COUNTY SET TO PARTNER WITH TELKOM TO ENHANCE CONNECTIVITY

A team from Telkom Kenya Limited Wednesday afternoon paid a courtesy call to the Chief Officer for Information Communications Technology (ICT) Mr. Eugene Milimo where they expressed interest in partnering with Kakamega County in provision of internet services.

Mr. Milimo who hosted the visitors on behalf of the CECM for Finance, Planning and ICT Dr. Beatrice Sabana welcomed the team and noted that Kakamega County has alot of opportunities for partnership with the Government owned telecommunications giant Company.

Mr. Milimo said Kakamega is leveraging on the National Government’s country wide fibre connectivity to supply internet services in various offices across the County under the Last Mile Connectivity programme. The County, he observed, has decentralised services to the community level making it essential to enhance connectivity at the grassroots so as to keep members of the public informed.

“We are using ICT to enhance service delivery to the people; we are in the process of connecting ECDE centres, County Polytechnics and other key public facilities with internet,” he explained.

In partnership with other key stakeholders such as AMPATH and USAID, the County has also supplied a number of health facilities with internet. The Department of ICT is also in the process of installing Wi-Fi masts in select public resting places such as Muliro gardens recreation park and select public bus parks.

Director of ICT and e-Government Mr. Samwel Wetungu who was also in attendance said that in addition to the internet connectivity programme, the Department has also successfully rolled out the Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system that has effected e-Revenue collection in the County using the **606#* USSD code. Mr. Wetungu also mentioned the Fleet management system and the structured cabling as some of the success stories of the unit among others.

Telkom Kenya’s Head of Product and Innovation Mr. Peter Otsino thanked the County team for showing interest in the company’s services and noted that Telkom has a wide range of products that the County can tap into to improve on service delivery.

Mr. Otsino in particular singled out the County’s water corporation, KACUWASCO, as a possible partnership area where he hinted at introduction of electronic meters to aid in the billing process as one of their areas of interest.

The team will make another visit to the County in due course where the discussion will be scaled up for committment by both parties.

Also in attendance were the ERP Manager Mr. Phanuel Musasia, Telkom Kenya’s Head of Regional Business Mr. Ronald Luvale, Madam Faith Mideva the Personal Assistant to the CECM and Mr. Eric Okeno a senior ICT officer among others.