Application of Information and Communication Technology (Ict) in Public Asset Management a Case Study of Meru County, Kenya

Abstract

This study aimed at exploring the extent of deployment of ICT in public asset management with reference to assets owned by County Governments in Kenya. It was guided by the following research objectives: to identify asset management functions that are currently performed with ICT technologies and potential areas of application of ICT in public asset management, to identify specific ICT technologies and devices that have been deployed in those functions, and factors that hinder the deployment/implementation of ICT in management of county public assets in Kenya. A case study research approach using both quantitative and qualitative data was used to provide an in-depth view of the issue under investigation. Meru County Government in Kenya was selected because of its recent efforts to deploy ICT technologies prompted by Auditor General Reports of 2018 which revealed inadequate asset management practices in the County, which if addressed could offer useful lessons for other Counties in Kenya. The survey sampled 219 participants from the Meru county government. To assemble pertinent information from the participants, this survey employed self-administered questionnaires, open-ended interview guide and reviewed secondary documents and reports from Meru County government. The study adopted descriptive statistics including percentage and mean scores in data analysis. Tables and figures were used to present the research findings. The study identified asset management functions that are currently performed with ICT technologies and potential areas of application of ICT in public asset management in Meru County Government. The records management is highly automated at 91%, followed by land management at 88.8%, then land transactions at 84% and land surveying at 83%. The study revealed that land information management system is highly deployed at 88.8% and helps in vi management of land information in the county, followed by geographic information system (GIS) at 80.3% that assist in surveying and mapping. Block chain technology has never been deployed in the asset management of Meru County government. The study also identified challenges hindering the deployment of ICT in the management of the County assets. The highest challenge came from security of data through cybercrime and cyber-security vulnerabilities at a mean score of 3.94, followed by limited resources from the county at a mean score of 3.81. The least challenge came from fragmentation of the county government asset management and lack of employee knowledge and skills. The study concludes that Meru County Government is in the process of fully computerizing its asset management functions and that lack of essential infrastructure to support adoption and implementation of technology in asset management compromises the security of county information. The study recommends Meru County government to install effective information management system fashioned to help the user make, organize, disseminate, store, and preserve documentation for the asset management functions.