Digital Empowerment in Kenya

Rural and marginalized communities in Kenya live in socio-economic backwardness and information poverty, yet they can be empowered digitally to improve their lives on their own by providing access to information and knowledge on using digital tools. Individual-level microdata collected between 2005 and 2010 indicates differences in socio-economic and demographic patterns of technology adoption, usage, and skills over time. Inequality in ICT access, use and skills reflects pre-existing inequality in other areas of economy and society. The ICT sector in Kenya is more active in urban areas, resulting in wide regional disparities in the distribution of ICT facilities. Despite the high overall diffusion rates of ICT in Kenya, there remains a clear digital empowerment gap in access and use between various demographic groups. Household income, education and gender are the key determinants of existing digital inequality.