President William Ruto on Tuesday narrated a touching story of how a Technical Vocational Education and Training (TVET) student from a village in Nyeri motivated him to push for the faster establishment of ICT hubs.
The Head of State while delivering his speech in Nyeri during centenary celebrations of TVETs in Kenya emphasised the power of technology on youths and gave an example of Mike, the Nyeri student.
According to the head of state, Mike has been making money by working online for six months, and for the brief period he worked online, he was able to earn Ksh500,000.
While expressing his impression of the boy's tale, Ruto noted the story compelled him to push for hastened establishment of ICT hubs whose funds were included in the Constituency Development Fund (CDF) budget.
“I am not talking about someone working in America, I am talking about Mike in Nyeri, working online, and it is the reason why as a govt we have made changes to the CDF Act,” Ruto stated.
Ruto further noted that his administration was focused on creating employment opportunities for millions of youths in Kenya through the creation of ICT hubs where Kenyans can work and monetise their content.
"The focus is getting young people in Kenya, with their knowledge, skills, competence and talent to be able to monetise them and contribute meaningfully to driving our economy," noted the head of state.
This is not the first time President Ruto has expressed his approval for students earning from online jobs. In February, Ruto narrated a fascinating story of a village boy who remotely earns a living just from the comfort of his laptop by working for a German AI company.
Speaking during the World Governments Summit (WGS) in Dubai, Ruto narrated his experience when he visited a college in the suburbs of Eldoret town at a place called Kaiboi where he met the young man.
According to Ruto, Brian, a Diploma student, who owns a computer whose work was made easy by the availability of electricity now works for an AI company in Germany.
“Mind you, Brian does not have a passport and has never been to the city of Nairobi but because of technology, internet and electricity, he now works not for a supermarket but for an AI company in Germany,” Ruto claimed.
"We must not allow a fear of future unknowns to deprive brilliant youngsters like Brian of opportunities," Ruto added.
