International Journal of Scientific Knowledge (Computing and Information Technology) IJSK

E-BUSINESS, E-COMMERCE AND E-GOVERNMENT

MOTIVATIONAL FACTORS INFLUENCING CITIZENS TO USE M-GOVERNMENT SERVICES: A CASE OF KENYAN MINISTRIES

Authors: Clement Marini, EverlyneMakhanuand Joseph Sevilla (@iLabAfrica, Strathmore University)

ABSTRACT

Information Communication Technologies(ICTS)have offered a wide range of opportunities to transform traditional governance in ways government services are offered.Growing research demonstrates the potential of mobile communications to radically transform service delivery by the government. M-Government is therefore emerging as the next big wave for ICTuse in the public sector.This paper is based on a research done in 2012 at @iLabAfrica in Strathmore University as part of findings from aMasters dissertation.The purpose of the study was to investigate the role of m-government projects on service delivery to citizens in Kenya in order to enhance public service delivery.One of the study the objectives was toevaluate motivational factors that influence citizens’to use m-Government services.

The study used a descriptive survey design and employed questionnaire and interview techniques to collect data. It was carried out in all the headquarters of 31 Ministries of the Government of Kenya in Nairobi County. Random sampling was used to select citizens in each Ministry. Purposive sampling was used to identify the government officials working in the ICTunits. A questionnaire was designed to gather information. Data was analyzed and presented in frequency and percentage outcomes or tables.

Thefindings reveal that most Kenyans contact the Government Ministries via Mobile phone mostly to enquire about a particular service, entitlement, or application. In terms of citizens’ awareness about m-Government services, 58.8% respondents were not aware of any m-Government services. Data on citizen interactions with m-government service reveals that the respondents on the whole had more negative experiences than positive experiences. This indicates that there is room for improvement in Kenyan service delivery. Kenyan citizens prefer services communicated or delivered via mobile phones because: relatively lower cost of mobile phone technology; access through shared usage and ownership; and mobile phones reach areas where there is no other ICT infrastructure.

Recommendations included: services must be easy to use with valuable and timely content in order to ensure the service is relevant forend users; true transformation needs governments to pay close attention to re-engineering processes, reforming institutions, and creating an environment for greater accountability and transparency.

Keywords: M-Government; Government services, user perceptions; motivational factors

1.0INTRODUCTION

Given that mobile services are increasingly becoming versatile and affordable, and mobile penetration is growing quickly, experts suggest that mobiles should be considered as an alternative mode of delivery of e-services by the government (Hellström, 2011).For many publicagencies, however, m-government is still in the early stages of development, and, inmany instances, it is still part of an overall strategy of public sector modernisationand enhanced public service delivery(OECD, 2011). In addition, citizens’ expectations, population growth, the aging population, diminishing workforce, decentralised communities, changes in work practices and reducing surpluses all pose significant challenges for government service delivery (Republic of Kenya, 2013).

According to Heeks (2003) 35 % of m-governmentprojectsindevelopingcountrieshavetotallyfailedand50% partiallyfailed.Only15%were considered as successful projects. In addition, Alonso, et al. (2009) point out that governments have strived for over a decade to provide more information and services to their constituents including the public, businesses, and other governments. Through their efforts there have been issues which have provided significant challenges and roadblocks to conceptualizing or achieving the desired goals and results(Dada, 2006). Consequently, there needs to be a major transformation in the types of services that are delivered, howthey are delivered, by whom, and where. Therefore, the overarching objective of this study was to investigate the motivational factors influencing citizens for m-government services.

1.1LITERATURE REVIEW

Experts suggest that mobile services have emerged as the new frontier in transforming government and making it even more accessible and citizen-centric by extending the benefits of remote delivery of government services and information to those who are unable or unwilling to access public services through the Internet or who simply prefer to use mobile devices (Bhatnaga, 2011). Mobile technology takes electronic services and makes them available via mobile devices such as mobile phones and PDAs, bypassing the need for traditional physical networks.

Abdelghaffar and Magdy (2012) concede thatthe main forces that influence the move from e-governmenttom-governmentaremobiledevicepenetration, emergence of mobile internet and mobile netapplications and services. Internet enabled mobiledevices penetration rates are incrementally growingcompared to the traditional wired PCs as well as internetpenetration rates. This spectacular growth has changedhow citizens perceive the mobile phones functionality.It is no longer used only for voice communication, butalso as a way for convenient connectivity to the internetused for transferring data, exchanging emails and doingbusiness transactions (Kushchu &Kuscu, 2003).Accordingto Heeks (2000) there are three main factors for governments to embark on m-government initiatives.

  1. The current level of expenditure on publicservices do not produce the desired level of efficiency and effectiveness due to wastage,delays, mismanagement and poor organization and management skills.
  2. The revival ofneo-liberalistic thoughts that emphasizes the importance of market competition, and the needfor governments to adopt business mindsets.
  3. Governments are increasingly becoming aware of the tremendous potential of the rapidly developing IT sectors.

