[kictanet] ICT Authority request on Connected Kenya

Mon Jan 18 12:57:52 EAT 2016

Dear listers,
In addition to connectivity, design of solutions also matters. I will start
by stating that the move towards digitisation of government services is
welcome. We look forward to a time when we can access over 50% of services
without having to queue at a government office.
Some of the e-government solutions though.....One wonders whether as a
people we have embraced the spirit of devolution, whose  object is to bring
government closer to the people.
Some examples:

KRA (the best performing e-government service we have): You are trying to
get a company PIN and something goes wrong with the servers. You visit your
nearest Huduma centre where the Huduma assistant (after several attempts)
tells you to call or go to Times Tower. The call service never works. You
have to find a friend or relative in Nairobi to take the trip to Times
Tower. Or pay an agent for the most basic tasks.

And while at KRA, last years tax returns involved downloading an excel
sheet with macros :)

Government Ministries , Parliament, County Assemblies publish technical
papers, laws or regulations in the papers and they ask for public comments
within 14 days. No explanatory notes or officer available to chat with
wananchi who may want to meaningfully participate. No platform for online
interactive feedback.

I will not go into the KNEC Examination Results SMS. A teenager kept
flashing me from upcountry. They did not have the required Ksh. 30 to
send/receive the KCPE results SMS. It had never occurred to me that Ksh. 30
is prohibitive to some.

We need to shift our mindset from the traditional government style to
people oriented.....and to remind ourselves that we need to design
solutions that actually bring services truly closer to mwananchi.
Regards,

2016-01-18 12:05 GMT+03:00 K Machuhi via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>:

> Dear Grace,
>
> Connectivity is key, and as Barrack Otieno pointed out, we have little to
> show outside the urban centers.
> The scattered nature of households makes infrastructure very difficult to
> reach all. (Those who were responsible for post-independence 'land
> settlements' were big failures to our country as they sowed seed for
> endless land demarcation and scattered households.)
>
> Besides accessibility (roads), the next key is connectivity (phones,
> internet). Connectivity requires energy availability. It is unbelievable
> the number of households not connected to the grid even as they are
> technically in on-grid areas.
> We need a universally distributed power source (solar) at household level
> as mainstream. ICT solutions available today can make solar a utility.
>
>
> Regards,
>
> K. Machuhi
>
> On Mon, Jan 18, 2016 at 10:56 AM, Grace Githaiga via kictanet <
> kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
>
>> Good morning Listers
>>
>> I have received a request from  the ICT Authority on the topic of
>> Connected Kenya.
>>
>>
>> Connected Kenya this year wants to explore the theme of getting Citizen
>> to “Self Serve”  through provision of e-government services. The theme
>> is “Bridging the service gap”
>>
>>
>> In the spirit of consultation, and in recognizing the valuable ideas from
>> the different sectors of the community, the ICT Authority *would like to
>> get industry thoughts and views on what they perceive as barriers to the
>> achievement of ‘self-services’ to mwananchi  in Kenya. *
>>
>>
>> What can government do in terms of policies, implementation of projects,
>> engagement to further this agenda?  And what role does the Private
>> sector also play and how can both come together to further the interest of
>> getting the citizen to access services at the comfort of their homes?
>>
>>
>> We request that for the next five days, you kindly feel feel free to
>> contribute and help the Authority shape up the agenda for this important
>> conference. Phyllis from ICTA will collate all your ideas.
>>
>>
>> Asanteni sana.
>>
>>
>> Rgds
>>
>> Grace
>>
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform
> for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and
> regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT
> sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
>
> KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors
> online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth,
> share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do
> not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
>

-- 
Grace L.N. Mutung'u
Nairobi Kenya
Skype: gracebomu
Twitter: @Bomu

<http://www.diplointernetgovernance.org/profile/GraceMutungu>

PGP ID : 0x33A3450F
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