The Mountain Journal
Kirinyaga County has emerged top in use technology and closeness of government services in a
poll released on Monday by a research firm.
In the County Trak Performance Index 2023 by Infotrak Research and Consulting firm, the
county scored 55% in use of technology and 54% in closeness of government services.
The high rating can be attributed to a digital revolution spearheaded by Governor Anne Waiguru
that is transforming traditional service delivery into an efficient, citizen-centric experience.
Through technology the county government has designed and put in place systems that have
automated and integrated services thus simplifying them, enhancing transparency and
accountability as well as improving efficiency and effectiveness.
One of the revolutionary interventions involves revenue collection and management. Through
the KIRI PAY digital platform, business operators in the county are able to pay for their licenses
and other services from the comfort of their homes or from any part of the world. They do so by
using MPESA mobile phone platform or e-citizen portal that has been enabled by cloud
computing technology. County residents are also able to track various applications and
approvals.
Digitization of revenue collection has been hailed as a timely intervention in revenue
management and attributed to the county’s sterling performance in the last financial year
whereby it surpassed its revenue by collecting Ksh. 586 million up from the previous year’s
collection of Ksh. 363 million.
Integration and consolidation of information has also enabled residents to access services in
county offices at the subcounty or the ward level thus saving them from the hustle of travelling to
the county headquarters. Additionally, to ease the delivery of services to the residents, Waiguru
established a ‘Huduma Center’ at the county headquarters. The one-stop shop for all the
devolved services is located on the ground floor of the five-storey office block in order to
provide accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Governor Anne Waiguru has said that her administration has been in the forefront in
mainstreaming use of modern technology in every sector of the county’s development noting that
technology is a pre-requisite to not only to provision of effective and efficient public services but
also to taking services closer to the county residents.
In health, the County government has installed a Hospital Management Information System that
has streamlined service delivery at Kerugoya Level Five Hospital, a system that will soon be
rolled out in other hospitals. For effective healthcare provision at the grassroots the county’s
Community Health Promoters have been using the County Health Information System that
enables them to collect, store and transmit information accordingly.
In the agricultural sector, Governor Waiguru has supported the integration of modern technology
with the objective of increasing production and productivity. This has been done through
distribution of equipment such as on-farm livestock feeds production machines, modern
hatcheries, milk processing equipment, coffee value addition lines, green houses, drip irrigation
kits and distribution of hybrid seeds and seedlings for various crops.
In the poll, Kirinyaga also topped in trade and tourism, energy, and ranked among the best
performers in agriculture, roads and transport as well as county planning.
The governor who is also the Council of Governors Chair noted that getting quality services
closer to the people is the true meaning of devolution. “Over 70% of Kenyans endorse
devolution and are satisfied with development progress that devolution has made in counties in
multiple service delivery functions. As governors, we will continue being more responsive and
accountable for delivering the devolution dividends to Kenyans with transformative leadership”
said Waiguru.
The Infotrak comprehensive public survey covered all the 47 counties, 1,450 wards and a sample
of 36,200 Kenyans, among them 600 Kirinyaga residents.
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