The ICT Authority of Kenya is seeking to register all service providers within the ICT sector, in a move aimed at locking out bogus ICT service providers. This will take place through new Information Communication Technology regulations that will be out in two weeks.
The announcement was made by ICT Authority CEO Robert Mugo during the annual County Revenue Automation Conference in Mombasa as reported by Daily Nation. According to Mugo, Kenyan counties had lost millions of shillings by contracting fake ICT providers who got contracts after showing they could install ICT systems only for such systems to fail to operate. The CEO also noted that quacks have often masqueraded as ICT vendors in counties leading to both county governments and county assemblies awarding them with contracts.
The new regulations will seek to register all service providers under a professional body while those with a reputation as quacks blacklisted. The CEO lauded efforts made by counties in automation of revenue collection. At the same time, counties were urged to to increase their budgets for ICT from the current 1% to 5%.
In 2015, the authority announced it was creating ICT Road Maps for counties in Kenya to ensure the supply for e-government services is in tandem with broadband requirements. The ICT road map project kicked off in March 2015 and collected data on the status of each county as well as gathered information on planned projects in each county. This outlined among others infrastructure needs, broadband connectivity and e-government services. On the progress of county ICT road maps, Mugo said counties were making progress in the implementation of the same, where each county will between 2015-2020 follow a detailed ICT execution plan.
