Factors Influencing Implementation of Integrated Financial Management Information System in Devolved Government in Kenya

Abstract

The growing adoption of ICT by governments worldwide is a testimony to its role as an effective tool for public service delivery. In Kenya, it has been adopted as one of the cornerstones of the government's strategy for making services accessible to its citizens. Consequently, various initiatives have been started and some already implemented with aim of automating the service delivery whereby the common mwananchi will access better services through automation of Government processes. Implementation of Integrated Financial Management Information System (IFMIS) project started in 2003 and it is being used in both national and county governments. The main focus of the study was to identify what are the factors that are affecting implementation of the IFMIS project emphasis on the devolved government who have been facing the various challenges. The specific objectives of study were to determine the effect of human resource capacity in counties in IFMIS implementation, determine the ICT infrastructure related factors that influence the implementation of IFMIS and establish whether staff are willingness influence implementation of IFMIS project in counties. The study was guided by the Kurt Lewin Change Theory and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). The model is an information systems theory that models how users come to accept and use a technology. The study used a population size of forty-seven devolved governments in Kenya, where the five counties implementing Integrated Financial Management Information System were surveyed. A sample size of twenty-one respondents were used in the study. The data was collected using a questionnaire with maximum return rate. The framework described the three factors influencing implementation of IFMIS system in devolved Government, which are human resource capacity, ICT Infrastructure and staff willingness to change. IFMIS implementation and relationship between variables were also captured in the questionnaire. The information was therefore, available to the respondents. Quantitative data was collected and analysed using SPSS and presented through percentage, mean, frequencies. Pearson correlation was used to assess the significance of the relationship between the independent variables, and dependent variable. The findings of the study were for effective implementation of IFMIS system in devolved government needs the adequate human resource capacity is needed before and after its implementation.  County ICT Infrastructure need to be improved in order for the system accessible to the users. The study shows that one of the major challenges of IFMIS implementation was staff willingness to change. Therefore, the study recommended that the national government to train adequately the users of the IFMIS system before and after its implementation. The ICT systems implementers should improve the county ICT infrastructure to be stable and reliable where they will improve connectivity to IFMIS system easily. The management should be in support of the use of IFMIS system through the sensitization on the benefit of IFMIS system where it will improve staff willingness to migrate to IFMIS system.