How Digital Transformation is Shaping Kenya’s Public Sector

It’s no secret how the African public sector is abuzz with digital transformation. Besides South Africa and Nigeria, Kenya is among those who support sustainable transformation efforts and digital inclusion. As one of Africa’s most-wired nations, Kenya has taken strides to create extensive technology ecosystems, digital infrastructure, and other homegrown tech innovations.

In recent years, digital transformation has revolutionized the way economic and institutional systems perform operations amidst an increasingly uncertain landscape. While digitalizing systems is nothing new, their integration into public service is somewhat understudied.

Read on to know more about how digitalization influences the public sector and government in Kenya.

Digital Transformation for Government

Public sector organizations are becoming increasingly pressured by the demand for digital by default services — which means offering fully digital access to their current and future operations.

The Increased Demand for Agile Government

Citizens or consumers expect fast and quality public services — which call for agile governments. Governments are pressured to re-invent the ways they operate regardless of the increasingly complex and fast-paced world.

One straightforward way to infuse agility into an organization is by switching to digital public services. Governments will find it easier to meet public expectations, regulatory requirements, and their own organizational goals. Automation, for example, can help get rid of repetitive administrative tasks, reduce backlogs (and even wastes), and improve productivity.

In February 2023, the Ministry of Information Communication and The Digital Economy launched the Kenya National Digital Master Plan 2022-2032. This master plan is set to leverage ICT’s contribution to accelerate economic growth and drive four pillars of the digital transformation agenda:

• Digital infrastructure
• Digital government service, product, and data management
• Digital skills
• Digital innovation, enterprise, and digital business

The Master Plan also enables the government to deliver more efficient public service and information by digitizing, automating, and securing government services. This plan is the Kenyan government’s response to the growing demand for the use of ICT in different sectors—also aiming to streamline ICT initiatives along the way.

With such agile approaches, government bodies—not only in Kenya but globally—can transform their strategies and achieve higher productivity and profitability. Agility can make an organization adaptive, responsive, and dynamic, enabling stronger citizen engagement and service delivery.

Perks of Using Citizen-Centric Solutions and E-Government

Transparent, accessible, and responsible service is imperative in shaping citizens’ trust and perceptions of the public sector. In fact, many expect their local governments to offer services of the same standards as private commercial businesses deliver.

These rising expectations from citizens and consumers alike urge governments to take advantage of modern digital solutions to create citizen-centric public services. Civil servants all over the globe are investing more in digital transformation, from setting up a citizen contact center to building a one-stop shop portal.

Investing in citizen-centric digital solutions allows civil servants to streamline their processes and workflow. Hence, making them capable of providing citizens with fast, accurate, and transparent services.

The availability of e-government, for instance, not only makes the jobs of civil servants easier but also improves the citizen experience. The digitization of public administration frees civil servants from routine tasks, allowing them to focus on more complex tasks and rediscover what efficiency is.

Kenya’s national e-government portal system, eCitizen, offers a digital way to apply for Government to Citizen (G2C) services. These include land registration, marriage registration, driver’s license applications, and ID cards. This limits the need for face-to-face applications and offers mobile and online banking payments for both the government’s and the citizen’s convenience.

How a Board Portal Can Support the Public Sector

Digital tools and technologies have the ability to enhance the workplace of government employees and public servants. But more so, they can free up time and resources for the public sector.

Among the notable digital tools for public sector organizations is the board portal. Typically called an end-to-end meeting management solution, a board portal can help public companies streamline tasks and engage better with the public.

Here’s how board portals can help organizations improve the effectiveness and efficiency of public services:

Streamlined meeting cycle

Streamlining the meeting cycle is one of the fundamental cores of any board portal. Convene, a multi-awarded board portal, is designed to be an effective meeting management solution for public sector organizations. It offers live meeting tools that come with page synchronization, laser pointer, and annotations, allowing for seamless virtual and hybrid meetings.

Setting up one-time or multi-day meetings is also possible through Convene’s Meeting Publisher. Users will also be able to create meeting agendas and meeting packs, and send out meeting notifications to participants. With Convene, you can automate and streamline tasks before, during, and after meetings.

Centralized document management

Public sector organizations handle hundreds of pages of reports and documents on a weekly to monthly basis. Convene aims to make it easier for you to find and manage those numerous files through a centralized document repository. Decision-makers or civil servants can quickly access documents required for deliberations and meetings.

Worried about your most confidential documents? Convene’s Document Library is safeguarded with permission-based settings, multi-level encryption, and copy restrictions. For more peace of mind, users can schedule document archival and disposal, following the disposition policies of all records of a government office.

Quicker decision-making

Making high-impact decisions is a critical part of a public organization’s functions. With Convene’s Review Rooms and Resolutions, public officers and civil servants can create, track, and approve decisions from any device and location. Plus, users can take advantage of the digital signature feature in case there are documents due for signing.

Members of the organization’s board can cast their votes from anywhere. They can access supporting documents, if necessary, and view all pending approvals in just a few clicks.

Better traceability and security

Public organizations are mandated by law for annual audits, making audit trails a clear necessity. Convene’s Audit Trail is built to help public organizations trace any suspicious activities or internal irregularities, and uphold only accurate and verified information. Such a feature helps track user activities or actions made on sensitive board documents, and minimizes misuse or unauthorized access.

For additional security assurance, Convene offers government-approved security features for continuous peace of mind. These include role-based access controls, multi-level user and document encryption, and secure user authentication. Find out more about Convene’s Security Features.

Convene: A Board Portal to Better Serve Your Community

Convene is a multi-awarded board portal that aims to ease operations for public sector organizations in Kenya and other parts of the African region. With its ability to optimize board processes, public sector organizations can better serve their communities — leading to a more effective and citizen-centric public administration.

By streamlining meetings and ensuring compliance with privacy regulations, Convene also empowers African public organizations to work more efficiently, make informed decisions, and foster transparency. Request a demo today and learn more about Convene.