Nairobi allocates funds for free Wi-Fi in schools

Governor Evans Kidero with pupils from Marura Primary School, in Kariobangi North estate Nairobi. He said the Nairobi county government has allocated Sh100 million for Wi-Fi for schools in Nairobi. PHOTO | ANTHONY OMUYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

All public secondary schools in Nairobi City County are set to be connected to free Wi-Fi network in an ambitious project set to be launched by the county.

Addressing journalists on Wednesday at Marura Primary School in Kariobangi North, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said the county government had set aside Sh100 million in its budget to go towards the implementation of the project in the next financial year.

“We want to bridge the electronic divide between private and public schools in the county and also make sure that computers are useful. This can only be achieved by providing Wi-Fi connectivity to all public secondary schools in Nairobi County,” said Dr Kidero.

The project will see all the 85 public secondary schools in the county get the Wi-Fi connection aimed at revolutionizing learning in the public schools through online e-learning.

The governor said that the county had also signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with two organisations, Bridging the Gap and Computer for Schools Kenya, to provide computers for the 85 secondary schools with the county providing connectivity.

“We have signed a memorandum of understanding with bridging the gap and computer for schools Kenya which will provide 20 computers to each of those schools as soon as the project is rolled out while we provide connectivity,” he said.

He added that McMillan Library will be turned into an e-library by the beginning of the next financial year.

He said that the two organisations have so far delivered over 400,000 computers to schools across the country and urged the government to waiver levies for such projects to attract more international firms willing to fund various educational programs in the country.

Dr Kidero said that he was looking at signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the national government to allow the county government get more involved in management of education beyond the requirements of schedule four saying that the capacitation given by the national government for education was insufficient.

In light of the above, he said that Nairobi County had built 750 classrooms to help bridge the gap which is currently being experienced where only 6,000 classrooms were available for 500,000 children which means that an average of 90 students per classroom while the best average should be 40 per class.

“We would like to work with our partners to help us build an additional 6,000 classrooms in Nairobi and that can only happen if we are given that mandate by the national government through an MOU or through transfer of that activity in schedule four,” said the governor.