The Government has launched the Presidential Directives Management Information System (PDMIS) and Foreign Travel Management Information System (FoTMIS), for tracking and reporting Presidential Directives that will ensure proactive implementation.
The Deputy President (DP), Rigathi Gachagua, termed technology as a strategic driver to not only improve efficiency in the public sector, but also to make government more transparent, trustworthy, accountable and open.
One of the government’s administration objectives, the DP say, is to enhance service delivery through digitalization and automation of all government critical processes and make the service available online.
Speaking at the launch in Nairobi, Gachagua noted that the BETA plan took its inspiration from the Kenyan Vision 2030 economic blueprint, which recognizes the role of the ICT, enhancing knowledge for wealth creation, social welfare and international competitiveness.
“The administration has set forth an ambitious objective aimed at catalyzing transformation and the inclusive growth in the digital superhighway being a critical role in enabling a tremendous achievement in the delivery for the pillars, including Health, Agriculture, MSMEs and Financing,” stated Gachagua.
He disclosed that the National government allocated Sh 16.3 billion in the Financial Year 2024/2025, as investment in the digital super highway, to enable achievement of the identified objectives in the sector.
“The foreign travel, being the biggest item that consumes a significant amount of financial resources, will still remain important for building networks, learning, and building partnerships, that allow the citizens to shift their mindset of thinking globally, which must be done sustainably to avoid abuse,” he proclaimed.
Additionally, the DP observed that the commissioning of FoTMIS is necessary, since it makes the trouble of manually clearing processes by enhancing the ease and efficient obligation processes and approval.
“System will support the implementation of the government austerity measures, increase efficiency and transparency of all the processes, which all goes to restore trust and accountability that the Kenyan people demand,” highlighted Gachagua.
Further, the DP encouraged the expedition and conclusion of the processes, to secure a holistic structure that will not only secure adherence with prevailed travel guidelines, but also facilitate the government’s ability to review the overall foreign travel budgets and expenditures, analyse the global travel threats and priorities and reorganize the foreign service footbridge accordingly.
Gachagua noted that the world is inevitably changing, therefore, digital transformation puts technology at a core of strategy which translates to better processes, increased efficiencies and digital fluent work force, elements that are key to future survival and growth.
“PDMIS will record, track and report on the implementation of the presidential directives replacing manual dispatch methods and providing robust feedback,” announced the DP, reiterating that the implementation of the Presidential Directives is done through people and employees are the greater sunset of any organisation.
He added that working through and with the people, the PDMIS will be used to dispatch direct directives to Ministries and State Departments for implementation and status reporting.
Gachagua invited more public officers to see the potential best case and devise mechanisms from translating them into transformation outcomes that better the lives of the citizens, to showcasing the innovations that are within the country and the potential that the public service has to offer.
He added that it is imperative to adopt the integrity talents in the use of applications in all the systems in order to read all the expected benefits and the user to ensure that all the information submitted is factually correct and verifiably accurate to ensure there is no error of deliberate issues that will compromise the system’s integrity.
Meanwhile, Cabinet Secretary (CS) Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy, Dr Margaret Ndung’u, has said that the launch of FMIS and PDMIS is not just a technological advancement, but a profound initiative to depict the unwavering commitment to the government digital agenda.
Dr Ndung’u maintained that the Government of Kenya continues to lead by example by spearheading initiatives that position the nation at the forefront of the digital Agenda.
“The digital Superhighway, 25,000 public Wi-Fi hotspot, home institutions and enterprises, and more pushes the country to drive the digitalization of government services by making sure no citizen is left behind in the digital era,” affirmed Dr. Ndung’u.
She cited the development of the deployment of the Cargo Information Management System, as a testament to the history to enhance efficiency and accountability within the highest epitome of the government.
The CS implored that this end-to-end automated system streamlines the process of foreign cargo clearance for Cabinet Secretaries, Principal Secretaries and CEOs of State Corporations, who require approval from the President, through the Office of Chief of Staff and Head of Public Service.
She also insisted that FoTMIS will reduce the reliance on paper-based processes, saving both time and resources while it builds mechanisms that ensure strict adherence to established policies.
By Sharon Atieno
