Busia county assembly goes paperless in Sh73.5m digital project

Busia County Assembly members during the approval of the selection panel of the County Public Service Board.  [File, Standard]

Busia County Assembly has completed a Sh73.5 million digital transformation programme aimed at reducing printing costs, improving access to legislative documents and enabling residents to follow proceedings in real time.

The initiative, spearheaded by the House Broadcasting and ICT Committee, has seen the Assembly acquire digital devices, server software, cameras and other equipment to facilitate the transition from paper-based operations to a paperless system.

Chakol South MCA Denzil Musumba, who chairs the Broadcasting and ICT Committee, said the project was driven by the need to cut costs while embracing emerging technologies.

“When I took up this leadership role, one of my main responsibilities was to look at how our Busia County Assembly could reduce costs. We also wanted to adapt to technology because the world is changing,” said Musumba.

He said the Assembly initially invested Sh31.5 million during the 2023/2024 financial year to acquire server software and about 14 devices as the first phase of the project.

However, with 53 MCAs, the Speaker, clerks and other officials requiring access to Assembly documents, the initial investment was deemed insufficient.

“We therefore allocated another Sh42 million to ensure that the entire Assembly, including all members, the Sergeant-at-Arms’ office, the Speaker’s office and the clerks would have the necessary devices,” he said.

Under the system, MCAs can access motions, debates, Acts, laws, petitions, statements and other Assembly documents electronically instead of receiving printed copies.

Musumba said the transition would save taxpayers millions of shillings that were previously spent on printing and photocopying voluminous documents.

“Some documents could be 300 or 400 pages long. When you multiply that by 53 members, the Speaker, clerks and other people who may require copies, you can end up needing 60 or even 70 copies,” he said.

He added, "With the paperless system, we are eliminating much of that cost because everything is now available digitally.”

The MCA said the system had already been installed, wired, synchronised and tested, and the Assembly was only awaiting its official launch by Governor Paul Otuoma.

He said the money saved from printing could be redirected to other programmes, including public participation and citizen engagement, adding that the digital transformation is also expected to improve public access to information by enabling the Assembly to broadcast proceedings through social media platforms such as Facebook and YouTube, alongside other digital platforms.

“Whatever happens in the Assembly can now reach citizens almost immediately. Therefore, the people benefit from faster access to information, while the Assembly benefits from significantly reduced costs associated with printing and distributing documents,” said Musumba.

The MCA said the committee had benchmarked the project against other county assemblies, including Kilifi and Murang’a, which have also adopted paperless systems.

He said Busia was now among the top five county assemblies in the country in terms of the quality of equipment used in its digital system.

“I can confidently say that Busia is among the top five. We are among the top five counties using some of the best equipment,” Musumba said.

He added that some of the equipment installed at the Assembly was similar to systems used by the United Nations, Parliament of Malawi, Parliament of Kenya, Senate and the Office of the Deputy President.

Despite the progress, Musumba acknowledged that the Assembly still needed to strengthen its communication and broadcasting infrastructure, stating that the Assembly required better cameras, editing equipment, computers, professional recording equipment and a dedicated media section to handle live feeds.

“We need better cameras, proper editing equipment and editing suites. We also need to ensure that the team has good computers, appropriate software and professional recording equipment,” he said.

Musumba said the Assembly was now moving to the second phase of the project, which involves strengthening its communication team and improving its website and social media platforms.

He noted that although the Assembly had made progress in making its proceedings accessible, more needed to be done to ensure citizens understood and participated in its activities.

He said the Assembly would continue prioritising the live broadcast of key events, including the Governor’s address, major debates and budget proceedings while also encouraging residents, schools and community groups to visit the Assembly and observe proceedings from the public gallery.

“We need to educate our people that the Assembly is open and welcomes visitors at any time, so that citizens can understand how their Assembly works and what their representatives are doing,” he said.

Musumba, who was elected MCA in 2022 and is seeking re-election next year, said increased public access to Assembly proceedings would strengthen accountability and enable residents to better understand the work of their elected representatives.

"The digital system is therefore expected to not only reduce operational costs but also bring the county legislature closer to residents by providing faster access to information and creating more opportunities for public participation," he said.