Faith Nyasuguta
Kenyan President William Ruto has disclosed that Kenya will be the largest producer of Africa’s cheapest smartphones in the next one year.
Speaking during the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Annual General meeting on Thursday, Ruto said the state is in talks to see that this comes to pass.
“The real last mile in technology is the gadget and we are already working with our telecommunications sector so that we can have a smartphone that is going to be less than Sh5,000 ($41.7).
“A smartphone that can do everything that you want,” the President said.
According to president Ruto, they are in discussions with Telcos to explore the possibility of having the smartphones sold cheaply.
“Today the cheapest smartphone is Sh10,000 ($82.14) maybe Sh15,000 (123.20). We want to see whether we can get to 30 or 40 Dollars and I want to promise the country that in the next 8 to 12 months we will have the cheapest smartphone in Africa, manufactured in Kenya.”
The head of state noted that his administration is looking at having all government services online in the same period.
He said currently, about 15 per cent of government services can be accessed online and in their manifesto they promised to have at least 80 per cent of the services online.
The President said they are also set to use digital platforms in tax collection.
“We are working on it and by God’s Grace, between 6 and 12 months, we will have moved 90 per cent of all govt services onto the digital platform and ensure that from the comfort of your home, you can work with the government. You can get your license and government service without having to travel to any office,” Ruto said.
