Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya

Joel Sadiki Charo; Mvurya Mgala

doi:doi:10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17

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Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya

Joel Sadiki Charo^*

, Mvurya Mgala

Published in Machine Learning Research (Volume 11, Issue 2)

Received: 5 October 2026 Accepted: 16 October 2026 Published: 29 October 2026

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Abstract

Coastal communities face increasing environmental challenges; including habitat degradation, pollution, and climate-related shocks that threaten livelihoods built around the ocean economy. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly promoted as instruments of environmental governance, yet the extent to which digital governance capacity translates into sustainable blue economy outcomes in African coastal counties remains under-researched. This paper investigates the relationship between ICT-enabled digital governance and environmental sustainability in the context of blue economy development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Grounded in socio-technical systems theory and the public value of information systems perspective, the study adopts an embedded single-case study design combining a cross-sectional household and business survey, key-informant interviews with government and research institutions (NEMA, Mombasa County Government, KMFRI, KWS), and a documentary review of county digital-governance initiatives. The study proposes a Digital Governance Readiness Index (DGRI) integrating four dimensions digital infrastructure, institutional capacity, stakeholder participation, and data-driven decision making, and links these to blue economy outcomes through a conceptual model with six testable propositions. Expected contributions include an evidence-based assessment framework that county governments can use to diagnose governance gaps, a set of policy recommendations for aligning national blue economy strategy with grassroots digital inclusion, and a replicable methodology for other coastal counties. The paper indicates that ICT-enabled sustainability is contingent not merely on technology deployment but on participatory governance structures, inter-agency data sharing, and community digital literacy.

Published in	Machine Learning Research (Volume 11, Issue 2)
DOI	10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17
Page(s)	143-148
Creative Commons	This is an Open Access article, distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), which permits unrestricted use, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.
Copyright	Copyright © The Author(s), 2026. Published by Science Publishing Group

Keywords

Digital Governance, Blue Economy, Environmental Sustainability

References

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Charo, J. S., Mgala, M. (2026). Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Machine Learning Research, 11(2), 143-148. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17

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Charo, J. S.; Mgala, M. Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Mach. Learn. Res. 2026, 11(2), 143-148. doi: 10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17

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Charo JS, Mgala M. Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Mach Learn Res. 2026;11(2):143-148. doi: 10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17

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@article{10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17,
  author = {Joel Sadiki Charo and Mvurya Mgala},
  title = {Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya},
  journal = {Machine Learning Research},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {143-148},
  doi = {10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.mlr.20261102.17},
  abstract = {Coastal communities face increasing environmental challenges; including habitat degradation, pollution, and climate-related shocks that threaten livelihoods built around the ocean economy. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly promoted as instruments of environmental governance, yet the extent to which digital governance capacity translates into sustainable blue economy outcomes in African coastal counties remains under-researched. This paper investigates the relationship between ICT-enabled digital governance and environmental sustainability in the context of blue economy development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Grounded in socio-technical systems theory and the public value of information systems perspective, the study adopts an embedded single-case study design combining a cross-sectional household and business survey, key-informant interviews with government and research institutions (NEMA, Mombasa County Government, KMFRI, KWS), and a documentary review of county digital-governance initiatives. The study proposes a Digital Governance Readiness Index (DGRI) integrating four dimensions digital infrastructure, institutional capacity, stakeholder participation, and data-driven decision making, and links these to blue economy outcomes through a conceptual model with six testable propositions. Expected contributions include an evidence-based assessment framework that county governments can use to diagnose governance gaps, a set of policy recommendations for aligning national blue economy strategy with grassroots digital inclusion, and a replicable methodology for other coastal counties. The paper indicates that ICT-enabled sustainability is contingent not merely on technology deployment but on participatory governance structures, inter-agency data sharing, and community digital literacy.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya
AU  - Joel Sadiki Charo
AU  - Mvurya Mgala
Y1  - 2026/10/29
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17
T2  - Machine Learning Research
JF  - Machine Learning Research
JO  - Machine Learning Research
SP  - 143
EP  - 148
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2637-5680
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17
AB  - Coastal communities face increasing environmental challenges; including habitat degradation, pollution, and climate-related shocks that threaten livelihoods built around the ocean economy. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly promoted as instruments of environmental governance, yet the extent to which digital governance capacity translates into sustainable blue economy outcomes in African coastal counties remains under-researched. This paper investigates the relationship between ICT-enabled digital governance and environmental sustainability in the context of blue economy development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Grounded in socio-technical systems theory and the public value of information systems perspective, the study adopts an embedded single-case study design combining a cross-sectional household and business survey, key-informant interviews with government and research institutions (NEMA, Mombasa County Government, KMFRI, KWS), and a documentary review of county digital-governance initiatives. The study proposes a Digital Governance Readiness Index (DGRI) integrating four dimensions digital infrastructure, institutional capacity, stakeholder participation, and data-driven decision making, and links these to blue economy outcomes through a conceptual model with six testable propositions. Expected contributions include an evidence-based assessment framework that county governments can use to diagnose governance gaps, a set of policy recommendations for aligning national blue economy strategy with grassroots digital inclusion, and a replicable methodology for other coastal counties. The paper indicates that ICT-enabled sustainability is contingent not merely on technology deployment but on participatory governance structures, inter-agency data sharing, and community digital literacy.
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
ER  -

