At the click of a mouse, he now has access to all that he needs, leaving him with enough time to attend to his business. This month, the Thika Municipal Council followed Nairobi in the launch of a website that makes it easier for residents to access information hitherto only found at the council offices.
“Kenyans walk long distances to collect and fill government forms, which could otherwise be downloaded from the Internet right in their villages,” said Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Local Government, Mr Musalia Mudavadi as he unveiled the new website.
Besides Thika and Nairobi, all the local authorities have been directed to develop and maintain websites before the end of this financial year in order to assist the government in taking services closer to the people.
The Ministry of Local Government has created domain addresses for the councils and a feedback system in order to ease communication between the tax payers and local authority officials. “People have a right to know how their money is getting used,” says Thika Mayor Johnson Githaiga.
He says the website www.thikamunicipal.go.ke, would enable people access information on the use of Local Authority Transfer Fund (LTF) and other monies meant to initiate developments.
For instance, last year the government allocated the council Sh69.2 million in the 2008/09 financial year. By inter-connecting local authorities through the website, people will receive and download information from the Internet.
Also the residents will have an opportunity to access councils’ by-laws and citizen’s delivery charters through the Web. This is in line with efforts to create more channels of communication that would enable council managers, councillors, and other stakeholders share information on the activities of local authorities. The Web is also an avenue to advertise business opportunities available within the municipality.
Thika Municipality has a great potential for investment in the industrial and agriculture sectors and is home to some multinationals such as Del Monte, the largest pineapple plantation in East and Central Africa.
Thika is also known for pioneering the establishment of a sisal industry and is today among the top producers of flowers for export.
Locals say the interactive communication through the Web will open the windows to revive the entrepreneur spirit that made Thika the “Birmingham of Kenya” years back. “It is a small window for us,” says Joyce Mukami, who runs a flower business.
Thika has also grown to become an educational centre with the establishment of Mt Kenya University and Gretsa University.
Mr Githaiga says that by hosting the two universities, Thika will see a rise in its student population and there will be need to keep them abreast via the website.
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Autor(en)/Author(s): Benson Wambugu
Quelle/Source: Business Daily Africa, 20.08.2008
