Nakuru town in Kenya becomes the third city in Africa to roll out free wifi after Kigali in Rwanda and Tshwana in South Africa
According to a tweet sent on January 8th by @PSCU_Digital together with @NakuruCountyGov & Liquid Telekom, stated that Nakuru town was now connected to #FREEWIFI.
https://twitter.com/PSCU_Digital/status/553220715831623680
Wifi equipment has been installed at 38 location within the Central Business District and residents have been asked to test the connection and give feedback.
The project that was launched in March 2014 was spearheaded by State House director for Digital communication Dennis Itumbi together with Nakuru Governor Kinuthia Mbugua’s office.
The project initially faced several challenges. A suit was filled against the Nakuru County government by civil society group, Counties Efficiency in Development (Cedev), the Rift Valley Law Society of Kenya, and Nakuru town East MP David Gikaria shortly after its launch. They called for accountability of the tendering process that led to the selection of the contractor in charge of the project.
Two wifi signals named ‘Bilawaya’ and ‘Liqwifi’ are available for internet connection. Mike Githinji, an entrepreneur who runs an computer repair shop at Cigma House says the free wifi is a big boost to business because it cuts costs. He also noted that they will be an increase in sales of smart phones and electronic devices with wifi capability.
Nakuru town continues to evolve from a traditional farming town to a diverse business environment.
The county government has asked residents to test the wifi connection and give feedback @PSCU_Digital and @NakuruCountyGov.
