Kenyans have spent a whopping KES 8.01 billion on gadgets in the covid-19 induced lockdown. Data from the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) shows that gadget imports have increased more than half year over year.
In 2019, the value of gadget imports (laptops, computers, and smartphones) stood at KES 5.18 billion between February and June. Thus, the new figure reported in four months leading to July represents a 56.29 percent increase.
The pandemic has resulted in an increase in online use among Kenyans for different reasons. Schools and workplaces have had to fully adapt and go digital. The rise in gadget imports has been instrumental to help students and workers shift to the internet for learning and working.
Rising spent on gadgets in Kenya corresponds to the supply chain strain that was reported by companies due to the high demand for gadgets needed for remote working and learning.
Earlier this year Safaricom reported a massive increase in data traffic amidst the pandemic. Safaricom recorded a 40 percent spike in data traffic in April, nearly a month after the partial lockdown imposed in March.
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