By Eddah Waithaka
Huawei Kenya equipped 200 young people from Wajir East with critical digital skills yesterday, graduating the latest cohort from its flagship DigiTruck programme at the ICT Hall in a ceremony that underscored the transformative power of technology access in underserved communities.
Principal Secretary for the State Department for Culture, the Arts & Heritage Ummi Bashir, CBS, presided over the event alongside Wajir East MP Aden Daudi and the Wajir County Commissioner.
The graduates completed an intensive six-week training programme designed to open doors to digital opportunities in a region where such access remains limited.
PS Ummi Bashir urged the graduates to view their new competencies as direct pathways to financial independence.
“The skills you have acquired over the past six weeks are not just training outcomes, they are economic opportunities,” Bashir said.
“What you have learned through the DigiTruck programme equips you to earn a living, secure employment, or even create jobs for others. As we move deeper into a digital world driven by technology and social media, these skills are essential for meaningful participation in today’s economy.”
The programme, which operates through a solar-powered mobile classroom, delivers hands-on training in basic ICT literacy, online safety, digital productivity tools, entrepreneurship, and data privacy.
Implemented in partnership with the Ministry of Gender, Culture and Children Services and the Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy, the DigiTruck meets communities where they are, eliminating the barrier of distance.
Hon. Aden Daudi praised the initiative for breaking down longstanding obstacles to opportunity for local youth.”The commitment shown by these trainees demonstrates the value of investing time in digital skills,” Daudi noted.
“This programme has removed barriers that once limited access to opportunity, especially for young people who relied solely on mobile phones. Digital literacy is no longer optional; it is a foundation for empowerment and economic inclusion.”
For many graduates, the training delivered immediate, practical results. One beneficiary described how the programme rapidly expanded their horizons.”The digital training programme transformed my skills in just ten days,” the graduate shared.
“I learned how to operate a computer and gained essential digital literacy, which has opened up new opportunities for me. Previously, relying only on my phone limited what I could do, but now I can confidently apply for scholarships and access opportunities that were out of reach before.”
The Wajir East graduation marks a significant milestone for the DigiTruck initiative, making Wajir the 40th county to benefit from the programme. With this cohort, Huawei Kenya has now trained 9,000 young people nationwide.
Yuta Leng, Director of Public Affairs at Huawei Kenya, reaffirmed the company’s dedication to driving Kenya’s digital transformation agenda through continued partnership with the government.
“Huawei is pleased to partner with the Government of Kenya to train young people in Wajir County in ICT skills, data privacy, and data protection,” Leng said.
“Through initiatives like DigiTruck, we are ensuring that every community has the skills needed to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.”
Huawei Kenya plans to extend the DigiTruck programme to all counties across the nation, reinforcing its commitment to digital inclusion, youth empowerment, and national development.
