internet,” he said back then.
