Parliamentary efficiency.
Parliaments and their committees are often criticized for being slow and inefficient. How can they improve their performance?
Digital technologies may very well be the answer. They are now widely used in Parliaments around the world. They enable MPs to communicate better, share information and collaborate with colleagues locally and across the globe. This allows them to deliver services faster and at lower cost.
An example, the House of Commons in the UK, which has adopted new ways of working, using digital technologies such as video conferencing and social media platforms. These tools allow MPs to collaborate remotely and share information easily.
MPs are able to participate in meetings remotely without having to leave their constituencies, saving time and money, whist improving their productivity.
Virtual Parliament makes all this and more possible. It is an innovative technology product built specifically for Parliaments, to combine collaborative video and audio sessions, with all functions of a Parliament. It thus allows the MPs to take part in plenary sessions, committee sessions and even vote from the comfort of their constituency office.
Why Virtual Parliament?
The global Covid 19 pandemic resulted in measures to control the spread of the virus around the world. This included closure of many organizations and limitations on gatherings including parliaments.
Parliaments being a highly social workplace and its ability to work effectively, highly dependent on the members meeting in person, was greatly affected. Therefore, Covid-19, posed a very big challenge and parliaments had to innovate by creating ‘virtual’ experiences to overcome it.
In some cases, they built on existing infrastructure, others accelerated digital transformations that were already in place while others built their own. In Kenya, the national assembly needed its own product customized to its needs and Virtual Parliament was born out of this. It is an innovative technology product built specifically for parliaments to combine collaborative video and audio sessions with the latest in content management and online presence.
Virtual Parliament serves the Kenyan national assembly really well, as it is a key governance institution whose primary law-making functions feature lively discussions, voting and debates.
Initially, it was built for temporary measures, to manage the pandemic. However, the technology was really embraced for the long term as it improved the way parliamentary systems work and can be used to preserve future crises.