Press Release: Pasha Call for Applications
Today, Kenya ICT Board and Family Bank have launched a Ksh 320 million loan
facility to support the establishment of Pasha Centres across the country.
This facility will finance Kenyan entrepreneurs willing to set up thePasha
Centres. Pasha Centres are internet access centres that will offer a rich
bouquet of services to the public.
Pasha Centers are modeled under three categories: Basic, Standard, and Advanced.
Each category is defined by the number of computers and services to be offered
and the scale of the Pasha Centre proposed by each applicant, but should include
a blend of the following: Internet access, computer training, vocational
training, ICT retail, access to government services, entertainment and gaming,
typing and data entry, printing services, copying and scanning, CD/DVD burning,
faxing, IP telephony, cell phones and SIM card sales, mobile-based financial
services, IT support and services, office supplies and stationary sales, printer
supplies, laminating and photography and other IT enabled services.
The centres, most of which will be in the rural areas will help deliver the
government’s objective of ensuring that Kenyans everywhere have access to the
internet , use it to access Government E-Services and improve their lives.
To apply for this loan, the Kenya ICT Board is inviting entrepreneurial Kenyans
from around the country to submit business plan proposals that demonstrate how
to build and run a successful Pasha Center. The best proposals will be offered a
low cost loan from Family Bank allowing the entrepreneurs to realize their dream
of owning a Pasha Center.
Applicants will be required to submit a compelling business plan as part of
their loan application. Together with our financial partners, Family Bank ,
Kenya ICT Board will award loans to entrepreneurs that will see one Pasha Centre
set up in each constituency countrywide within a year.
Important Dates
Call for Application: January 25, 2011
Deadline for Application: 25th February 2011
Budgets
Pasha Digital Villages Revolving Fund: USD 4 M
Training BudgetUSD 2M
Technical Support:USD 2 M
Bandwidth SupportUSD 2M
Number of Pasha Centres to be set up:
There will be one Pasha centre in each constituency – making 210 Centres in
total to be set up within the next year.
Project Objectives
The project has three objectives:
1.Provide affordable access and use of ICT resources to rural communities in a
sustainable way
2.Increase public accessibility to Government services by making these easily
accessible through the Pasha Portal. (E.g. KRA, Registration of Persons, Utility
payments, Company registration services, Police Abstracts, public service
Commission among others)
3.Create economic opportunities that will spur rural economic development
Background: What is a Pasha Center?
Pasha centers provide a suite of services to the public via computers connected
to the internet..
Role of Pasha Centers
To provide Kenyans in rural areas with access to information; the increased
access to information will serve to:
•Enhance business skills and knowledge in rural areas as well as expose rural
communities to world news and trends that maypositively enhance their lives
•Provide employment for Kenyans both directly through economic activity that
the centre will generate and secondarily through the opportunities that the
information will provide
•Bring online services closer to rural communities
Technical Support
The Kenya ICT Board will hire a consulting firm to provide online and on-call
support to Pasha Centers. The support will include troubleshooting, repair and
maintenance of equipment, support with software installation, support for LAN
and WAN installation, among other services.
Monitoring and Evaluation
The monitoring and evaluation (M&E) for the Pasha Centres is intended to assess
success of the digital village (DV) project. M&E segment will look at the
business success of the pasha entrepreneurs. The M&E will also assess impact and
sustainability of the centres, including the pasha centre’s contribution to
increased access to information and services to the public at the grass root level.
Estimated cost of the models
Type of PASHA
Apprx number of computers with Internet Access
Estimated Maximum Set Up Costs
(KES)
PASHA Basic
5 computers
KES 820,000
PASHA Standard
10- 18 computers
KES 2,553,000
PASHA Advance
20- 30 computers
KES 3,342,000
About the Pasha Loan
The Pasha Loan is made possible through a revolving fund set up by the Kenya ICT
Board (through World bank funding) and administered by Family Bank. The funds
allocated to each entrepreneur will be repayable over a three year period with
an interest rate of 11.5% p.a on the reducing balance. Entrepreneurs can use
the funds to finance set-up costs and or upgrading of an existing facility.
The revolving fund will be administered as follows:
Steps 01: A call for application shall be made by Kenya ICT Board for
prospective entrepreneurs to submit Pasha Loan applications
Step 2: Prospective entrepreneurs submit complete applications to the nearest
Family Bank branch
Step 3: Submitted applications are vetted by Family Bank and Kenya ICT Board’s
Grants Committee
Step 4: Successful entrepreneurs are informed and invited to sign a loan
agreement and Kenya ICT Board service level agreement
Step 5: Successful entrepreneurs begin loan repayment after a grace period of
three months
For more information:
Visit
www.pasha.co.keEmail:
pasha@ict.go.ke
Call: 020 – 2089061
Or
www.familybank.co.keEmail:
info@familybank.co.keCall: 020- 318 173
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