The County Connectivity Project in Kenya aimed to provide last-mile connectivity to government offices in 47 Kenyan counties in order to link them to a centralized network and enable efficient e-government services. The Unify/Soulco Projects consortium implemented an IP telephony infrastructure including a communications platform, telephone sets, and wireless routers. This improved access to services across counties in line with Kenya's new constitution. The project faced challenges expanding its scope to connect all counties but was successful through flexible solutions and partnerships between the Kenyan government and Belgian organizations.

1. Success Story
Technology bolsters the transfer of
power in Kenya
The County Connectivity Project, managed by Unify
and Soulco Projects is laying the foundation of a new
e-government strategy in the Republic of Kenya, part of
a constitutional imperative to devolve governmental power
to 47 counties.
The Task
Improved access to government
services is one benefit of Kenya‘s
new 2010 constitution written to
guide the devolution of its central
government. Under new terms
and revised structure, Kenya’s 47
counties will provide equal access
to government services to all its
citizens. To enable this, each county
will require secure connections
to Kenya‘s National Optical Fiber
Backbone Infrastructure (NOFBI),
which will in turn require a voice
and data IP network and IP telephony
infrastructure throughout the
entire country.
The Solution
The Unify/Soulco Projects
consortium has provided:
• OpenScape 4000 platform with
OpenScape Video
• 5,500 OpenStage 20 telephone sets
• Wireless Outdoor Routing
Protocol radio systems connecting
to the NOFBI
• Secure Enterasys data components
for WAN/LAN applications
• Financing according to
Organization for Economic
Cooperation and Development
(OECD) procedures of the Belgian
government.
The Benefits
The Project will provide all citizens
with equal access to high-quality
public services, in line with Kenya’s
new constitution. When the necessary
ICT infrastructure is in place, all
county governments will be linked
to the Central Administration
providing more efficient, relevant and
accessible interactive services. The
last-mile County Connectivity Project
leverages Kenya’s terrestrial 5,500 km
NOFBI. It’s an important step towards
transitioning Kenya from a highly
centralized government to a devolved
government system.

2. 2
At the end of 2011, the Kenyan
e-Government Directorate (the
government’s strategic ICT
advisor) reported the telephony
infrastructure in all counties to
be in serious disarray. Only 59%
of the existing voice PABXs were
operational and none had external
PSTN routing; no maintenance was
being carried out; PABX rooms
were dilapidated; and there was
no centralized approach for
WAN/LAN infrastructures.
At that time, the Unify/Soulco
Projects consortium began the
County Connectivity Project to
provide last-mile connectivity to
government offices in 29 Kenyan
counties. The aim was to link
approximately 5,500 users in a real-
time IP-based voice network.
Soulco Sales Director and Member
of the Board, Jan De Keuster, was
involved from the beginning. “We
had a strong team with a ‘never-give-
up’ mentality. Financially, the Belgian
authorities backed our proposal,
and we combined a robust technical
solution with local and Belgian
support. Our proposal included three
years’ maintenance ensuring service
continuity. Under its terms, Unify
experts provide high-tech third-level
maintenance. Last but not least,
we have put a ‘train-the-trainer’
program in place to assure capacity-
building. Our customers’ staff will
be trained, guaranteeing that all
counties – including Nairobi - will
have their own technical support
capability to manage the
infrastructure locally.”
Getting inside the customer’s
mindset
Belgian Ambassador Bart Ouvry was
closely involved in the negotiations.
“The main challenge is to ensure
public services in all counties are
of high quality and in tune with
federal legislation. You need to link
up county governments with the
central administration so that more
efficient, relevant and accessible
interactive services can be offered on
a sustainable basis.”
“The Unify/Soulco Projects
consortium got inside the customer’s
mindset,” the Ambassador
continues. “We worked together
before the devolution scheme was
decided. Since then, the project
dramatically changed. We showed
our willingness to embrace this
evolution by attending local
meetings and working closely with
the e-Government Directorate and
county governments.”
IP platform provides more
efficient, reliable public service
The project addresses the
constitutional duty to provide equal
municipal services throughout
the country, which satisfies the
Office of the President, explains
Dr. Katherine Getao, ICT Secretary
of the e-Government Directorate.
“Regardless of where in the country
Kenyans live, they should receive the
same quality of services. According
to the Vision 2030 charter, Kenya will
become a middle-income country
with a high standard of living.
“We have challenged each
other along the journey
to achieve our goals, and
this has led to a friendship
between us; one which will
inspire new opportunities in
the future.”
– Dr. Katherine Getao, ICT Secretary of
the e-Government Directorate, Office
of the President, Republic of Kenya
ICT facilitates government
change in Kenya
The communications project addresses a constitutional duty
to provide equal municipal services nationwide. “Regardless
of where in the country Kenyans live, they should receive
the same quality of services,” says Dr. Katherine Getao,
ICT Secretary of the e-Government Directorate.

