Information Communication Technology (ICT) Authority CEO, Stanley Kamanguya, on Wednesday, August 30, explained how the government is encouraging the public to use free public WiFi for e-commerce.
He explained that ICT Authority deploys the G-Connect soko, an e-commerce portal, together with the public wifi to encourage traders to do business.
“As we deploy the public Wi-Fi, we also deploy for them an e-commerce portal called G-Connect soko where traders can go in, register and they can be able to upload their goods and services online and this instantly opens up a big market for them both in the localities and in other parts of the country.
Further, the CEO said they will onboard the Postal Corporation of Kenya so that once customers make and order and pay at G-Connect, they are able to get the delivery at their home.
Also, Kamanguya stated that they will ensure traders are able to learn about their products online by availing product specific information through the public Wi-Fi.
“If it is an agricultural market then those traders have access to information about their products, they can educate themselves and see what the country and world trends are around their products,” he said.
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In addition, he explained that they are training the youth, using public Wi-Fi around bus parks and open areas, to start looking for simple digital jobs that are available online.
Kamanguya said when the ICT Authority first deployed public Wi-Fi, most people used it for social benefits like communication and YouTube download.
However, he stated that this trend has changed due to the efforts by the Authority.
Accessing Public Wifi
In terms of identification, he explained that the government public Wi-Fi is called GoK public Wi-Fi.
Further, one can access for free in areas where it has been installed without any password or username.
To ensure security while accessing GoK Wi-Fi, Kamanguyo explained that they have a mechanism of creating awareness on cyber security threats.
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Furthermore, the ICT Authority has put in place measures from the backend to protect citizens using the public wifi.
“For us we never ask you for personal details, so if any public Wi-Fi asks for such information, which is not GoK public Wi-Fi,” he said.
Also, the CEO said the public Wi-Fi is separated from government operations to reduce risk of attacks into the operations of the government.