Fountain (2001) points out that many countriesaround the world have been successfully using e-government tactics in delivering citizenservices, feedback mechanisms, and there are greater levels of transparency and efficiency in the transactions and levels of satisfaction among the citizens. However, though Internet is readily available in most countries, the people are either unable or unwilling to access public services over the Internet. Fountain adds that the technology of the Internet does not mean the same thing to different governments and their people (Hossan, et al., 2008). Besides infrastructural constrains, there are also the concerns of digital divide and issues of inequalities amongst the people. Thus, innovative efforts are being devised to deliver services through cheaper and easily accessible technology, of which the mobile systems are a great innovation. Using such wireless technology opens up new channels where governments can deliver services to the citizens through a more efficient and lower cost model (Ghyasi & Kushchu, 2011).

According to Bwayla (2009) the useof the internet and web tools for supporting participatory actions in legislative processes,political or societal decision-making in governmental or communities' context, but also userfriendly electronic government services are becoming a common practice. The benefits that can be accrued by countries that implement m-government have been widely highlighted in literature. For instance, the ITU (2011) recognizes the following as ideals for a country striving to become an information and knowledge society: (i) converged voice and data networks that empower text messaging, email and instant messaging; (ii) options for m-government services, allowing online public access to government information, programmes and services; (iii) access to social and educational services; (iv) a revolution in business and commercial behavior, a whole new universe of social networking, allowing individuals and groups to share information, pictures and contacts via mobile; and (v) a growing networked environment of appliances, automobiles and handheld devices that are ‘aware’ of their environs and can adapt their energy usage and other functions accordingly (ITU, 2011).

Hellström (2009) concludes that mobile phones help to create an informative, connected, innovative, participative and converging society all over the world. He provides a summary of the rationale to use mobile phones to improve service delivery to citizens:

  1. Access: Penetration rate is ever increasing and even more have access through shared usage and ownership. Related to access is that mobile phones add the dimension 'anywhere and anytime': due to their mobility and that mobile phones are switched on most of the time, which opens up for new possibilities.
  2. Reach: Again, due to its mobility and network infrastructure, mobiles can reach areas where there is no other ICT infrastructure (like internet, fixed lines).
  3. Adoption: As mobile phones more and more become an integral part of people's lives, m-commerce, m-government and m-x will be the normal way of doing things. Further, there is an increasing public demand for mobility and easy access to services.
  4. Interaction: Mobile phones make it possible for real-time, two-way dialogue as opposed to radio, brochures, posters, public speeches etc.
  5. Costs: The relatively lower cost of mobile phone technology versus internet technology has lowered the entry barriers for poor people. Affordability is still a concern though – somebody needs to pay for the infrastructure, communication and services.
  6. Efficiency; Due to high access, its reach, good adoption and real-time interaction mobile phones offer efficient solutions to governments communication challenges.

Literature also reveals that in developing regions with poor infrastructure, going mobile may be the only viable option to improve service delivery in the public sector. For example, Governments in Asia are beginning to see the tangible gains in using mobile government applications. According to Business News and Technology News (2008), global mobile phone subscribers were 3.1 billion in 2007 and are expected to reach 4.5 billion in 2012. In Asia, the industrialized countries, such as Japan, South Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan, and Singapore, have some of the highest penetration rates of mobile phones in the world, and every country in the region has mobile telephone usage exceeding Internet use. This gap is in fact even more pronounced in developing countries. With pre-paid mobile services, poor economies are also able to reap the benefits of mobile communication technologies as governments are able to tap on the mobile channel to communicate with the people. For example, in the Philippines, more than half the government departments use mobile channels to deliver services to the citizens (Smith, 2005).

A Mobile solution can be implemented in virtually any Government department(Ramsingh & Essop, 2011).For example, informing citizens that their Social Grant payments are ready, and actually depositing the money into their “M-PESA” saving hours of travelling through remote areas;Mass-education about H.I.V via SMS; Police force can dispatch units closest to the reported crime using mobile tracking; Healthcare records can be accessed via SMS; Rate-payers could SMS their meter readings to the City Council; Real-time communication of policy and procedure changes from central to local Government departments; and local municipalities could inform their communities of for example, possible field-fires in the area, therefore delivering real-time valuable information to their communities.

Reviewing the literature shows that there is a gapregarding investigating motivational factors that explains the emergence of m-Government services in Government Ministries. Moreover, many studies covered theadoption towards e-government but not the m-governmentservices. To address this gap, a research question has been developed “What are the motivational factors that explain the emergence of m-Government services in the Ministries?”

1.3METHODOLOGY

This study used a descriptive survey design to analyze motivational factors that explains the emergence of m-Government services in Government Ministries.Questionnaire and interview techniques were used to collect data from the Government Ministries. A questionnaire was designed to gather the necessary information on the role of m-government projects on service delivery to citizens. Two different questionnaires were constructed, one targeted customers of the Government Ministries and the other targeted senior officers.

