By Achola Bulimo Mathews
The National Government through the Ministry of Information, Communication and the Digital Economy will continue to equip youths with requisite digital skills, Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo has said.
Speaking during the official unveiling of laboratories for the Jitume Kazi Digital skills programme at Kisiwa Technical Training Institute TTI in Kabuchai Constituecy, Bungoma County, CS Eliud Owalo noted that this will assist millions of youth in sourcing for online jobs and in turn reduce the high rate of unemployment in the country.
He said that the ministry has equipped the laboratory with 100 desktop computers fully connected to Broadband network to assist the learners acquire digital skills in order to keep up with technology and trends in the current job market.
The Permanet Secretary for TVET Education Esther Muoria thanked the ICT Ministry for fast-tracking the implementation and installation of digital centres in technical institutes as it will help churning of graduates who are tech-savvy.
Her sentiments were echoed by Bungoma county Director of TVET Education Mrs. Martha Wekesa who noted that currently the region has 14 fully equipped centres.
Bungoma County Governor Ken Lusaka thanked the ministry for considering Kisiwa TTI to get the Digital Hub.
Kabuchai Legislator Hon Majimbo Kalasinga reiterated Lusaka’s sentiments and urged the Kenya National Examinations Council (KNEC) to work on a model of exempting students from paying for their final examinations saying many students fail to graduate from TVET colleges due to lack of the money required.
The ICT CS also launched another Jitume Digital Hub at Matili Technical Training Institute in the same county and at Eldoret National Polytechnic in Uasin Gishu county.
