4 CITIZEN SERVICE CENTERS Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Citizen Service Centers in Kenya The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization Abstract several awards and can serve as a valuable example to other countries implementing citizen service centers. This case study analyzes the Huduma Kenya program, under which the Government of Kenya is advancing citizen-cen- Introduction tered public service delivery through a variety of channels, including deploying digital technology and establishing cit- For more than two decades, the Government of Kenya has izen service centers across the country. The paper exam- explored a variety of strategies for improving public service ines key topics related to the operation, from institutional delivery. Moving away from the structural adjustment pro- arrangements, funding, and staffing to digitization, organiza- grams and results-based management systems of the mid tional culture, and customer feedback. The program has been 1990s and early 2000s, the government has more recently particularly successful at forging an organizational culture focused on citizen-centric approaches to service delivery. focused on excellence in customer service, which revolves This shift has dramatically increased the amount of interac- around improving transparency, efficiency, and integrity. This tion between citizens and their government at all levels of organizational culture helps motivate staff and level the play- the recently devolved political system. At the same time, ris- ing field for citizens of all backgrounds to get equal service ing Internet and mobile penetration rates and higher expec- and treatment from the same place, an important step toward tations around government service have prompted a global enhancing accessibility and nondiscrimination. The Huduma trend toward citizen-centric service delivery models aimed at Kenya program takes a multichannel approach, combining meeting the needs, expectations, and preferences of citizens brick-and-mortar centers with digital service platforms to at the same or reduced government cost (PricewaterHouse ensure that citizens with differing levels of literacy and access Cooper 2012). But in Kenya, like many other developing to the Internet are reached while still keeping pace with the countries, the vast majority of citizens lack access to online latest technological developments. To date, the primary chal- government services, increasing the risk of further margin- lenges encountered in the rollout of the Huduma Centers alizing resource-poor groups. In response, the Government concern the coordination among the various institutions of Kenya has explored various means of using technology involved in their management, staffing, and oversight; and the to foster inclusiveness and increase citizen participation in deployment of staff incentives related to compensation and public service delivery. The government learned lessons from professional development. The program has already received the experience of the Pasha Center Digital Villages Project, 2 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery taking this as well as experiences with other digital projects Huduma program; part II identifies challenges; and part III into account when it designed the Huduma Kenya program. distills the lessons. The program was further informed by a technical visit to Brazil that the Kenyan government undertook to learn les- The Huduma Kenya Program sons from Brazil’s Poupatempo citizen service centers. 1 Background and Vision This case study looks at the Huduma Kenya program, The demand by citizens for governments to deliver services under which Kenya has, among other things, used citizen at standards on par with the private sector is on the rise, service centers to advance citizen-centered service delivery partly due to changes in technology and partly due to the through the deployment of digital technology. The aim behind fact that the sharing economy has made the expectation the Huduma Center service delivery model is to simplify trans- of ease and convenience almost ubiquitous. With tighter action processes through automated services. The Huduma government budgets and public sector efficiency ratings Centers bring the government closer to framing global investment decisions, “The transition into the the people by gathering front-line ser- governments are particularly incen- ‘transparency, efficiency, vice providers from various ministries, tivized to interact with their constit- integrity’ mindset makes us feel departments, and agencies (MDAs) uents as both citizens and customers that this is an innovation, and under one roof. The result is a changed (PricewaterHouse Cooper 2012). In feel ownership …” service delivery experience and a signif- line with these changes, article 43 of icant accomplishment for the govern- Staff member at the Huduma Center in Kibra Kenya’s 2010 constitution expressly ment of Kenya from a human resources recognizes and provides the legal basis as well as a digital government standpoint. Huduma Kenya for the enjoyment of economic, social, and cultural rights has been awarded several national and international awards (Social Watch 2016). Entrenching devolution and accelerat- for service excellence (Kobia and Oliech 2016). ing digitization of public services were among the key pri- ority areas for the new government that came to power in Primary data for this case study were gathered through 2013. The administration sought to fully operationalize the interviews with national and county-level government offi- new constitution; implement Kenya Vision 2030, the coun- cials involved with the Huduma program, Huduma Center try’s national development blueprint (Ministry of Planning managers, staff, and customers; government officials from and National Development 2007); and firmly tackle corrup- associated line ministries; and private sector and nonprofit tion. The deployment of the Huduma Kenya citizen service partners collaborating with the Huduma Centers. The study centers arose out of a direct presidential decree in 2013 that was further informed by visits to ten Huduma Centers across followed a commitment made during the Jubilee Coalition the country.2 Manifesto launch (TNA, URP, NARC, and RC n.d.) and was Implementation strengths and challenges are identified archived in the Devolution Plan of 2013 (Republic of Kenya that offer lessons for the Huduma Kenya program itself as 2013) to operationalize the new administration’s commit- well as other countries interested in the initiative. Part I lays ment to integrate automated and devolved government into out the background, implementation, and operations of the grassroots-level public administration. The flagship project, Kenya Vision 2030 as specified in the Second Mid-Term 1. This visit took place in the context of the World Bank’s Institutional Reform and Plan, is currently being implemented. Since its inception, the Capacity Building Technical Assistance Project (2006–11). 2. The selection of centers sought to reflect Kenya’s socioeconomic depth, breadth, Huduma program’s primary objective has been to transform and diversity regarding livelihoods; urban, rural, or peri-urban contexts; and frontier versus center dichotomies. The study team visited the following Huduma Centers the experience of citizens with public sector service delivery. from February 12–16, 2016: Nairobi-GPO, Nairobi-Makadara, Nairobi-Kibra, Thika, “Huduma” means “service” in Swahili. Huduma Kenya was Meru, Isiolo, Kisumu, Eldoret, Busia, and Lodwar. 3 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization launched in November 2013 as a flagship program initiated Table 1. Overview of the Huduma Kenya Program by the national government that offered county-level, cus- Start Date November 2013 tomer-centric access points to multiple information sources Number of 45 (as of February 2017) and public service transactions (PricewaterHouse Cooper centers 2012: 5). Although not legally binding, the decree gave the Average number 30,000 per day nationwide program political clout that has played an important role in of transactions its ability to deploy at a large scale and very quickly. Average annual 2.4 billion K Sh (US$23 million) budget Huduma Kenya has rapidly grown in scale. As of February Institutions • Huduma Kenya Secretariat (housed in 2017, the Huduma Kenya program was running 45 centers, providing Ministry of Public Service, Youth, and five of which were located in Nairobi. The goal is to estab- management and Gender Affairs) lish a minimum of one center per county. Currently, 6 of oversight • Ministry of Interior and Coordination of the 47 counties— Mandera, West Pokot, Elgeyo-Marakwet, National Government Bomet, Transmara, and Vihiga—still do not have a center. • Line ministries, departments, and The majority of Huduma Centers are set up in government agencies (MDAs) post office buildings. On an average day, busy centers con- duct up to 5,000 transactions per day, while centers in sparsely populated areas might process around 50 trans- Public Services Offered at Huduma Centers actions. Nationwide, an average of 30,000 transactions are A total of 66 services are offered