Kenyan Government to open ten more Huduma centres

Uhuru operates computer as he officially opens Huduma centre (Picture by Omondi Onyango)

Ten more centres under the Huduma Kenya programme are set to be opened in various counties in the current financial year.

The programme is currently in its first phase of implementation where 13 Huduma Centres have already been set up around the country, with three located in Nairobi and two others in Mombasa and Kisumu.

The others are located in Eldoret ,Nakuru, Nyeri, Embu, Kisii, Machakos, Kakamega and Kajiado.

The programme, which is an Intergrated Service Delivery strategy that takes a ‘one-stop shop’ approach in the delivery of Government services came as a welcome relief to Kenyans.

The strategy seeks to enable citizens and customers access various public services and information from a single location and integrated service platforms, with great emphasis on high quality in the delivery of services.

It focuses on Huduma payment gateway, call centre, mobile platform, web portal and the physical centres.

The customers are also able to get different Government services in the shortest time possible. Currently, the centres offer a minimum of 35 services per centre ranging from National Health Insurance Fund registration and claims, assessment and payment of stamp duty and issuance of police abstract and student loan application and repayment, among others.

The most sought after services include issuance of duplicate identity cards, search and registration of business names and payment of land rates.

The second phase of the project will implement the e-huduma portal and the Huduma smart card. The  e-huduma portal will provide integrated State services 24 hours a day from a computer anywhere in the country.

The Huduma smart card will offer cashless payment and minimise pilferage.
The smart card will also be able to pay for private sector cash transactions internationally.

The programme is also looking to integrate some other key services such as the registration and issuance of death certificates and the issuance and renewal of passports.

Kenyans using the service delivery have lauded the quality of service at the centres as superior, saying they feel valued and are treated with utmost respect, an aspect most Kenyans have never experienced before.

They mostly appreciated that their complaints were treated with urgency and dealt with immediately.
They also gave significant feedback that they felt their confidence in Government had been restored and that the Government is now working to improve their lives.