Much has been said about the Kenya IT sector. It is often mentioned as being one of the economic sectors that show a lot of promise in Kenya. It is also mentioned as one of the sectors that have, already, made a significant difference in the lives of Kenyans so far. It is against that background, then, that we now venture to take a closer look at the Kenya IT sector. We will be attempting to understand what the major subsectors in the Kenya IT sector are. We will be venturing further to identify the factors fueling the growth of this sector. At yet another level, we will be attempting to identify things that may hamper the growth of the Kenya IT sector. By the end of the whole discussion, you should have some insight on the leading Kenya IT companies and the leading Kenya IT solutions. You should also have some idea on the scope of Kenya IT jobs, where they are, and how you can get them.
Identifying
the major subsectors in the Kenya IT industry
One of the major subsectors in the Kenya
IT industry is the computer manufacturing subsector. Unknown to many people is the
fact that there are some computer assembly plants operating in Kenya. At some
point, for instance, we used to know the one at Sameer EPZ, which is associated
with the Mecer brand. The folks there assemble brand new Mecer PCs for the
export market, and they seem to be doing quite well for themselves. Should the
Konza City initiative materialize, we’d surely see more of these computer hardware
assembly ventures coming up. Currently, there are others that are involved in
the refurbishment of imported second hand computers: though the legal framework
seems to be inching closer towards banning the importation of such second hand
computers, under the basis that such computers constitute ‘electronic waste.’
Then we have other companies, right in Kenya, that are involved in the
manufacture (or simply assembly) of IT accessories. Closely related to those
are the numerous computer hardware repair shops, found in almost all towns in
the country, and whose owners are, in a small way, playing a very crucial role
in the Kenya IT industry.
The second major subsector in the Kenya
IT industry is the Internet Service Provision subsector. There are several successful
ISPs (Internet Service Providers) in Kenya. Among the leading Kenya ISPs are
the likes of Access Kenya and Swift Global. Safaricom, through its Internet
Bundles offering is also essentially operating as a ISP, and that is also where
we find the Jamii Telecom Limited (to mention but a few). Closely related to
these ISPs are the Kenya computer network installation and maintenance
businesses. Again, these have grown in number of the years, to a level where
pretty much all major towns in Kenya have them.
The third major subsector in the Kenya
IT industry is the software development subsector. In the earliest days of
Kenya ICT, most of the software-based Kenya IT solutions deployed locally used
to be imported. But over the years, we have seen the emergence of a growing
class of Kenyan software developers who are doing quite a good job, in terms of
coming up with homegrown Kenya IT solutions. It is nowadays possible to
purchase inventory control, payroll and educational software made right here in
Kenya, by native Kenyan software developers. Others are venturing into more
sophisticated things like GPS-based fleet management and so on. Closely related
to these are the folks who are involved in Kenya content development.
The fourth major subsector in the Kenya
IT industry is the Kenya IT equipment and accessories retail subsector. Closely
related to the people in this subsector are those who are involved in the
importation of IT equipment and accessories into Kenya.
The fifth major subsector in the Kenya
IT industry is the IT training subsector. The number of people who are involved
in IT training in Kenya is huge: when you take into consideration those who
undertake IT training in the universities, polytechnics, technical institutes
and the numerous business and IT training ‘colleges’ that are found all over the
country.
The folks who are involved in things
like running Kenya computer bureaus and cyber cafes can also be regarded as
being key actors in the Kenya IT sector. They are the people who are
responsible for taking technology to the masses in the country.
Factors
fueling the growth of IT in Kenya
One of the major factors fueling growth
of IT in Kenya is the fact that Kenya is a country with a huge, literate,
youthful population. This is a population that, thanks to its literacy, is able
to consume technology. This is also a population that, thanks to its
youthfulness, is ready to try new things (unlike what would be the case if we
were dealing with an old population, which would tend to be suffering from
technophobia).
Another factor fueling the growth of IT
in Kenya is the fact that most of the IT solutions being introduced into the
market serve real needs that people always had. So the uptake ends up being
efficient.
