[kictanet] KICTANET contributed to the success of Kibaki regime

[Mwendwa Kivuva]

http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/ndemo/-/2274486/2826064/-/b1g8vz/-/index.html

The Japanese have what they call Monozukuri with Hitozukuri, which means
"production or manufacturing excellence achieved through people excellence".

In a similar manner we want service excellence achieved through people
excellence in the civil service. Without happy people, we shall forever be
complaining why things aren’t working, even with the best ideas floating
around.

*FRUSTRATING BUT VITAL*

I have sat in meetings where a Minister walked in with a 12-item agenda and
talked through it, without any input from senior civil servants.

Some, if not most, bureaucrats are completely inaccessible, even to their
senior staff.

The little that we achieved at the Communication Ministry was due to the
fact that there was constant interaction between industry, the general
public and the Ministry.

*We leveraged technology to gather information from platforms such
as KictaNet <http://www.kictanet.or.ke/> (where the public vented their
anger towards government and we responded to each and every question).*

*Some of the issues raised on the platform led to policy statements. We
need such a window in every Ministry. It gave me a chance to regularly
write and explain our actions, and how much we had incorporated ideas from
the public.*

Granted, it is a frustrating thing for a leader to do, but it is the best
way to gather ideas that will change our current status. This is the age of
collaboration. Every idea has its place in creating change.

Humility does not cost anything but, in my view, it is the missing link
between what the public expects and the goals that the government wants to
achieve. Leaders need time to listen and actively learn from others since
no one has the monopoly of ideas.

But even as this sounds simple, it rarely happens. When we crafted the
Vision 2030 with the help of McKinsey, a team of consultants led by a young
Kenyan, Dr Gachao Kiuna, encouraged the free flow of ideas. It is because
of that kind of openness that the document remains relevant today.

Even though the firm had a global network, it relied on local input to come
up with a comprehensive vision. It is a lesson most of our leaders need,
because sustainable solutions will only come from within and we cannot
afford to ignore input from those we work with
______________________
Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya

"There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on
higher ground in that lifetime." - Maxwell Anderson
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