Advertisement

Cybercafés get new lease of life in Kenya

Thursday January 12 2017
cafe

Clients browse the Internet at a cyber café in Nairobi’s central business district. PHOTO | FILE

Kenya’s decision to provide government services online has given cybercafés —for long hard hit by the a proliferation of Internet-enabled phones, devices and wireless Internet modems— a shot in the arm.

Government services have effectively widened the cafes’ revenue stream, with a number of people trooping to the premises to apply for these services and download application forms.

Important information and documents such as police abstracts and tax return forms, and driver’s licences are some of the most sought after services by Kenyans through the Internet.

“I would have already closed shop were it not for these services,” said Marion Ndege who has operated Galaxy cyber café in Nairobi’s Central Business District for the past five years.

A cyber café in Nairobi charges between $0.01 and $0.1 per minute to browse and additional printing charges of $0.1-$0.2 per page. They also offer a variety of other services like binding and scanning of documents.

Experts have however warned that the government’s plan to offer all its services online through the eCitizen portal is elitist and may therefore face some resistance.

Advertisement

“The people seeking these services are a minority. The people in the village who may require services like land searches will find it difficult to use the services due to their education levels and will still require the manual processes,” said William Makatiani, an IT service and business consultant.

The growing number of colleges and satellite campuses in urban areas, with most of them offering some of their services online is sustaining the cyber café business.

Government education institutions like University of Nairobi have automated admission processes, financial services and examination processes and can print an admission letter from the university website, print exam cards and fee statements.

Among the services people get from the government websites are applying for a provisional driving licence, booking a driving test, getting a driving licence and tracking an application.

Other services that are currently available online but can still be accessed by visiting the relevant ministries or agencies include business name registration, notice of marriage, business name search and issue of certificate of good conduct.

Advertisement