The Government has so far digitized 19,000 services since July last year when the exercise began, according to Information Communications Technology (ICT) and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary (CS) Dr. Margaret Nyambura Ndung`u.
This digitization is meant to help the citizenry access government services at the touch of a button and improve efficiency and service delivery to the citizenry.
Consequently, the CS said her Ministry was working with other stakeholders in enhancing the process and ensuring that there is not only connectivity but also the services being digitized are accessible and usable by the citizenry.
“E-Citizen for instance has the front-end which entails the user and the back-end which has the records and data among others and this calls for building capacity and skilling for both the end-users,” Dr. Ndung`u stated.
She was speaking in Naivasha on during the eighth convention of the Kenya Association of Records Managers and Archivists (KARMA) whose theme is, “From digitization to Digital”.
“We are working with other stakeholders not only to ensure there is access of digital services to the citizenry, but this digital access should also bring about transparency and efficiency in delivery of our services and this conference in Naivasha is to help us forge way forward,” she said.
The four-day conference will focus on transitioning records management practice from digitization to digital transformation and brings together top record managers, archivists, industry pioneers, policymakers, among other stakeholders.
Commenting on the ongoing issues of migrating the country from National Insurance Fund (NHIF) to Social Health Insurance (SHIF), the CS said they were working together to ensure a seamless transition and alleviate suffering to the citizenry.
Since the beginning of last month, the Government has been registering the citizens into the new scheme of SHIF but has faced challenges in connectivity that has led many to miss crucial health services or dig dipper into their pockets to access them.
The CS said the Government is on course with the implementation of the last mile digital connectivity in the country and urged young people to use this connectivity for social and economic development of the country.
Kenyan government last year announced plans to construct 1,450 ICT hubs for citizen digital literacy training, film creation, and public access to government services in all wards across the country beginning in 2024.
Government -Constituency Development Fund (NG-CDF) will allocate three percent of its monies towards infrastructural upgrades on this digital hubs initiative in the constituencies. Digital hubs are physical spaces with access to super-fast broadband alongside community and business focused services.
The digital hubs in the country have three components; Centres of excellence, the Standard and the Ordinary but the centres of excellence are key in helping the communities that do not have internet access to get this service, as they are constructed in the villages to bring this service closer to the people.
The Information Communications Technology (ICT) hubs will also be used for citizen digital literacy training, film creation, and public access to government services in all wards across the country beginning this year.
This will help provide digital connectivity, support development of digital skills and create jobs and this will be done through the laying of 10,000 kilometre of fiber, thanks to the digital superhighway initiative.
Dr. Ndung`u noted that so far, 30kilometers of this digital superhighway has already been done. She added that the digitization process in the country has three pillars; connectivity and access, skilling and cyber security.
The CS observed that cybersecurity and hygiene sensitization is targeting the young people who are known to interact more on the digital platforms than the older fork and this has led to various challenges such as cyber bullying and a number of our young girls being lured to their deaths in the country.
She added that that protection of private data in this digital era has been given priority by the Government in the face of increase cybercrime in the country and the world.
The Kenya Association of Records Managers and Archivists (KARMA) Dr. Cleophas Ambira on his part reiterated his organization`s support for Government`s digitization programme and added that they will do what they can to ensure it realized.
He stated that many organization have gone electronic since the time of Covid- 19 pandemic but most have hybrid system, having both the digital and manual system
“We are here to see how we can work together to harmonize the two so that there is efficiency,” he said.
Dr. Ambira noted that some of the challenges facing organizations are; lack of policy framework, lack of knowledge on significance of record management and building the right skills and how to get the right skills on technology for the organization.
By Mabel Keya-Shikuku
