State agencies lead in IT usage

Government institutions might not be as archaic as a majority of Kenyans would like to think.

A new survey shows they are indeed ahead of private sector players in the use of technology.

The survey, jointly done by Communications Authority of Kenya and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, however, shows organisations across the board are cautious in their use of technology -largely on account of cyber security threats that have seen firms lose critical data and incur financial loss.

The survey used different parameters to gauge the level use of Information, Communication and Technology across public sector institutions and private businesses.

It found that Government-run institutions are ahead on most of the parameters.

These include having basics such as computers at the work place and running websites to having policies in place that guide the organisations on managing cyber threats as well as disposal of electronic waste.

More than 95 per cent of public sector organisations surveyed said they operated computers at their places of work. This is in comparison to 92.1 per cent of private enterprises.