at the Huduma Centers, conducted every day. During periods of the year when many and any given center offers at least 30.3 They can be divided citizens are requesting services, such as during voter regis- into a fixed menu of public services offered by the national tration, this number can go up to 42,000. government—such as the issuance of national identification The key principles underlying Huduma Kenya are: cards or filing tax return applications—and variable services offered by the county government, such as the issuance of • Speed. Huduma Centers have been designed to allow single business permits and seasonal parking tickets, which citizens to access services instantly; in addition, a queue can vary depending on the county’s particular socioeconomic management system ensures that citizens are served in context.4 For example, while the Huduma Center in urban the order in which they arrive. Meru County offers liquor sales licensing and single business • Dignity. Huduma Centers respect and restore the dignity permit registration, the one in drought affected, livestock of citizens by offering fast and orderly service and by pay- and agriculture-heavy Isiolo County offers subsidized sale of ing special attention to the needs of pregnant women, the fertilizer.5 Huduma Centers in the northeast include services elderly, and persons with disabilities. provided by the Red Cross. Individual Huduma Centers can request the addition of national government services through • Convenience/one-stop shop. Citizens receive multiple services at one location; the centers are designed from 3. The key institutions represented at the Huduma Centers are the National Regis- tration Bureau; Kenya Police; Higher Education Board; State Law Office/Office of the the perspective of the citizens and based on their needs. Attorney General; Ministry of Lands, Housing and Urban Development; Public Pro- curement Oversight Authority; National Treasury—Status of Pension Claims; Postal • Value. Bundling services at one location reduces oppor- Corporation of Kenya; National Social Security Fund; Commission of Administrative Justice/Office of the Ombudsman; Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission; Kenya tunities for corruption and lowers the cost of the services Revenue Association; National Transport and Safety Authority; Ministry of Public Ser- vice, Youth, and Gender Affairs; Ministry of Interior; and County Government Offices. for the citizen. 4. See the annex for the full list of offered services. 5. Isiolo County Huduma Center interviews, February 19, 2016; Meru County Huduma Center interviews, February 18, 2016. 4 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Coordination between the Huduma Centers and the MDAs facilitates service delivery, especially in cases where citizens once had to visit multiple offices or, in some cases, even to travel to Nairobi. With Huduma Centers, citizens can now, for example, request certification of land ownership, criminal record verification (for employment purposes), or identification cards without the need to visit the relevant ministry, department, or agency office. Requests are regis- tered and sent to the relevant MDA by the Huduma Center, and each citizen is given a ticket number that allows them to track the status of the request, either online or at the center. Institutional Framework A listing of the services available at the Kisamu Huduma Center The Huduma Kenya program was initially deployed through the Ministry of Devolution and Planning, one of the two ministries directly associated with the Executive Office of the Huduma Kenya Secretariat, which then petitions for the President. The ministry’s mandate—to guide and man- approval from the respective line ministry in order to deploy age socioeconomic development planning—allowed it to additional staff and service-specific supplies to the relevant call for changes to the standard practices of all government center. The county commissioner coordinates changes to departments at all levels. Following the reorganization of county-level services, but the Secretariat must approve all the government in December 2015, and in accordance with changes before services can be offered at a center. the Executive Order No. 1/2016, issued by the president, At the time of this research, government services at the the Huduma Kenya program is now under the jurisdiction Huduma Centers fell into three categories: (1) services that of the Ministry of Public Service, Youth, and Gender Affairs. could be started and entirely completed at the center, (2) ser- Interdepartmental coordination is managed by a series of over- vices that could be processed at the center but that required sight bodies, beginning with the Office of the President. The interaction with the relevant line MDA, and (3) services highest level is the Huduma Kenya Service Delivery Summit, provided by a relevant line MDA about which the Huduma chaired by the President of Kenya and comprising the cabi- Centers can provide information and to which they make net secretaries of the Ministries of Interior and Coordination referrals. For this last category, in particular, Huduma Center of National Government, Information and Communication, employees play an important role in providing administrative Lands, National Treasury, Industrialization, Education, Labor, support, especially to their semiliterate customers. Directly and Health, as well as the attorney general. The Cabinet linking the front-office service counters to the line MDA Secretary for the Public Service, Youth, and Gender Affairs servers via the government’s common core network further Ministry serves as secretary. The Summit oversees a techni- automates the process, cuts transaction times, and publicly cal committee, which is chaired by the Summit secretary and exposes bottlenecks. Ongoing digitization efforts, such as includes the principal secretary for each of the nine ministries electronic fingerprint processing, will further slash the num- in addition to the solicitor general. The technical committee is ber of tasks that cannot be addressed at a Huduma Center. 6 charged with coordinating the implementation of the policies 6. Nairobi GPO Huduma Center, February 12, 2016; Huduma Secretariat interview, February 15, 2016. 5 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization Office of the President Ministry Huduma of Interior Summit Technical Committee County-level County Housed within the official with the Huduma Commissioner Ministry of Public Service, Ministry of Interior Secretariat Youth, and Gender Affairs Huduma Center Participating MDAs Figure 1. Institutional Arrangements 6 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery and decisions made by the Summit (see Njiru 2014). It also Operating the Huduma Centers oversees the Huduma Kenya Secretariat—the program’s The Huduma Kenya program’s vision is currently being imple- direct implementing and managing agency, which is respon- mented in two broad phases: the first focuses on deploying sible for procurement, information technology support, secu- brick-and-mortar one-stop shops, and the second aims to rity, human resources, and oversight of service delivery for all transition services offered at Huduma Centers into a soon- of the Huduma Centers. to-be fully automated, digital e-Huduma platform. The “vir- tual Huduma,” as it is sometimes called, will be accessible at While the Ministry of Public Service, Youth, and Gender Huduma Centers and from any cyber café or personal com- Affairs provides procurement support and overall manage- puter.7 The second phase also includes a self-service mobile ment through the Secretariat, the Ministry of Interior and component, called “mHuduma,” where e-Huduma services Coordination of National Government helps to integrate the will be made available to citizens via self-service mobile Huduma Centers into county and municipal-level govern- applications.8 Huduma Center staff will work with citizens to ment administrations. Coordination between ministries is complete the actions, however, as they will still require man- crucial. The Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National ual tasks. Implementation for the first and second phases has Government reassigns assistant county commissioners as been staggered. The establishment of the physical one-stop Huduma Center managers, and the county commissioner is shops was the first priority, but now that the e-Huduma roll- responsible for all national government activities at the county out is accelerating and the versatility of the MDA websites is level. Huduma Center managers are therefore concurrently improving, automation has begun at many centers. supervised by their county commissioner and the Nairobi- headquartered Huduma Kenya Secretariat. The Information In addition to the physical centers and the digital platforms and Communications Technology (ICT) Authority supports that can be accessed via mobile phones, the Secretariat has the Huduma project by connecting the centers to the sites developed the Huduma Smart Service Card, which citizens can use to make and receive payments from the government and servers of participating MDAs through wide area network as