Cabinet Secretary for ICT, William Kabogo, has enlisted the help of a daring and articulate Kiambu Gen Z who took to his inbox to sharply criticize the non-functioning free Wi-Fi hotspots he had installed across the area.
Taking to his Facebook page on Thursday, January 30, 2025, Kabogo posted photos of himself with the youth, who goes by the name Kennedy Maina, and praised him for his boldness.
Kabogo also included a screenshot of the messages Kennedy had sent him, which sharply criticized the Wi-Fi hotspots he had implemented in the county as non-functional.
In the messages, Kennedy remarked that he had been following the CS’s comments on television regarding the Wi-Fi hotspots in markets before pointing out that while they existed in structure, they didn’t serve any practical purpose.
“Hello, sir. My name is Maina, and I’m from Kiambu County. We’ve seen and heard you talk about the free Wi-Fi hotspots in markets that the government set up a while back. Unfortunately, they exist in structure, but they are all non-functional.”
Kabogo hires Kennedy
While sharing the post, Kabogo emphasized that Kennedy did not just criticize his project but also brought a solution to the shortcomings, which is why he decided to hire him.
Kabogo noted that Kennedy’s idea was so brilliant that when he presented it to him, he hired him on the spot.
Pay Wi-Fi
The idea Kennedy presented to Kabogo was an advanced system designed to allow users of public Wi-Fi or Wi-Fi hotspots to use them based on a pay-as-you-use model.
The system operates as an SME Internet Service Provider (ISP), which bridges the gap between residential Internet plans—often too basic—and large enterprise solutions that are typically too costly, providing businesses with the connectivity they need to thrive.
In the messages Kennedy had sent to the CS, who had recently become the subject of town gossip over claims that he would shut down the internet, Kennedy told him that he had a proposal to improve his failing project and was confident it would work.
“I have a proposal on how they can be made functional at a subsidized fee for the…” Kennedy’s message read though the CS didn’t share the full content.
While sharing the news of Kennedy’s hiring, Kabogo stated with no doubt that this would be the project they would pilot as a ministry because it was both progressive and innovative.
He added that it would also help open up opportunities and create more jobs for the youth.
“One of Kenya’s youth, Kennedy Maina, reached out and challenged me in the digital space. ‘Kusalimiwa Positively.’ Impressed by his boldness, I gave him an instant appointment. He amazed me with his startup, a pay-as-you-use public Wi-Fi system as an SME ISP. His idea challenges the government’s public Wi-Fi approach. As a Ministry, we will pilot his progressive innovation and idea, and by this, we aim to create more jobs for our youth,” Kabogo shared.
Leave a Reply