In Kenya Huduma seeks to improve public service delivery through the strategic use of Technology

Huduma is an initiative of INFONET previously incubated at SODNET (Social Watch in Kenya), the United Nations Millennium Campaign and the African Institute for Health and Development (AIHD) that seeks to improve public service delivery through the strategic use of Technology.

The strategy is coined within a logic of improving the capability of the state and that of an informed citizen to collectively improve service. While the state remains the largest provider or guarantor of services, the citizenry have a right and responsibility to engage in the improvement of such services. Huduma places in the hands of citizens, simple technology and media based tools and platforms to amplify their voices, while at the same time, improves the capacity for better responsiveness.

The final report for the Huduma Baseline on Sate of Public Services and Access to Justice in Kenya was recently published.

In support of an initiative led by InfoNET to pilot and scale-up a citizen monitoring and feedback system referred to as Huduma, a group of organisations came together to implement a coordinated mechanism for increasing citizen voices in relation to access to basic services. The objective of Huduma is to harness and amplify citizens’ voices in the performance of public services and accountable use of public resources while harnessing technologies as empowering tools. Through this innovation, the citizens’ voices are channelled to the relevant authorities for action. The intervention also forms a basis for interaction between the government and citizens.

Through Huduma, citizens are facilitated to use the web and mobile-based platform to channel their observations and concerns regarding service delivery via short message service (SMS), voice and video. The messages are then passed directly to authorities and service providers for redress. Feedback loops have been created to ensure that the citizens who send messages receive a response in real time. This process is aimed at creating a direct channel of engagement between citizens and duty bearers for increased and effective service delivery, and MDG attainment at the local level. This process led to the commissioning of this study in order to identify the right areas to influence in the future in the campaign to improve service delivery processes.

This study was designed to establish baseline data in pilot constituencies and counties so as to inform the Huduma campaign.

This study comes against the background of the implementation of the new constitution, 2010. The constitution gives an important legal framework for the protection of the economic, social and cultural rights that have been enumerated in this survey. The new framework enables the facilitation of basic needs if stakeholders worked effectively around these provisions. Article 43 of the constitution expressly recognises and provides the legal basis for the enjoyment of these rights.

See the report State of public services and access to justice in Kenya. Report of a survey in support of Huduma.