Historical Antecedents and Paradoxes that Shaped Kenya’s Contemporary Information and Communication Technology Policies

Kenya National Information and Communication Technology
(ICT) Master Plan 2013/14 -2017/18 is an ambitious undertaking,
poised to cement Kenya’s position as Africa’s leading ICT Hub.
The fact it is a part of, and derives strength from, the 2006
National Information and Communications Technology Policy
(policy) demonstrates the policy is responsive to domestic
and global developments. Since its adoption, it has provided
a normative framework through which the Kenyan ICT sector
has hugely contributed to the country’s economic growth.
Most noticeable has been the growth in mobile commerce,
with more than two-thirds of the adult population engaging in
it, making Kenya the world leader in mobile payments.
Although Kenya has come a long way in introducing
liberal market reforms that have immensely benefited the
technology sector, policy challenges remain. Just like most
major economies, such as China, the government has actively
promoted and supported the development of technologies
that bolster the horizontal flow of information, but at the same
time, has devoted substantial efforts to control the substance
of information flowing via these technologies. Kenya, therefore,
needs to introduce a number of policy reforms, key among
which is addressing the current policy disjuncture between the
policy’s liberal values on the one hand and the draconian and
media national security laws.