Technology, A Tool for or Against Corruption? IFMIS in Kenya.

Technology, A Tool for or Against Corruption?

Four years ago, the Kenya Government launched an Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) described as an automated system that enhances efficiency in planning, budgeting, procurement, expenditure management and reporting in the National and County Governments in Kenya. This, according to IFMIS website (http://www.ifmis.go.ke/?page_id=2340) ushered a new era of a fully automated procurement process, from requisition, tendering, contract award to payment.

In a nutshell, such automation was aimed at enhancing visibility and accountability in all levels of procurement for government.  So one might ask, how comes we lose so much money when we have a system fully dedicated to enhancing accountability and making public procurement efficient and effective. Does technology help in curbing corruption or is it the new tool for corruption. Corruption has indeed become a menace in achieving shared prosperity and ending poverty. 

One of the challenges in investigation of corruption cases is in the records management. According to Anders Hjorth, digital records exist in different forms and are spread across different systems. This makes them difficult to locate, analyze and control in the absence of a proper and well established evidence management system. The EACC and DCI are charged with investigations of corruption cases in Kenya. However, lack of intra-agency collaboration across different technical platforms compromises the chains of custody practices. This is mainly due to intentional loss of evidence and inevitable physical deterioration of digital records with none of the mandated institutions taking responsibility. 

Kenya’s investigations have been censoriously haltered through unlawful destruction of evidence, missing information and assets, and lack of proper oversight or records management especially in the public sector. In a discussion of effectiveness of technology in the fight-against corruption, it was noted that many developing countries have laws that allow the use of digital evidence as internationally recommended. Nevertheless, judges have been sometimes reluctant to accept admission of such evidence. Such loopholes are thus taken advantage of by corrupt officials. 

What can be done better?

So let’s not be victimized as the proverbial ‘Complainers with no solution.’ Many other countries have implemented similar strategic approach to IT Integration. We must thus benchmark why there’s a better story than ours. The Commission for the Prevention of Corruption of the Republic of Slovenia developed an app ‘Supervizor’ for monitoring expenses of public bodies. It has helped reveal correlation between change in government and money disbursements from state budget users to a limited number of companies. 

Kenya’s EACC must enhance its agency capacity and promote transparency. IFMIS should have a sublet Information management system designed specifically for income and asset disclosure, and a document management system that functions as an archive (Study case Romania). Electronic submissions should be completely instituted for disclosure forms and income. Such robust digital system allows for a purely and wholly electronic audit.

Technology is as good as the integrity of the hands in which it falls. Like any tool, it needs to be used properly or it can cause harm, and proper use requires awareness of the risks, good standards of practice and training. However, technology, if used with skill, can be a powerful tool in the fight to end impunity.

Welcome to Kenya Mr.Dictatorship –Kuna Matata

For five decades, we have accepted a system that ensures only the greedy eats. Ours has been a history of greed for power. The greed that makes incumbent presidents fear to hand over power to persons, not from their tribe. The greed makes other tribes feel they must be in power to feel included and get a chance to ‘eat.’  When a people who feel excluded in the eating air their dissent, the greed for power convinces the eaters that they have power over dissent and can shut down any voice to the contrary. They are whispered to by ‘fake advisors,’ to shut down the media, arrest and harass opposition voices and in unprecedented unconstitutional and illegal case, arrest, detain then deport Lawyer Miguna Miguna (a citizen of Kenya by birth). Since 1963, we’ve had about only four government transitions. I read about Kenyatta the first-one who promised to crash people of Kisumu, then Moi came, and I experienced his ruling at a tender age (he couldn’t buy my loyalty for a packet of milk ‘maziwa ya nyayo’). Kibaki turned our tolerance for each other into acceptance, built a happy nation for a few months and five years later tore us apart, we haven’t recovered from him.  Jubilee administration has decided to test the depth of waters with both its feet- that’s worse than even the dreaded KANU era.

                 "Kenyans have been taken to the banks of the river of     dictatorship"

There is an African proverb that says ‘You can take a cow to the river, but you can’t force the cow to drink.’ Kenyans have been taken to the banks of the river of dictatorship, they have refused to drink. They refuse to drink from the river infested with maggots of ethnocides; they refuse to drink from a river fed by sewers of tribal alienations. If the events since 30^th of January are to go by, Kenyans have been pushed to the brink by a laughable regime that wants to force legitimacy.  I’m no lawyer, so in a layman’s language, I would say forcing legitimacy is forcing people to like you. If people don’t like you, they don’t. Mr. Uhuru must accept that the cows have refused to drink. To cane the cows or slaughter them, it’s up to him. So Jubilee must not waste our time and money to convince the other legitimate 62% who boycotted the October 26^th elections come-birthday-party that at the helm of dragging the country lies H.E Raila Odinga and any other opposition voice. We have thrown away the law, the once vibrant 2010 constitution that sent Deputy Chief Justice Nancy Baraza for just pinching the nose of a guard, is now being urinated on.  The dictators are happy, any economic competitor is happy. 

The good news is we have been here before, not once not twice. In a battle between the people and force, people have won triumphantly. Those who have gone into exile have returned to the shame of their tormentors Ask Koigi Wa Wamwere, ask Ngugi was Thiong’o and the many who had to flee the Kenyatta and Moi regime.