Kenya has introduced two innovative digital platforms aimed at enhancing the transparency and efficiency of government operations. The new systems, named:
The Presidential Directives Management Information System (PDMIS), and
The Foreign Travel Management Information System (FOTIMS)
are designed to modernize how presidential directives and foreign travel approvals are managed for senior government officials.
At a launch event, Deputy President, Rigathi Gachagua, highlighted the significance of these tools in the government’s broader digital transformation agenda. He explained that the platforms are expected to increase efficiency, transparency, and accountability within the government.
“The FOTIMS platform will streamline the application, processing, and approval of foreign travel for public servants, ensuring a more prudent use of public resources and better accountability for travel-related expenses,” Deputy President Gachagua said.
He also noted that PDMIS will play a crucial role in tracking and implementing presidential directives more swiftly and effectively.
Eliud Owalo, Kenya’s Deputy Chief of Staff, underscored the importance of the new systems in promoting good governance.
“The PDMIS and FOTIMS platforms are central to advancing accountability and effective governance. By managing and tracking presidential directives and automating foreign travel approvals, these systems will significantly enhance transparency,” Owalo stated.
The PDMIS system will be exclusively accessible to cabinet secretaries and principal secretaries, allowing them to download directives through their designated portals. This move eliminates the need for physical copies of directives, thereby reducing paperwork and streamlining communication.
Meanwhile, the FOTIMS platform replaces the traditional manual approval process for foreign travel with a digital solution. This shift ensures that all travel requests are justified and that resources are managed efficiently.
The Kenyan government has expressed its commitment to using technology to improve governance, with these new platforms expected to play a key role in modernizing public service delivery.
As reported by BitKE, in September 2018, the Kenya Government, under the Kenya Blockchain and AI Taskforce, instituted in February of that year [2018], was hard at work looking for opportunities and ways in which newer technologies like blockchain and AI can be applied in government.
Cabinet Secretary, @mucheru unveils the Distributed Ledger and Artificial Intelligence taskforce tasked with publishing a roadmap for #Blockchain and #Hashgraph and artificial intelligence in Kenya for the next 15 years. @TechTrendsKE @bantigito @alykhansatchu @mbuguanjihia pic.twitter.com/D2eXya9HiX
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) February 28, 2018
Some key developments highlighted at the time included:
Track and trace of supply chain for imports and exports
Creation of a single identity
Creation of a local cryptocurrency
Creation of a regulatory sandbox
In 2023, the Kenya government introduced a new digital identity scheme to replace the Huduma Number. It is not clear how different the new scheme will be from the Huduma Number but the ICT Minister said to refer to it just as a digital identity.
Huduma Number was reportedly built on blockchain.
[WATCH] Kenya’s Huduma Identification Number System is Implemented on the Blockchain, Confirms Kenya’s ICT Minister – https://t.co/QXpfxUkV1B https://t.co/psoSJvtcF4 pic.twitter.com/9KbvqWRH0o
— DAVID PREMIER (@davidpremier) January 27, 2022
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