well paying for goods and services anywhere that credit links supported by two redundant data centers. Connectivity cards are accepted. The card also works at numerous bus from the two data centers to the back-end systems of the companies, which previously had separate payment sys- MDAs is provided through the government’s common core tems. Now, with one card, citizens can seamlessly use buses network connection, which is a middle-mile, multiprotocol operated by different companies. label switching (MPLS)-based network that interconnects government ministries. The ICT Authority provides the cen- Funding ters with additional connectivity support through the County The program budget is allocated by the National Treasury as Connectivity Project,under which the government’s common part of the overall national budget and as a programmatic core network is used as a backup for the wide area network directive of the president. The Huduma Kenya program is links. The ICT Authority also collaborates with the Huduma financed entirely by the Government of Kenya. The average Secretariat to offer digital services integration as the full annual budget for the centers is 2.4 billion K Sh (US$23 mil- automation of government services continues to be rolled out lion), of which 1.5 billion Kenyan K Sh (US$14.5 million) are under the e-Huduma program. used for the development of new centers and 900 million K Sh (US$8.7 million) for recurrent expenditures. The cost per 7. e-Huduma team interview, February 23, 2016. 8. See http://www.hudumakenya.go.ke/. 7 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization Figure 2. Pathways to Accessing Services under Huduma Kenya Physical centers Integrated Huduma payment card platform CITIZEN Huduma contact eHuduma center mHuduma Source: http://www.hudumakenya.go.ke/index.php. center varies depending on the number of services offered CISCO networking systems to connect Huduma Centers, at the center. It ranges between 10 and 15 million K Sh per power and ICT infrastructure, utility payments, back-up gen- month (US$97,000–145,000). While funding for the pro- erators, and closed-circuit television camera technology. gram comes entirely from the national level, county admin- However, the Huduma Secretariat does not have the bud- istrations support staff salaries and materials for the service get autonomy to fund staff salaries or commit resources to desks of the county-level government services offered at the programmatic activity outside of service delivery, such as an Huduma Centers. outreach activity beyond the initial information campaign The Huduma Secretariat manages the fund disburse- about the launching of a center. Recently, however, the min- ments and procurement for Huduma Center building con- istry has been able to provide funds to conduct mobile out- struction and repair, office furniture, desktop computers, reach services in remote parts of the country, serving more network servers, ticket kiosks, customer feedback machines, than 26,000 citizens in about two months. 8 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Table 2. Oversight System for Huduma Centers Institution Oversight Function Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National Government Annual staff reviews of overall Huduma Centers by respective county commissioners Huduma Secretariat (housed in Ministry of Public Service, Youth Programmatic oversight and Gender Affairs) Ministries, departments, and agencies (MDAs) Annual staff reviews for each line MDA; hiring, firing, and promotion of staff Staffing Oversight of Huduma Center operations is three-pronged (see table 2). Each center falls under the county-level Participating government ministries, departments, and agen- structure of the national public administration coordinated cies are responsible for allocating staff to Huduma Centers, as by the Ministry of Interior and Coordination of National well as for paying salaries and making promotion, hiring, and Government. The Secretariat, housed within the Ministry of firing decisions regarding all staff on their payroll, whether Public Service, Youth and Gender Affairs, provides program- deployed at a Huduma Center or at a line MDA office. As matic oversight for all centers, but decisions regarding the part of establishing a new Huduma Center, the Secretariat hiring, firing, and promotion of staff lies with the line MDAs. sends a deployment request to participating line MDAs to County commissioners from the Ministry of Interior and deploy staff, relevant equipment, and supplies to operate Coordination of National Government and the center man- their respective counters. The Secretariat and each agency agers conduct annual center staff reviews, which the man- agree on the number of public servants to be deployed, while ager then submits to the Secretariat. MDAs are responsible the required technical competencies are determined by the for similar annual staff reviews for all staff on their payrolls. respective MDAs, which also make final decisions regarding staffing. Huduma Kenya as Innovation Management and Oversight Innovation is a major aspect of Huduma Kenya’s organiza- tional culture, demarcating it from earlier modes of public Within the Huduma Center, weekly staff meetings trouble- service delivery. Staff and center managers alike repeated a shoot challenges and cultivate the Huduma Kenya culture common sentiment: of teamwork, innovation, change making, and excellent customer service.9 The center manager submits weekly “The attitude where all of us work as a team as a big operational reports to the Secretariat, documenting trans- machine is a compelling one. The transition into the action and customer traffic data, petty cash finances, and ‘transparency, efficiency, integrity’ mindset makes us other information on daily management and operation. [the staff] feel that this is an innovation, and feel own- Social media channels, such as the Huduma Management ership that makes us want to take it to another level.”10 WhatsApp group, have become the main points of interac- The notion of Huduma Kenya as a campaign to intro- tion and communication between the Secretariat and the duce innovation and a revolutionary new way of operating center managers. is introduced to staff during customer service trainings and 9. The Huduma Secretariat has made weekly meetings the standard, and most inter- viewed center managers hold to this norm, but some hold biweekly staff meetings as well as ad hoc meetings, as needed. 10. Kibra County Huduma Center interviews, February 12, 2016. 9 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization supported by weekly and biweekly staff meetings and other Ranking and rewarding the Huduma Centers has instilled input from center managers. The Secretariat’s practice of rat- cooperation between staff deployed from disparate work ing the Huduma Centers creates a sense of competition and environments. Staff in rural Turkana as well as in Nairobi’s movement toward a common purpose that further incen- under-resourced slum area of Kibera expressed increased tivize staff to drive the innovation campaign forward. The 11 motivation stemming from this performance reward system.12 rating system ranks and rewards individuals (employees and Training managers), Huduma Centers, and participating agencies. All newly deployed Huduma Center staff members par- Center ratings are based on: ticipate in an intensive four-day customer-service training course about how to apply the program’s core values—cour- • Customer service quality; tesy, innovation, integrity, efficiency, and transparency—in • Cleanliness and tidiness of center; their daily work. The program, called “We really want to be the Customer Service Excellence and • Appropriate dress code and groom- associated with this success Huduma Service Delivery Standards ing of staff; when Huduma Kenya reaches Training, has a set curriculum devel- another level. We are in the • Customer satisfaction levels; oped by the Secretariat’s business pro- race, we are not spectators.” cess reengineering and service delivery • The number of complaints; and Front-line officer, Huduma Center, Kibra standards division and was developed • Conduct of security screenings. with a deliberate focus on customers in line with private sector practices. Many of the values that it MDA ratings are based on: promotes resonate with the Public Service Commission Act • The number of centers where the MDA has a counter; of 2012,13 the Public Officer Ethics Act of 2003 (Republic of Kenya 2003) and, more recently, the Public Service (Values • Adherence to service turnaround time; and Principles) Act of 2015 (Republic of Kenya 2015). The • Adequacy of staff levels; and training aims to prepare new Huduma Center cohorts for their new responsibilities as well as to provide opportunities • Sufficiency of equipment and material. for staff to meet colleagues from different centers. These The number of transactions is not included in the ratings meetings enable individuals from different offices to col- because it varies greatly from region to region, depending lectively build a team mentality and Huduma-specific work on the density of the population. The scorecard results are culture. Interviews suggest that the two-week training is the presented quarterly to the agencies and discussed at the most impactful single input in integrating civil servants from technical committee meeting that is chaired by the Cabinet diverse ministries into the Huduma Center service delivery Secretary for Public Service, Youth, and Gender Affairs. Once model. The training addresses key customer service con- a year, the scorecards are presented at the annual meeting of cepts, business process engineering, and best practices in the Huduma Service Delivery Summit, and principal secre- customer complaints handling, among other topics. It also taries are asked to explain the performance of the MDA that supports team building within a center in order to improve they are leading. collaboration between staff members of different ranks. 