The number of people visiting the Nyeri Huduma Centre to access government services after 5 pm is still low despite a Cabinet decision that extended the number of working hours at the one-stop facilities from 8 to 12.
The Centre Manager Florence Ndunge says her staff has been attending to few people after the official workings contrary to belief that members of the public would have taken advantage of the increased hours.
“We are not doing very well as far as the number of persons coming to access our services after official working hours is concerned. The figures are not impressive despite the spirited sensitization campaigns we have undertaken in informing the public about the enhanced working hours,” Ndunge said.
Towards the end of last year, the officer had asked members of the public to take advantage of extended working hours at the regional facility in order to access selected government services.
This followed a government decision in November in which Public Service and Gender Cabinet Secretary Aisha Jumwa announced that all 18 Huduma Centres countrywide would start operating on a 12-hour shift.
Through her official Twitter handle, Jumwa directed that the centres would operate from 7am to 7pm on normal working days.
But despite the extension, Ndunge says the number of people taking advantage of the new directive is dismally low, almost two months since the directive came into effect.
“We are appealing to members of the public to take advantage of the new working arrangement to come and access government services of their choice since we have increased our working hours from 7 am to 7 pm during the normal working days, she said.
“We kicked off this new service on December 5 last year but the number of people visiting our desks is still too low. We therefore wish to call upon those in need of our services but cannot be available during the normal working hours to visit us during those hours,” she appealed.
Among services that one can access during the stretched hours include those dealing with Registration of Persons, Civil Registration of Births and Deaths, National Hospital Insurance Fund, Kenya Revenue Authority and the Directorate of Criminal Investigation (for those intending to apply for police abstract and certificate of Good Conduct).
To enhance awareness on the enhanced service delivery, Ndunge said they were partnering with churches and local chiefs to sensitize the public on the need to take advantage of the new provision.
She has attributed the poor turnout partly to the fact that majority of those who visit the facility reside far away from Nyeri town and as a result might find it inconvenient to come to the center late in the evening as they have to make long journeys back to their homes.
Besides most of the businesses within the town’s Central Business District close down after 6 pm owing to security concerns thereby discouraging many from walking to the center which is located far away from the town.
She has nevertheless said the number of those seeking for services during the normal working hours has remained quite impressive with this figure expected to improve as schools prepare for opening next week.
By Samuel Maina
