Kenya: Councils Must Use Technology to Streamline Their Operations

At a recent meeting to showcase the use of information and communication technologies by local authorities in East Africa, a participant confessed to me that at his council offices computers are used "just like typewriters".
To her, the change in technology over the years has not been as dramatic as might be believed.

And I thought she was right. For as long as computers are used solely for word processing, the full value of computerisation will never be realised.
The magic wand of technology lies in integrated systems and interconnectivity, not in stand-alone machines doing letter writing. We get the best of computers only when these machines begin to talk to one another.
Lately, Kenya's local authorities have shown that they want to be on the road to the digital world.
The system that links automation in revenue to budgeting and finance and the expenditure components, which began as a trial at four local authorities - Nyeri, Mavoko, Kirinyaga and Karatina - has now been extended to cover 60 others and hopefully to all the 175.
This is a good beginning for the Local Authorities Integrated Financial Operations Management System (LAIFOMS). Hopefully then computers will have some meaning beyond being enhanced typewriters.
The benefits of providing online (e-government) services at the local authority level are apparent. There will be better keeping of records, better access to information (such as land rates billing) and faster processing of licences.
By using databases and websites, residents will access important information on issues of taxation and expenditure from anywhere, thus promoting citizen participation and transparency.
The challenge, however, is how to provide such online and SMS services using ICTs without being expensive and even extravagant.
For anyone implementing technology at the local authority level, the first thing to do is get a strategy - a road map of what exactly you want to do.
It is important to build a business case for the investment in technology. Do not computerise just because it is the trendy thing to. It is never about technology itself, but rather what technology can do for the council.
There will always be some technology out for sale, and it is what you need now to help you to deliver services cost-effectively that you want to go for.
Then think of some compelling content. What do people look for in websites?
Why not advertise jobs and even procurement online? In Rwanda the councils provide easy way for people to get marriage certificates in an effort to discourage come-we-stay marriages.
Would it not be great for the people of East Africa if they were to hunt for jobs across the borders using technology?
The Kinondoni municipal council in Dar es Salaam has successfully implemented the satellite-based Geographical Information System (GIS) mapping to manage its billboard services.
It would be good to benchmark with such organisations to avoid disastrous results that come with innovations that are not well thought out.
Get the staff and end-users to buy into the project you want to implement. If the councillors are hard to be brought on board, as is always the case, make sure that at least the town clerk is converted.
But be careful not to introduce technology in police uniforms. Even if your primary objective is to curb corruption, never say you are building a system that will catch thieves. No-one will use it and if you try to force them, the system will always be down.
Tell them it is going to rake in revenue for the council which will use it to, in turn, to improve their salaries.
And for heavens sake pay your staff well. It is crucial that good workers are retained and re-trained.
In Uganda, ICT literacy is now a pre-condition for employment in the local government sector.
One of the easiest and quickest ways to success in technology is engaging a public-private sector partnership. But this too has to be done with some caution.
The model must be designed in a way that ensures everyone is a winner. Be careful not to sign those memorandums of understanding with lengthy disclaimers in small font, especially from a briefcase consultant (or is it a con sultans?). Look for reputable partners who have implemented this kind of partnership successfully elsewhere.
There are many ideas in Kenya now "whose time has come", and e-government for local authorities is certainly one of them.
Andrew LimoNairobi