The march of ICT in Kenya: 50 years of small, steady steps
What you need to know:
- By the early 1990s, the famous internet browser Netscape had made the Internet an easy-to-use tool for the masses.
- KP & TC however managed to secure a licensed monopoly over the only Internet gateway in the country.
- Most of the ICT developments in Kenya are tied to the attitude of the government of the day.
This week Kenya begins her celebration of 50years of independence. Obviously, politicians and other government dignitaries will hog the limelight and claim credit for both real and imagined achievements in the various spheres of Kenyan history.
Who, if anybody, will claim credit for developments in the ICT sector over the last 50years?
For now, I prefer to mention the major ICT developments over the years, but promise to quote the names behind these developments in subsequent blogs.
Most of the ICT developments in Kenya are tied to the attitude of the government of the day.
The first government, formed in the 1960s may be spared any criticism or accolades, simply because computing, telecommunication or the Internet as we know it today was still being developed in American and European Universities.
Fast-forward to the later KANU governments – particularly around the mid-80s to the early 90s.
Personal Computers had already invaded the corporate world in Western countries, but the local Kanu government was on record as fighting this development; claiming that computers would make our type-writer based secretaries jobless.
By the early 1990s, the famous internet browser Netscape had made the Internet an easy-to-use tool for the masses. Netscape commoditized the Internet, moving it from the confines of university and military labs, and ushering it into general business and user communities.
However, Kenyans still had to endure restricted and controlled access of the Internet because the government-owned monopoly, the Kenya Posts and Telecommunication Corporation (KP&TC), was under the illusion that the Internet was illegal because it could be used by so-called disgruntled elements to destabilize a democratically elected government of the people.
Nevertheless, by the late 1990s the telecommunication monopolies across the globe were crumbling and the sector was adopting a liberalized environment.
Facing increased conditional pressure from global financial institutions, Kenya eventually passed the law to liberalize the telecommunication sector through the Kenya Communication Act of 1998.
This was a game changer. Suddenly, KP&TC, the more than 50-year old government monopoly was exposed to competition. It however managed to secure a licensed monopoly over the only Internet gateway in the country.
This meant that ISPs were allowed to offer internet services, but they still had to pass their internet traffic through the government-owned telecommunications provider - often at exorbitant costs and unpredictable service levels.
The mobile telecommunication sub-sector was also opened up to competition leading to drastic drops in the cost of communication.
Prior to this, KP&TC was selling a mobile handset/phone at 1,000USD (yes, 80,000Ksh!) and a connection line or SIM card for 250USD (20,000Ksh!). And this was 1999, less than 15 years ago.
In 2002, Kenyans ushered in a new government - The NARC government. With a different government attitude, things in the sector moved even faster - but that will be the story for next week.
