U-speak keeps MPs in touch

The new innovation would enable Members of Parliament to spend as little time convening meetings and travelling distances up and down the country to make inquiries about issues affecting the constituents, thanks to the new technology.
The National Democratic Institute have launched an innovation on e-inclusion seeking to establish communication channels between constituents and their elected leaders  through using cheaper and accessible short massaging texts.
U-speak Uganda enables constituents in around the country to communicate directly with their elected representatives by the means of SMS or by leaving a voicemail on a dedicated line, for free.
Once sent, data entrants are in charge of sorting out and categorise each message according to its content, and to upload them on a tracker.
The messages are then aggregated on a dedicated platform which depicted them on a map, accessible through the personal dashboard of each participating representative.
The Country Director National Democratic Institute Simon Osborn, said at the key advantage for Members of Parliament was that the platform would be equipped with advanced analytics support — meaning that one could generate graphs and statistical reports on any information they needed to improve his or her constituency.
MPs could also choose to rank issues according to many variables such as date, the frequency of reported policy issue, or even by their location.
This way, each representative is always kept in the loop.
The platform unveiled on Tuesday at the Uganda Parliament would enable MPs to generate reports on what were the policy priorities in his/her constituency, or on how perceptions of a particular issue had been evolved over-time.
Osborn added that U-speak was directly aimed at making the work of decision-makers more efficient and aligned with citizen priorities arguing that the new innovation was cheaper and affordable.
“It is a unique decision-support tool which gives official representatives the power to improve responsiveness and service delivery, just through simple information and communication systems,” said Osborn.
The pilot project launched in the summer of 2010 was directed at four constituencies, and involved four Members of Parliament, but now the technological innovation was spreading throughout Uganda.
The way the system work one hears a code of their MP on radio and uses that code where the massage is directed and sent it to a central number 6020.
The MP has an opportunity to respond to the massage and also make urgent responses.
“Now we are seeking to apply it to the entire Assembly — hence giving all constituents in Uganda the opportunity to voice their concerns by the simple means of a text message.
“Though we think of texting as just as a means of day-to-day communication, it has been utilised in developing countries in a variety of ingenious ways to improve the lives of the people there.
“Surprisingly, cellphones in the developing world are both cheaper and more ubiquitous than many basic services we take for granted, such as brick-and-mortar banks and, in some countries, even electricity,” Osborn emphasised.
The Speaker of the Uganda Parliament, Rebecca Kadaga, said the U-speak platform would help to bridge the gap between the voters and their representatives connecting more than 300 legislators, commissioners among other different persons.
“The challenge is how parliaments relate with the people, a similar issue we discussed as the theme of the Interparliamentary Union meeting in Kampala some months back focusing on the challenges raised against the MPs including inaccessibility and lack of responsiveness,” Kadaga said.
“We thought that we could make use of U-speak to understand the needs of the constituents because you may be in Kampala talking about nuclear energy when the crocodiles are finishing the people.
“We thought U-speak can enlighten you especially when you see many people speak about a particular problem and you respond,” she said.
Osborn explained that the more the MP responded to SMS the more the innovation attracted many of the constituents to use it over the next pilot exercise and later a small fees might be attached to sustain it. — CAJ News.