3. 3
We must provide services that bring
dignity and quality to our people.
The County Connectivity Project
clearly supports this objective.” It
also will drive economic growth.
“With the new IP network, our
antiquated telephony system is in
the past,” says Thomas O. Odhiambo,
Senior Assistant Director of the
e-Government Directorate, Office
of the President. “Centralized
monitoring over IP lets us properly
manage all the new equipment
installed.”
Once the project was underway,
Office of the President staff
understood its role in achieving a
devolved government. “The project’s
scope then changed,” says Dr. Getao,
who joined the President’s Office
when the original project was already
in roll-out. Dr. Getao has prioritized
the constitution’s implementation
through ICT to deliver public services
to all Kenyans, and to achieve the
country’s Vision 2030. “We are now
developing a private cloud-based
system to provide a wide range of
services. The project has grown as
our national aspirations have risen.”
Thomas Odhiambo has witnessed the
project’s growth from the beginning.
“For example, obtaining a national
ID card before required a paper
form to be submitted to the district
commissioner, which was then
physically transported to Nairobi.
Officials typically bundled such
forms in one dispatch which further
delayed them. Once at the capital,
the form had to be processed further,
and papers often got lost. Now, local
authorities instantly display the form
on the government server, insert the
citizen’s data, electronically transmit
the request and even track its status.”
Video conferencing that matches
cultural preferences
Unify’s OpenScape 4000 platform
hosts numerous business
applications, such as OpenScape
Video which fits well with Kenyan
culture. Says Thomas Odhiambo,
“In Kenya, we like to see who
we are talking to. The County
Commissioners now call other
counties for live video conversations,
saving time and travel costs. We
need fast tools to collaborate and
efficiently share messages. People
are hungry for
the vibrant conversations enabled
by this technology.”
Soulco Kenya’s CEO Kris Verspecht
underscores the importance of the
County Connectivity Project to
help governments become more
efficient. “Key departments that will
rely heavily on the platform include
branch offices representing the
President, Treasury, Immigration,
and Kenya Revenue Authority.
Future offices may include the
Judiciary, Police, and Ministry of
Lands, among others.”
Completing the last mile in
all counties
Dr. Getao credits the Belgian
Ambassador as a driving force
behind the project. “He listened
carefully and his diplomatic
background was helpful. We had to
find funds to connect more than the
29 counties originally foreseen. His
efforts let us advance into the second
phase – connecting all 47 counties –
“The centralized monitoring
and support provided by
the IP network allows us
to properly manage all the
newly-installed equipment.”
– Thomas O. Odhiambo, Senior
Assistant Director of the e-Government
Directorate, Office of the President,
Republic of Kenya
The African tradition of oral
communication as well as its
history is reinforced and made
deeply personal through vibrant,
visual expression. This is especially
true in Kenya, where people prefer
to see who they are talking to
for personal as well as business
discussions.
High-quality, easy-to-use
OpenScape video solutions not only
provide time and travel savings, but
reinforce this cultural preference
found in many global societies. “In
Kenya, we like to see who we are
talking to,” says Thomas Odhiambo,
Senior Assistant Director of the
e-Government Directorate.
Video conferencing aligns with Kenyan culture

4. Partner
Soulco
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3980 Tessenderlo
Belgium
www.soulco.net
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Provider
Small and Medium
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and a third phase to introduce more
applications.” The last-mile County
Connectivity Project is the first to
leverage the government’s terrestrial
5,500 km fiber backbone (NOFBI).
Says Dr. Getao, “Our partners have
been extremely flexible, even when
the project’s scope changed. We
still need last-mile connectivity
in all counties. Some are the size
of Belgium, so it’s not that simple.
We have challenged each other to
achieve our goals, and this has led to
a friendship between us; one which
will inspire new opportunities in
the future.”
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About Soulco
Belgium’s Soulco group consists of several companies active in the Middle
East and Africa. Soulco Distribution, as a Premier Certified GOFORWARD!
Value-Added Distributor, has more than 50 local partners supported
by their competence centers in the United Arab Emirates and Egypt. In
addition to its work for the Kenyan government, Soulco has also designed
and installed ICT and Security solutions for Ghana’s parliament and
administrative offices, the government of Tanzania and the Presidency of
Algeria.
About Unify
Unify is one of the world’s leading communications software and services firms, providing integrated communications
solutions for approximately 75 percent of the Fortune Global 500. Our solutions unify multiple networks, devices and
applications into one easy-to-use platform that allows teams to engage in rich and meaningful conversations. The result is a
transformation of how the enterprise communicates and collaborates that amplifies collective effort, energizes the business,
and enhances business performance. Unify has a strong heritage of product reliability, innovation, open standards and
security