There currently around 4 Million smartphone users in Kenya with 83% of owners using them to check the time, 78% for music, 71% to set an alarm while 69% use them to take photos. Other major activities include gaming and reading the news. 88% also use the internet for social media activities second to only Philippines which stands at 93% according to Pew Research. Most Kenyans use the internet for political updates and information which is 62% of the population online. 53% have also used the internet to search for jobs, which places it third behind Bangladesh (62%), India (55%). Interestingly only 16% of the Kenyans online have used the internet for e-commerce, even with the growth of e-commerce platforms such as Jumia, Olx and PigiaMe.
71% of Kenyans aged between 16-24 years are online everyday. This is based on the Google Consumer Barometer survey. 55% are aged between 25-34 years while 38% are aged between 35-44 years. 51% aged between 45-54 years who use the internet are also on the internet daily. The largest number of online traffic is usually through smartphones which represents 27% with 8% using computers and only 1% using tablets to access the internet.
The numbers above support the narrative of Kenya’s continued growth as a tech hub in Africa. Currently, with with internet penetration at 54.8% of the population or 22.3 million Internet users. In addition, more Kenyan users are increasing adopting technology and using it for their day to day lives which includes checking the time :).
