Information and communication technologies (ICTs) hold great potential to expand African economies. They include mobile banking platforms, internet-enabled communication devices and e-government services. All of these can enhance financial inclusion and improve services for citizens.
Kenya’s mobile money transfer platform, M-Pesa, for instance, has given millions of people access to banking services. Mobile phones have given more people access to the internet. There were 63.94 million active cellular mobile connections in Kenya at the start of 2023, against a population of 50 million.
But the digital divide continues to grow in many parts of Africa. In Kenya, men are more likely than women to use the internet and some communities are more left out than others.
Kenya’s pastoralist (herder) communities contribute significantly to the economy. The pastoral sector is valued at $1.13 billion. It provides more than 80 percent of the meat consumed in the country. Yet these communities are often left out when it comes to access to digital technologies.
Government policies on digital inclusion and infrastructure development often overlook pastoralists’ need for reliable internet access, electricity and education.
In a 2023 study among herder communities in Marsabit, Garissa, Mandera and Isiolo counties shared their digital inclusiong barriers. Poor infrastructure, literacy levels and bureaucratic hurdles prevent these communities from enjoying the benefits of digital advancements.
These and other factors limit access to markets, better education opportunities and healthcare.
Digital barriers
Africa is home to about 250 million pastoralists, including 9.5 million in Kenya. ICT adoption among these communities is growing but there’s still a digital divide.
Government neglect: Government isn’t investing enough in building cellphone signal towers, providing affordable internet access and establishing digital literacy programmes. Government neglect also extends to essential services like schools and healthcare facilities. These are critical for community development and digital inclusion.
Bureaucratic hurdles: Obtaining documents, such as identity cards and birth certificates, is more difficult for pastoralist communities. It’s harder for them to get to government offices. These documents are required to register for online services, apply for government benefits or participate in digital platforms.
Digital inequality in Kenya’s pastoralist communities is rooted in longstanding socio-political and economic disparities. People in the mainly pastoralist counties face poverty, insecurity, poor infrastructure and government neglect.
Unequal policies
Kenya launched its Digital Economy Blueprint in 2019. The policy document identifies five pillars: digital government, digital business, infrastructure, Innovation-driven entrepreneurship and digital skills and values. This document doesn’t say anything about including marginalised groups, including pastoralists.
The 2020 national digital economy strategy recognised the need to include groups like women, youth and people with disabilities. Still, it broadly labelled pastoralist communities as “others”, missing an opportunity for targeted support.
The result is that government initiatives aimed at expanding digital skills among young Kenyans are skewed against people who are already left out.
In 2016, the government introduced the Ajira Digital programme. It seeks to equip young people with digital skills for online jobs. The programme is credited with training a million young Kenyans in digital skills like online freelancing, data entry, digital marketing and content creation. Out of 142 centres nationwide, however, only nine are in pastoralist counties.
As Kenya moves towards a fully digital economy, there’s a risk that entire communities will be excluded from essential services and governance. The reliance on digital platforms for government procurement, such as the Public Procurement Information Portal, shows how exclusion could work.
Communities with high illiteracy rates and lacking infrastructure are effectively excluded from these digital processes. Kenya urgently needs more equitable digital policies.
