Good points raised thus far. 

iHub Research conducted a study in 2014, assessing how ICTs facilitate/hinder two-way interaction between citizens and governments in four key areas: access to information, tracking corruption, monitoring/accessing government service delivery, and citizen participation. 

The study was carried out in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania. In Kenya, we looked at Nairobi and Nakuru (where infrastructure to support access to eGovernment services exists to some extent), and very interesting insights emerged. A one page summary on the study’s findings and recommendations is accessible here. The full report can be downloaded here; the report is in an easy-to-read format, highlighting citizen’s voices and anecdotes on their interactions with ICTs). 

Key points:

1. SMS and radio are still king! To disseminate information, raise awareness to many, and especially in rural areas, those two mechanisms remain the most effective. And, as Grace pointed out, if SMS queries can be sent at no cost to users, then many citizens are likely to leverage them. 

Recommendation: Non-Internet based ICTs used in governance such as mobile phones and radios need to be integrated more in ICT and governance initiatives since they are the most widely used and most accessible.

2. User experience on government websites: "Citizens only visit governance-related sites that are a priority for their needs at a specific time, and even then, they reported that the websites are clunky and ugly. User experience is not a key factor in the creation of these websites. “ The iTax platform and KRA website were a common reference on this. 

Recommendation: embrace user experience considerations before deploying or upgrading ICT tools. 

3. Design- reality gap: "citizen consultations do not seem to inform the creation or prioritization of eGovernment efforts.” 

Recommendation: The design of ICT initiatives in governance that are meant to facilitate two-way interaction between citizens and government should include the input of citizens who are intended to use them. 

4. A major hurdle faced in the deployment and use of ICT tools in governance is a lack of trust in the government, as well as apathy among citizens that is brought about by perceived government failure to respond to complaints or issues raised along various governance lines. As one FGD participant put it: “If my going to the office, physical presence, does not inspire the [government] official to act on a problem, how will communication using their websites or Facebook be different?” 

Recommendation: eGovernment services need to activate interaction and feedback mechanisms, including transparent response mechanisms to queries raised or complaints. (Government officials indicated that resources to facilitate this are often lacking). 

5. Lack of involvement of citizens (who are the primary target/end users of most of the ICT tools for governance) in the development of ICTs for governance leads to poor prioritization of the citizens’ needs. Awareness creation about the existence of these tools, why and how they should be used is not done by the implementers of the tools.

We hope that the study’s findings and recommendations prove useful.

On 18 Jan 2016, at 13:03, kictanet-request@lists.kictanet.or.ke wrote: 

 ICT Authority request on Connected Kenya

Regards, Nanjira Sambuli Research Lead iHub | Research | UXLab | Consulting Mobile: +254722481566 Skype: nanjirasambuli | Twitter: @NiNanjira

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