| Selling Kenyan e-Government Vision By Matunda Nyanchama Toronto, Ontario, Canada September 13, 2004 On the weekend of September 2, 2004, a groups of Kenyans in Toronto had the chance to meet with the e-government Kenyan delegation that was visiting Canada. Lead by the Hon Raphael Tuju, Minister for Information and Communications, the team was in Canada to explore ways and learn from experiences that would make it possible to implement the e-government strategy. The e-government strategy is intended to help ensure that the government meets its mandate. Using information & communication technologies (ICTs), the strategy intends to enhance government efficiency, accountability and transparency. It is three-pronged: help government talk to itself, enhance government’s interaction with mwananchi, and improve government services to the business community. Government Talking to Itself:- when implemented e-government would develop inter-ministerial communications through information sharing and collaboration. Today, one ministry could be having crucial information that others are in need of but not aware that it exists. In some cases, one ministry might even go out to collect exactly the same information that may be held by another ministry. Aside from increasing efficiency, e-government will also save costs of duplication. Government interaction with mwananchi:- It is hoped that e-government can boost the delivery of services to mwananchi. Consider the case of motor licensing. If this information were online, motorists wanting to renew licenses would be served much faster. Government hopes to open up service kiosks across the country for such government services. Long-term goal include application in policing, voting, traffic management and more. Government interaction with the business community:- Thirdly e-government will ensure that needed information is available where it is required for the people who need it. Reports suggest that overwhelming bureaucracies are a major impediment to business on the African continent. In Kenya, for instance, the business registration process is windy and consumes so much time that some investors choose to go elsewhere. The same can be said of the judicial system where files get misplaced and delay the execution of justice. Making information available in a timely manner will serve to reduce the bureaucratic nightmares many face in dealing with government. Progress made so far include: - Obtaining Cabinet’s approval of the strategy; - Creation of a cabinet committee to oversee the implementation; - Establishment of permanent secretary-level committees to deal with institutional implementation; - Embarking on a search for an IT Secretary (a PS-level appointment) to champion the implementation of the strategy. The e-government strategy is an initiative that has been in the works for a while. So far, it captures the right thought processes; it is an idea whose time has come. Executed properly, the strategy has key elements of success such as proper political support at the right level in the power establishment. If it were to be implemented properly, it will bring substantial benefits to mwananchi, the business community and boost the image of government. There will be challenges to meet the strategy’s vision based on analysis of the current situation. For example, the team’s audit indicated that there exist about 4000 computers in government, meaning there were 60 users to a computer! Moreover, considering that there is no periodic reviews to determine what is useful or not, there is likelihood of substantial obsolescence in IT equipment. The issue of ICT is yet another area to address. It is reported that the team’s audit found that ICT skills are generally lacking. Where they exists, these skills are not sharpened enough to cope with the anticipated task of realizing the strategy. Clearly, there exists no critical mass of qualified ICT personnel to sustain the meaningful ICT implementation in government. The team reports that their assessment found that less than 10% of the 200,000 (or more) government employees were e-literate. A massive skills training initiative will have to be undertaken to help meet the government’s ICT objectives. Training objectives will focus on capacity building targeted at the design, implementation and operation of a reliable and secure ICT infrastructure. Realizing the strategy’s objectives will face further challenges such as the culture of the government workforce that has been brought up in an era when computers were a mystery to many. In order to realize the strategy’s objectives, a massive cultural shift (almost of tectonic proportions) will need to happen. Others that need attention include the underlying infrastructure to support the strategy. Key among these is energy supply. Without reliable power, efficiency will be hard to achieve and the implementation will end up causing frustration and potentially work against the objective of efficiency. Joint efforts between the ministries of energy, and Information and Communications need to ensure that this matter is addressed. The team did not mention the issue of funding. According to reports costs will be in the range of Kshs 3bn and ready for completion in 2010. Kshs 3bn is equivalent to 10% of the country’s annual budget. The government has realized the value that ICTs can bring to delivering its services more efficiently, transparently and with accountability. It is a good first step and so far those charged with the task have done the right things to date. The hard part has yet to come and for a number of reasons. The Kenya government’s track record in project implementation is perhaps one of the worst in the community of nations. Past studies have pointed to the many white elephants that government projects become. That is history, though, taken from the record of the Kanu regime. Narc has promised to do things differently and hence the reason for engaging high-level and qualified expertise to run the current project. The systematic approach should help and implementation should be phased to ensure that implementers do not “bite more than the system can digest”. Further, implementers must consider concerns expressed by critics who suggest that the plan is overly ambitious and not in line with national priorities. Copyright © Matunda Nyanchama, Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Matunda Nyanchama, an Information Security professional, is a past President of the Kenyan Community Abroad (KCA). He can be reached at mnyanchama@aganoconsulting.com or matunda@hotmail.com. |
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