Why Kenya's digital future should be built in all our 47 counties

Young people are earning income online. Farmers are accessing better markets. These are early but powerful signals of what county-led digital transformation can achieve. [iStockphoto]

Kenya has made impressive strides in digital connectivity. Fibre cables span the country, smartphones are widespread, and thousands of young people have completed digital skills programmes.

Yet as stakeholders gathered at the Connected Africa Summit 2026, a harder question demands attention: are these gains translating into real economic opportunity? The answer is no.