The Gig Economy: The gig economy is a
labour market characterised by the prevalence
of short-term contracts or freelance work as
opposed to permanent jobs. In order to be
successful in the gig economy, each individual
needs to manage their time and finances as if
they were a one-man company.
The mobility of white-collar work, the
emergence of freelancing platforms and the
drive for operational efficiency have
transformed the nature of work. The fastest job
growth globally is in “nonemployee” firm’s i.e.
self-employed, short term contract (measured
in hours), remote and telecommuting workers.
These participants in what is called the gigeconomy, where people eschew formal salaried
employment for freelancing work are a
growing and significant proportion of the
workforce.
Adaptive Security Architecture: The
complexities of digital business and the
algorithmic economy, combined with an
emerging “hacker industry,” significantly
increase the threat surface for our nation. We
need to develop the capacity to detect and
respond to threats, secure our communications
and data, protect our people and infrastructure,
and develop resilience in the face of disaster.
Mass Personalisation and Personalised
Manufacturing: The widespread availability of
experience individuation by such services as
Facebook and Google has created an
expectation of personalised custom public
service delivery. Cost effective small-run
manufacturing technologies such as 3D
printing have transformed marketplace
dynamics making a marketplace of one
economically feasible. This evolution in the
calculus of economies of scale will have a
significant impact on Kenyan industry.

5.5 Challenges

Cultural and attitudinal resistance to
the implementation of ICT-based
services and offerings

4.

Cybercrime
and
vulnerabilities

5.

Inadequate
policies,
legal
and
institutional frameworks at the
national and devolved county levels of
government

6.

A dearth of competent and skilled
human capacity due to inadequately
and
inappropriately
equipped
universities and tertiary institutions

7.

An
underdeveloped
innovation
ecosystem
that
hinders
the
development and growth of Kenyan
corporations and industry

8.

Structural and legal inadequacies that
hinder the development and evolution
of online transactions, such as a
National Addressing System (NAS)

cyber-security

6 Policy Focus Areas
The Kenya National ICT Policy outlines the
policy of the Government of Kenya in relation to
the
design,
development,
acquisition,
deployment, operation, support and evolution
of public and private ICTS. It defines the current
and forward looking position of the
government on various areas of the evolving
and emerging technology landscape in Kenya.

6.1 Mobile First
6.1.1 Background

There are significant challenges to be
overcome in achieving the goals of this policy in
the short term. Some of these challenges,
addressed in this policy, include:
1.

Unequal investment and access to ICTs
in un-served and under-served areas
within Kenya

2.

The under-utilisation of ICTs in the
provision of government services and
the
underdevelopment
of
opportunities for economic growth
and job creation

Ministry of ICT, Kenya

3.

The government recognises that to become
and remain globally competitive in the
emerging order, it is necessary to invest in and
provide the conditions for always-on, high
speed, wireless data connectivity for every
citizen, everywhere in Kenya. In order to
support this goal it is necessary that there be a
robust, capable backbone to back haul traffic,
and that the conditions in the marketplace are
conducive to the provision of competitively
priced, affordable last-mile connectivity for
every citizen. This policy outlines the
conditions required for the private sector led
provision of services, and provides for the
regulation and incentives for affordable high-

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