Hi Teacher Karis ,

We have to be deliberate and intentional about inclusion. With respect to connectivity, our focus has been on the last mile. I am not sure if we have a good database that can enable us to identify where our brothers and sisters with special needs are located. This is my opinion will enable us to provide connectivity and any other specialised ICT support through affirmative action. This applies to unserved and underserved communities. Over and above provision of infrastructure we should be deliberate and intentional about Capacity building for the Community to enhance digital literacy and provision of hardware and software that will enable community members to enjoy digital goods.

I am curious to know how the uptake of the low cost 4 G handsets being issued by Safaricom has been or how the Google loons project is fairing.

Best Regards

Thank you


On Fri, 16 Oct 2020, 6:29 am kanini mutemi via kictanet, <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Hello Kelvin, 

Thank you for this timely discussion. Indeed the situation on the ground in as far as access is concerned is more dire than any official report states (vitu kwa ground ni different) 

On your question 1. Affordability comes down to cost vis-a-vis purchasing power. At its current cost, the Internet can only be a preserve for a certain economic class. This is partly due to the debilitating and punitive taxation regime on both Internet access and the devices themselves. 

Now if we were to make access to the Internet a zero rated service, bet there would still be a large percentage of people left behind because of affordability concerns. 

To upscale access, indeed the cost has to come down (remove excise duty on Internet access please) but also positive action from the government in terms of off-setting access/subsidizing access will be necessary. Eg community centers have always been a key way through which members of a community (think village) can access online services- imagine the impact if these community centers were to be fully funded so there’s free access at the grass roots level. 

More and more it’s becoming clear that the Internet is a basic fabric intertwining our society. Inequality in access means we’re cutting off the unconnected from modern society- a sad reality. 

On Fri, 16 Oct 2020 at 06:06, Kelvin Kariuki via kictanet <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
Happy Furahiday Listers! 

Inclusion is about ensuring those with limited or no access to the Internet, such as the unserved and underserved communities, as well as those for which the internet is not accessible due to gender, disability, digital literacy, affordability, or for any other reason, are now included and have equal opportunity to be meaningfully connected to the internet.


The inclusion track aims to engage the IG community on the issues, challenges, and solutions for the achievement of an equitable and inclusive Internet.


I invite your thoughts on how this can be achieved. Us we ponder on the below questions:

1. What factors should be considered when seeking to understand and tackle affordability issues, and how might improvements be made?

2. What strategies could be developed to promote (better) Internet access for women and girls, older people, people living with disabilities, refugees and other disadvantaged groups?

3. Within the evolving Digital Economy, how can we get the most contribution from the different actors of the Internet ecosystem?

4. How do we best equip the workforce of the 21st century with the necessary skills to take advantage of the new employment opportunities that will result from digital transformation? 

5.       How do we manage the social inclusion within the community affected with technology, as the ICT could bring the change in their social relation?

6. How can we ensure availability of affordable and appropriate digital devices to enable people hop onto the digital bandwagon?

7. What measures can be put into place to ensure that digital literacy is included within the basic curriculum in order to create a digitally literate population?

Feel free to continue with Day 1 and Day 2 conversations under their respective mails. Looking forward to your input on Inclusion Track!

Warmly,
Tr. Karis 
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