Yet another factor fueling the growth
of IT in Kenya is the government facilitation. It is fair to say that the
Kenyan government has been doing everything in its power to promote the growth
of IT in Kenya. That has included the exemption of IT equipment and accessories
from certain taxes. That has also included the creation of online portals, and
the institution of measures where people have to perform many functions (that
involve interaction with the government) online. The government’s proposed
Konza City initiative is bound to spur further growth in the IT sector (if it
works out well). And we have to mention that the government invested heavily in
the creation of the submarine fiber optic cables, whose presence has done a lot
in terms of spurring IT growth in Kenya.
Factors
that may hamper further growth of IT in Kenya
One factor that may hamper further growth
of IT in Kenya is piracy. This is particularly detrimental to the software development
aspect. It is a scenario where we are increasingly seeing many software
developers being discouraged from coming up with new programs by the fact that
they know that they are likely to suffer from piracy once they introduce their
software into the market.
Another factor that may hamper further growth
of IT in Kenya is change in government policy. If, for instance, the government
keeps on increasing the taxes for IT equipment and accessories, a point may
come where that may starts slowing down the uptake of IT in the country. At yet
another level, if the government opts to use draconian Internet control
measures, then it may end up hampering the growth of IT in Kenya (especially
with respect to content development). The IT sector tends to do well in fully
democratic environments, where there is full freedom of expression.
While the Kenya IT sector has been
growing well, there is a feeling that it is not yet reaching its full
potential. The education system may be to blame for this. We, for instance,
have a situation where our computer science graduates are only able to come up
with ‘tweaks’ to computer systems developed elsewhere, but where, for the most
part, they are unable to come up with original systems of their own. Yet if we
had an educational system that focused on promoting critical thinking and entrepreneurship
mentality (as opposed to the one we have that focuses on cramming of facts and
employee mentality), the situation would probably be different.
A
comment on Kenya IT jobs
The growth of the Kenya IT sector has
meant that the number of Kenya IT jobs has also kept on growing at a remarkable
pace. But this doesn’t mean that getting the Kenya IT jobs is easy. The
challenge is in the fact that there are so many people acquiring IT skills in
Kenya, such that in the final analysis, the number of people looking for Kenya
IT jobs outstrips the number of jobs available. Subsequently, Kenya IT
companies, faced with a glut of people with IT skills, end up being in a
position to get people to do complex jobs for relatively low wages. You can’t
blame them: that is what happens when the supply of labor outstrips demand for
the same. But it is also worth noting that there are certain jobs (especially
those that are very highly specialized) for which there aren’t enough qualified
people in Kenya. That is how Kenya IT companies end up having to poach top
level staff (mainly the most eminent Kenya IT gurus) from each other. Actually,
there are cases where Kenya IT companies have ended up having to hire
expatriates.
Of course, Kenya IT jobs aren’t just to
be found in the Kenya IT companies. As a visit to, say, the Kenya IT week
forums will reveal to you that there are other places where Kenya IT jobs can
be obtained (other than in the Kenya IT companies). Thus, for instance, the
Kenya banks often have well paying IT jobs. So do other Kenya companies –
including those in the manufacturing sector and those in the service sector. Yet
one more thing you may realize, after visiting the likes of the Kenya IT week
forums, is the fact that the government has a lot of IT work: meaning that
folks looking for Kenya IT jobs can also get them in the public service (which
is increasingly offering rather competitive remuneration).
Folks looking for Kenya IT jobs are
advised to use a multi-pronged strategy in their job search. That is where, for
instance, one can start by making the habit of scouring through the papers, to
identify the Kenya IT job vacancies that he or she can apply for. Meanwhile,
one should also be networking with his or her acquaintances in the Kenya IT
sector, so as to get 411s on jobs that arise and are meant to be filled
internally, without being advertised. It also makes sense, for the person
looking for Kenya IT jobs, to register with the various web-based employment
websites, as well as the reputable, traditional recruitment agencies. What one ultimately
needs to get rid of is the thinking that one has to be ‘connected’ to get these
Kenya Information Technology jobs. Sure, connections help, but a person with
real expertise can still get a decent Kenya Information Technology job, even
without ‘connections.’
