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ABSTRACT
Mobile phone technology is one of the greatest developments of the modern society. The
technology has immense potential of turning around the lives of people and communities all
over the world. However, despite the rural communities constituting 80% of Kenya’s
population and hence being the customer base of mobile communication in the country, their
needs have not been given adequate attention by mobile industry players. This is evidenced by
the more sophisticated mobile network installations and support services concentrated in urban
centres. This study aimed at investigating the contribution that the use of mobile phone
technology had made towards enabling rural communities improve their lives and explore ways
of maximising its development and application for a more empowered society. The objectives
of the study were to: examine the extent to which current trends and developments in the mobile
phone technology met the needs of rural communities; investigate the modes of empowerment
of rural communities by mobile phone technology; identify key factors affecting access,
development and use of mobile phone technology; determine the untapped potential of mobile
phone technology that could spur higher levels of information sharing and empowerment and;
explore measures to foster development and more innovative application of mobile phone
technology. The study’s conceptual framework was based on a model drawn mainly from the
knowledge-gap hypothesis and the media-system dependency theories both viewed in the
context of Schramm’s model of communication. The study adopted a descriptive case study
design using both qualitative and quantitative data collection techniques including interviews,
questionnaires and documentary analysis. Based on the Kenya 2009 Population and Housing
Census, a multistage sample of 400 rural households from selected districts of Western
Province of Kenya was selected using randomly generated Global Positioning System (GPS)
coordinates via the Google Earth Satellite System as the key respondents. A systematic random
sample of 90 mobile phone dealers within the Province and a census of the managers of the
provincial customer care shops of the 4 service providers (Safaricom, Airtel, Orange and Yu)
were selected as informants. Descriptive and inferential data analysis techniques were used.
Data presentation and interpretation was by descriptive methods using both qualitative and
quantitative features including tables, charts, bars and graphs. The study found that the positive
trends responsible for a 72% satisfaction rate in mobile phone technology were efficiency and
cost effectiveness mainly associated with the internet, m-banking and money transfer,
increased multimedia functionalities as well as reducing cost of airtime. The negative trends
were increasing mobile crime, negative behaviour change and poor infrastructure. The modes
of information sharing and empowerment which helped to improve the lives of people were
communication, entertainment, internet and social media, mobile banking and money transfer,
education and research. Factors affecting access, development and use of mobile phone
technology were network failure, electrical power and charging problems, maintenance issues,
e-waste disposal problems, long term cost of phones and airtime, insufficient user education,
lack of proper user control guidelines, and theft. Unexploited areas that could spur more
innovative and higher levels of information sharing and empowerment were greater use of
mobile phone technology in human security and safety, integrating more computing and
research functionalities in phones, integrating money transfer on the handsets, production of
remote controlled handsets and increasing local content. The study concluded that, the rural
communities had not attained maximum empowerment due to inadequate support given to
them by mobile phone industry players including researchers who had failed to generate
substantive knowledge resources to solve ensuing problems. The study recommends that users
should form support groups to gain bargaining powers to demand for service as well as invest
more in literacy initiatives to boost their knowledge and capacity to use the technology. Mobile
industry players should indiscriminately conduct more user needs assessments especially in the
rural areas to ensure that their products and services are more responsive and also develop
communication infrastructure and more relevant services in the areas. The Government should
lower mobile phone related taxes to reduce the cost of communication, invest more in rural
electrification and research as well as provide incentives to promote the use of mobile
technology in rural areas to foster empowerment and accelerate development. |
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