Key stakeholders from national and county governments, alongside international tech advocates, convened at the Weston Hotel this week for a high-level coordination meeting aimed at accelerating digital learning and innovation in Kenya’s frontier regions.
The meeting, organized by the Frontier Counties Development Council (FCDC) in partnership with the Raspberry Pi Foundation (RPF), brought together the Ministry of Education’s ICT Directorate, Regional and County Directors of Education, and County Executive Committee Members (CECMs) for Education.
According to a summary note of the event seen by PNTV Africa, the primary goal was to forge a unified strategy to implement and scale successful computing education initiatives.
The agenda focused on three critical areas: the dissemination of key national education policies, including the emerging AI policy; showcasing the tangible impact of the ongoing FCDC-RPF partnership; and strengthening the collaboration framework between national and county levels of government to ensure effective implementation.
In a powerful address, Mandera Governor and FCDC Chair, Mohamud Ali, framed the meeting as a direct benefit of devolution, highlighting a transformative shift in opportunity for previously marginalized regions.
“A research that was recently released was showing that these neglected areas are the fastest-growing economies today,” Governor Ali stated.
“People take devolution for granted. If it were not for devolution, this and many other opportunities would not be possible. Today, we are in charge of our programs in our counties.”
He emphasized the newfound agency of the counties, noting, “Partners are coming to us directly now and they are giving opportunities to people who had been perceived as unproductive and therefore did not deserve any attention from the national government.”
The partnership between FCDC and the Raspberry Pi Foundation has been central to building digital capacity in the region.
The meeting served as a platform to showcase the intervention's success in advancing computing education and fostering digital innovation among students and teachers.
However, challenges remain. Peter Wairagu, a representative from the Raspberry Pi Foundation, pointed to a critical gap in teacher preparedness, stating, “Most teachers are not trained on how to integrate ICT in their teaching,” underscoring the need for targeted professional development as a core component of scaling efforts.