- The 2023/24 Kenya Housing Survey has ranked Nairobi as the most internet-connected county at 64.7 per cent, with West Pokot last at 9.1 per cent.
- The survey has recorded a national internet-use rate of 35.0 per cent, with urban areas reaching 56.6 per cent compared with 25.0 per cent in rural areas.
- KNBS and CAK have found that 93.8 per cent of households own a mobile phone, though only 36.3 per cent have household internet access.
New county-level data has placed Nairobi as Kenya’s most internet-connected county and West Pokot at the bottom of the national ranking, a gap of more than 55 percentage points between the two counties.
The findings are contained in the ICT Analytical Report based on the 2023/24 Kenya Housing Survey, conducted by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics in collaboration with the Communications Authority of Kenya. The survey covered all 47 counties and collected information from more than 25,000 households between March and May 2024.
According to the findings, 64.7 per cent of people aged three years and above in Nairobi had used the internet during the three months preceding the survey. Kiambu followed with 54.0 per cent, Nyeri recorded 50.1 per cent, Mombasa posted 46.9 per cent, and Uasin Gishu, Nyandarua and Nakuru recorded 42.1 per cent, 41.6 per cent and 40.1 per cent respectively.
Laikipia recorded 38.0 per cent, Taita-Taveta 37.6 per cent, Machakos 37.3 per cent and Kajiado 37.0 per cent. Embu stood at 36.8 per cent, Kirinyaga at 36.6 per cent and Murang’a at 35.8 per cent. Kakamega recorded 35.0 per cent, matching the national internet-use rate exactly, while Bungoma stood at 34.9 per cent.
Tharaka-Nithi and Kisumu each recorded 33.4 per cent, followed by Isiolo at 33.1 per cent and Meru at 31.4 per cent. Trans Nzoia recorded 30.6 per cent, Kilifi 30.5 per cent, Migori 30.4 per cent, and Elgeyo-Marakwet and Makueni each recorded 30.3 per cent. Busia posted 29.7 per cent, Lamu 28.8 per cent, Kisii 28.1 per cent, Homa Bay 27.7 per cent and Siaya 27.4 per cent.
Kericho and Nyamira each recorded 26.4 per cent, Kitui stood at 26.2 per cent and Kwale at 25.6 per cent. Mandera recorded 24.9 per cent, Nandi 24.4 per cent, Wajir 24.2 per cent and Baringo 23.4 per cent. At the lower end of the ranking, Bomet recorded 20.6 per cent, Narok 20.5 per cent, Samburu 18.9 per cent and Vihiga 18.3 per cent. Garissa recorded 16.5 per cent, Marsabit 16.3 per cent, Tana River 15.5 per cent and Turkana 12.7 per cent, with West Pokot last at 9.1 per cent.
The national internet-use rate stood at 35.0 per cent, meaning the majority of Kenyans aged three years and above had not used the internet during the survey’s reference period. The survey also found a pronounced urban-rural divide, with internet use reaching 56.6 per cent in urban areas compared with 25.0 per cent in rural areas.
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The disparity extended to computer ownership and usage. Only 11.6 per cent of Kenyans aged three years and above used a computer during the reference period, with urban computer usage at 20.9 per cent against 7.3 per cent in rural areas. At household level, only 36.3 per cent had internet access, and just 8.8 per cent owned a computer.
Mobile phone ownership was significantly higher, with 93.8 per cent of Kenyan households owning a mobile phone, according to the survey.
By Hillary Muhalya
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