Technology
The government has put in place policies and regulations to enable Kenyans access internet and utilize online services comfortably. Director Information in-Charge of ICT Directorate of Information and Broadcasting in the State Department for Broadcasting, Esther Wanjau said the e-services provided by the government has enabled public services to be carried out with ease.
She singled out the laying out of the undersea submarine cable (The East Africa Marine Systems) to open Kenya to the rest of the world, noting that for the government to fully utilize the cable it laid a terrestrial fibre optic known as National Optic Fibre Broadband Infrastructure (NOFBI) in the country from the county and sub county level to serve the underserved and unserved.
Other digital initiatives that have been put in place by the government include the Integrated Financial Management Information System to handle financial issues, integrated payroll and personnel data base used by Human resource for managing civil servants’ payroll among others, a government achievement that has promoted e-services in the country.
“The government has also established an e-citizen portal, which is a one stop shop that offers government services online,” said Wanjau. She was speaking on Thursday during the 6th General Assembly and Conference for the Association of African Public Service Commissions (AAPSCOMS) held at Safari Park hotel in Nairobi.
The three-day conference which started on Wednesday has brought together 10 countries namely Eswatini, Ghana, Lesotho, Namibia, Nigeria, South Africa, Tanzania, the Gambia, Zambia and Kenya and representatives from Cameroon, Uganda and Egypt who have come together to collaborate and deliberate on ways of supporting PSCs to develop and implement strategies that can improve service delivery in public service.
Ms. Wanjau who was one of the panelists, in her presentation on Leveraging ICT for Effective and Efficient Service Delivery said Kenya government has leveraged ICT through internet connectivity, digitalization of government services, put in place proper regulatory framework and development of ICT human resource capacity, enhance productivity and entrepreneurship, as well as promote job opportunities for the youth and boost the country’s economy.
“The government has also put in place stringent measures to curb cyber security for the citizens to feel secure to use it and to mitigate the cyber threats,” she added. The panelists were giving their input in a paper on the topic presented by Dr. Austeria Letholets Ntsike a Lesotho PSC delegate on how Lesotho government intends to leverage ICT in their service delivery.
Director Information in-Charge of ICT, Directorate of Information and Broadcasting in the State Department for Broadcasting, Esther Wanjau giving her presentation on Leveraging on ICT for Efficient and Effective Service Delivery during the 6th General Assembly and Conference of the Association of African Public Service Commissions ((AAPSCOMS) held at Safari Park hotel in Nairobi on Thursday November 7, 2024.
Dr. Ntsike said she is impressed by how Kenya is using community participation to empower women with digital skills to improve productivity, noting that they will have a conversation with Kenya with a view to replicate the same in Lesotho. In his presentation Luxolo Rubushe Managing Director Adapt IT from South Africa said laying of digital infrastructure has generated economic opportunities in the rural areas and among the Gen zees who use smart phones and urged public institutions to use the knowledge they have to uplift the capacity of their internal staff.
Panelist Prof. Jimmy Macharia of United States International University Africa (USIU in-charge of Technology and Training while giving his presentation recommended that governments should have units where they can standardize issues on procurement of technology systems during signing of contracts with suppliers.
He gave an example of Kenya where the government has digitized the Integrated Financial Management Information System, a payment system where all government departments are required to procure on the online portal, which he encouraged other countries to emulate for efficiency.
Prof. Macharia said leveraging on ICT for efficient and effective service delivery helps to save cost and time, as well as increases productivity and innovation, adding that public servants need to be trained in Artificial Intelligence and other technologies for them to be well versed in using modern technology.
“How public service transforms to accommodate these changes will make it easier for government agencies and departments to collaborate to execute key processes,” he stated. Prof. Macharia at the same time stressed the need for promoting equity and digital economy in the rural areas through community networks, a move he noted will help to empower women who are the majority of the population.
He added that studies have shown that women small holder farmers account for 67 percent, and the use of community networks participation will help to provide and spread internet signals and maintenance of the internet signals. Macharia said for efficient service delivery among public servants, the Public Service Commissions should assist countries to efficiently execute policies and strategies for the benefit of citizens.
He also mentioned that recruitment of the right people is key and effective in the management of performance and collection of revenue in a work place.