12. Lodwar County Huduma Center interviews, February 26, 2016. 11. The rating system was often cited as an avenue for nonfinancial performance-based 13. See: “Public Service Commission Regulations” at http://www.oas.org/juridico/ incentives, which partly offset the salary challenges caused by MDA delays. spanish/bhs_res15.pdf. 10 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Organizational Culture Department of Immigration at the Huduma Center in Isiolo The Huduma Kenya program has been successful in insti- illustrates this perspective: tuting a clear organizational culture that radically departs “As a public servant, it is my duty to provide services from that of Kenya’s previous public administration system. for my people. By people, I mean Kenyan citizens. Our Predominantly guided by the two-week customer service role is to provide a product—service to the customer, trainings, Huduma Kenya culture prioritizes customer ser- who happens to be a Kenyan citizen, and who also vice as its primary mandate. Efficiency, integrity, and trans- deserves this service speedily, in a manner that meets parency are presented as the three main customer demand his needs, which is good customer service.”16 areas. Improvement in those three areas fosters quality cus- tomer service overall. The citizen deserves good service by Architecture, Branding, and External Partnerships nature of his or her being a customer at the Huduma Center Accessibility, Architecture, and Presentation who is seeking a particular product or service. 14 Huduma Centers include a cadre of customer service staff Public servants deployed to operate the Huduma Centers who help citizens receive needed services. Staff greets cus- are understood as offering a product—in the form of a pub- tomers upon entering a center and assist them in acquir- lic service—that should be made available through channels ing a ticket that corresponds to the requested service. The that satisfy the customers’ most common demands, namely, customer service team helps illiterate customers fill out any “make it easy for me,” “give me choices,” and “deliver me necessary forms, and translates from Swahili to the local lan- outcomes” (PricewaterHouse Cooper 2012). guage if needed. The demand for translators is particularly high in more remote and rural communities and having the Customer Service and the Promotion of Human Rights service available promotes accessibility to more vulnerable Most interviewed staff and center managers acknowledge parts of the population. that citizens have human rights and rights as citizens. But Huduma Kenya has set up about half of its centers in they all emphasized that it is customer service that makes government post office buildings to capitalize on two major the Huduma Centers unique among government offices and advantages. First, housing a center inside an existing pub- programs, on par with the private sector, a unanimous source lic sector building eliminates initial fixed costs of renting, of pride. The research demonstrates that while most staff leasing, or land purchases as well as the risk associated with view respect for human rights as an important part of their leasing from external stakeholders. Second, being situated mandate, there is a lack of clarity about what human rights inside a post office allows the centers to take advantage means on a daily basis or that services are a human right. of the Postal Corporation of Kenya cash merchant model, Several staff members expressed sentiments such as “good which offers money transfer, banking, and bill paying ser- service delivery is important because it will help improve vices to a wide variety of stakeholders. Thanks to an earlier people’s lives and everyone deserves to get the services that product diversification campaign, post office outlets already make their lives easier.”15 However, in response to the ques- offered point-of-sale terminals, a domestic remittance ser- tion as to whether providing good services in a timely and vice called PostaPay, and a partnership with Kenswitch, a transparent manner is important because the customer is a shared financial switch linking over 20 commercial banks,17 human being, a citizen, or a customer, interviewees unani- through which the Huduma Centers can allocate customer mously chose “customer.” A seasoned public servant of the 16. Isiolo County Huduma Center interviews, February 19, 2016. 14. GOP Nairobi Huduma Center interviews, February 13, 2016. 17. See “Kenswitch” on LOITA Transaction Services website at www.lxsinternational. 15. Thika County Huduma Center interviews, February 18, 2016. com/kenswitch.php. 11 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization The hours of operation for Huduma Centers are the stan- dard 8:00 am–5:00 pm, including during lunchtime, unlike most MDAs. The centers are designed in a way that is con- venient for customers and improves efficiency. Signs inside and outside of the building indicate the services offered. The open waiting area includes comfortable seating for wait- ing customers and is surrounded by service counters that face the customer. The low open counters make it easy for customers to communicate with service staff without any unnecessary barriers. Upon entering a Huduma center, the customer receives a ticket from a kiosk that records the type of service requested, a transaction number, and an indication of the customer’s position in line and the counter they should approach. Staff at an information desk at the entrance of the Huduma center directs customers to the appropriate counter and customers are notified through an electronic system when their counter is available. Transactions are conducted in public, with the rest of the line of customers able to wit- ness them. Customers may not avail themselves of services in private, except when filling corruption allegation forms at the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission counters, in adherence with witness protection procedures. The cen- ter manager’s office is walled by transparent glass, and its doors must remain open to the public—customers can come in and address the manager at any time. This constant cus- tomer interface helps curb corruption and integrates public servants into the new Huduma culture by demanding inter- Waiting area (top) and service counters (bottom) in Huduma Center, Meru County action with clients throughout the day. ICT in the Huduma Centers payments for various service transactions to the respec- Desktop computers at every counter in a center are virtually tive MDAs (Berthaud 2012). If the post office is too small connected to their “mother ministries” through Safaricom or otherwise unfit to house a center, particularly in rural or and Telkom Kenya wide area network. The data is shared isolated locations, the Huduma Center is still required to be with two redundant Huduma data centers and connected in a government-owned building, and a post office counter to the MDA back-end systems through the government’s with Kenswitch facilities is set up on location. Co-locating a common core network, managed by the ICT Authority. A Huduma Center in a post office also serves the post office by designated information technology networking team at the attracting additional business, and because the post office is Technology Operating Center of the Huduma Secretariat state-owned, this contributes to government revenues. monitors all Huduma ICT systems in real time and provides 12 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Customers being served at the Huduma Center in Isiolo. the centers with ongoing support, responding to issues via courier servicing. Power outages and network issues at the electronic tickets and providing assistance through remote line ministry also pose a risk to data collection and authentic- access or in-person visits, depending on the need. A gener- ity in terms of transaction logs and saving citizen data within ator and emergency power backup system ensures power the larger MDA data center. source redundancy, and the Huduma Center’s servers are Yet despite technological difficulties, ICT-enabled com- kept in a separate, cooled, and secure room. munication between centers and the Secretariat, closed-cir- However, automation poses some challenges. In loca- cuit television monitoring, and automated data collection tions where power outages are common, generator