Listers The Kenya ICT Board PASHA Project has now completed the selection stage for the first phase during which have finalised selection of 37 candidates for issuance of loans. Family Bank will now proceed to notify and negotiate final terms with successful loan applicants. The Board is optimistic that the first successful loan applicant will be issued a cheque just after Easter. For this first round, the 37 successful loan applicants represent 37 constituencies and 24 counties across Kenya. The Loan applicants will be receiving an average of Kshs 1.8m each towards setting up or improving their centres. The money will be disbursed as a loan by Family Bank on the basis of agreed milestones which were set out in the loanees application. Interest rate charged will be 10.5% per annum repayable in 36 months with a 3 months grace period. Between 24th January 2011 when the call for applications was made and 25thFebruary 2011 at the close, Family Bank received 689 applications out of a total of 800 inquiries made. The successfull applicants have demonstrated various business ideas within their proposed Pasha centres ranging from youth training, e-library services, website development, government services facilitation, teacher training, KCPE and KCSE online registrations software development to name a few. Number of successful applicants is breakdown as as follows: - Less than Kshs 1 M, 13 successful loan applicants - Between Kshs 1 and less than 2M, 16 successful loan applicants - From Kshs 2M – 3 M 8 successful loan applicants The Kenya ICT Board is working with all network operators to ensure all centres have access to reliable internet connectivity and have the ability to offer citizens a suite of relevant and compelling services. This is only the first phase of the Pasha Loan scheme; we eventually want to create a Pasha centre in every constituency, likely by end 2011. The Pasha project falls under the Kenya ICT Board’s digital inclusion pillar which aims to increase access to ICTs by citizens across Kenya. It complements the other Kenya ICT Board agenda to stimulate job and wealth creation in ICT through entrepreneurship and is in line with Kenya’s Vision 2030. Paul Kukubo Chief Executive Officer, Kenya ICT Board PO Box 27150 - 00100 Nairobi, Kenya 12th Floor, Teleposta Towers Koinange Street Tel +254 20 2089061, +254 20 2211960 Fax: +254 20 2211962 website: www.ict.go.ke local content project: www.tandaa.co.ke, www.facebook.com/tandaakenya twitter:@tandaaKENYA BPO Project: www. doitinkenya.co.ke Digital Villages Project: www.pasha.co.ke personal contacts _______________ Cell: + 254 717 180001 skype: kukubopaul googletalk: pkukubo personal blog: www.paulkukubo.co.ke personal twitter: @pkukubo ____________________ Vision: Kenya becomes a top ten global ICT hub Mission: To champion and actively enable Kenya to adopt and exploit ICT, through promotion of partnerships, investments and infrastructure growth for socio economic enrichment