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President Kenyatta pushes ahead with digitisation plan

Kenya , 21 Nov 2014

President Kenyatta pushes ahead with digitisation plan

President Uhuru Kenyatta hinted at a government project that will house all government ministries involved in business in a state-of-the-art centre.

Speaking at the Kenya International Investment and Trade Conference, the President said this move will eliminate obstacles that pose a hindrance to the investment by local and international business entities.

"Our intention is to second senior officers to the Centre with sufficient authority to make decisions. I have directed the Ministry of East African Affairs and other Ministries involved to hasten this process," he said.

Although his speech did not delve into the details of the project, the current digitisation of the government services, including procurement and business registration, is indicative of government's intention to ease the process of doing business.

The president also said that the single digital framework at the port of Mombasa, used to clear goods in the region, has reduced the time goods are transported across the region.

"We have cut the container transit time along the Mombasa to Kampala route from 22 days to 6 days. Export and import procedures are also now handled under one electronic framework," President Kenyatta said.

The system allows for goods to be cleared at the port of Mombasa and allowed to travel to any destination in East Africa without going through more clearance points.

In the last one year, the government has opened Huduma centres, which offer e-government services to its citizens such as identification registration and applications for birth certificates.

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