usage is are major contributors to Huduma Kenya’s positioning as an very high and generators often run out of fuel, leaving some antithesis to corruption and inefficiency. CISCO collabora- centers without power on a weekly or even daily basis. The tion system architecture enables group and individual con- Secretariat’s funding constraints make procurement pro- ferencing between the Secretariat and the Huduma Centers cesses slow for replacing supplies such as fuel for the gener- and between individual centers. WhatsApp chats between ator. Huduma Center staff in Lodwar, Isiolo, Meru, and Busia the Secretariat’s chief executive officer and center managers interviewed for this research all described having to shut enable “just-in-time” responses to challenges. WhatsApp down center operations for several hours a day until the gen- forums for center managers foster the sharing of best prac- erator was back up and running. One center manager even tices and create a community of practice based on rapport, described having to use his own personal funds to purchase teamwork, and creative problem solving. fuel rather than wait for the Secretariat to send supplies. Technical issues at the MDAs can also shut down the con- Closed-circuit television footage from cameras situated nection, forcing staff to return to paper documentation and throughout each center is monitored by a full-time police 13 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization detail in a separate security monitoring room, which is also communicate responses to customer feedback. In response viewable from the Secretariat offices in Nairobi. As recently to social media feedback, the Secretariat promptly commu- as January 2016, new data collection infrastructure through nicates with Huduma Centers because the public nature of IBM’s WebSphere technology takes Huduma Center trans- the comments puts significant pressure on it to react before parency and individual staff accountability a step further by the criticism accelerates. Centers then follow up via individ- capturing the transaction activity of each staff computer in ual emails if specific complaints are raised via social media, real-time. Collected data includes the number of transactions such as a delay in issuing an identification card. conducted every hour at the various service counters, cus- Grievances can also be communicated at the Huduma tomer waiting time, time taken to complete transactions, and Center in an ad hoc manner through the center manager, the time each employee is logged on to their respective desk- and customers can submit corruption allegations at the top computer.18 In addition, a queue management system pro- Office of the Ombudsman and the Ethics and Accountability vides real-time reports on the number of customers served. Commission. These counters are labeled specifically at most The system is linked to customer feedback devices, available Huduma Centers, except at centers that are understaffed and at every counter, that instantly provide the Secretariat with thus unable to man those counters. Citizens can also reach the latest data on customer satisfaction levels. out to a call center to share their complaints with staff trained Customer Feedback and Grievance Redress in grievance redress. If the concerns cannot be addressed Customer feedback provides data points on many Huduma there, they are referred to the program officer in the Business Kenya success indicators and contributes to its represen- Process Reengineering and Computer Science Department, tation as a transparent and customer-driven initiative. A who can then refer them to the director, who contacts the computerized “rate my service” feature is a required step to respective center manager or MDA service leader. If the mat- completing a service transaction at a Huduma Center counter. ter is still not addressed, it can be shared with the director of A feedback device is installed on every counter, and custom- the responsible MDA to ensure its resolution. ers are asked to rate their service excellent, good, acceptable, Customer satisfaction is included in the key performance or poor. In monitoring the centers, the Secretariat focuses indicators used to monitor all Huduma Centers. The specific on counters receiving many poor ratings and follows up to mandate is to “maintain customer satisfaction levels at 95 address any issues. Center managers also regularly attend percent on all Huduma service delivery channels.” Huduma local information dissemination bazaars, called barazas, to Center staff and managers are trained at achieving customer inform citizens about the services offered at the Huduma satisfaction to help them score well on this key performance Center and to address complaints. indicator. Grievance redress and customer feedback also occur Branding and Outreach through social media. Feedback through Facebook and Two years prior to the actual launch, the Huduma Kenya Twitter is heavily broadcasted, partly in an effort to present program engaged in an initial outreach and behavior change Huduma Kenya as an innovative, cutting-edge public service campaign.19 At the time of this research, multichannel out- development. The Secretariat’s Twitter handle is used to reach campaigns were still being deployed for two months 18. Busia County Huduma Center interviews, February 23, 2016; Eldoret County 19. Meru, Thika, Nairobi GPO, and Kibra Huduma interviews; Huduma Secretariat Huduma Center interviews, February 24, 2016. interviews, February 15, 2016. 14 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery before and after the launch of a new Huduma Center with role to help customers adjust to the new system. The online messaging via television, radio, newspaper, and Facebook. services are available through any Internet-connected device Interviews suggest that outreach is particularly effective and can therefore also be accessed from locations other than among rural and marginalized populations when center the Huduma Center. managers use their government contacts from their previous The Huduma cyber cafés allow customers to download, roles as assistant county commissioners to combine forces print, and photocopy forms for service transactions under with village-level government administrators at village-level the same roof as the service counters and to use the Internet information dissemination bazaars (barazas).20 Outreach for personal web surfing or for logging into government campaigns utilize town halls, door-to-door pitches, and websites. In addition to accessing multiple government ser- meetings held by village elders to reach vulnerable and iso- vices under one roof, customers can access other services lated populations that might not already be regularly trav- as well, such as cyber café usage and postal services as well eling to the county’s urban center. Social media is another as money transfer and remittance payments. This diver- significant customer outreach access point. In rural, isolated sification is another reason for the success of the Huduma communities where mobile penetration is lowest, smart- Centers.22 phone accessible information about the Huduma Centers is passed by word of mouth or via short message service In addition, payments for services provided in Huduma (SMS). 21 Centers are made through the Postapay platform offered by the Postal Corporation of Kenya, which then transfers Partnerships the money into the respective MDA office accounts. This Huduma Kenya brands itself as a wholly government initia- partnership ensures that citizens are not inconvenienced by tive, and the majority of its partnerships involve government being sent elsewhere to make payments and reinforces the or government-associated agencies. However, under the Huduma Center’s role as a one-stop shop. Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) policy, which registers enterprises owned by youth, women, The Huduma Kenya program has also partnered with and persons with disabilities so that they can prequalify and county governments to provide free service counters and access government tenders and contracts, Huduma Centers spaces to the county governments and has helped to identify procure private sector firms to execute certain parts of their county government services for deployment to the Huduma operation. For example, every Huduma Center includes a Centers, which has enhanced accessibility to services by cyber café facility contracted out to private, youth-run enti- citizens and strengthened social cohesion because citizens ties qualifying under the AGPO scheme. Here, customers appreciate their local leaders working in partnership with the can access online government services as a complement national government. to the in-person customer service they receive at Huduma Center counters. Many government services, such as apply- ing for a passport or renewal of a driver’s license, recently transitioned to the online platform, and the proximity of onsite cyber cafés to the Huduma center staff plays a major 20 . 20. Meru County Huduma Center interviews, February 18, 2016. 22. The authors do not have more detailed information on cost recovery of the cen- 21. Ibid. ters and the contribution to cost recovery by these partnerships. 