Govt Outlines Details of Tech-Themed Jamhuri Day & Scholarships

Kenya is set to witness the first-ever tech-themed national day celebration on Monday, December 12, during the 59th edition of the Jamhuri Day event.

President William Ruto’s communication office on Friday, December 9, issued a statement outlining key details of the celebrations and expectations. 

The theme for the national day celebration will be “Connect, Innovate and Inspire”, dedicated to promoting technological innovations and abilities of Kenyans in the field. 

According to the statement, there will be two days of high-level discussions on Saturday, December 10, and Sunday, December 11, featuring different innovators who participated in exhibitions held between Tuesday, December 6, and Thursday, December 7.  

President William Ruto (center) and Sports CS Ababu Namwamba (right) at the Kenya Innovation Week Expo on Tuesday, December 6, 2022

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State House

Senior government officials and cabinet secretaries are also expected to headline the two-day discussions on tech and innovations at the Kenyatta International Convention Center (KICC), Tsavo Hall. 

On Sunday, December 11, global tech leaders from various companies will join President Ruto in discussing various partnerships and opportunities for Kenyans in the domain. 

Later in the day, the tech leaders will meet innovators at the KICC for further engagement on pertinent issues regarding their field. 

On Monday, December 12, at the Nyayo Stadium, various interventions, including tech scholarships for those attending, will take centre stage in the fete. 

In addition, the government promised to introduce new forms of entertainment at the national event, different from the normal editions performed on such days.

However, the government did not divulge the particulars of what the entertainment will entail. 

The updates followed President Ruto’s announcement that national celebrations in the country will henceforth be aligned with relevant themes. While announcing the changes on Tuesday, December 6, Ruto officiated a week-long innovation exhibition at Sarit Center. 

He further committed to supporting innovation in the country by constructing enabling infrastructure, among other measures. 

“A startup bill will be taken to parliament in January so that we can have a startup fund to support innovation, and de-risk young people working on their innovation,” Ruto stated.

Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo (right) and ICT Principal Secretary Prof Edward Kisiang’ani address the press on December 7, 2022, at Nyayo National Stadium.

Ministry of Interior