Nairobi — The Kenyan government is turning to young entrepreneurs to help manage its growing network of public Wi-Fi hotspots, offering them a shot at earning a living while expanding internet access across the country.
Information, Communications and the Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary William Kabogo announced the plan on Tuesday, saying the initiative would involve up to 25,000 hotspots once fully rolled out.
In a live interview on a media station, Kabogo said 3,400 sites were already up and running. The goal, he added, is to complete the rollout within four years.
“We’re not just putting up Wi-Fi and walking away,” Kabogo said. “We’ve come up with a simple model that makes sense for everyone: we give local youth the responsibility to run and maintain the infrastructure, and in return, they’re allowed to charge a small fee about five shillings to keep the service going.”
The hotspots are being installed in high-traffic public spaces markets, matatu stages, and town centres places where reliable internet is still out of reach for many.
Kabogo described the project as a key part of President William Ruto’s digital agenda, which prioritises access to online services as a driver of job creation and economic inclusion.
In areas where the pilot is already in place, some users say the connection is a game-changer. “I can now download notes and send emails from the market without using bundles,” said Nancy Achieng, a college student in Kisumu. “Even five bob is better than spending 30 on data.”
But there are also questions about whether five shillings per user is enough to sustain maintenance, especially in rural or low-income areas. Others worry about the risk of service gaps if the youth managing the hotspots lack technical support.
Kabogo, however, said the model was being closely monitored and would be adjusted based on feedback from the ground.
“We’re not handing this over and disappearing,” he said. “Our teams will train and support the young people managing the networks. It’s about building a community-based solution.”
Beyond connectivity, the Ministry is also launching a public engagement portal, aimed at making government officials more accessible. The site, still under development, will allow citizens to interact directly with Cabinet Secretaries.
“We’ll have sessions where CSs spend one hour presenting what their ministries are doing and another hour answering live questions,” Kabogo said. “It’s time we opened up and listened more.”
The move follows growing frustration over what many see as a widening gap between government and the public. Critics have pointed to poor communication, delayed services, and lack of transparency in key ministries.
Whether these digital efforts will close that gap remains to be seen. But for now, the Wi-Fi project offers a signal quite literally that the government is trying a new way of doing things, one hotspot at a time.
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