Kenya commissions first software factory in Bomet

The software factory is part of the 19 flagship initiatives earmarked in the ten-year Kenya National Digital Masterplan that have been designed to accelerate Kenya’s digital transformation.

Speaking during the ground-breaking ceremony, ICT Cabinet Secretary Joseph Mucheru noted that upon completion, the software factory in Bomet will create employment opportunities Kenyan youth and spur the country’s economic growth.

“The commissioning of the software here in Bomet today reaffirms our commitment to implementation of the National Digital Master Plan that we launched in April this year that has without doubt shaped our discussions towards a transformed digital Kenya where technology plays a pivotal role in economic development. 

“As our priority investment towards strengthening ICT Infrastructure, we expect this software factory to create employment opportunities for over 100,000 software engineers who will be able to develop systems for the region as well as for the global market,” said Mucheru.

CS Mucheru added that the facility will ensure the development of ICT skills to match the emerging technology trends for economic growth, underscoring that digitization is a major instrument in leapfrogging all social economic development.

“Kenya has for a long time been known as Africa’s Silicon Savannah. Living up to this expectation, we aim to empower a vibrant community of software engineers willing to find real solutions to real challenges for economic growth. This factory will therefore play a big role in sparking innovation to meet Kenya’s future challenges,” added Mucheru.

“Our choice of this location is informed by the high number of talented ICT experts who hail from the Mulot area in Bomet County. I therefore believe with the establishment of this facility; we will be able to tap into more talents from here and also across the Lake basin economic bloc counties,” Mucheru added.

The factory is being built in partnership with private sector investors under public-private partnership arrangement and comes at a time Kenya has been positioning itself as a regional technology hub and a destination for multinational tech giants as well as global venture capital firms who are pouring millions into local startups.

Google recently became the third company to set up a hub in Nairobi within the past three months, after global digital payments giant Visa and American tech powerhouse Microsoft.

Additionally, Kenya and Uganda were last month ranked among 15 African countries whose financial, health and climate-linked start-ups have the biggest impact potential in Africa.