15 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization Challenges Box 1. Overcoming Coordination Challenges As this study makes apparent, the Huduma Kenya program The manager of the Eldoret Huduma Center created has been successful in many ways. Like any other program a forum comprising all of the county-level ministry, of such scale, however, its implementation has also revealed department, and agency (MDA) offices whose goal is weaknesses. Combined, these successes and challenges to manage Huduma Center staff as a united front. The serve as useful lessons for countries seeking to replicate the center manager was able to use previous experience as initiative. Some of the problems stem from the staffing and a county level civil servant to generate buy-in from the oversight system of the centers. Challenges are manifest in county commissioner, who had the necessary authority understaffing, salary discrepancies, inefficient reporting rela- to demand that the MDAs participate. What resulted tionships, and a lack of internal feedback systems and pro- was a far more seamless management and oversight fessional development for employees. process that maintained the authority of the center man- Staffing ager within the Huduma Center while still preseving the MDAs’ involvement in the project. The decision to staff Huduma Centers through line MDAs Source: Eldoret County Huduma Center interview, 2.24.16 staff aimed to facilitate buy-in from the participating MDAs, to more efficiently utilize and allocate existing government resources, and to support national government devolu- upon the discovery of discrepancies between advertised tion efforts. In practice, however, the arrangement enables and available services. The spillover then spirals outward the MDAs to stall deployment, delaying implementation as concern over falsely promoting services and then incit- and granting them significant leverage over the project. ing customer dissatisfaction discourages Huduma Center Inadequate staffing at Huduma Centers often results in staff from engaging in effective community outreach.25 a discrepancy between services offered on paper and in While under-deployment is not necessarily malicious in all practice. In Meru County, for example, public services that cases—the national government has cut staff numbers and are not offered due to understaffing constraints include salary budgets for many line ministries in an effort to reduce accounting certificates through the Kenya Accountants and corruption and end bureaucratic bloat—the resulting MDA Secretaries National Examinations Board; land titling fee staffing pressures, which are compounded by the expansion payments through the Ministry of Land, Housing, and Urban of Huduma Kenya, have significantly soured some line min- Development; passport applications through e-Huduma; istries against the project. parking permit applications; rent payments; land rent pay- Reporting Relationships ments; and submission of corruption allegations through Challenges persist regarding working with the MDAs at the the Office of the Ombudsman and the Ethics and Anti- county level, when some agencies and departments asso- Corruption Commission.23 In Lodwar, the rural and isolated ciated with the county administration claim that they are county headquarters of Turkana County, which is located not under the authority of the federal government, of which near the border with South Sudan, 12 public service count- the Huduma program is a part. Tensions can arise within a ers were completely unstaffed and their services unavailable Huduma Center when certain MDA staff members resist at the time of interview.24 Staffing shortages cause addi- the authority of the center manager, who is deployed by a tional spillover effects, such as negative customer feedback 23. Meru County Huduma Center interviews, February 18, 2016. 25. Lodwar County Huduma Center interviews, February 26, 2016; Eldoret County 24. Lodwar County Huduma Center interviews, February 26, 2016. Huduma Center interviews, February 24, 2016. 16 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery national government department. Similarly, some Huduma Salary Discrepancies Center staff members who were interviewed describe county Huduma Center staff typically work two hours longer per day administration staff resistance to oversight by the county with a workload involving many more daily transactions than commissioner due to the fact that the commissioner is a staff members in equivalent positions at the “mother minis- national government bureaucrat deployed at the county level. try.” MDA-provided salaries, however, have not increased to The tiered oversight system at the Huduma Centers is match the new workloads. Some parastatal corporations that designed to check and balance the oversight bodies and to also deploy staff to Huduma Centers, such as Kenya Power help root out corrupt practices. However, it also inadver- and Lighting Company and the Higher Education Loan Board, tently limits the authority of center managers with regard to pay higher salaries than those allocated to public servants. other county-level government authorities.26 Center manag- Tensions arise when staff from parastatal agencies and fully ers oversee daily operations and conduct ad hoc onsite train- public sector ministries and departments experience similar ings, but neither they nor the Secretariat can fire erring staff. work requirements but receive different salaries, which nega- In cases of staff misbehavior reported to the Secretariat, tively impacts morale. Over the last year, the Huduma Kenya however, depending on the significance of the behavior, the program has mandated that MDAs pay public servants Secretariat can request the respective agency to remove the deployed to Huduma Centers an “extraneous allowance” staff member and replace them, and the MDAs immediately to meet the initial gap and ensure salary parity.28 Yet many comply.27 line ministries either refuse to pay the allowance or allow a several month delay in its disbursement. In such cases, the Research findings suggest that increased coordination Huduma Secretariat lacks the authority over the MDAs to between the different county-level authorities can help miti- compel them to pay. The Secretariat also lacks its own bud- gate these tensions. get to cover this salary gap, although anecdotal evidence Challenges with reporting relationships are also manifest suggests that, based on Huduma Manager feedback, budget in a perceived lack of internal grievance redress. Interviewed allocation to enable salary parity is in the pipeline. Although staff suggest that while Huduma Kenya values external feed- center managers can report positive behavior by staff and back from customers, the Secretariat does not sufficiently reward good conduct through verbally recognizing their elicit internal feedback from staff. At times presented as a contributions in front of the center team, the Secretariat’s dichotomy between external and internal grievance mecha- current salary disbursement constraints limit the program’s nisms, staff described scant opportunities to provide direct ability to award staff performance-based incentives. In order feedback to the administration on program processes. Having to achieve the program’s goal of excellence in service deliv- to pass information to the Secretariat by communicating ery, it is essential to provide robust incentives for staff and to with the center manager through the weekly report inadver- link these to performance where appropriate. tently establishes the manager position as a gatekeeper over Staffing challenges and dissatisfaction due to salary dis- information between the Secretariat or Huduma program crepancies also affect the outreach that Huduma Centers can hub and the Huduma Center or end-user access point. do. As one staff member intimated, “Our responsibility is to stay at our counters and provide services there. We have no 26. Lodwar County Huduma Center interviews, February 26, 2016. 28. Nairobi GPO Huduma Center interviews, February 12, 2016; Huduma Secretariat 27. Information provided by the Huduma Secretariat. interviews, February 15, 2016. 