President William Ruto has said Kenya will manufacture Africa’s cheapest smartphone in the next eight months.
Speaking during the Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI) Annual General Meeting (AGM) on Thursday, November 10, Ruto said the phone will be sold at below Ksh5000.
“The real last mile in technology is the gadget and already we are working with our Telcos so that we can have a smartphone that will go for less than Ksh5000. A smartphone that can do everything you want…”
“I want to promise the country that in the next eight to 12 months we will have the cheapest smartphone in Africa, manufactured in Kenya,” the Kenyan President said.
He also noted the phone will be the cheapest in Africa as at now the phones cost KSh 10,000-15,000.
“Today, the cheapest smartphone is about KSh 10,000 to KSh 15,000. We want to see whether we can get it to $30 or $40 (KSh 3,000 – KSh 5,000).
Ruto’s remarks come days after ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo visited Konza City where he announced that the government will take advantage of the city to manufacture cheap technonological gadgets.
“For us to roll out the fund, we need cheap but adequately IT-enabled devices. This is where Konza comes in.