JKUAT eyes free laptop project with assembling plant

By Standard Digital Reporter

NAIROBI, KENYA: The Government’s promise for free Laptop per child in the primary schools has received a boost from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT), that has embarked on a programme to expand its existing computer assembly facility through partnership with Government and industry. 

The university has embarked on this ambitious project to be able to meet the demands and needs of transforming education in Kenya which has been advocated by the Government.  

Already, JKUAT is closely working with a consortium of partners that include Ministry of Education, Technology giants such as Microsoft and Samsung to assemble laptops locally at JKUAT‘s - Nairobi Industrial and Technology Park based in Juja.

“The university has resident technological know-how and would seek to partner with other intrested parties to make this dream of locally assembled devices a reality in the shortest time possible,”  The University’s Vice Chancellor Prof. Imbuga said  .

Prof. Imbuga pointed out that the free Laptop per child project would among other reasons promote innovation and integration of Technology in education, promote employment and wealth creation for the Kenyan people, as well as promote Public, Private Partnership (PPP).

JKUAT will work closely with Teachers Service Commission to accelerate capacity building of teachers, while in the local assembly project, JKUAT would inbuilt an e-waste management program to deal with environmental issues of the electronic waste that would originate from the project.

For some years now, JKUAT has been spearheading a computer assembly project –the Madaraka Computer initiative, as part of Vision 2030 flagship project funded by Ministry of Information and Communications and aimed at capacity building in Information Communication Technology (ICT) as well as assembling affordable computers that would be available to the public.