Kenya’s Senate Committee on ICT Visits Chemnitz Germany

Senators in Chemnitz
(l. to r.) Sen. Boy Juma, Rose Mudibo, Sen. Joy Gwendo, Sen. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr., Sen. Mutahi Kagwe, Amb. Ken Osinde, Sen. Prof. Wilfred Lesani.

The Senate committee on Education, Information and Technology, led by its Chair, the Senator of Nyeri, Mutahi Kagwe was visiting Germany this week.

The week long visit by the senators involved visits to research and educational institutions and discussions with the State Parliament in Saxony and the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK).

The week kicked of with the senators taking part in the “Africa meets Business” event organised by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry (IHK) in Chemnitz where they got to have one on one talks with business owners and potential investors.

During a visit to the cape I.T. GmbH which specialises in service management and open source services and products, Rico Barth, co-founder and managing director of capeIT GmbH said “We believe that open source software can be a forward-looking IT strategy for Kenya. The avoidance of proprietary traps, openness and cooperation are the cornerstones of sustainable economic and technological development”.Senators from Kenya in Cape IT GmbH

The senators visited the Fraunhofer Institute for Electronic Nano Systems (Frauenhofer Institut für Elektronische Nanosysteme ENAS) that focuses on research and development in the field of smart systems integration by using micro and nano technologies where they took part in a presentation on “Smart System Integration”.

At the Technical University of Chemnitz, Prof. Ing. Müller presented on the new age industries and how Kenya could implement some of those ideas.

While at the Bildungs-Werkstatt Chemnitz gGmbH, a training workshop that connects employers with the best apprentices, the Kenyan senators got an introduction to the German Dual Education System that has been prided as the reason behind the low youth unemployment rate in Germany.Kenyan Senators at Uni Chemnitz

Südsachsen Wasser GmbH, the main operator of the water works and piping systems in South Saxony, was also on the itinerary. With the senators being presented with the relationship between water and ICT and the correlation between the two sectors.

They also paid a courtesy call on the Office of the Ombudsman of the city of Chemnitz and took a tour of the endoscopy department of the Klinikum Chemnitz gGmbH.

The delegation included:

  • Mutahi Kagwe – Senator Nyeri County and Chair of the Committee
  • Dickson Karaba – Senator Kirinyaga County
  • Joy Gwendo – nominated Senator
  • Mutula Kilonzo Junior – Senator Makueni County
  • Boy Juma – Senator Kwale Count
  • Prof. Wilfred Lesan -Senator Bomet County
  • Rose Mudibo – Clerk to the Committee


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