Citizen Service Centers in Kenya : The Role of Huduma Centers in Advancing Citizen-Centered Service Delivery in a Context of Devolution and Digitization

Firestone, Rachel Sohn ; Schott, Berenike ; Kinuthia, Muratha ; Omollo, Annette

World Bank, Washington, DC

关键词: LOCAL GOVERNMENT;    MUNICIPAL SERVICES;    SERVICE DELIVERY;    DIGITIZATION;    DEVOLUTION;   

RP-ID  :  117082

学科分类：社会科学、人文和艺术（综合）

来源: World Bank Open Knowledge Repository

【 摘 要 】

This case study analyzes the HudumaKenya program, under which the Government of Kenya isadvancing citizen-centered public service delivery through avariety of channels, including deploying digital technologyand establishing citizen service centers across the country.The paper examines key topics related to the operation, frominstitutional arrangements, funding, and staffing todigitization, organizational culture, and customer feedback.The program has beenparticularly successful at forging anorganizational culture focused on excellence in customerservice, which revolves around improving transparency,efficiency, and integrity. This organizational culture helpsmotivate staff and level the playing field for citizens ofall backgrounds to get equal service and treatment from thesame place, an important step toward enhancing accessibilityand nondiscrimination. The Huduma Kenya program takes amultichannel approach, combining brick-and-mortar centerswith digital service platforms to ensure that citizens withdiffering levels of literacy and access to the Internet arereached while still keeping pace with the latesttechnological developments. To date, the primary challengesencountered in the rollout of the Huduma Centers concern thecoordination among the various institutions involved intheir management, staffing, and oversight; and thedeployment of staff incentives related to compensation andprofessional development.