Telecommunication
Infrastructure | Informatics | ICT Training and Development |
Broadcasting/Media
Telecommunication Infrastructure
Kenya Posts and
Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC) is
currently the sole corporation in the country to provide postal and
telecommunication infrastructure and services. It was established by Act of Parliament in
1977 and it is owned by the government. Two bills prepared by the government, the Kenya
Communications Act and the Postal Corporation Act, have become operational as of July
1999. Through this bill, a nine-man transitional management committee was appointed to
liquidate the Kenya Posts and Telecommunications Corporation (KPTC). This
will allow for the separation of postal and telecommunications services and the
restructuring of KPTC into three entities: Telecoms Kenya Ltd., Kenya Postal Corporation,
and Communications Commission of Kenya (CCK) , the latter acting as the licensing and
regulatory authority for the government. By the end of 1999, plans for the privatisation
of Telkom Kenya were at an advanced stage.
Teledensity:
- Total: 0.94
(1998)
- Largest cities:
7.11 (1998)
- Rest of the country:
0.47 (1998)
Digital main lines: 56.0%
(1998)
Waiting list for telephone lines:
- Total: 93,900
(1998)
- Average waiting time:
6.5 years (1998)
- Total demand (k):
365.7 (1998)
- Satisfied demand:
74.3% (1998)
Telephone Tariff (1998):
| PSTN
connection charge |
US$ 36 |
| Monthly
subscription |
US$ 4.30 |
| PSTN
three minute local call |
US$ 0.06 |
| Long
distance call (320 km) |
US$0.44 |
Source:
World Telecommunication Development Report, 1999
Public telephones: 6,750
(1998)
Public telephones per 1000
inhabitants: 0.23 (1998)
Mobile cellular subscribers:
5,300 (1998)
The provision of cellular mobile
service is fully controlled by KPTC. The GSM service was launched in 1992 under the name Safaricom,
and it operates side by side with the existing analogue system, ETACs (Enhanced Total
Access Communications). Vivendi Telecom was awarded the second mobile licence in November
1999.
Cellular subscribers as a % of
total telephone subscribers: 1.95 (1998)
Mobile cellular tariff (1999):
| Connection
charge |
US$ 149 |
| Monthly
subscription |
US$ 16.57 |
| Local
call per minute - peak |
US$ 0.35 |
| Local
call per minute - off-peak |
US$0.23 |
Source:
World Telecommunication Development Report, 1999
Telecommunications revenue (M
US$): 310.8 (1998)
Telecommunications investment (M
US$): 70.9 (1998)
Telecommunications investment as
a % of revenue: 22.8 (1998)
Telecom equipment exports (M
US$): 0.2 (1997)
Telecom equipment imports (M
US$): 20.0 (1997)
Telecentres: na
Facsimiles: 3, 800
(1998)
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Informatics
Center for Women in
Information Technology and Economic Research (CWITER): This is an electronic
support initiative which is dedicated to educating, strengthening and magnifying the
impact of African women's organisations and NGOs through the promotion of electronic
communication use in East Africa. It educates and empowers African women's organisations
and NGOs in information technology and economic issues. CWITER's
major objective is to create and facilitate a global network of women and members of the
NGO community in Kenya who have a commitment to enhance their own organisations and others
through effective use of electronic communication.
The African
Regional Centre for Computing (ARCC) is a registered, non-governmental
organisation (NGO) whose main objective is to promote the development and use of computing
and communication technologies in Africa, with an initial focus on Kenya. ARCC is
sponsored by KARI-ODA (Kenyan Agricultural Research Institute - Overseas Development
Agency). ARCC's activities include high-level computer training, research and consultancy,
promotion of computer literacy, facilitation of collaborative computing education and
research, and fostering of links and communications between the computing industry,
academia, NGO's, policy making institutions and other key sectors.
MIPS Inc. is a full service information technology firm incorporated under the laws
of Kenya. MIPS specialises in information technology solutions for small and large firms.
Its areas of expertise include:
- Local Area Network Technologies
- Internet Technologies
- Management Decision Support Systems
- Financial Information Technology
- Relational Database Management
Systems
- Business Office Application Software
MIPS Inc. was
founded by graduates of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology who wanted to offer
their experience as professional information technology consultants to individuals and
businesses in Kenya. The company is also running a Netcafe which provides not only
e-mail and web surfing but also a complete set of state-of-the-art office software. This
includes first-class desktop publishing complete with photo-quality color printing for all
corporate document needs, photocopying, document scanning and faxing.
The Environment
Liaison Centre International (ELCI) node is a Fidonet system, designed to serve
the NGO community, groups working on development-related projects, relief and church-based
organisations, etc. The aim is to empower these organisations in communication technology
to enable them to exchange pertinent information from (and to) other organisations.
