This archive report was first published on 26 October 2019.
The introduction of the Competence-Based Curriculum (CBC) in Kenya's education system aims to make universities central to economic planning, a key reason for the phasing out of the 8-4-4 education curriculum.
One of the major criticisms of the 8-4-4 system is that it is too theoretical and does not allow learners to explore their talents, resulting in students becoming examination-oriented individuals.
On October 22, 2019, Moi University showcased its new products portfolio at the Nairobi Serena Hotel, featuring Desktops, Notebooks, and an All-In-One device.
The university has partnered with jp.ik, a Portuguese IT solutions firm, to assemble laptops, PCs, and tablets at its Rivatex Complex in Eldoret Town, with a capacity to produce 4,500 devices per day.
The assembly plant has invested over $5 million (Ksh500 million) and employs 100 people directly, with the potential to employ 300 people directly and 3,000 indirectly when production is at its peak.
Prof. Isaac Kosgey, Vice-Chancellor of Moi University, stated that the Digital Assembly plant has so far assembled 150,000 ICT devices for the Kenya Digital Literacy Program and 70,000 devices for the recent government census.
The plant's products, branded MU, are modern and made to appeal to a wide variety of users, with devices such as the MU Fortune Slim, MU Fortune Workbook, and MU Trigono V501.
Producing the gadgets locally will be a boon for the economy, as Kenyans will feel inclined to buy local products, and marks the strongest response yet to foreign brands like HP, Mac, Lenovo, Toshiba, Dell, and IBM.
Nick Broda, jp.ik's Head of Sales Worldwide, expressed confidence in the assembly plant's capacity to meet demand from local and regional markets.
However, there is the possibility that if not properly checked, MU's products might get outmuscled by cheaper imports, as the government maintains that Kenya is an open market and local products must compete with imports.
