By Kassim Adinasi and Vincent Ogunde: President William Ruto today commissioned the Siaya Community Digital Hub in Bondo Town, which is the first community-based Business Process Outsourcing (BPO) center powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Speaking at the Siaya Digital Summit 2026, held at Bondo Township Primary School, the President positioned the region as a pioneer in the “Silicon Savannah’s” expansion into rural Kenya.

The facility, spearheaded by the Konza Technopolis Development Authority in partnership with the ICT Authority, has already absorbed its first cohort of 20 local youth.

These individuals will be trained on advanced AI platforms to manage international customer service operations across both web and voice channels.

“Kenya’s digital future will be built in every county and every ward,” President Ruto told the summit.

“Our responsibility is to ensure that communities everywhere have access to the infrastructure and skills they need to thrive.”

The hub’s AI technology features automated response generation and real-time interaction logging, allowing local youth to compete for high-end global outsourcing contracts from the heart of Siaya.

Creation of digital superhighway

The summit, themed around sustainable growth and the creative economy, also served as a progress report for the government’s National Digital Masterplan.

In attendance were Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy William Kabogo Gitau, ICT Permanent Secretary John Tanui, and the Chairman of the National Assembly’s ICT Committee, John “KJ” Kiarie (MP, Dagoretti South). They were joined by Konza Technopolis CEO John Paul Okwiri, Siaya Community Digital Hub CEO Tabitha Ogutu, and various content creators and journalists from the Nyanza region.

CS Kabogo lauded the hub as a vital cog in the national strategy to roll out 100,000 km of fiber optic cable.

“This is collaborative capacity building at the grassroots. We are preparing our youth to not just use, but maintain the infrastructure of the digital economy,” he stated.

Konza CEO John Paul Okwiri emphasized that the Siaya hub is part of a larger ecosystem linked to the Konza Digital Media City. “Digital hubs such as this play a critical role in nurturing innovation and providing young people with infrastructure, mentorship, and collaborative spaces,” Okwiri said.

Scaling Up

The facility is part of the Jitume Digital Hubs programme, which aims to establish 1,450 hubs across the country.

To date, 290 hubs are operational, serving over 400,000 young Kenyans in a country where 75% of the population is under the age of 35.

The impact was immediate for residents like Oliver Ogawa, one of the first 20 beneficiaries. “These skills give us the confidence to compete for digital jobs and generate income from wherever we are,” he said.

Beyond BPO services, the summit provided practical Huawei Certified ICT Associate (HCIA) training to 100 other youth, focusing on networking and infrastructure management.