The establishment of Huduma centres across the country by the National Government has greatly improved services to citizens.
Busia Deputy County Commissioner Kipchumba Ruto made the remarks when he launched Huduma Service week at Huduma Centre offices in Busia town Monday.
Ruto hailed the initiative for transforming public services delivery and also applauded civil servants for their concerted efforts in offering consolidated services to citizens at one point.
“Huduma centre is a one stop shop that gives the public access to a variety of government services under one roof. These centres offer over 104 different services with a customer satisfaction level of 95 per cent,” said the DCC, adding that the week will culminate with an array of sporting and social activities.
Through its innovative functions, Huduma Kenya is currently transforming the provision of Government services in ways that put Kenya ahead of some developed and developing nations. Each of the Huduma Centres provides different services from various Government institutions and agencies.
The Huduma Kenya program takes a multichannel approach, combining brick-and-mortar centers with digital service platforms to ensure that citizens with differing levels of literacy and access to the Internet are reached while still keeping pace with the latest technological developments.
In its revolutionary concept, the main aim of Huduma Kenya -which translates as Service for Kenya, is to effectively and efficiently deliver a wide range of Government services to the public at a single point.
Ruto encouraged the public to frequent the centre for quick and efficient service delivery, adding that the government was committed to minimizing the challenges that consumers face in their quest for services.
The centre manager, Caleb Nyongesa, echoed the DCCs sentiments, calling upon residents of Busia to come out in large numbers to participate in the activities planned for the week, including an eating together session.
Nyongesa added that the Busia centre serves between 300 to 400 customers everyday amidst some internet connectivity challenges. “We request our clients to bear with us for frequent internet disruptions. We are working on a long term solution for the issue,” said Nyongesa.
Rachel Nekesa Adhiambo, a client at Huduma service centre appreciated the staff citing their commitment to offer quality services promptly.
“Despite the challenges they encounter from time to time, the staff are very friendly, accommodating, and flexible,” said Adhiambo, expressing her satisfaction with the high quality work ethic exhibited by the staff.
Huduma centres around Kenya are part of the vision 2030 flagship programme launched by former President Uhuru Kenyatta in 2013 with the aim of enhancing access and delivery of government services to all Kenyans. The service falls under the Ministry of Public service, youth and gender affairs.
The program has been particularly successful at forging an organizational culture focused on excellence in customer service, which revolves around improving transparency, efficiency, and integrity.
This organizational culture helps motivate staff and level the playing field for citizens of all backgrounds to get equal service and treatment from the same place, an important step toward enhancing accessibility and nondiscrimination.
By Absalom Namwalo
