[kictanet] Day 2(a) of 3: 2016 ICT Year in Review Feedback - Human Capital Feedback

Wed Nov 30 13:04:19 EAT 2016

Here are some thoughts on information infrastructure:

*a) 86% of the respondents felt that government digitization (Huduma
Centers, eCitizen portal, etc) program has been useful to a very large
extent. 12% felt it was moderately useful with a very small minority1.5
thinking it has not been useful.*

Comment: Digitizing operation has been a great idea. But is it widespread
and consistently applied? E.g. getting an abstract at a police station
means paying a certain fee for the photocopy usually available at the
station’s kiosk. Yet if I go to Huduma Centre, I should get it at no fee
and it’s a downloadable form. If I need to get the abstract over the
weekend, I’ll pay for the photocopy at the station, yet I could have gotten
it for free at a Huduma Centre.

Government should therefore also invest in awareness programs that inform
citizens about the digitizing of services, how to get them, what to expect
etc. This can be done to grassroots level, and should include creative
people like the Nakuru chief who tweets to residents in his location.

Stability of the digitized systems should be guaranteed. ID replacement
services recently had been shut down for several weeks at Huduma Centres
because the system was down. I was told that that wasn’t the first time,
and the system has even gone almost a month without working.

*b) 48% of the respondents felt that the digitization of government
operations has gone to the other sectors to a moderate extent. 30% felt
this cross-sector absorption of ICTs has not really happened while 10% feel
it has to a very large extent.*

Comment: Same thought as presented in a).

*c) 52% of the respondents felt that the local content industry has NOT
been well supported. 34% felt it has been moderately supported while only
8% felt it has been supported to a very large extent.*

Comment: I agree that the local content industry is not well supported. At
my university for example, I have many students bubbling with ideas for
online content such as shows, blogs, information hubs, etc. But they’re
afraid their ideas will be stolen if they ask for advice, they wonder what
resources – financial or other – they will need, and sometimes they don’t
know where to start.

Content also is often the target of existing and proposed law, and even
when it is encouraged (such as the CAK’s call for more local content on
TV), it often seems to be most vulnerable to overzealous and sensitive
authorities. The proposed Film Bill and pressures on bloggers come to mind.

I think support should come from a variety of sources: government can
provide a regulatory and policy environment that not only supports, but
encourages the development of local content; government can partner with
industry, academia and communities to raise awareness about local content,
create opportunities for it, and enable creators to protect their
intellectual work while getting paid for it.

*d) 70% of the respondents felt that the issue of information security has
not been adequately addressed. 25% thought it had been moderately addressed
while only 4% felt it had been addressed to a very large extent.*

Comment: I agree that information security is a weak point. I have
questions about whether any  of the digital information on our systems is
well protected, whether it is sold to the highest bidder, who is watching
what, etc. I have no solutions, but regulatory authorities and whoever else
is concerned should consider that this is not just a technical issue, but
one about trust. People may choose to do certain things on digital
platforms, or to keep off, based on how much they trust the systems.

d)  The following were mentioned as key info-infrastructure interventions
that have not been addressed/misaddressed:

*Misguided/aggressive e-Content regulation maybe counter-productive to
local content industry. Security surveillance without Data Protection Act
is counter-productive. The Government Shared Service concept still not
effective, particularly at County levels. Expand eGov Services to be
accessible thro USSD, Improve the user-interface on most Government
websites, enhance cyber security and offer public awareness programs on the
same. *

Comment: Let more digitization services start from the grassroots up, not
from the top down. The tweeting chief in Nakuru offers an example of how a
digital tool (Twitter) can be used to reach a large number of people (in
his case, via sms) to address local challenges and provide information
about local matters.

On Wed, Nov 30, 2016 at 12:23 AM, Walubengo J via kictanet <
kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:

> Thanx Bomu, Wangari, Rop, Barrack, Wambui and others for your
> reactions...the floor is actually open for belated reactions on previous
> thematic areas, just keep the subject line in context.
>
>
> best regards.
>
> walu.
>
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