Adoption of m-Government in Civil Service: Case study of the Ministry of Information and Communications - Kenya

Abstract

Rapid technological changes in the Information and Communication Technology (ICT) sector have played a pivotal role in the growth of digital economy (Stoltzfus, 2005). It has resulted governments making significant attempts to take advantage of this advancement to support many areas of their activities, especially making services and information available online. However, the success of these efforts depends on how well the targeted users for such services make use of them. For this reason, the purpose of this study was to identify what factors could affect the citizens' adoption of m-Government services in Kenya‟s civil service, using the Ministry of Information and Communications as the Case Study. The study‟s objectives were to identify the adoption level of m-Government services in Kenya, explore different frameworks used in adoption of m-Government services by other Governments, identify most appropriate adoption framework for m-Government services in GoK, and validate the framework for use in Kenya. Hypothesis drawn from previous studies indicate seven constructs (Perceived Ease of Use, Perceived Usefulness, Perceived Trust, Perceived Quality, User‟s satisfaction, Demographic factors, m-Government Adoption) influence an individual‟s intention to adopt m-Government. This study used Modified Technology Acceptance Model (MTAM). The researcher targeted the seven hundred and thirty five (735) staff in the Ministry of Information and Communications. The respondents were gotten using Simple random sampling method, while discussions with colleagues and the supervisor ensure the reliability of the questionnaire. This assisted to make appropriate adjustment to the questionnaire. The five-point Likert scale with endpoints of “strongly agree” and “Least agree” was used to measure each question. The questionnaires‟ administration was onto 210 members of staff at MOIC out of which 171 responded. The study used multiple regression method to carry out data analysis, whereas data presentation was in descriptive and inferential forms. The research findings showed there is need for ICT related services at the community level provided by the Government agencies. Whereas, there are several benefits achieved by using the m-Government services, some constraints are hindering successful uptake of the mGovernment applications. The results of this study show that demographic factors, perceived easy use, perceived usefulness, perceived quality and satisfaction have significant effect on the intention to use m-Government. There is also substantial support for all proposed hypotheses.