Publication

Abstract : Seven years after the e-governance strategy was conceptualized in Kenya in 2004, its vision of building trust and increasing transparency and citizen access to the government has received only limited success. This chapter presents an overview of the challenges in implementing the e-government initiatives in Kenya, which include endemic corruption and lack of citizen involvement within many ranks of Kenyan society, low Internet penetration and connectivity in poor rural households, and costly satellite transmission. The authors detail a few successes such as the M-PESA program which facilitates online money transfer and the recent (July 2009) laying of the underground SEACOM fiber-optic cable that will increase Internet penetration, and provide faster, affordable Internet to more Kenyans. They close on a positive note that increased expenditure on ICT infrastructure and renewed emphasis by the Kenyan government to reduce corruption and increase government accountability will help in expanding e-governance initiatives in Kenya in years to come.