A delegation from the British High Commission (BHC) and KICTANet presented an update on the “Strengthening Digital Communities” program to Mr. Arthur Odera, Deputy Governor of Busia County, who also serves as the County Executive Committee Member for Health & Sanitation.

The program, aimed at bridging the digital divide, has successfully trained 16,000 community digital champions in Busia and Mandera, with 8,000 completing the full curriculum. Notably, 3,000 digital community champions disseminated digital skills to 350,000 community members across eight sub-counties. Furthermore, over 2,000 entrepreneurs received advanced training in agripreneurship and digital marketing to enhance their business capabilities.

The program has injected 28 million shillings into the Busia County economy, directly supporting youth engagement and employment. “28 million has been spread across the county, among the youth, which for us, we believe that it supported this some form of engagement and employment of young people,” emphasized Mr. Charles Juma, UK-AID’s Digital Access Program Country Lead and Advisor.

The Deputy Governor was briefed on the program’s inclusive approach, which included targeted training for Persons with Disabilities (PWDs) in partnership with the Kenya Society for the Blind and Sign Media.

This initiative resulted in 344 PWDs in Busia gaining valuable digital skills, including those with visual and hearing impairments. The program also extended its reach to healthcare providers, facilitating training to improve communication with the deaf community and enhance healthcare accessibility.

“We’ve seen a lot of Deaf people who are involved now in the consumption of healthcare services at various county hospitals and sub-county hospitals,” stated Benson Kiptum, Head of Programmes at the Kenya Society for the Blind.

Monitoring and evaluation exercises were conducted by the BHC team across seven sub-counties—Butula, Funyula, Matayos, Nambale, Teso North, and Teso South—focusing on beneficiary feedback, safeguarding policies, fraud prevention, and direct citizen input.

A key discussion point was the program’s sustainability. The delegation requested continued government support and collaboration to ensure the program’s long-term impact. They also urged the county to consider increasing the budget for youth engagement programs. The upcoming International Women’s Day and KICTANet’s contributions were also discussed.

The Deputy Governor stressed the importance of continuous learning and advocated for a policy framework to guide budgeting and program activities.

Present at the meeting was Dr Grace Githaiga, CEO KICTANet, Mwendwa Kivuva, KICTANet, Ms Harriet Ratemo, Lynett Karemi, ICTA, Ms Anne Karanja (BHC), Mr Wandera Ndubi (BHC),  Ms Clementina Wamoto, Trainer,  Mr Luke Muluka Sign Media, Chief officer for sports and culture, Dennis Ngira, Director Youth Affairs, Meshack Tumaini and His Deputy, Emmanuel Juma among others.