Baringo County has launched a 24-hour contact centre at the governor’s office that will help residents in far-flung areas access government services with ease.
Governor Benjamin Cheboi, while launching the facility at his Kabarnet office on Thursday, said the call centre with a toll-free number of 1554 would provide solutions to some of the emerging issues affecting the over 600,000 people in the county.
Cheboi noted that for a very long time, residents have been travelling up to the county headquarters to meet him over small issues that could have been sorted out at the grassroots by the relevant personnel.
“For a long time, people had the perception that it was only the governor who could solve their problems, but we want to involve everybody in the delivery of services to reach the lowest level,” he said.
The county boss, who also presided over the signing of a partnership MOU between Baringo and Konza Technopolis Development Authority (KTDA), said apart from linking members of the public to concerned departments, the call centre agents would also respond to complaints and suggestions, receive feedback, and in turn promote open governance and transparency in his administration.
Governor Cheboi noted that residents were the ones with extensive information and could play a pivotal role in pointing out any anomalies likely to affect their normal lifestyles.
Konza Technopolis Chief Executive Officer (CEO) John Okwiri said the facility is a powerful tool for communication which could enhance citizen engagement and convenience in this digital age of an increasingly connected world.
Okwiri, in a speech read on his behalf by Stella Muhoro, said gone were the days of long queues in offices for information and services since residents could now submit and receive information from the comfort of their homes with a few clicks or simple phone calls.
He encouraged residents to make good use of such digital services and spread awareness in order to create a more accessible, inclusive, and digitally empowered society.
County Commissioner Stephen Kutwa, who attended the launch, lauded the facility, which, he said, if properly utilised, would promote prompt conveyance of information between the public and civil servants and vice versa.
He called for extensive training of the call centre agents in order for them to have detailed knowledge to respond to various issues raised by the public and offer them satisfactory responses.
By Benson Kelio and Joshua Kibet
