2 Preamble The National ICT policy was last reviewed in 2006. Since then, the sector has experienced rapid technological advancement, changes to the legal and administrative framework and many emerging issues. The latter include increased IT enabled services, increased demand on bandwidth and for Quality of Service (QoS), challenges of cyber-security, integration projects and harmonization of ICT policies regionally and internationally. This policy is a product of an all-inclusive, participatory and consultative process. It is guided by the following principles; Putting ICT at the centre of the national economic agenda, Improving access to ICT especially broadband, efficient public service delivery and maintaining an open government, Putting the private sector first and Leveraging on ICT to promote Sustainable Development Goals. The main policy objectives are to (1) Create the infrastructure conditions for use of alwayson, high speed, wireless, internet across the country. Provide enabling infrastructure and frameworks that support the growth of data centres, pervasive instrumentation (Internet of Things), machine learning and local manufacturing whilst fostering a secure, innovation ecosystem; (2) Grow the contribution of ICT to the economy to 10% by 2030, by using ICT as a foundation to the creation of a more robust economy, providing secure income and livelihoods to the citizenry; (3) Leverage regional and international cooperation and engagements to ensure that Kenya is able to harness global opportunities; (4) Position the country to take advantage of emerging trends such as the shared and gig economy by enhancing our education institutions and the skills of our people, and fostering an innovation and start-up ecosystem that is able to lead on a global scale; and (5) Gain global recognition for innovation, efficiency and quality in public service delivery. Services will be delivered in a manner that ensures we have a prosperous, free, open and stable society. These objectives will be actualised through four thematic focus areas: Mobile first; which will ensure that every Kenyan can access inexpensive Internet and reasonable access to locally produced devices; Ministry of ICT, Kenya Market; designed to increase the overall size of the digital and traditional economy to 10% of GDP by 2030; Skills and Innovation; which outlines a careful plan designed to jumpstart a self supporting ecosystem that will produce world-class research, technology products and industries; Public Service Delivery; requires that all government services are available online, that every Kenyan has online access and that government services are delivered quickly and fully at the time and place that they are needed. The government will also continue to play its role in promoting broadcasting and telecommunication services through: provision of infrastructure to enable expansion of digital TV coverage in unserved and underserved areas; encouraging development of high quality, easily accessible, relevant local content; development of a National Language Policy to encourage use of local languages in developing content; ensuring that the radio frequency spectrum is managed in equitable and transparent manner with specific and clear conditions; encouraging sharing of infrastructure and enforcement of quality of services regulations to ensure availability of reliable services by service providers and realization of an effective postal and courier ecosystem to drive the development of ecommerce and the digital economy. The implementation of the policy will necessitate institutional reforms in some SemiAutonomous Government Agencies that will result in a more vibrant sector Finally, to implement this policy effectively, the current legal, institutional and regulatory framework will be reviewed and aligned to the strategic policy focus. A robust monitoring and evaluation system will be put in place to track its implementation and the reviews will be shared annually. Jerome Ochieng Principal Secretary for ICT and Innovation and for Broadcasting and Telecommunications 5/37 November-2019