| dc.description.abstract | Microcomputers were introduced in the Ministry of
Planning and National Development in 1983 in support of
national development planning. They are now used daily for
word-processing, data management, and spreadsheet analysis.
Specialist Applications systems have been developed for
particularly demanding information management problems.
Microcomputers have greatly facilitated the preparation of
'both the District and the National Development Plans.
Reports required by the World Bank on the status of Kenya's
external trade are produced regularly. The entire national
infrastructure inventory has been computerized, and is
updated every six months. Nonetheless, the adoption of microcomputer technology
has faced several critical problems. These problems include
policy, management, and technical issues. At the policy
level, the question is whether a country should set up its
own computer industry, control both the costs and the
technology, and at the same time handle other issues like
labor displacement. At the management level, issues central
to the use of the technology have been identified as
leadership, training, incentives, and entrenched interests
resistant to information technology change. The common
technical issues identified include: standardization,
service and maintenance, and environment and communication. Kenya has had experiences similar to those of other
developing countries. The policy issues include the creation
of technological awareness, guidelines for use of
microcomputers, incentives, and choosing a suitable computing
strategy. Management issues include administrative support,
training, work scheduling, and the operational costs of the
technology. The technical issue~, which have not been so
critical for Kenya, include the working environment, service,
maintenance, and standardization. Though the issues have
been divided into three discrete categories, an issue may
belong to more than one category. For effective use of microcomputers, a computing
strategy is essential. Initially, the Ministry of Planning
and National Development did not have such a computing
strategy.
technology
This was partly because the microcomputer
was relatively new. More recently, however, MOPND
has adopted an end-user computing strategy. This approach
assumes a certain level of computer literacy which in turn
determines the level of technical support to be offered.
This support is offered in terms of software and hardware,
and requires both a sound service and maintenance facility,
and a competent technical support staff.
Understanding the capabilities and limitations of the
technology is the key to effe~tive management. In
particular, there is a need for policy guidelines which
clearly delineate the relationship between the technology and
the user. The guidelines should address such issues as procurement, staffing requirements, service and maintenance,
work scheduling, and operational costs.
Exploiting the potential of the technology should be a
primary long term objective. This can be done through
extending the use of microcomputers to other ministries'
planning units, creating District Database Systems, and
networking. Further improvement of information processing
for development planning purposes will continue with
government support for institutionalizing microcomputers. | en |
