Legislator Wants Learning Institutions Made ICT Hubs.
David Wafula Wakoli, a senator from Bungoma County, wants universities and technical training institutions to become centers for information and communication technology (ICT) to help students improve in academics.
He said the Internet provides youth access to government and other informational websites.
Wednesday in Bungoma, Wakoli stated that as the world transforms into an “e-hub,” it is necessary to transform our colleges into leading ICT centres to empower the youth.
He stated that, unlike in the past, many people today rely on the Internet for business and education.
He thanked the citizens for electing him a senator and noted that during his campaigns, he utilized technology to contact supporters he could not physically reach.
“Technology has played a very key role in my campaigns, giving me great victory,” Wakoli added.
Wakoli stated that ICT has also played a significant part in the commercial world, adding that people can now conduct business transactions around the globe via the Internet.
“With the digitized world, people can do business across countries as it has also made communication easy,” he said.
He stated that technology played a significant role during the COVID-19 shutdown, as schools with strong internet access were unaffected by the outbreak because instructors could continue classes online.
According to Wakoli, using ICT in education permits students and teachers to learn in novel ways.
According to him, e-learning is growing increasingly popular, and students have direct access to curricular resources due to numerous occurrences that have never occurred before.
Wakoli stated that e-learning also permits students who are physically unable to attend class due to illness to study at home.
Residents Call For Speedy Digitization Of Services
Residents of Marsabit County have urged the government to expedite the automation of its services to enhance service delivery for accelerated growth.
Because services are not digitalized, elected officials have complained of corruption at the local department of registration of births and deaths offices.
Members of the county assembly from the Saku constituency, led by Marsabit Central ward MCA Jack Godana, denounced what they termed rampant corruption since service seekers had to pay illegal fees to obtain birth certificates for their children.
Godana and his colleague for the Sagante/Jaldesa ward, Amos Guyo, accused the office of charging Sh2,000 for each application for a birth certificate, as opposed to the stated fee of Sh150.
“This fee of Sh 2,000 is not acceptable because no official receipt is issued for it,” said Godana during a public meeting at the Marsabit playground, which County Commissioner Paul Rotich and Governor Mohamud Ali also attended.
The MCAs expressed their support for President William Ruto’s initiative to digitize public sector services, stating that the measure will aid in the battle against corruption.
They stated that the public was tired of being led in circles at these offices in an attempt to induce them to pay bribes and demanded that the digitization process be expedited.
Mr. Francis Gachie, the County Registrar of Persons, agreed that the charges were valid and that administrative action had been taken against specific personnel accused of perpetuating the vice.
“Action is being taken to address the problem which we do not deny exists,” said Gachie adding that he was barely two months old at the station.
He added that two officers who have been serving at the station for a very long period and who had refused recent inter-ministerial transfers by the Ministry of Public Service are accused of committing the misconduct.
The problem, which includes duplicate registration and forgeries, also affects the operations of other departments that rely on vital documents to provide services.
Among these services are court handling of defilement cases, school admissions, application for identification cards, NHIF, and banking services.
Following the claim, the CC informed the public that investigations would be conducted and appropriate action would be taken against individuals proven to be responsible.
Rotich reminded government officials that their service charters required them to assist the people and have zero tolerance for corruption.
Legislator Wants Learning Institutions Made ICT Hubs.