Preface and Acknowledgement by the Principal Secretary Preface and Acknowledgement by the Principal Secretary The ministry acknowledges the great potential of ICT as an enabler for the society’s socio-economic empowerment. This is drawn from the remarkable achievements that Kenya has made in the past five years, which include: electronic cash transfer through mobile telephony platform, development of 60 per cent of the planned national ICT infrastructure to improve universal access to ICT services, connectivity to the international broadband highway through four sub-marine fibre optic cables, connecting all major towns through the National Optic Fibre Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI), and the development and implementation of the Kenya Communications (Amendment) Act, 2009 and the Kenya Information and Regulations, 2010. In this Plan, the ministry draws its strategic priorities from the achievements of the predecessor, the lessons learnt, emerging issues and challenges. It also takes cognisance of a totally new structure of Government and the general policy direction. It is our conviction that the implementation of these policies, programmes and the associated activities bears the potential to transform Kenya’s way of life as envisioned in the second medium term plan. This Plan has prioritised various programmes and activities for implementation under six broad strategic priorities, namely: (i) Policy, legal, regulatory and institutional reforms; (ii) Improvement of universal access to ICT services; (iii) Building capacity within the ICT sector (iv) Creating employment and facilitating economic growth; (v) Building a digital economy and Government; and (vi) Promoting regional integration through ICT. In the fulfillment of Article 10 of the Constitution of Kenya, 2010, the Ministry adopted a participatory approach where senior staff in the Ministry and its Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGAs), the Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA), the academia, the physically challenged and the county governments presented their views and proposals on the various issues considered in the Plan. To deliver its planned objectives, the ministry’s institutional structure has been reorganised to include the ICT Authority (ICTA), the Postal Corporation of Kenya (PCK), the Information and Public Communications Directorate, Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK), Kenya Institute of Mass Communication (KIMC), the Media Council of Kenya, the Kenya Yearbook Editorial Board (KYEB) and the Brand Kenya Board (BKB). This Strategic Plan would not have been effectively delivered without the full commitment and dedication of the Ministerial Taskforce, which coordinated and managed the process. As we embark on the implementation phase, the ministry will work closely with other sectors whose services contribute to its outcomes to ensure all projects and programmes are implemented successfully. Specifically, the availability and distribution of electricity is important to induce the use of ICTs; access roads and way-leaves are required to access many of our sites, while security and water are basic and critical requirements in areas of our interest. The ministry will strive to implement the Plan through performance contract targets, annual work plans and individual work plans. In addition, a monitoring and evaluation framework will be developed and used to track the implementation of projects and programmes. In conclusion, I thank all those who participated in the preparation of this Plan, including all government ministries and agencies, community-based organisations, non-governmental organisations and the private sector whose diverse contributions made this exercise a success. Joseph Tiampati ole Musuni Principal Secretary, Ministry of Information, Communications and Technology vii