ICT
From The Report: Kenya 2018
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Having earned the moniker Silicon Savannah – a status the country first actively sought in 2013 when it launched its economic development roadmap, Vision 2030 – Kenya has made significant strides in ICT. Vision 2030 included a technology development blueprint with the main objective of transforming the country into a global digital player. Progress in this regard is being fuelled by favourable government policy, investment in infrastructure and a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Improvements, such as the addition of four fibre-optic sea cables between 2009 and 2016, have stepped up the quality of connectivity and reduced costs for consumers and businesses. Value-added services supported by mobile money have enabled mobile operators to maintain profitability, as the industry’s focus has shifted, first from voice to SMS, then to the current era of data-driven growth. This chapter contains an interview with Joseph Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT.

Articles from this Chapter

Overview

Silicon Savannah: Infrastructure upgrades and cross-network interoperability agreements bolster an already robust market
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Having earned the moniker Silicon Savannah – a status the country first actively sought in 2013 when it launched its economic development roadmap, Vision 2030 – Kenya has made significant strides in ICT. Vision 2030 included a technology development blueprint with the main objective of transforming the country into a global digital player. Progress in this regard is being fuelled by favourable government policy, investment in infrastructure and a vibrant entrepreneurial ecosystem. Sector…

Interview

Offering more: Joseph Mucheru, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of ICT, on the government’s role as an ICT facilitator
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Joseph Mucheru: Interview What kind of policies are needed to promote fair and effective competition in the ICT sector? JOSEPH MUCHERU: Our central focuses are to ensure the reliability and choice of services that the market offers to customers, to use regulation to curb monopolistic tendencies, and to ensure innovation and services with the highest-quality standards. In recent years the industry has seen a rise in investments, presenting evidence that the market is still open and growing. Several…

Analysis

Mobile money: Although digital transactions are gaining popularity, market fragmentation could see cash remain the preferred option
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Growth in mobile payments reached 8% in 2017, according to the Central Bank of Kenya (CBK). While steady, this was slower than in 2016 and 2015, when industry growth was 19% and 17%, respectively. Industry stakeholders reported that muted consumer spending was partly due to lower-than-expected economic growth. Growth Market Despite more subdued expansion, the market has remained robust, with the value of mobile money transactions jumping more than 20-fold from KSh166.6bn ($1.6bn) in 2008…