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ABSTRACT The incorporation of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) into the educational curriculum has been promoted as a key step in bridging the digital divide. Despite considerable growth in the numbers of computers acquired by schools in Kenya in recent years and the sacrifices made to finance these, there has been little evaluation of their effectiveness. Consequently, this research seeks to redress this by examining the impact of ICT projects in educational institutions in Kenya. Teaching staff, current students and former students together with parents of current students were surveyed. Key informants were also interviewed to establish the current policies concerning ICT in education in Kenya. An absence of educational software was found, as was the lack of Internet access and use of e-mail. Some 35-40% of secondary school teachers had never used a computer. The research revealed tangible benefits to students from exposure to ICT. It was also found that exposure to computers in schools influenced the career choices of former students. It was concluded that reform of the telecommunications sector is necessary to hasten the rollout of computer technology in educational institutions in Kenya. At school level, the key issues which arose included staff training, mainstreaming of ICT across the curriculum and provision of adequate ICT equipment. Keywords: ICTs; Developing Countries; Education INTRODUCTION This paper investigates the use of computers in educational institutions in the Rift Valley province in Kenya. The adoption of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) has been promoted as a key step in bridging the digital divide. Despite considerable growth in the numbers of computers acquired by schools in Kenya in recent years and the sacrifices made to finance these, there has been little evaluation of their effectiveness. Consequently, this study examines ICT projects in educational institutions in Kenya, in order to establish normal practice and to determine the effects of adopting ICTs at school level. BACKGROUND TO THE RESEARCH The country of Kenya experiences many of the problems typical of sub Sahara Africa enumerated by Langmia (2006) in that it is lagging behind in information superhighway technology. In terms of telecommunications infrastructural developments, the growth of the fixed telephone network throughout Kenya has been below expectations; according to the Central Bureau of Statistics (2006), the fixed line tele-density was 1.02% (number of fixed lines per one hundred population) during the year 2003 but this has actually deteriorated since then due to the steady population increase in the absence of infrastructural developments. Most of these fixed line subscribers are concentrated in urban areas which account for 94% of the fixed lines while 6% are in rural areas (ibid). In contrast, cellular services have expanded rapidly from under 15,000 customers in 1999 to over 2.8 million in 2004 (Export Processing Zones Authority, 2005). By April 2004, there were an estimated one million internet users and over one thousand cyber cafes throughout the country (ibid.). Keiyo District is one of 18 districts of the Rift Valley Province and lies just north of the equator, at its centre approximately 350km north west of Nairobi. The western and southern areas of the district are fertile and support the highest population. Livestock rearing and tillage farming are the main occupations of the community. To the north of Iten, the administrative centre, the land gradually rises through forests of indigenous trees and bleak high merino-sheep country. Lumbering is also carried on in this area. The total population of Keiyo District was estimated at 144,000 in 2004, and the population density was estimated to be 100 persons per square km (CKRC, 2004). Keiyo District is the eighth most densely populated district in the Rift Valley Province and has an average life expectancy of 61 years. …
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