Hundreds of young people in Bungoma County are accessing online jobs, digital skills training, and new income opportunities through the Government’s Jitume Digital Enablement Programme, as Kenya accelerates efforts to build a globally competitive digital workforce.
The Jitume Digital Enablement Programme, spearheaded by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy and implemented by the Technopolis Development Authority (formerly Konza Technopolis Development Authority), continues to expand access to digital infrastructure, digital literacy, and online work opportunities for youth across the country, through the establishment of Jitume Digital Hubs.
Bungoma County currently hosts nine Jitume Digital Hubs located in Kabuchai, Webuye West, Kimilili, Chemoge, Tongaren, and Kanduyi.
The hubs are equipping young people with practical digital skills, internet access, mentorship, and digital devices, enabling them to participate meaningfully in the growing digital economy and access online employment opportunities.
Youth beneficiaries at the Bungoma National Polytechnic Jitume Hub shared testimonies on how the initiative has transformed their lives by improving their employability, opening pathways to digital work, and enabling them to generate income through online opportunities and digital skills training.
Speaking during an engagement session with youth at the institution, Ruth Muriithi, Manager, Knowledge Economy and Innovation, said the programme is strengthening Kenya’s position in the global digital economy by ensuring young people are not left behind in the digital revolution.
“Kenya continues to rank among Africa’s leading countries in internet connectivity and digital innovation. Initiatives such as Jitume are critical in ensuring that young people at the grassroots level can access digital skills, online jobs, and technology infrastructure that empower them economically and position Kenya competitively in the global digital economy,” she said.
The Jitume Digital Literacy Initiative forms part of Kenya’s broader digital transformation agenda under the National Digital Masterplan 2022–2032, which seeks to position Kenya as a leading digital economy in Africa while supporting the Government’s target of creating one million digital jobs for Kenyans by 2032.
Since the programme was launched in 2023, nearly 350 Jitume Digital Hubs have been established across the country, with the National Government targeting the rollout of 1,450 hubs across all wards in the 47 counties.
To date, more than 240,000 young people have undergone digital skills training through the programme, while close to 92,000 digital job linkages have been created for Kenyan youth.
The initiative is playing a critical role in expanding access to technology in underserved communities, bridging the digital divide, and equipping youth with market-driven digital competencies required in a rapidly evolving global economy increasingly driven by Artificial Intelligence, automation, and online work platforms.
Jitume Digital Hubs are designed as community centres for digital empowerment, providing access to computers, reliable internet connectivity, digital literacy programmes, mentorship, innovation spaces, and online work opportunities.
The construction of Jitume Centres of Excellence in each county is currently underway, with an expanded scope to also accommodate innovators, creatives, and digital workers.
The Jitume Digital Enablement Programme is implemented collaboratively by the Technopolis Development Authority, the Communications Authority of Kenya, and the ICT Authority under the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, in partnership with the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).
