The E-Centers for poverty reduction was a one-year pilot project implemented by WCK in collaboration with its partners and local experts within the community. The project started in July 2002 to July 2003. This project trained fifteen youth, at least 7
of whom were women, and imparted them with necessary skills in enterprise development, computers, renewable energy and community development. This training enabled the trainees set up 4 Community Information Centers called E- centers within their communities (Nguruman, Ilparakuo, Olkiramatian, Oloika). The main objective of the project was to train and educate, in a new way, young adults in the extension of renewable energy and information and communication technologies and the use of these tools in enterprise development. The young men and women were also given the necessary community development skills in order to help their communities address local socio-economic concerns. The project aimed at empowering the local communities through improving their access to information Maruti & Mwaili, 2003; Akedi, 2006). Other objectives of the project included:
• Introducing Internet use to streamline access to communication and information that would improve the socio-economic conditions of the communities
• Using experiential learning to develop the youth into business and social entrepreneurs enabling them to mobilize their communities to reduce poverty through fine-tuning existing business operation and creating new ones
• Mobilizing the communities to begin using solar energy as an alternative energy source and therefore reducing the pressure on the declining natural resources as well as supplement the inadequate electricity supply (Akedi, 2006)
Out of the total population in Magadi, by the end of 2003, about 10,000 people had visited the centers and on average 1,235 people visited the centers each month to use one or more services. It houses solar panels, a public telephone, computers, printer, world space receiver and barber shop all powered by solar energy, and, library services (school books, story books, dictionaries, encyclopedias, among many others) (ALIN-EA, 2005).
Nguruman CKC provides a host of services namely: • Internet and E mail services
• Computer training
• Library resource services
• Information on agriculture, livestock, environment, markets • Office services including photocopying, printing, phone charging, • Barber shop services
Within the E-Centers project period, telephone and barber services were the most popular in the centre (ALIN-EA, 2005).
In 2006 World Corps Kenya signed an agreement with ALIN-EA, a nonprofit, non- governmental agency that works to encourage exchange of ideas, information and experience to development by extension. The main aim of the partnership was to provide a legal framework that would allow ALIN-EA to come aboard WCK’s E- Centers’ Project and be hosted at the Nguruman CKC. This saw some of the objectives of the E-Centers project change. However, before this research was undertaken, issues emerged that needed both organizations to review progress independently and/or jointly to determine a way forward in line with each organization’s objectives. However, after the researcher completed her fieldwork, she was notified that the organizations did not renew the agreement and each opened its own Center within Nguruman. This research however, shall present the findings collected in the field on the E-Centers for Poverty reduction project that saw the successful implementation of the Nguruman CKC.
Summary
This chapter provides the context of the research and illustrates the role ICTs can play in development, particularly in Kenya and within the context of Sub-Saharan Africa because of certain commonalities when it comes to development issues, the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and ICT4D. Kenya is situated on the East coast of Africa. Throughout the years following independence, Kenya’s economy has fluctuated due to a host of issues ranging from political instability to high levels of poverty and corruption, a decline in the social indicators, high levels of dependency, extreme inequality and exclusion based on gender and class. Majority of the rural population lives below the poverty line yet these areas are rich in agriculture (Export Processing Zone Authority, 2005; Internet World Statistics, 2010, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, 2010; World Bank, 2010c; Government of Kenya, 2005a). But we also see that at present the country has been experiencing economic, social and political changes boosted by a political shift, which began after the new government (NARC) took office in 2002. This saw the beginning of multi-part democracy.
Recently, the new constitution was introduced and is gradually being implemented.
Like most countries in Africa, agriculture and tourism are major sectors that drive the economies and provide livelihoods for people. Over the years, the ICT sector has also come to play an important role in economies not only in Kenya but globally. ICTs have the potential to aid the accomplishment of social outcomes such as increased
availability of education and healthcare, improved civic dialogue and citizen
participation in development processes in the country. Kenya has witnessed major growth in its ICT sector over a few years. The Internet and mobile revolution have been the fastest growing sectors in the country. Through this, Kenya has been viewed as a major hub for trade and finance. The Kenyan government recognizes the role ICTs play in social and economic development of the country and through this, all ICT issues in Kenya are considered under different pieces of legislation that have taken effect. Consequently, changes to the sector were seen for instance the liberalization process that was launched in 1999, which saw the separation of the traditional national operator, the Kenya Post and Telecommunications Company into three. The sector is still growing but it faces numerous positive factors and
opportunities due to the continued commitment by the government to provide an enabling environment coupled with political stability (Novatech, 2008). This kind of enabling environment is what has provided for the establishment of ICT initiatives like the Nguruman CKC that was established as part of a NGOs project. Nguruman CKC was established as a way to bridge the digital divide and deal with infrastructural issues in the remote rural community of Nguruman. There was the need to address such issues by providing information on markets, prices of commodities, streamline communication between buyers and sellers and generally encourage the use of modern technologies.
For a long time, Kenya has been viewed as an institutionally strong and democratic country but is faced by tremendous development challenges that have continued to affect its growth rate. Issues such as the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, and political violence have continued to affect its development. Nonetheless, the country has recorded some progress over the recent years for instance through introducing free primary education and a decline in the HIV/AIDS prevalence. These development issues reflect the enormous challenges to be expected in achieving the Millennium Development Goals (Brookings Institution, 2009; Government of Kenya, 2005; Thaxton, 2007). The following chapter explores literature on the role that ICTs can play in development and will perhaps shine more light on how ICTs can play a role in achieving the MDGs.