17 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization mandate to leave the building [as part of work], and without additional compensation, why should we?”29 The Secretariat’s budget does not support ongoing outreach activities beyond the initial campaign around a center’s launch. The idea is that the Huduma Centers’ superior service model should speak for itself. Many individuals interviewed in towns around a center expressed that its services are still publicized through word of mouth. Staff members’ recognizable uniforms, vis- ible as they travel to and from work or go about town, help to remind citizens of the center.30 Nevertheless, interviewed staff repeatedly suggested that ongoing outreach would be extremely beneficial, both to ensure uptake from the most rural and marginalized populations and to promote the addi- tion of new services or the expanding digital service delivery channels at the center.31 Professional Development Provision of health services at the Huduma Center in Thika, Kiambu. Staff receive training when they join the Huduma Centers, but ongoing training and refresher sessions are less common. A it is an isolated post with little ongoing training or opportu- recurrent critique revolved around the need for ongoing train- nity for promotion. However, since the initial research for this ing for Huduma Center staff and managers, as well as the study was conducted, the Secretariat has been able to secure chance to gather at an annual general assembly. Interviewees funds for training and is currently training 500 staff persons expressed a desire for additional training, opportunities to in the 45 operational Huduma Centers. learn from others’ best practices, and clear avenues for inter- Despite the challenges related to staffing, salary discrep- nal feedback and grievance redress mechanisms (Huduma ancies, and professional development, the interviewees at Center staff to Secretariat). The frequency of trainings could the Huduma Centers expressed pride to work at a center and be increased, and periodic retraining is in fact part of the per- stressed Huduma’s organizational culture as motivating and formance contract, but this does not often actually happen. distinct from the “mother MDAs.” The dissatisfaction stem- Interviews with Huduma Center managers suggest that the ming from working more without additional compensation lack of ongoing training traces back to staffing challenges and from obstacles to upward mobility could potentially be because the centers must be staffed.32 Anecdotal evidence addressed by introducing a rotation system that would enable suggests that public servants at the MDAs often prefer that Huduma staff to gain experience at different centers, to grow they not be deployed to the Huduma Centers, feeling that professionally, and to see their performance be rewarded by being deployed at a center that they prefer. 29. Ibid. 30. Makadara (February 12, 2016), Busia (February 23, 2016), and Lodwar County Huduma Center interviews (February 26, 2016). 31. Meru (February 18, 2016), Busia (February 23, 2016), and Kisumu County Hudu- ma Center interviews (February 24, 2016). 32. Kisumu County Huduma Center interviews, February 23, 2016; Eldoret County Huduma Center interviews, February 24, 2016; Meru County Huduma Center inter- views, February 18, 2016. 18 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Main hall with waiting area and service counters at the Huduma Center in Thika, Kiambu Lessons Learned from Kenya’s their connections from their earlier roles as assistant county Citizen Service Centers commissioners, Huduma Center and local government activ- ities become more integrated. Kenya’s experience in using technology and a decentralized system of citizen service delivery to foster inclusiveness and Working with MDAs increase citizen participation offers valuable lessons about Cross-ministry support for the Huduma initiative has been service delivery implementation, funding strategies, and crucial to the initiative’s rapid deployment and scalability as organizational culture. well as its financial sustainability. However, the very nature of Political Will Huduma Kenya’s relationship with associated MDAs poses a significant challenge to implementation. This is primarily Top-down support and oversight stemming from the presi- manifest in delays in deployment, which lead to understaffed dent has played a crucial role in instituting the widespread centers. Research interviews also suggest that MDA deploy- change management of deploying a government program at such a large scale. Yet while this political will has enabled the ment challenges are often as much change management Huduma Secretariat to pressure resisting line MDAs to coop- issues as logistical ones. Shifting key staffing and resource erate to some extent, some center managers feel that the allocation responsibilities from participating line MDAs exertion of political clout from the executive could improve to the Secretariat could block the MDA’s ability to delay the dynamics between the MDAs and the Huduma Centers. Huduma programming. But doing so would likely sever the Similarly, research demonstrates that political buy-in from line MDAs sense of involvement and accountability to the county government administrations significantly improves project. The involvement of many MDAs in the initiative is Huduma Center community outreach and service delivery thus central to its success but comes with trade-offs that efforts. Findings suggest that when center managers use need to be actively managed. 19 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization Technology and its Link to Service Delivery populations, who because of the centers, can more easily Huduma Kenya represents a break from the past in its using access services without having to travel beyond their coun- digital channels to connect to the mother ministries and ties. Automated public service also brings with it its own offer one-stop shop service delivery to end users. The fact challenges, whether they be local power outages or ministry that their business increasingly revolves around the eID, network issues. The rigidity of the computerized system and or the digital or electronic ID, and supporting customers in lack of immediate human contact makes it easy to have blocks using a digital platform is demonstrative of the government’s and technical difficulties. Regardless of how streamlined and commitment to digitizing service delivery wherever possi- efficient the e-Huduma platform becomes, variations in local ble. The Huduma initiative’s choice to develop e-Huduma context and customer needs will persist. Interviews demon- and mHuduma facilities even as it continues to deploy the strate that the Huduma Centers act as access points for infor- last tranche of brick-and-mortar centers suggests that it is mation and a source of customer support for eIDs, or digital already anticipating future technological development and is Identification (ID), fostering the acceptance and consumer preparing for a shift to digital services as soon as government uptake of the new e-Huduma system. digital infrastructure is ready for such transition. Funding mPesa’s potential contribution to the Huduma Centers’ Financing for Huduma Kenya stems from external govern- quick customer uptake is a further interesting insight com- ment funding outside of center-specific revenue generation. ing out of the Huduma Kenya experience. mPesa is a mobile This helps prioritize service delivery and avoid distractions phone-based money transfer service. Thanks to mobile by competing objectives. Funding the project almost entirely money’s near universality in Kenya, and with it, Kenya’s high through government allocation of resources rather than with rates of financial inclusion, citizens across the socioeco- external funds keeps the Huduma program a wholly Kenyan nomic spectrum were already accustomed to approaching government project, engendering pride and buy-in by other agents for services prior to the Huduma Kenya program government departments. Nevertheless, increased auton- launch, which has made the transition from face-to-face, omy over funding allocation could enable the Secretariat to partly paper-based Huduma service delivery to completely more easily respond to implementation challenges. Just-in- automated e-Huduma transactions relatively smooth. In an time funding allocation could help balance salary discrepan- economy and society that is rapidly changing and quickly cies, fund ongoing outreach campaigns, and provide parallel transitioning to using mobile and digital services, the mul- procurement to offset unexpected line ministry delays. titude of pathways that Huduma Kenya offers to access ser- The Huduma Centers and Human Rights Principles vices is crucial. Huduma Kenya has leveraged customer service as a theme Digital Versus Physical Service Delivery around which previously disconnected public servants can Offering physical, digital, and mobile pathways to accessing forge a new organizational culture. The fact that the Huduma services at the same time has proven key in the Kenyan con- program has achieved such a high standard of customer ser- text. Given the significant education, resource, and connectiv- vice, especially in a context known for its reliance on financial ity gaps among communities, physical Huduma Centers will incentives, is a major success in its own right. Although most remain crucial in terms of ensuring that all citizens’ needs are of the staff does not directly connect financing the service met, and even a fully functioning e-Huduma system is unlikely delivery that they perform to a human rights framework, to put these brick-and-mortar centers out of business. The the customer-service focus inspires staff to offer public ser- presence of physical centers is particularly important for rural vice to citizens regardless of race or background, directly in 20 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery accordance with the human rights principle of nondiscrim- Conclusion ination.33 In addition, Huduma Kenya ensures that its ser- vices are accessible to disparate sections of the population Huduma Kenya’s citizen services centers offer a