Yes, but the industry is new. The best advice I can give you is if you're planning on entering the internet market, go with the intention of setting up a small enterprise that will grow organically over time.

The biggest mistake people have been making is to come into the internet market full speed with all guns blazing. That is the mistake InMobi, Kalahari, haiya.co.ke, Dealfish and many others made. Flashy corporate offices with imported furniture, staff on international salaries, etc, in anticipation of a sudden boom in the market. Before the market could come up to their expectations, they had run out of money, but those of us who have been running lean operations all along have survived.

Now this is where I have reached for all those who care to listen. The net is yet to start satisfying Kenya's societal needs. As is it stands it serves as a communication and entertainment platform for the masses. Though slowly people are seeing the potential it has as an informational/educational platform but this is tricky simply because it raises the issue of where to find the right information and how applicable it is to your situation. On the other hand it's an indispensable tool for Kenyans in the diaspora. That I find interesting. It's a pathway for Kenyans all over the world to learn more about Kenya-its challenges and opportunities and participate in them.

On the local front,it will start to pick up when it is more economical to satisfy societal needs using technology than it is without it. Time saving innovations will thrive but they have to be less costly or more convenient. Another place will be content "aggregators". Basically places which offer specific content which can be generated within the organization or used to filter information from outside the organization. Eventually they will be embrace freemium model. They can also be divided into two categories.Those that try to solve problems and those that offer opportunities. Still thinking on more categories.

Anyway,I'm curious to see how distribution will work in Kenya. I don't mean to offend,but Kenyans are cautious individuals prompted by a lot of scandals,corruption and fear of loss. Distribution systems targeted for Business to Business can work more easily than they can for Business to Consumer/C2C/C2B. The problem arises with consumers. What are their needs in terms of distribution? Borrowing a leaf from banks,the next logical step I see is shops being converted into delivery hot spots.Basically,kiosks will receive the products of a large group of people in a location and at the convenience of the customer pick it up after work for example.

My premise is simple. You already have a relationship with the local kiosks. So trust can be easily established. With the right packaging and the goods coming bundled together theft can be easily mitigated. Once deliveries are made,confirmation of the batch can be easily be done using mass smses. Confirmation of receipt of goods by the distribution company can also be done when paying for the services. Once payed up both the receiver and the sender receive smses of the ongoing transaction. It also removes the issue of people not wanting others knowing where they live. Now,who pays the kiosks so that everyone benefits from the transaction.

@tycho - Thanks for reading those rumblings.Time is one thing I believe can inspire such changes.People are becoming busier and busier. Sorting and packing might use recycled material,that's just a thought.It's focused on distribution not delivery of goods or a platform for buying new ones so price and availability of goods is left out.

Transport costs can be reduced but I can't say for certain. If more individuals are spending less of their time and money traveling to go get goods which can be brought to them(not all goods of course),it can mean efficiency. I don't think an IT firm can do this but an IT firm will be hired to implement the IT solutions for the distribution company. The transport industry might suffer from reduced passengers.

@akowally - I agree. There is a lot of potential when it comes to information.