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Itumbi: Why I’m a deserving recipient of the Head of State Commendation


Dennis Itumbi says he was awarded Head of State Commendation (HSC) for ‘attempting’ to connect free internet in Nakuru town.

The renowned blogger, who maintains he still operates from State House, has further said he was recognized by President Uhuru Kenyatta following his idea to introduce social media communication to all government ministries to enable them to communicate directly with the public.

Itumbi spoke on Sunday during an interview on the Punchline show which is aired on K24.

“This (award) was my boss just saying ‘Dennis, well done. The issues (which led to my consideration for this award) were two. One was the attempt to connect Nakuru to free wifi and the second one was introducing a digital infrastructure for government and that was both human and physical,” Itumbi said.

Itumbi went on to state that the attempt to install wifi in Nakuru was a temporary initiative that didn’t quite work, adding the success of it all was that ‘no public funds were used’.

“There was a contract with the County Government of Nakuru (about the wifi) then, for two years, the wifi worked in some places and didn’t work in other places. By the way, it was done without using public money so in essence, it was a good attempt,” he explained.

Itumbi was among several Kenyans who were awarded the Head of State Commendation (HSC) in 2017, sparking public debate over their suitability for the state honours.

Others are controversial blogger Robert Alai, gospel artiste Ben Githae of the infamous Jubilee Party campaign anthem Tano Tena, Martin Kimotho aka Githeri Man and TV journalist Jackie Maribe.