Upgrading vocational training and healthcare delivery in rural Kenya
(April. 2025) Think of vocational education, and the images that come to mind are likely of students getting hands-on training with computers, car engines, restaurant ovens, or whatever the tools are in the field they are training for. But vocational schools in Kakamega District in Western Kenya, it wasn’t the case. Students had to learn with books and their instructor only, lacking other key tools. For those learning digital skills, it was far from ideal.
Watch this video to get a better idea of the impact of the ITU-Huawei initiative on Kakamega.
“We have a total of 8 courses, all depending on ICT,” notes Caroline Khamete, Principal of Kakamega Polytechnic. “The Polytechnic had only three computers that were running across departments.” Three computers did not cut it at a school with hundreds of students.
Working with the International Telecommunication Union (a U.N. agency) and others, Huawei turned things around. Today, Kakamega benefit from much improved internet connectivity due to the activation of dark (unused) fiber that provides coverage to Polytechnic as well as local hospitals. Students have access to well-equipped IT labs. And it’s easier for doctors to provide remote consultation and for instructors to teach with the IdeaHub interactive smartboards that Huawei donated to the initiative, part of a commitment to bring connectivity to 120 unconnected people worldwide.
Principal Khamete posing outside her school.
This small but decisive step in Kakamega’s digital transformation journey has had a great impact. Student enrolment at Kakamega Polytechnic has grown from 465 students before installation of the network and setup of the ICT Lab to 743 regular learners. And student enrolment in Shianda Polytechnic increased from 400 in 2023 to 540 in 2024. Meanwhile, two hospitals in Kakamega County have received and are using IdeaHub smartboards to enhance staff training; they have also started to offer remote consultation service to patients, something that better network coverage makes possible.
All this is a far cry from how things were only a short time ago. “Kenya people did not like to interact with TVETs (Technical and Vocational Education and Training schools),” says Khamete. “They believed it was a home of failures because learning was very traditional.”
Internet connectivity and Huawei’s IdeaHub smartboards have boosted the effectiveness of on-the-job training at local hospitals
At the Malava County Hospital, Administrator Victor Oyugi has observed tangible improvements. During weekly refresher training session, “we used the projector, which was a bit difficult event to set up and to work with,” he recalls. “During medical education sessions, when they don’t have airtime, it used to be difficult for members of staff to access the internet.”
The Kakamega project is the result of collaboration by multiple global partners. It is part of the Partner2Connect initiative, launched by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) in line with the United Nations Secretary-General’s Roadmap for Digital Cooperation and the global goal of universal connectivity.
A typical road in Kakamega County
The overall objective of the initiative was to help countries recover from COVID-19 by “building back better with broadband” through reinforcement of their digital infrastructure and ecosystems and in order to remain resilient in times of hazards. In July 2021, the initiative launched the “Connect2Recover Research Competition” with funding from Huawei which sought to identify promising research proposals from around the world that would accelerate digital inclusion efforts for COVID-19 recovery.
A winning study by Strathmore University and Kenya’s Communications Authority led to the implementation of the smart education and smart hospital project in Kakamega. Huawei supported a detailed baseline assessment study from 5th-9th June 2023, and, subsequent implementation of the solution. The study team identified underserved communities in Kakamega that had access to dark fiber that could be “illuminated” to provide network access and then provided with smart screens and computers to make use of the high-speed connectivity.
In December 2024, an inauguration ceremony was held in the county to mark the extension of network coverage at local schools and hospitals as well as Huawei’s donation of IdeaHub smart displays. The event was graced by the presence of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and ICT Minister Margaret Ndung'u.
Dignitaries at the launch ceremony
Hon. Mudavadi observed that the upgrade of vocational schools will play a critical role in providing young people with digital skills, allowing them to benefit from the digital economy. He added that the new smart hubs will provide youth with employment opportunities as well as easy access to ICT education in the county.
“This is the opportunity to use technology to expand our businesses,” Mudavadi said, according to a report in the Kenya media outlet Citizen Digital. “The world of opportunities is right here in your devices. I reiterate the government’s commitment to integrate technology with our education system. Our commitment is to upscale e-learning in all learning institutions.”
Malava County Hospital Administrator Victor Oyugi putting the IdeaHub to good use
Also speaking at the event, Huawei Kenya’s Deputy CEO Steven Zhang stated that the initiative will contribute to the development of the country's digital economy. He explained that the move is part of Huawei's strategy to connect more people to the internet by the end of 2025.
"We promised we would connect 120 million extra people to internet access across the globe by December 2025. Today, I am very proud to share with you that Huawei has already exceeded this target 1 year early. By the end of October 2024, Huawei's ICT solutions have brought connectivity to 121 million people in rural areas of nearly 80 countries,” Zhang said.
