Digital Availability and Accessibility for Sustainable Development in the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri, Kenya

For a long time, digital integration has been a goal for the future but now, it is evidently a current necessity that we must all actively embrace for relevance and development. In religious settings, the question is not ‘if’ but ‘how’ we will adopt digital transformation effectively in the church functions. Furthermore, it is necessary to find out how digital adoption in the churches can contribute to global sustainable development. In this study, the contribution of digital availability towards sustainable development is examined, in the context of the Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri in Kenya. The study utilized a mixed methods approach and the convergent parallel research design to collect data from 143 participants within the Nyeri Central Deanery, Catholic Archdiocese of Nyeri. From the data collected, it was noted that the access to digital infrastructure in Nyeri Central Deanery is generally high, with many churches using projectors/screens for their weekly Masses. Availability and accessibility of digital infrastructure positively contribute towards the sustainable efforts made by the church, especially through the engagement of younger generations in the church administration and functions. The study contributes to existing literature by providing the religious context of the relationship between the digital infrastructure and sustainable development.