REGE SHOWING THE WAY

A conference hall fitted with a huge screen is all constituents will need to communicate with their MP.

That is a reality for the people of Karachuonyo in Nyanza, who have embraced teleconferencing in a big way.

To talk to their MP, Mr James Rege, all they need do is walk to the local office and book an appointment. Once an appointment has been secured, at the touch of a button, they will be talking to the MP.

The technology comes at a time when the government seeks to reduce the costs incurred by Members of Parliament during their day-to-day duties.

Other duties

If the technology is embraced by all the constituencies, the MPs will efficiently be able to monitor their constituencies’ development without having to travel there. This will free the leaders for other duties such as attending parliamentary sessions.

Mr Rege, the chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Energy and Communication, said the technology will enable constituents to have a face-to-face conversation with their MP without having to travel to Nairobi, where the legislators spend most of their time in order to attend Parliament and other business.

“When the facility is fully installed by the government in all constituencies, the Treasury will be able to cut the costs incurred by MPs by half. Many MPs travel to their constituencies four times a week, which costs the taxpayers a huge sum of money” he said.

Two trips

Mr Rege said that to instal the teleconference equipment, a constituency needs only Sh120,000. This, he added, is what an MP spends for two trips to his constituency on average.

“Sometimes, an MP uses the amount on travelling to his constituency to attend an hour’s meeting. The amount saved can be used to assist in the construction of schools and upgrading roads, among other projects.”

Mr Rege said that with the technology, he was able to attend to his constituents and follow up development without having to miss parliamentary proceedings.

The TelePresence virtual meeting also allows the MP to communicate with the district and provincial administrators and hold live interactive meetings using the connectivity of the Internet.

Mr Rege said the technology will ensure that information is not distorted, as well as providing a channel for instant feedback.

The teleconference kit was installed on April 30 at the Rachuonyo Constituency Development offices by Smoothtel and Tandberg High Definition.

Smoothtel business development manager Sam Ongoro said the company was using Karachuonyo constituency to test if the virtual meeting is applicable in other Kenyan constituencies.

The development and implementation of virtual meeting communication, Mr he said, has been eased by international undersea cables, which create an international fibre network.

“The technology will open doors for business development and save time. Busy managers will no longer need to travel from one meeting to another or from their stations to attend meetings,” he said.

Teleconferencing is very convenient, especially in areas where road networks and infrastructure are in bad shape.

UUnet, Cisco and the Kenya Data Network are among the companies, which have unveiled teleconferencing services.

Cisco is working with the government to evaluate the installation of teleconferencing countrywide.

Teleconferencing is set to increase the productivity of employees.

In the parliamentary set-up, the technology will enable MPs to make and implement swift decisions, without making constituents wait for their visits.

Mr Rege said that the technology can also be used by schools, hospitals and district headquarters and asked other parliamentarians to embrace it.

He said that the video conference was the first to be installed in Africa to drive all Parliament Bills and procedures.

Karachuonyo, which is considered one of the most developed constituencies in terms of information and communication technology, has a centre where more than 200 youth work online for US companies while managing their farms.

Mr Rege said that information communication technology has driven away idleness from among the youth, who now have the chance to earn a living despite the declining population of fish in Lake Victoria.