Connecting the unconnected: A case study of cell phone use and pervasiveness in Waware North and Kachieng' Sub-Locations, Kenya

Following the widespread use of the internet, computers, and cell phone technology in the late 1990s in the Least Developed Countries (LDCs), studies have documented the impact of these technologies on economic growth and development. Most of these studies have focused on the digital divide - the gap of access to cell phones, computers, and the internet between developed and developing nations.;Few studies have focused on the patterns of growth and diffusion of cell phones among the world's Least Developed Countries and the impacts of these technologies on social and human progress. This study is important because it will show how cell phone technology is used in the rural areas.;This study provides empirical data to show how cell phone technology is used in rural areas in Kenya. It also studies the pervasiveness (the penetration) of these technologies in two rural areas in Kenya. One of the rural areas (Waware North Sub - Location) has an educated population and a research center which attracts talent. Kachien'g Sub - Location as well has an educated population.;In a survey conducted between December 2008 and March 2009 in Kachien'g and Waware Sub-Locations in Kenya, 253 respondents indicated how they use their cell phone technologies and what determines their choice of a cell phone network. The results show that 67.7 percent used their cell phones primarily for communication. 74.4 percent of respondents own cell phones while 25.6 percent do not. But even for those who do not own cell phones, 77.7 percent reported using community pay phones.