By Tabitha Wangechi
Kenya is taking significant steps towards enhancing digital transformation and e-governance in the country and Africa.
One key initiative in this direction is the Training of Trainers Workshop on E-Governance and Digital Transformation at Strathmore University Business School on 1st February 2023.
The workshop was attended by a diverse group of experts and stakeholders, including Dr Hellen, Silvia Lips, Dr Julius Butime, and Prof. Jacqueline McGlade.
This workshop is part of a larger initiative between Strathmore University Business School and TalTech University of Technology in Estonia.
In 2021, the two universities signed a Memorandum of Cooperation to enhance the development of democracy, the rule of law, and the digital state through inter-university cooperation and digital competencies.
In September 2021, there was a follow-up visit to Strathmore University by the former President of Estonia, H.E. Mrs Kersti Kaljulaid, where she attended the first high-level Think-Tank meeting on Sustainability for e-Governance in Kenya.
The workshop aimed to set expectations and outcomes for the SBS e-governance master’s program, including preliminary mapping lists of e-governance skills and competencies, creating the first version of the SBS e-governance curriculum analysis document, and creating two online course scripts.
The four main competence domains identified were General competencies, service design, data governance, and digital management and execution.
One of the workshop’s main highlights was Jamal Mohammed’s contribution, who worked as the Technical Lead at Ardhi Sasa with the Ministry of Lands.
He noted the challenges faced in digitalizing the land management system in Kenya and the critical role that e-governance courses can play in helping public officials understand and embrace digital transformation.
Prof. Jacqueline McGlade emphasized the importance of the course not just focusing on Kenya but also considering best practices from other regions and countries.
Mr. Muriuki Mureithi deliberated that the course should be made available for the private sector, civil society and other stakeholders interested in e-governance; he maintained that the course should not only be limited to government officials.
It is worth mentioning that the Kenyan Government has also prioritized the development of e-government capability for effectively delivering government services to all citizens.
The partnership between Strathmore University Business School and the TalTech University of Technology is a significant step in this direction and will help to increase Kenya’s e-government development potential.
The discussions provided valuable feedback and insights into the future of e-governance in Kenya with the aim of massive education of professions inclined to the digital agenda.
The highlight of the discussion was exploring ways of providing students with practical, implementable knowledge in the context of the e-governance course.
Stakeholders discussed existing frameworks around e-governance and ways to make them more relevant to the local context.
Suggestions were made on localizing Estonia training materials and turning the e-governance course knowledge into products that citizens can use.
KICTANet, as one of the key participants in the discussions, contributed significantly to the event, which was a productive step towards developing digital competencies to increase Kenya’s e-government development potential.
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Tabitha Wangechi, is passionate about Technology and Gender. She is a Kenyan School of Internet Governance 2022 alumni.