remarkable by having centers in every county; offering in-person and amalgamation of devolution and digitization, and they set digital access to its services; and ensuring that the centers the stage for even further innovation down the line. Building offer seating and that special attention is paid to the needs on the experience of the earlier Pasha Centers, the Huduma of pregnant women, the elderly, and persons with disabili- Centers carefully incorporate a sustainable and ongoing ties. This aligns with the principles of nondiscrimination funding stream so that front-line providers can focus entirely as well as universality, recognizing that all people have the on service delivery and avoid distractions around debt repay- same rights. Providing an opportunity for customer feedback ments and improving their bottom line. Service delivery and stressing the importance of that feedback by includ- channels are continuously transitioning to keep up with rap- ing it in the performance measurement system also aligns idly changing technologies and customer demand. A suite of with the human rights principle of participation. Citizens are digital identification services act as a main umbrella prod- not only recipients of services but are given a voice and a uct line that differentiates the Huduma Centers from both chance to help improve service delivery. Many aspects of predecessors and competitors in the service delivery space. the Huduma Center approach are therefore already aligned The program’s whole-of-government approach has enabled with human rights principles—even if only implicitly—from rapid, economically efficient, and large-scale deployment a focus on customer service, accessibility and dignity, to across the country, and is slowly infusing its culture of trans- customer feedback and grievance redress. Considering the parency, efficiency, and integrity into other parts of govern- design and operation of the centers from a human rights lens ment. Ultimately, Huduma Kenya contributes to protecting in a more explicit way could help strengthen some of these and promoting human rights to a larger degree than even existing approaches. For example, it might help to draw more many of its own implementers realize. The combination of its attention to staff grievance redress in addition to address- digital services and commitment to customer service levels ing the grievances of customers, or ensuring that the centers the playing field for citizens of all backgrounds in terms of become even more accessible to all. accessing equal service and treatment for the same price. 33. The Huduma Centers have not yet gathered data on the demographics of its cus- tomers, making an assessment of access by various groups impossible. However, the commitment to respecting the dignity of all and providing easier access to pregnant women and persons with disabilities, for example, suggests that Huduma Kenya is striving for inclusivity. 21 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization Annex. Services Offered at Huduma Centers Institution Service National Registration Bureau Issuance of initial identity card Issuance of duplicate identity card Civil Registration Department Issuance of birth certificate Issuance of death certificate Ministry of Lands, Housing, and Urban Development Assessment of stamp duty and franking of documents Access to Government Procurement Opportunities Application for access to government procurement opportunities Ministry of Labor and Social Services Registration of self-help groups and community-based organizations (CBOs) Office of the Attorney General Registration of welfare societies Search/reservation of business name Registration of business name Registration of limited companies National Police Service Issuance of police abstract Department of Criminal Investigation Police clearance certificate National Social Security Fund (NSSF) NSSF member registration NSSF statements Registration of employer with NSSF NSSF card replacement Receiving NSSF claims National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) NHIF member registration (formal sector) NHIF member registration (informal sector) Kenya Revenue Authority PIN registration/update/ status Tax compliance certificate application Tax exemption application Data correction (e.g., change of particulars) Tax return filing (upload and submission) Log book search (confirmation of status) National Transport and Safety Authority Online renewal of driver’s license Higher Education Loans Board Student loan application (undergraduate) Student loan application (postgraduate/ salaried) Loan repayment statements Higher Education Loans Board compliance certificate Clearance eertificate (non-loanee) National Cohesion and Integration Commission Resolution of complaints on discrimination based on tribe and religion Ministry of Health Body mass index and health promotion messages Blood pressure Blood sugar (continued) 22 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Annex. Services Offered at Huduma Centers Institution Service Kenya Power Registration for electricity Electricity queries Closure of accounts Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Registration of voters Ombudsman Receiving complaints on service delivery Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission Reporting corruption cases Issuance of self-declaration forms The Treasury—Department of Pensions Status of pension claim Application for dependents’ pension claims Claims for returned pensions Change of pay point Kenya Accountants and Secretaries National Examination Registration as a new student Board Examination booking Application for exemption Application for a student identification Reactivation of membership Certificate and card enquiry Women Enterprise Fund and Youth Enterprise Fund Affirmative action services Respective county government Seasonal parking tickets Issuance of single business permit Payment of rent and rates Impounding charges Liquor licensing Kenya National Human Rights Commission (KNHRC) KNHRC services Kenya Red Cross Reporting of emergencies Tracing of lost family members Registration of youth talent Registration of anti-jigger support Registration of red cross volunteers Adult education services Registration of candidates County government services Payment of rates Payment of rent Seasonal parking tickets Liquor licensing Issuance of single business permit Payments for advertisements and promotions Impounding charges 23 Citizen Service Centers in Kenya: The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization References Ratio Magazine. 2010. “Kenya: Press Release: Telkom Kenya & Dimension Data Boost E-Government Goals with Broadband Internet”. http:// Berthaud, Alexandre. 2012. “Postal Financial Inclusion Case Study,” www.ratio-magazine.com/201002162068/Corporate-Press- Universal Postal Union. http://www.upu.int/uploads/tx_sbdown- Releases/Kenya-Press-Release-Telkom-Kenya-Dimension-Data- loader/caseStudyKenyaEn.pdf. 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Transforming the Citizen Experience: One Stop Shop for Public Services. http://download.pwc.com/ie/ TNA (National Alliance), URP (United Republican Party), NARC pubs/2012_transforming_the_citizen_experience.pdf. (National Rainbow Coalition), and RC (Republican Congress Party. n.d. “Transforming Kenya: Securing Kenya’s Prosperity, 2013–2017. https://issuu.com/jubileemanifesto/docs/jubilee_manifesto/ 1?e=7233495/1331805. 24 Citizen Service Centers Pathways Toward Improved Public Service Delivery Acknowledgements This case study is part of an effort to document the relationship between citizen service centers and human rights, by a team led by Sanjay Agarwal and comprising Hélène Pfeil, Berenike Schott, Kimberly Johns, and Saki Kumagai at the World Bank. The report’s lead authors were Rachel Sohn Firestone and Berenike Schott, with valuable contributions from Muratha Kinuthia and Annette Omollo. Sanjay Agarwal, Hélène Pfeil, Kimberly Johns, and Saki Kumagai provided helpful input at various stages. The core team benefited from valuable input, comments, and guidance from Nina Bhatt, Patricia Fernandes, and Waleed Haider Malik.  This report would not have been possible without the contributions and invaluable insights provided by Lilian Omollo (Principal Secretary, State Department of Youth and Public Service, Ministry of Public Service, Youth, and Gender Affairs, Government of Kenya); Dennis Mutuku (Chief Executive Officer, Huduma Kenya Secretariat); Jacqueline Otwori (Director, Business Process Reengineering, Huduma Kenya Secretariat); and other staff at the Huduma Kenya Secretariat and Centers.  The authors would like to express their gratitude to the World Bank Country Management Unit in Kenya. The authors would also like to thank Laura Johnson for her excellent editorial support.  Finally, the authors are grateful to the Nordic Trust Fund (NTF) for supporting the activities under this initiative. The findings, interpretations, and conclusions expressed in this report are entirely those of the authors and should not be attributed in any manner to the World Bank, to its affiliated organizations, or to members of its Board of Executive Directors or the countries they represent.