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Author Information

Joel Sadiki Charo

Institute of Computing and Informatics, Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa, Kenya

Contact Email

http://orcid.org/0009-0009-0398-2242
Mvurya Mgala

Institute of Computing and Informatics, Technical University of Mombasa, Mombasa, Kenya

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APA Style

Charo, J. S., Mgala, M. (2026). Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Machine Learning Research, 11(2), 143-148. https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17

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ACS Style

Charo, J. S.; Mgala, M. Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Mach. Learn. Res. 2026, 11(2), 143-148. doi: 10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17

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AMA Style

Charo JS, Mgala M. Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Mach Learn Res. 2026;11(2):143-148. doi: 10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17

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@article{10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17,
  author = {Joel Sadiki Charo and Mvurya Mgala},
  title = {Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya},
  journal = {Machine Learning Research},
  volume = {11},
  number = {2},
  pages = {143-148},
  doi = {10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17},
  url = {https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17},
  eprint = {https://article.sciencepublishinggroup.com/pdf/10.11648.j.mlr.20261102.17},
  abstract = {Coastal communities face increasing environmental challenges; including habitat degradation, pollution, and climate-related shocks that threaten livelihoods built around the ocean economy. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly promoted as instruments of environmental governance, yet the extent to which digital governance capacity translates into sustainable blue economy outcomes in African coastal counties remains under-researched. This paper investigates the relationship between ICT-enabled digital governance and environmental sustainability in the context of blue economy development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Grounded in socio-technical systems theory and the public value of information systems perspective, the study adopts an embedded single-case study design combining a cross-sectional household and business survey, key-informant interviews with government and research institutions (NEMA, Mombasa County Government, KMFRI, KWS), and a documentary review of county digital-governance initiatives. The study proposes a Digital Governance Readiness Index (DGRI) integrating four dimensions digital infrastructure, institutional capacity, stakeholder participation, and data-driven decision making, and links these to blue economy outcomes through a conceptual model with six testable propositions. Expected contributions include an evidence-based assessment framework that county governments can use to diagnose governance gaps, a set of policy recommendations for aligning national blue economy strategy with grassroots digital inclusion, and a replicable methodology for other coastal counties. The paper indicates that ICT-enabled sustainability is contingent not merely on technology deployment but on participatory governance structures, inter-agency data sharing, and community digital literacy.},
 year = {2026}
}

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TY  - JOUR
T1  - Ict-enabled Environmental Sustainability in Coastal Communities: Assessing Digital Governance and Blue Economy Development in Mombasa County, Kenya
AU  - Joel Sadiki Charo
AU  - Mvurya Mgala
Y1  - 2026/10/29
PY  - 2026
N1  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17
DO  - 10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17
T2  - Machine Learning Research
JF  - Machine Learning Research
JO  - Machine Learning Research
SP  - 143
EP  - 148
PB  - Science Publishing Group
SN  - 2637-5680
UR  - https://doi.org/10.11648/j.mlr.20261102.17
AB  - Coastal communities face increasing environmental challenges; including habitat degradation, pollution, and climate-related shocks that threaten livelihoods built around the ocean economy. Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) are increasingly promoted as instruments of environmental governance, yet the extent to which digital governance capacity translates into sustainable blue economy outcomes in African coastal counties remains under-researched. This paper investigates the relationship between ICT-enabled digital governance and environmental sustainability in the context of blue economy development in Mombasa County, Kenya. Grounded in socio-technical systems theory and the public value of information systems perspective, the study adopts an embedded single-case study design combining a cross-sectional household and business survey, key-informant interviews with government and research institutions (NEMA, Mombasa County Government, KMFRI, KWS), and a documentary review of county digital-governance initiatives. The study proposes a Digital Governance Readiness Index (DGRI) integrating four dimensions digital infrastructure, institutional capacity, stakeholder participation, and data-driven decision making, and links these to blue economy outcomes through a conceptual model with six testable propositions. Expected contributions include an evidence-based assessment framework that county governments can use to diagnose governance gaps, a set of policy recommendations for aligning national blue economy strategy with grassroots digital inclusion, and a replicable methodology for other coastal counties. The paper indicates that ICT-enabled sustainability is contingent not merely on technology deployment but on participatory governance structures, inter-agency data sharing, and community digital literacy.
VL  - 11
IS  - 2
ER  -

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