Why counties need to invest in communication

By Zachariah Chiliswa

Kenya: The public sector remains the biggest source of data critical for citizen engagement with decision-makers and political leaders on matters of public expenditure, demographics, poverty prevalence, education, health, economic development, crime rate.

But, how easy or difficult is it for citizens to access this kind of data? Conventionally, the public has relied on news media to access public information. Could opening Government information transform the way it related with citizens? The information Government agencies collect if made publicly available has the potential to catalyse entrepreneurship, innovation and citizen participation in decision-making processes. Largely, the information harvested using taxpayers’ money usually remains a preserve of a few Government technocrats.

The up take of information, communication and technologies by all sectors of society in developing democracies has phenomenally been hyped. ICT has had tremendous impact on the lives of many communities in both urban and remote parts of societies in the last couple of decades.

Particularly, mobile telephony has immensely transformed the way many villages, towns and cities interact. However, the penetration and adoption of ICT has inadvertently layered communities into those that are well supplied and those with limited or no access to technologies. In the past few years many governments have attempted with little success to plug the digital divide by investing in digital villages throughout the countryside.

For instance, in the past the Government of Kenya has invested in an ambitious plan to set up digital villages countrywide. The centres were meant to enable people access digital services and Government information. In addition, it was hoped that the digital centres would spur entrepreneurship and innovation.

However, an audit by Deloitte indicated that more than half of the villages had closed down and the rest were struggling to stay afloat. Access to public information and processes has a double impact: for the citizens it could help reduce corruption and mismanagement of public resources; they would understand how certain decisions are made.

This would in turn empower them to make informed choices while engaging meaningfully, for instance, in budget making and monitoring processes. On the part of Government, opening up information to the public would enhance the decision-makers’ capacity to make beneficiary-informed policy decisions. While for non-state actors, open information would promote effective collaboration in solving societal problems.

Therefore, it is critical for all levels of government to actualise through relevant policies and laws, the principles espoused in the Constitution on access to information and public participation. Public agencies should commit to proactively supplying information on critical decision making processes and the national and county leadership should get rid of the culture of secrecy in public administration.

As the Government through the Kenya Information and Communication (Amendment) Act and the Media Council Act, seeks to control the news media and other channels of communication, the rights of citizens to access information is pegged on their meaningful access to the means and form in which that information is made available to the public.

Articles 34 and 35 lay down the foundations for access to information and means through which such could be made possible. However, for a decade now, the national process to enact the Freedom of Information law has stalled.

Therefore, for effective public participation, the National Assembly needs to urgently fast track its enactment. For we cannot expect media and citizens to demand for transparency and accountability from State officials when there is no legal framework that compels the public sector to proactively publish information.

Even more challenging for accessibility, is the affordability of public information and suitable means and mechanisms for accessing such information. Ironically, county governments have commoditised documents of their proceedings, further restricting access to information. Nationally, digital migration will widen the digital divide

Mr Chiliswa is the Programmes Co-ordinator, Jesuit Hakimani Centre