Publication: Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization
Date
2017-06
ISSN
Published
2017-06
Author(s)
Firestone, Rachel Sohn
Schott, Berenike
Kinuthia, Muratha
Omollo, Annette
Abstract
This case study analyzes the Huduma
Kenya program, under which the Government of Kenya is
advancing citizen-centered public service delivery through a
variety of channels, including deploying digital technology
and establishing citizen service centers across the country.
The paper examines key topics related to the operation, from
institutional arrangements, funding, and staffing to
digitization, organizational culture, and customer feedback.
The program has beenparticularly successful at forging an
organizational culture focused on excellence in customer
service, which revolves around improving transparency,
efficiency, and integrity. This organizational culture helps
motivate staff and level the playing field for citizens of
all backgrounds to get equal service and treatment from the
same place, an important step toward enhancing accessibility
and nondiscrimination. The Huduma Kenya program takes a
multichannel approach, combining brick-and-mortar centers
with digital service platforms to ensure that citizens with
differing levels of literacy and access to the Internet are
reached while still keeping pace with the latest
technological developments. To date, the primary challenges
encountered in the rollout of the Huduma Centers concern the
coordination among the various institutions involved in
their management, staffing, and oversight; and the
deployment of staff incentives related to compensation and
professional development.
Citation
“Firestone, Rachel Sohn; Schott, Berenike; Kinuthia, Muratha; Omollo, Annette. 2017. Citizen Service Centers in Kenya : The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization. Citizen Service Centers;No. 4. © World Bank, Washington, DC. http://openknowledge.worldbank.org/handle/10986/27482 License: CC BY 3.0 IGO.”