In coming days, access to crucial government information will be much easier thanks to a newly appointed taskforce of 15 people that will ensure the service is rendered seamlessly. This development was made official yesterday when the Cabinet Secretary for ICT Joe Mucheru responded to issues raised by media houses and the public that accessing info about the government’s activities in the lines of social, economic development was a challenge.
Dubbed Access To Information (ATI) information publication, the taskforce is in line with Article 35 of the Constitution that supports the citizens’ right to information held by the State, as well as the right to information held by another person and required for the exercise or protection of any rights fundamental freedom.
To actualize the project, the Ministry of ICT will collaborate with the CAJ in preparing the necessary regulations. The ATI Act should also be gazette before the end of the year.
Purpose
Should the Act go through the necessary stages, then it will task the government to digitize all government records to allow ease of access. The Ministry of ICT will be in charge of the digitization process and will liaise with other government agencies to finish the project in a timely manner.
“As a Ministry, we also undertake to work with other governmental entities to ensure the realization of ATI Act thru Development and adoption of sound ICT policies. We will ensure that every MDA has updated, informative & interactive website and make eGovernment services accessible to all citizens. Also, we will be providing a systems security framework for e-Government and online projects that provide information on governance at and across all society,” noted CS Mucheru.
Lastly, all county governments, ministries, departments and agencies of the National Government provide their developmental, demographic, statistical and expenditure data, which will then be availed in a useful digital format to various stakeholders and the general public.
