Residents in Nairobi and its environs have been urged to purchase set-top boxes before the year ends since the government will not extend the time for digital migration.
Speaking during the launch of the public awareness drive in Nairobi, ICT Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i said that the campaign is a critical milestone in the digital migration journey since the launch of the signal.
Digital migration has previously been hampered by legislative and infrastructural challenges which led to postponement of the process last year following the court petition filed by three local broadcasters over signal distribution license.
“We had some setbacks which occasioned slow but I believe the future is now quite bright as all Kenyans are ready to fully embrace digital broadcasting. It is also evident that there has been determination amongst the players to move this process forward,” he said.
He added that as from 31st December viewers will need to have either a free-to-air set top box or pay TV decoder to access TV channels.
The digital migration will be rolled out in three phases with the first phase dealing with Nairobi and its environs next week, while the second phase will be rolled out in major towns including Kisumu, Eldoret, Mombasa, Malindi and Nyeri.
The entire country is expected to switch to digital by March 31, 2015.