UPTAKE OF INFORMATION COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY IN MACHAKOS COUNTY IN KENYA: THE ROLE OF MANAGEMENT SUPPORT AND REGULATORY FRAMEWORK

Abstract

The role of management support and commitment on initiation and adoption process has often been considered to be crucial in organizations. The objectives of this study were to determine how uptake of ICT in Machakos County depend on management support, and government regulatory framework respectively. The study reviewed integration and adoption theories in understanding the adoption of a given technology. The target population was all the 1175 employees in Machakos County Government.The county governments, have ten distinct ministries under supervision of County Cabinet Secretary, charged with varying roles in implementing information technology plans.These ministries included Administration, Lands, Water, Roads, Culture, Education, Agriculture, Trade, Finance and Health Departments.The sample was 10% of the population.This was a cross sectional study in which data was collected from a sample of 118 employees over a short term. Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) Version 21 was used to analyze the data using regression and correlation analysis. The study found that management support and ICT use and integration had positive and significant relationship(r=0.180, p<0.000).It also found that government regulatory framework and ICT use and integration were positively and significantly related (r=0.124, p<0.027).The study recommends that the Management should encourage and support the use of ICT in all areas in the county government as well ensure development of favourable ICT policies and procedures.