Nairobi — Kenya will unveil its first locally made smartphones in the next two months as the government seeks to increase internet-enabled mobile phone penetration in the country.
ICT Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo said that the expensive cost of the devices has been a hindrance to digital inclusion.
The gadgets, which are assembled at the Konza Technopolis in Malili, Machakos County, will retail at Sh5,488 ($40), which is affordable compared to other big brands such as Samsung, among others.
“We are alive to the question of the affordability of ICT devices as a potential hindrance to the ability of citizens to exploit the full potential that this sector presents,” Owalo said.
“We have been actively engaging diverse stakeholders in the ICT and manufacturing sectors on the prospects of producing low-cost smartphones and lowering data costs,” added the CS.
However, the CS disagrees with revealing the company making the smartphones.
In 2013, 14 companies showed interest in setting up operations in the Konza City project, such as Chinese corporation Huawei and Safaricom, among others.