ICT development in Kenya : what role has the state played?

This paper examines what role the state in Kenya has played as regards the growth experienced in the ICT Sector in the country between 2000 and 2010. The study focusses on the two most common forms of ICT in Kenya: mobile telephony and internet access. The inquiry is conducted by way of a single case, temporal case study on Kenya; selected as an extreme case on the continent due to the outstanding growth the ICT sector has experienced over the past decade. An integrated analytical framework is used to analyse the case, based on 1) factors influencing diffusion of ICT in a country; and 2) the role a state can play in the diffusion of ICT in a country. The results indicate that it is not viable to seek a single response to the research question. Instead, the hypothesis is proven true – in line with the standpoints taken by various scholars in the literature review – that the role of the state in the growth of ICT varies depending on the specific activity in question and the influence and outcome the state wishes to have.