This data was used to recommend specific strategies for improving service delivery to citizens. It involved gathering data that described m-government servicesin relation to service delivery, and then organize, tabulate, depict, and describes the data collected.This study was carried out in all the headquarters of Government Ministries in Nairobi County. Government Ministries have been selected because they are the bodies mandated to carry out service delivery to its citizens.The consumers in this case were citizens who are also the customers of Government Ministries and are the most important source of information. The study also targeted senior officers working in the ICT Unit of Government Ministries. The officers who were targeted were those involved with formulation of m-government policies and its implementation. In addition, they were knowledgeable and experienced on the issue of m-government projects as well as improving service delivery to citizens.

1.4RESULTS

The study sought to find out the motivational factors that explain the emergence of m-Government services in the Ministries.The findings were classified in terms of:cost of mobile phone technology as form of service delivery; Security and privacy of contacting the Ministry via Mobile; perceived perception on m-Government services; and reason of preferring m-Government services.

1.4.1Cost of Mobile Phone Technology

Majority of the respondents (62.6%) feel that the cost of mobile phone technology as form of service delivery to citizens is relatively lower. A sample population of 37.4% however, feels that the cost of mobile phone technology is expensive.Studies stipulate mobile service cost is one of themajor factors that influence citizens to use m-government services (El Kiki & Lawrence, 2007). In this regard,researchers indicate that the high cost of accessing the wireless Internet is perceived as a major constraint onthe proliferation of m-government services. Consequently, from the perspective of m-government constituents, the cost of owning the access devices should be affordableand the cost of accessing services should be low (Al-Hujran, 2012; Ghyasi & Kushchu, 2011; and El Kiki & Lawrence, 2007).

1.4.2Security of Using Mobile Phone

Majority of the respondents believed that contacting the Ministry via mobile was more secure and private with 39.8% respondents saying it was not secure and private compared to 60.19% who say it secure.A recent study by Crandall and Mutuku (2012) found that only 42% of the respondents believe that telephone (including calling, SMS and USSD) would be an effective way of giving information to the government/service providers. The remaining 58% who disagreed stated that the telephone could be expensive. Disagreeing respondents said that they would not trust the government’s response on the telephone because SMS can be deleted and ignored, or callers can be lied to during calls. Other studies revealed that respondents did not think government officials would respond honestly or check their messages (Ghyasi & Kushchu, 2011).

1.4.3Preference of m-Government Services

Overwhelming majority of the respondents (84.4%) prefer m-Government services from other form of service delivery in the Ministries with 15.6% respondents saying they do not prefer m-Government services.This current study reveal how widespread mobile technology has become, making mobiles the easiest means by which to reach out to most citizens. Mobile technology ubiquity is attributable to several mobile phone qualities: relative affordability, low operational and maintenance costs, mobility, flexibility, wide range of applications such as SMS, camera, and internet access(Crandall & Mutuku, 2012). Researchers thus far suggests that two sets of factors are driving governments to look at m-Government: global developments that create the environment for governments to consider mobile tools, and the opportunity m-Government offers to governments seeking to improve service delivery and promote good governance (Zálešák, 2008; Well & Well, 2007; and Hammond, 2008).

Most of the respondents (27.5%) prefer m-government services because of relatively lower cost of mobile phone technology followed by access through shared usage and ownership (19%) and reach areas where there is no other ICT infrastructure (19%).

Figure 1: Reason of preferring m-Government services

Other reasons that were mentioned include: the increasing penetration rate, it is the normal way of doing things, as well as efficient solutions to government’s service delivery challenges.

A study by Al-Hujran (2012) concludes that governments’ investment in technology provides significant benefits to government industry, and the community at large, including: increased accessibility, inclusivity and flexibility in government service delivery – theability for more of the community to interact with government, with the flexibility of choice offered by multiple delivery channels and at more convenient times; improved value for money – it enables quality services to be provided through lower cost delivery options; improved productivity – both of public servants and the economy, and stimulation of the ICT industry – through identification of opportunities for innovation andpartnering with the private sector to improve government service delivery.

1.5CONCLUSIONS

In terms of thecost of mobile phone technology as form of service delivery to citizens, this study established that most citizens feel that the cost of mobile phone is relatively lower compared to other form service delivery. Study by Abdelghaffar and Magdy (2012) stipulate that the main forces that influence the move from e-governmentto m-governmentaremobiledevicepenetration, emergence of mobile internet and mobile netapplications and services. Internet enabled mobiledevices penetration rates are incrementally growingcompared to the traditional wired PCs as well as internetpenetration rates. Mobile phones are no longer used only for voice communication, butalso as a way for convenient connectivity to the internetused for transferring data, exchanging emails and doingbusiness transactions ( for example, Kushchu & Kuscu, 2003).

This study further established that Citizens prefer using mobile phone to contact or communicate with the Government Ministries. This finding is contrary to Crandall and Mutuku (2012) who found out that a large proportion of citizens favour physical interaction as an efficient means of communicating with government. Only 42% of the respondents believed that telephone (including calling and SMS) were an effective way of giving information to the government/service providers. However, other researchers conclude that in developing regions with poor infrastructure, going mobile may be the only viable option to improve service delivery in the public sector (for example, Hellström, 2011).