INFLUENCE OF ICT SYSTEMS ON DISASTER MANAGEMENT IN SELECTED ORGANIZATIONS IN MANUFACTURING SECTOR IN KENYA
Abdulkadir Waqo Jarso - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Wario W. Guyo - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Dr. Tobia Mwalili - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
Prof. Romanus Odhiambo - Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, Kenya
ABSTRACT
According to the Disaster Recovery Preparedness Council, 73 percent of companies worldwide are failing in terms of disaster readiness. With advancement in Information & Communication Technology in the form of Internet, GIS, Remote Sensing, satellite-based communication links; it can help a great deal in planning and implementation of disaster risk reduction measures. In Kenya, there are experiences of a number of natural hazards, the most common being weather related, including floods, droughts, landslides, lightening/thunderstorms, wild fires, and strong winds (UNDP, 2004). This shows that Kenya is one of the countries in classified as disaster-prone areas and thus the need for comprehensive mitigation efforts will be critical. However, while the use of ICT in Disaster mitigating is increasingly becoming critical, disaster frequency appears to be increasing and represent a major source of risk for the poor and wipe out development gains and accumulated wealth (Dilley et al. 2005). The overall objective of this study is to examine the effect of ICT systems in disaster management in selected organization in manufacturing sector in Kenya. The key variables in this review are as follows ICT Hardware, CT Software, Human resource and procedures, ICT Policies and institutional information. Descriptive survey design was used to obtain information that will help the study unveil the influences of ICT systems on disaster management in selected manufacturing firms in Kenya, for the purpose of this study the unit of analyzes will be the Head offices of the three selected manufacturing firms which are Unga Limited, Unilever and Bidco Africa Ltd while the unit of observation will be the employees of the selected organizations. This study employed a simple random sampling technique to selected 137 employees from the sampling frame that was sourced from the respective sample. To ascertain the validity and reliability of the questionnaire, a pre-test survey was conducted. Consisting 1% of the target population. The data was analyzed using descriptive statistics and quantitative approach such as correlation and regression was used for inferences. The results of this study has established that ICT hardware has significant influence on disaster management and closely followed by ICT software and Human Resource with ICT Policy and Institutional knowledge having less influence. Evolution of computer technology and availability of hardware is helpful for rapid expansion of GIS in both disaster research and communication. The study recommends extension of ICT services and ICT awareness in Kenya (both rural and urban areas). In order to achieve this government and other relevant authorities to ensure right infrastructure be put in place so that no area is left behind in benefiting from the increased use of ICT enabled services. Key among this is electricity supply.
