If this were full Internet then obviously they'd need https, but you don't need https to access online information which is the most useful application to very poor people.
The justification is that https cannot be cached, and caching is required to provide this service at low cost (free to the user) to many people in areas where internet bandwidth is currently very slow and/or expensive.
When users start to use online accounts and make transactions, they will need privacy, which will boost demand for paid internet access. If they provided full internet access for free, they'd be undermining other providers.
Biting the hand that feeds IT
