The stakes couldn’t be higher. Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) explicitly integrates digital literacy as one of the core competencies across all levels. Students are expected to use ICT tools for learning, problem-solving, creativity, and communication. Yet in many Northern secondary schools, students are nowhere near CBC ICT compliant. Empty labs mean no hands-on practice. Teachers struggle to deliver digital components. The result? A widening gap that threatens to leave an entire generation uncompetitive.
For students, digital inclusion is life-changing:
• It builds critical thinking, creativity, and problem-solving — skills that transcend exams and prepare them for a digital economy.
• It opens access to global knowledge, online resources, e-learning platforms, and even remote mentorship.
• It boosts confidence and future opportunities — from entrepreneurship and freelancing to STEM careers, tech innovation, and higher education.
• In a region with high youth unemployment and potential, digital skills can empower young people to solve local challenges, from climate smart agriculture to community health apps.
Without it, these students are years behind urban peers. National digital device programs have reached many schools, but utilization remains low in remote areas due to infrastructure gaps. We’re not just talking about being behind, we’re talking about risking a permanent underclass in the digital age. Digital exclusion perpetuates poverty, inequality and missed potential. Inclusion, on the other hand, fuels social mobility and national development.