title: Information and communication technology in the lives of forcibly displaced persons in Kenya
Creators: name: Mirko, Eppler
name: Gaetani, Stella
name: Köllner, Francy
name: Kuhnt, Jana
name: Martin-Shields, Charles
name: Mebrahtu, Nyat
name: Peters, Antonia
name: Carlotta, Preiß
Publisher: name: German Development Institute / Deutsches Institut für Entwicklungspolitik (DIE)
publisherIdentifier: https://ror.org/01t3zke88
publisherIdentifierScheme: ROR
Year: 2020
Subjects: subject: refugees
subject: Kenya
subject: Kakuma
subject: Tana River
subject: information and communication technology
subject: mobility
subject: inclusion

description: This report examines how forcibly displaced persons use information and communication
 technologies (ICTs) in Kenya. Focusing on the role and potential of ICT with regard to
 mobility and inclusion, this paper studies the needs of forcibly displaced persons and
 seeks to understand how technology could help to meet these needs. The study identifies
 success factors concerning the deployment of ICT services, which potentially support the
 lives of forcibly displaced persons. Based on this analysis, we formulate policy
 recommendations for organisations who want to deploy ICT services for forcibly displaced
 persons in Kenya. Since living conditions and access to technology differ in urban, rural
 and camp environments, the research was conducted in Nairobi, the Tana Delta County and
 Kakuma Refugee Camp. Our results are based on data collected through a mixed-method
 approach. Qualitative, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 90 forcibly
 displaced persons in Nairobi, Kakuma Refugee Camp and the Tana Delta County. Twenty-four
 organisations providing ICT services in Kenya were interviewed to provide a practitioners’
 perspective. The creation of the interview guides and the codebook for the analysis were
 developed based on the e-governance framework developed by Verdegem and Verleye, who have
 identified important conditions for a successful uptake of ICT services, namely awareness,
 perception, access and usability. Primary policy and practice recommendations include:
 - Organisations should avoid doing with ICTs what is already efficiently done in-person.
 For example, in Kakuma people just walk to the clinics, and are happy to do so. There is
 not a need for a digital health information solution in this instance – this frees up
 organizations to focus on using ICTs to solve problems that cannot be effectively solved
 in-person. These findings indicate critically thinking about ‘digital by default’
 strategies.
 - For things like health information and education, organizations can take advantage of
 existing networks that communities have established on platforms like WhatsApp and
 Facebook. The main advantage that NGOs and refugee organizations can bring in this case is
 helping make sure information is valid, and helping community organizations prevent
 rumours from spreading. Indeed, a major risk with health information in particular is that
 anyone can say anything on a social network, so helping communities validate information
 is critical.
 - We learned through the interviews that refugees’ awareness of different organizations’
 online tools was limited. Generating a user base starts with awareness-raising strategies,
 which appear to be successful through personal contacts. Going directly to a village or to
 a certain community, and to work with community-based organisations and community leaders
 as ambassadors, appear to be the best option to reach out to the respective target
 group.
description: Discussion Paper, 15/2020