The HealthNet
node in Kenya is based at the University of Nairobi, and it was one of the first e-mail
providers in the country. The node has over 350 users in the country, including users from
the Network of AIDS Researchers in Eastern and Southern Africa (NARESA), the Kenya Medical
Research Institute, the Nairobi Hospital, the University of Nairobi, the Ministry of
Health, etc.
The International
Centre for Research in Agriculture and Forestry (ICRAF) and the
International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI), both located in Nairobi, have
their own direct links to the US for full Internet access as well as voice calls to other
sister CGIAR (Consultative Group for International Agricultural Research) centers. The International
Centre for Insect Physiology and Entomology (ICIPE) has secured a 64 Kbps leased
line from the Internet Service Provider, Africa Online. ICIPE is to host
the African Pest Management Network supported by USAID and other organisations.
Kenya now has the largest Internet
community in sub-Saharan Africa, with some estimates as high as 25,000 users. KPTC has
rolled out a nation-wide 2MB Internet backbone with a hub in Nairobi and extending to
Nyeri, Mombasa, Nakuru and Kisumu. Currently, 15 Internet
Service Providers are operating in Nairobi, Kenya, and some have points
of presence in some secondary cities.
Computer
per 100 inhabitants: 0.25 (1998)
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ICT Training and Development
The Jomo Kenyatta University of
Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) offers undergraduate programs leading to a
university diploma and a bachelor degree in electrical and electronic engineering through
its Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering.
The University
of Nairobi offers an undergraduate program in computer technology leading to a
bachelor degree in computer science.
JKUAT-Micro Mini Systems
Information Technology Centre: The JKUAT-MMS IT Centre was started in May 1996 as a joint
venture between Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Micro Mini
Systems, Inc. (MMS) of Nebraska, USA, a consulting company established in 1981. The plan
was to draw upon the strengths of each partner in the delivery of quality information
technology training solutions. JKUAT provides the academic environment while Micro
Mini systems, Inc. provides the technology and management. The center has so far trained
600 students in areas ranging from general computer exposure to advanced PC maintenance
and programming courses.
An ITU-sponsored training centre, AFRALTI
(African Advanced Level Telecommunication Institute), located in Nairobi, was conceived
with the aim of developing the telecommunications market in Africa, as well as training
policy makers and regulators in the development of national priorities and regulations. A
similar ITU-sponsored training centre known as ESMT (multinational telecommunication high
school) has also been established in Dakar, Senegal.
A RINAF regional training course for Internet system administrators was carried out at the Faculty of Information Sciences of Moi
University, Eldoret, from 24 to 28 February 1997. The University is the RINAF (Regional
Informatics Network for Africa) focal point, and it offers degree programmes in
Information Sciences. The training course was designed to create a nucleus of Internet
system administrators who are in charge of installation, management and maintenance of the
RINAF nodes in eastern Africa. The administrators will also be committed to spreading
their acquired networking knowledge to users inside their own institution and to the
research and academic institutions involved in the project.
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Broadcasting/Media
The Kenya
Broadcasting Corporation (KBC) is a parastatal agency which was converted from a
government department in 1990. The radio network transmits into two main
channels, one in English and one in Swahili, reaching 99% of the population and covering
95% of the national territory. Most areas are covered on FM and MW, with transmitter feeds
on FM bands. The SW service operates with a 250 KW transmitter to serve the entire
Swahili-speaking population in East Africa. The Television Network
broadcasts on two channels, one in English/Swahili with national programming, and the
second in a pay TV joint venture with MultiChoice. Transmitters of 10 KW are located in
Nairobi, Mombasa and near Eldoret, and KBC signal reaches over 60% of the population and
covers over 30% of the national territory.
The Kenya
Television Network (KTN), owned by East African Standard newspaper, broadcasts on
two channels with coverage in Nairobi and Mombasa. KTN has recently installed more
powerful transmitters resulting in coverage of the densely populated Western Province. The
network offers a programming 24 hours daily, with retransmission of CNN and seven hours of
local content.
Stellavision
retransmits Sky news and music (MCM) and it covers only the Nairobi area.
The East
African Television Network (EATN) has announced plans to go on air by late 1999.
EATN is supposed to have a target audience of 80 million listeners and viewers in Kenya,
Uganda and Tanzania. The major shareholder in EATN is Africa Broadcasting Limited, a
subsidiary of the Nation Group of Publishers which was set up in 1997 and registered in
January 1998. Upon instruction from the Ministry for Information and Broadcasting, in
March 1999, KPTC withheld the frequencies allocated to EATN because of a dispute
between the owners of the network.
Digital satellite TV
is available from M-net, and cable TV covers Parklands, Westlands and South C.
Radios per
100 inhabitants: 68.10 (1997)
Television
receivers per 100 inhabitants: 3.14 (1996)
Pay TV
Decoders: 7,500
Cable TV
subscribers: na
Home
satellite dishes: na
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