President William Ruto has announced that the government of Kenya has partnered with Google to set up a total of 25000 free government of Kenya website, the Youtube Black Voices is a fund designed to grow the presence and talent of black content creators across the world including Kenya.

“I appreciate Google’s effort in enhancing the digital superhighway and creative economy pillar of our transformational agenda. In particular, for your support for our plan to provide free WiFi hotspots across the country,” the president remarked.

He added that ‘over 90 government institutions including TVETS, hospitals and law courts will also be connected to the internet imminently. According to Ruto, ‘the move is also aimed at creating opportunities for content creators to make a living.

The head of state also noted ‘ the exponetial growth of Youtube channels in the country. “The number of Youtube channels with over 1M views has grown by 110% in the last year, proving our capacity for content generation is enough to generate livelihoods and become an economic sector,” Ruto announced.

Empty promises?

This promise by Ruto is not new to many Kenyans, since in the June 2022 during the launch of Hustler Fund in Kiambu County, he promised Kenyans that every household will have access to free data.

According to Ruto, then, the free data was meant to reduce the cost of internet and facilitate business which he said ‘highly depends on communication.’ In his address, the head of state also promised that ‘Kenyans will enjoy making calls without charges’.

“Watu wengi wanahangaika na bundles…pale sokoni, kupiga simu hautahitaji bundles, kwa sababu vile tunatengeneza barabara ya kupeleka mali yetu, lazima tuwe na barabara digital ya serikali ili usilipishwe kutumia barabara, unalipishwa kile kitu umenunua,” Ruto said.

“Biashara katika masoko yenu, simu utakuwa unapiga free of charge, simu haitakuwa inakatika kwa sababu sasa tutakuwa tumedeploy internet,” Ruto promised.

A year after the said promise and as Kenyans continue to wait for the free data and calls, Ruto has now announced that Google is helping to set up the free WiFi hotspots.

The difference in the two promises however, is that Google will take part in the recently announced plans, but the ‘free data and calls’ was to be implemented locally ‘ like the Last Mile Connectivity program (Electricity connectivity) which was implemented by former government’.

“The same way we implemented the last mile of electricity, now we will do a last mile of internet. Tutatumia kila nyumba, kila soko, kila shule mahali kuna stima ya grind pia sasa tutaweka last mile,” Ruto explained.

Ruto on Ksh38M internet plan

During his address last year, the Kenya Kwanza Coalition leader, announced that the internet connectivity program would cost a total of Ksh38M.

“We have done the arithmetic of the program and we will require about Ksh.38 billion, to enable us to push the internet to every household,” he said.

Just as he stated in his ‘25000 free WiFi hotspots’ announcement’ that the youth will benefit from the internet through ‘content creation which can be a source of livelihood’, Ruto also stated during the launch of Hustler Fund, that the free data access would help youths to do business online.

““Vijana wataweza kuendeleza online business free of charge.” Ruto said in June 2022, during the Hustler Fund launch in Kiambu County. However, to date, the promise of ‘free data access for very household and the free calls’ remain unfulfilled.