[kictanet] IFMIS Reloaded? Is this the silver bullet to corruption? Or is it just another PR exercise in futility?

[Phares Kariuki]

Ali,

I am not saying that paper based bureaucracies are the best way to go, just that IT, poorly designed might lead to inefficiency and a paper/phone based system, well designed an implemented can have better results. A good example is our unmanned 999 emergency numbers. Great technical solution, nobody picks. In most cities in the world, around 50 years ago, someone would pick and get there. There were no cell phones, but you just had to get to a landline.  

We can easily reach our government through twitter today. The government doesn't value our feedback… Historically, letters worked. Chairman Mao's (poor example in this context, but he had a brilliant intelligence system that was used to get rid of dissidents) that was heavily paper based…  

My point is, we need to focus on why the systems are failing, aside from technology. There's nothing new in government. As an example, the government feedback loop. We complain about the price of maize flour, ancient Romans complained about the price of grain. Whether we are using homing pigeons or tweets, if the government feedback mechanisms work and said government is responsive the government will resolve the price issue in good time, if it does not, it won't… So, in the case of an ancient roman emperor who's concerned about the price of grain, who responds to a citizens letter 3 weeks later or the case of a Kenyan leader, who ignores the citizen's tweets, the ancient  roman emperor is more efficient…  

We've been complaining about the price of milk for the last 4 odd years, it keeps rising, along with the cost of living, inflation etc  

-- 

Warm Regards,
Phares Kariuki



| T: +254 720 406 093 | E: pkariuki at gmail.com | Twitter: kaboro | Skype: kariukiphares | B: http://www.kaboro.com/ |


On Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 4:23 PM, Ali Hussein wrote:

> Phares
>  
> I agree with the principle of GIGO (Garbage In Garbage Out).
>  
> I would however respectfully disagree with your sentence:-  
>  
> > 'Governments have existed with more services, higher revenue collection and lower corruption than Kenya for several years, without IT.'
>  
> Whilst it is true that corruption will exist with or without IT it factually untrue that in today's world governments can deliver faster, more efficient services without IT. Of course I'm happy to stand corrected if you could but just give me some cases where this has happened.  
>  
> Ali Hussein
>  
> +254 0770 906375 / 0713 601113
>  
> "Kujikwaa si kuanguka, bali ni kwenda mbele" (To stumble is not to fall but a sign of going forward) - Swahili Proverb
>  
> Sent from my iPad
>  
> On Oct 9, 2013, at 4:08 PM, Phares Kariuki <pkariuki at gmail.com (mailto:pkariuki at gmail.com)> wrote:
>  
> > What all systemic failures have in common is human beings.  
> >  
> > Any system can be corrupted if the objective of those using it is corrupting the system…  
> >  
> > Governments have existed with more services, higher revenue collection and lower corruption than Kenya for several years, without IT.  
> >  
> >  
> > -- 

> > Warm Regards,
> > Phares Kariuki


> >  
> > | T: +254 720 406 093 | E: pkariuki at gmail.com (mailto:pkariuki at gmail.com) | Twitter: kaboro | Skype: kariukiphares | B: http://www.kaboro.com/ |
> >  
> >  
> > On Wednesday, October 9, 2013 at 7:01 AM, Ali Hussein wrote:
> >  
> > >  
> > > Listers
> > >  
> > > There has been a lot said about IFMIS and how it's supposed to have revolutionized Government accountability and spending. There are as many detractors as there are supporters.  
> > >  
> > > What is the real story?  
> > >  
> > > Can someone in Treasury/ICTA  share with us how this Government ERP has fared since its inception?  
> > >  
> > > See links below from the same media group that have different stories to tell about the success/failure of IFMIS  
> > >  
> > > http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/New-cashflow-audit-system-rolled-out-in-war-on-graft/-/539546/2023084/-/ne2lu1z/-/index.html
> > >  
> > > http://mobile.nation.co.ke/business/Treasury-ministries-in-row-over-use-of-IMF-backed/-/1950106/2003266/-/format/xhtml/-/f69xxk/-/index.html
> > >  
> > > It would be good to get a 'State of IFMIS' report from the Treasury.  
> > >  
> > > Ali Hussein
> > >  
> > > +254 0770 906375 / 0713 601113
> > >  
> > > "Kujikwaa si kuanguka, bali ni kwenda mbele" (To stumble is not to fall but a sign of going forward) - Swahili Proverb
> > >  
> > > Sent from my iPad
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