Huduma Kenya wins Ombudsman Award

NAIROBI, KENYA: Huduma Kenya has won Kenya Ombudsman Award for the best provision of public service delivery

The award was presented to the Head of the Huduma Kenya Secretariat Mr. Dennis Mutuku by the Attorney General Prof. Githu Muigai and witnessed by the Chairperson, Commission on Administrative Justice Dr. Otiende Amollo.

Devolution and Planning Cabinet Secretary Anne Waiguru, whose docket Huduma falls, said credible public administration institutions and systems are essential vehicles for Government to efficiently deliver its mandate.

Represented at the function by her Principal Secretary, State department of Planning Eng. Peter Mangiti, Waiguru said such institutions hold the key as a democratic instrument for shaping state-society relationships and effective governance.

 “The success of the public service and the officers who make up the service depend on everyone’s ability to restore trust, and confidence in the public administration, as a responsive and accountable governing institution that is there to serve the needs of the public “said Waiguru.

The CS congratulated those who won adding their hard work illustrates that within the Public Service, there are those who are willing go beyond the call of duty to ensure that services are accessible in places where they would normally be inaccessible. 

The Huduma Kenya Programme has so far generated over Sh6 billion in revenue collection from services that require payments, statistics from the secretariat indicate. 

The statistics also indicate that operational Huduma Centres serve over 20,000 customers daily. The Centres have to date served over three million people, which has raised the work productivity of the Centers as Government Service Points.

The programme also created employment of 1000 people, mostly young who serve in the 21 operational Huduma Centres across the country, constituting an average of 50 per centre. Huduma Kenya is targeting to create at least a Huduma centre in each of the 47 counties. 

The success of the Huduma Centres is adding jet propulsion to the Vision 2030 aim of achieving a people-centred, transparent and accountable public service that responds to public needs and provides public services that meet global standards and best practice in the early 21st Century.

Kenyans have never enjoyed services of the scope, generosity and quality-of-life enhancements offered by the Huduma Centres. For the very first time, the entire civilian population is being registered for all sorts of services.  

The greatest plus of the seamlessness of the Huduma Centres is their operating model of Integrated Service Delivery (ISD). It provides the citizen with multiple-channel, single-window access to government services at one-stop Citizen Service Centres, complete with call centres, mobile phone platforms and web portals.

This exciting times for citizen-centric Huduma Centre services is already benchmarking against world-class best practice in service delivery. Huduma Kenya Programme has won five firsts Global Awards all in one Financial Year - 2014/ 2015:

·     United Nations Public Service Award in the category Improving the Delivery of Public Services-June 2015

·     African Public Service Awards in the Special Recognition category-June 2015

·     Africa in Innovative Management of Public Service, Awards by the African Association for Public Administration and Management-February 2015

·     Customer Service Excellence in Public Sector, Awards by the Institute of Customer Service Kenya

·     And best in use of ICT in the Public Service, Awards by the Information Communication Technology Association of Kenya 

The programme encourages creative thinking and uses innovation to deliver services with excellence. Equally, the programme focuses on shifting from a process-oriented to results- oriented process. 

The awards not only puts Kenya on the world map as a vision bearer of transformation in public service delivery, it also gives the Huduma Kenya programme recognition in the  African continent as a public service reform process that works and a focal point in spearheading best practice in public service delivery.   

Establishment of Huduma Centers ensure customers access a myriad of Government services end to end at one point and in real time without being referred to other service points.  

Further, they ensure provision of a convenient and integrated payment gateway to facilitate ease of payment for Government services in all Huduma Centers through the Posta Pay platform has enhanced the convenience. 

Huduma services have recorded high customer satisfaction levels with Teleposta Huduma Center recording a 93 satisfaction. Customers have lauded the courtesy, guidance and information points at the Centre.

The programme has established a predictable Service Turnaround Times through a service charter. It is also creating a new Government brand that Kenyans and Customers associate with newness, freshness and high standards in delivery of Public services, marking a shift in public service management.

President Uhuru Kenyatta has led from the front with the Huduma Centre’s project. Prompt and seamless service with a smile has replaced the old domineering, scowling and extortionate disservice with a growl and a snarl of previous administrations.

The Centres have made a significant contribution to the improvement of the Ease of Doing Business Index through the devolution of services like search and reservation of business In this regard, in the set-up of the Huduma Centers there has been great leverage on ICT as a key component in the successful delivery of services in the Huduma Centers.  The following ICT infrastructure has been set up in the Huduma Centers to facilitate service delivery:

To establish these Centers the Programme renovates existing Government buildings. These facilities are remodeled to create a banking hall with ample space to provide a minimum of 25 services which are provided through open plan counters. The center’s banking halls also provide for seating space for a minimum of 150 – 300 people at one time dependent with the size of the facility.