ICT context
The role of ICT in education cannot be over emphasized. The world is going the digital
way, and education is at the forefront of this journey. Yet Kenya is still lagging behind.
According to Kinuthia (2009), computers were introduced in Kenya in the 1970s and the
internet became available in 1993. By March 2008, only 7.9% of the population had
access to the internet. While the number of internet service providers continues to grow,
access is still limited, especially in the rural areas.
Kenya has close to 20,000 secondary schools of which only about 15% have electricity
and only about 500 schools have computers albeit with limited internet access. In the
secondary school sector, out of about 4000 schools, 65% are connected to electricity.
Only about 750 schools have an average of 10 computers each although internet
connectivity is limited (Kinuthia, 2009).9
Another challenging factor in the ICT context is the preparation of teachers. Few teachers
in the school system in Kenya are computer literate, and even fewer can competently use
a computer as a teaching resource or a tool for instruction (Kinuthia, 2009).
Thus all efforts towards integrating ICT in the curriculum must be comprehensive enough
to provide the requisite infrastructure and prepare teachers adequately to use it
effectively.