USE TECHNOLOGY TO FIGHT CORRUPTION IN KENYA

<!--[if gte mso 9]><xml> </xml><xml> Normal 0 false false false EN-US X-NONE X-NONE </xml><xml> </xml> <style> /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-priority:99; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin-top:0in; mso-para-margin-right:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:8.0pt; mso-para-margin-left:0in; line-height:107%; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:11.0pt; font-family:"Calibri",sans-serif; mso-ascii-font-family:Calibri; mso-ascii-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-hansi-font-family:Calibri; mso-hansi-theme-font:minor-latin; mso-bidi-font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-bidi-theme-font:minor-bidi;} </style> A spate of alleged massive looting of money in scandals such as the Eurobond, the Ministry of Health and the troubled Kenya airways should be a wake-up call for the government to embrace the use of data warehousing technology to curb such scenarios. Data warehousing technology would enable government ministries and agencies to consolidate and standardize their current and historical data and other crucial records, a move that would help quickly realize and avert cases of enormous embezzlement of funds in a bid to stop the runaway corruption.

Data warehousing technology would candidly indicate operational data within government ministries including the amount of resources allocated to the ministries each financial year and how the money was used by the ministries. The system would also provide a traceable and reliable history that would help track cases of mismanagement. If this technology had been in use at the economically hobbled Kenya Airways, the airline would still be the pride of Africa.

Whereas it’s welcoming to have Michael Joseph at the Kenya airways board, I don’t believe individuals alone can end corruption no matter their past achievement records. It’s vital that technology takes per-eminence in the fight against corruption. Data warehousing technology has widely been utilized in many knowledge driven economies worldwide that have endeavored to ensure maximum accountability. The system has a proven ability that enables the management to extract, examine and store crucial internal and external data that are used in running organizations.

This technology is entirely dependable because external and internal data extracted into its directory can only be accessed but cannot be altered by any crooked individual that would be harboring ulterior motives. If adopted, financial information within the government ministries and agencies could only be accessed using approved passwords by known persons. The technology would further indicate when the information was accessed or altered in case an investigation was to be conducted.

It is high time the Kenyan government ended the excessive reliance on paper and adopted the use of technology because such expertise would further provide the public with online access in checking the historical trends and other calculations on how public money is being used by government agencies in dispensing services. Corruption is on the increase and Kenya needs a system that would provide maximum government visibility to enable necessary counter measures to be taken well before government agencies like the national carrier take a dive.