Digital Impact @ Skippers
Empowering Diani’s Next Generation by bridging the digital divide in secondary schools.
Socio demographic data on Kwale County
It is quite easy when in tourist areas like Diani to overlook some of the realities of life in the local areas.
We have found it quite helpful to share census data to help show at a high-level what the world outside resorts looks like.
Below are several key data points from the 2019 census.
It’s worth noting that internet usage has soared quite considerably in the last 5 years with around 35% of Kenyan’s having used the internet and ±59.3 of those 25-34 having used the internet..
Use of internet and use of desktop (population aged 3+)
Using the county totals in Table 2.35 (same “age 3+” base), the implied rates are:
| Area | Population age 3+ | Used internet (count) | Used internet (%) | Used desktop/laptop/tablet (count) | Used desktop/laptop/tablet (%) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 43,739,906 | 9,869,962 | 22.57% | 4,527,254 | 10.35% |
| Kwale | 783,189 | 152,178 | 19.43% | 98,811 | 12.62% |
| Nairobi City | 4,010,447 | 2,100,763 | 52.38% | 1,124,363 | 28.04% |
Goods bought online (population aged 15+)
This is directly from Table 2.34 (“searched and bought goods/services online”):
| Area | Population age 15+ | Searched and bought online (count) | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 28,729,203 | 1,249,133 | 4.3% |
| Kwale | 472,968 | 7,004 | 1.5% |
| Nairobi City | 3,008,985 | 421,094 | 14.0% |
Ages 15–24: mobile ownership, internet, desktop, goods/services bought online
From Table 2.35, then calculated as % of the 15–24 population:
| Area | Age 15–24 pop | Own mobile (count / %) | Used internet (count / %) | Used desktop (count / %) | Bought/ordered online (count / %) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 9,649,075 | 4,698,732 / 48.70% | 3,086,312 / 31.99% | 1,453,866 / 15.07% | 320,772 / 3.32% |
| Kwale | 167,182 | 62,096 / 37.14% | 29,445 / 17.61% | 10,562 / 6.32% | 1,543 / 0.92% |
| Nairobi City | 900,547 | 688,099 / 76.41% | 574,626 / 63.81% | 311,630 / 34.60% | 99,461 / 11.04% |
Household assets: desktop/laptop, internet, motorcycle (conventional households)
From Table 2.36 (household-level ownership, not individual usage):
| Area | Desktop/laptop/tablet in household | Household internet | Motorcycle |
|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 8.8% | 17.9% | 9.2% |
| Kwale | 4.3% | 9.8% | 10.6% |
| Nairobi City | 22.7% | 42.1% | 4.3% |
Highest level of education completed (Age 3+)
Share of population aged 3+ by highest level completed
| Area | No formal | Primary | Secondary | Tertiary (middle + UG + PG) | Not stated | Base (Age 3+) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kenya | 19.5% | 46.6% | 25.0% | 8.0% | 0.8% | 43,294,579 |
| Kwale | 16.9% | 45.9% | 25.4% | 6.0% | 1.1% | 639,057 |
| Nairobi City | 3.8% | 17.4% | 31.2% | 44.8% | 2.8% | 3,251,201 |
Dominant wall material (Conventional households)
| Wall material | Kenya | Kwale | Nairobi City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Mud / cow dung | 27.5% | 46.3% | — |
| Stone with lime / cement | 16.5% | 27.2% | 26.2% |
| Concrete / concrete blocks / precast wall | 16.3% | 9.5% | 40.3% |
| Bricks | 10.2% | 4.7% | 2.5% |
| Iron sheets (as wall) | 9.9% | — | 26.3% |
| Stone with mud | — | 7.7% | — |
Drinking water sources (Conventional households)
| Drinking water source | Kenya | Kwale | Nairobi City |
|---|---|---|---|
| Piped into dwelling | 10.1% | 4.3% | 22.7% |
| Piped to yard / plot | 14.1% | 5.5% | 28.4% |
| Public tap / standpipe | 9.9% | 18.3% | 18.9% |
| Bottled | 2.8% | 2.1% | 8.6% |
| Borehole / tube well | 9.9% | 12.7% | 4.3% |
| Protected well | 7.0% | 10.3% | 0.5% |
| Stream / river | 16.8% | 3.2% | 0% |
| Pond | 1.6% | 17.2% | 0% |
| Dam / lake | 3.3% | 10.4% | 0.1% |
| Water Vendor | 8.5% | 2.9% | 15.4% |
Some more overall digital trends for Kenya can be found here: https://datareportal.com/reports/digital-2026-kenya