It was a promise that captured imaginations and dominated campaign rallies: free Wi-Fi in Kenya’s markets and open spaces.
President William Ruto’s 2022 pledge to install 25,000 public hotspots was billed as a game-changer for small traders, boda boda operators, and youth looking for affordable internet.
Three years later, that vision remains largely unfulfilled. The promise of free internet has become a symbol of political disillusionment—another campaign vow lost in the fog of economic realities, shifting government priorities, and growing public frustration.
Digital dream
Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza manifesto positioned free WiFi as a key pillar of economic inclusion. The plan was ambitious: blanket Kenya’s public spaces with internet connectivity to bridge the digital divide, especially for mama mbogas, students, and informal sector workers.
In November 2022, former ICT Cabinet Secretary and Deputy Chief of Staff in the Executive Office of the President, Eliud Owalo, launched a pilot project at Nairobi City Market tied to a Ksh38 billion budget. The initiative promised to accelerate e-commerce, spur innovation, and connect the country’s underserved regions. During Madaraka Day in May 2023, Ruto claimed 48 hotspots were live, vowing that the rollout was well underway.
The plan mirrored successes in countries like Rwanda, where public WiFi has helped grow digital economies. In Kenya, where over 45 million people own mobile devices, the move made sense. Data costs remain high—especially for the millions of Kenyans hustling in informal sectors—so free access felt like a lifeline.
Early reports from outlets like Tuko.co.ke painted an optimistic picture. Traders and youth in informal settlements looked forward to learning new skills, marketing goods online, and participating in the broader digital economy without breaking the bank.
Economic woes
So, why did the project stall?
The short answer: Kenya’s worsening economy forced the government to shift focus. According to the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), public debt crossed 70% of GDP by 2024, squeezing national resources. Global inflation, a weakening shilling, and fallout from the June 2024 anti-tax protests—where at least 50 people died, according to Human Rights Watch—forced the government into crisis management mode.
The Ksh38 billion set aside for digital infrastructure started competing with healthcare needs, fuel subsidies, and post-protest recovery. Reports suggest that parts of the WiFi budget were quietly redirected to stabilise urgent sectors, though no official statement has confirmed this.
Technical hurdles also slowed progress. The Kenya Digital Economy Acceleration Project promised 100,000 km of fibre-optic cable to connect 1,450 wards by 2028, but installation has lagged. Hotspots in markets like Gikomba, Kariobangi, and Kisumu’s Jubilee Market are either inconsistent or completely non-operational.
Meanwhile, whispers of corruption have emerged. Critics have questioned how the initial Ksh38 billion was spent. While no formal court cases have been filed, the lack of transparency has fuelled public suspicion.
The Afrobarometer 2024 survey reported 67% of Kenyans disapprove of the government’s economic management. Free WiFi—once a feel-good tech promise—has become a shorthand for broken commitments.
For ordinary Kenyans, the failure is more than political theatre—it’s personal. Market traders still spend an average of Ksh 50 per day on data, according to KNBS. For those earning slim margins while juggling rising costs of unga (Ksh 150 per 2 kg) and fuel (Ksh 180 per litre), this cost is a daily burden.
Students and job seekers in rural areas continue to face limited access to online learning and remote work opportunities. This undermines Ruto’s larger promise of creating 4 million jobs through a digital economy.
Missed moment
Globally, free internet access has proven transformative. In Rwanda, Kigali’s Innovation City, powered by public WiFi, has attracted startups and reduced poverty rates by 5% since 2018, according to regional reports.
Kenya, once dubbed the “Silicon Savannah”, had the tools to follow suit. With innovations like M-Pesa and mobile banking leading the continent, public WiFi could have supercharged the tech ecosystem. Instead, the digital divide has widened, leaving low-income Kenyans struggling to keep up.
Community-led initiatives like solar-powered internet kiosks in rural areas are filling some gaps. However, these efforts lack the scale of a national programme.
Will the promise be revived?
Ruto has, however, announced that the government aims to install 25,000 public WiFi hotspots by 2027 to ensure a digital revolution in the country.
Speaking during the EU-Kenya Business Forum 2025 at the Ole Sereni Hotel in Nairobi on Monday, May 12, 2025, he revealed that the initiative is through the last-mile fibre connectivity programme.
“We are rolling out a last-mile fibre connectivity programme aiming to install 100,000 kilometres of fibre optic cable and 25,000 public WiFi hotspots by 2027 to ensure no part of Kenya is left behind in the digital revolution,” he stated.
Experts argue that the first step toward rebuilding trust is transparency. A public audit of the KSh 38 billion allocation could clear doubts and lay the groundwork for a revised, realistic rollout plan.
For now, the dream of free WiFi in Kenya’s markets stands as a cautionary tale—a bold promise derailed by economic storms, political distractions, and the complex realities of governance. Whether it will be revived or quietly shelved remains to be seen. But for many Kenyans, the hotspots are silent, and so is the government.
