[{"bbox": [85, 153, 341, 184], "category": "Section-header", "text": "## 2.2 Problem Analysis"}, {"bbox": [95, 255, 1099, 283], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Short problem analysis 1: digital connectivity gap: only a fourth of Kenyans have access to the Internet"}, {"bbox": [95, 307, 1158, 574], "category": "Text", "text": "High inequality prevails and poverty remains stagnant at 36% of the population in Kenya. The Gini coefficient went from 47% in 2005/06 to 40% in 2015/2016. There is also wide variation in inequality across counties, with rural areas, poor, and arid and semi-arid counties hit worst. In the social domain, there are disparities in access to ICT which constitute a key disadvantage in accessing the job market. Gender inequality is persistent and particularly in digital skills. In the labour market, a larger proportion of women and young people, particularly those with disabilities or other disadvantaged women and youth, do not have access to decent jobs. Earnings inequality is higher than inequality of real per capita consumption expenditure, which indicates that the labour market could be contributing more to inequality. Inequality between men and women is widespread. There is high and widening inequality in access to higher education, while representation of women on various legislative bodies is still very low. Men have higher labour force participation rates and higher earnings, and they own more assets than women.⁴"}, {"bbox": [95, 599, 1158, 733], "category": "Text", "text": "Geographic differences are pronounced across the country with 17% of rural populations using the Internet once a week compared to 44% in the urban population. Inequality also correlates with access to digital services. Access to digital services will increasingly be determinant for social inclusion. As only 22.6% of the population has full Internet access, extending connectivity to underserved areas, namely those not commercially viable, needs to be a public priority."}, {"bbox": [95, 758, 1158, 836], "category": "Text", "text": "Only 56% of all secondary schools have ICT equipment and only 12% have Internet access of which 41% depends on mobile broadband and only 1% fixed broadband. More than 50% of schools and health care centres remain unconnected."}, {"bbox": [95, 864, 1158, 919], "category": "Text", "text": "Deepening in the digitalisation only for populations already connected can worsen such inequalities. The 'digital connectivity gap' must be bridged first as a prerequisite to further develop inclusive digital services."}, {"bbox": [95, 944, 1158, 1077], "category": "Text", "text": "GoK is advancing but still struggling in mobilising the financing for delivering the required additional digital infrastructure to facilitate access and connectivity (e.g. cable and wireless coverage, and fixed or mobile workstations). CoViD-19 has made it even more urgent to reach out to schools and health facilities such that underserved populations no longer lag behind. There is also an issue of 'resilience' and security of the digital infrastructure such as the few national data centres making most of Kenya Internet reliant on data stored abroad."}, {"bbox": [95, 1103, 1140, 1158], "category": "Section-header", "text": "### Identification of main stakeholders and corresponding institutional and/or organisational issues (mandates, potential roles, and capacities) to be covered by the action:"}, {"bbox": [95, 1183, 235, 1208], "category": "Section-header", "text": "**Duty bearers:**"}, {"bbox": [95, 1209, 1158, 1263], "category": "Text", "text": "-Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs (duty bearers) is the orchestrator of mobilising the investments required for digital infrastructure. They struggle in mobilising the required investment."}, {"bbox": [95, 1262, 1160, 1316], "category": "Text", "text": "-State Department for Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) from the Ministry of Education, and its Semi-Autonomous Government Agencies (SAGas)"}, {"bbox": [95, 1315, 1158, 1369], "category": "Text", "text": "-EIB intends to present to its board a EUR 35 000 000 sovereign loan for building core fibre infrastructure and to develop GoK's capabilities in mobilising both public and private financing based on its toolkit."}, {"bbox": [95, 1368, 1158, 1554], "category": "Text", "text": "-Unicef is leading the Giga project connecting schools to the Internet and providing educational services in Kenya. By the end of 2021, 110 schools were connected to the Internet and collectively they reach an estimated 42 000 learners and teachers across every geographical region of Kenya. This work leverages government investment in digital learning with more than 1 million tablets distributed to public primary schools, allowing learners and teachers access to updated digital content from the Kenya Education Cloud. Unicef completed the process of setting up Long Term Agreements (LTA) with partners to scale the connectivity work further and generate a **blueprint costing** for the entire country at the constituency level. The blueprint is being used to connect an additional 154 public schools"}, {"bbox": [85, 1595, 1141, 1647], "category": "Footnote", "text": "⁴ EU-AFD Research Facility on Inequality (2021). Inequality in Kenya: Trends and Policy Responses. December 2020 – No. 18 | EU-AFD Research Facility on Inequalities. https://www.afd.fr/en/ressources/inequality-kenya-trends-and-policy-responses"}, {"bbox": [1038, 1681, 1143, 1706], "category": "Page-footer", "text": "Page 8 of 31"}]