President Ruto says Kenya to manufacture smartphones worth less than Ksh.5K in the next year

Dr Ruto noted that the move, which he says will see Kenya boast of the cheapest smartphones in Africa, coincides with the government's plan of leveraging technology to make it efficient and effective.

The Head of State cited that making the country fully connected through technology is among the primary agendas of the Kenya Kwanza government and he has already set in motion talks with the telecommunication sectors on manufacturing cheap phones.

"The real last mile in technology is the gadget and already we are working with Telcos so that we can have a smartphone that is going to be less than Ksh.5,000 and that can do everything you want," said President Ruto.

"We want to see if we can get it to Ksh.3,654 ($30) or Ksh.4,872 ($40). I want to promise the country that in the next 8 to 12 months we will have the cheapest smartphone in Africa, manufactured in Kenya."

President Ruto was speaking at the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Annual General Meeting in Nairobi on Thursday.

He went on to add that he intends to have government services digitised to grant citizens the advantage of seeking services remotely.

This he said will move to 90% in the next 6 to 19 months from the current 15%.

"We have about 15% of government services on the digital platform. We plan to move 90% all government services on the digital platform. By God's grace, between 6 to 19 months, we will have moved 80% of all services onto the digital platform and ensure that you can access government services from the comfort of your home," said Ruto.

President Ruto added that the platform will also allow a seamless collection of taxes.

He said he plans to incorporate many more government projects into the digital space including the Superhighway and cut national expenditure.

"The concept of the superhighway is to make it cost-effective to work in the digital space. It is supposed to make sure the country is connected."