Why Your MCA Should Be Digital — And Why Most Are Not

There is a question that nobody in Kenyan politics seems to be asking: Why is your MCA not online?

Not online as in posting rally photos on Facebook. Online as in using digital tools to serve you better, account for public money, and connect with the people who elected them.

In 2026, Kenya has over 30 million internet users. More than 90% of Kenyans own a mobile phone. M-Pesa processes billions of shillings daily. Yet walk into most ward offices across the country and you will find dusty files, handwritten ledgers, and a representative who communicates with constituents through funerals and fundraisers.

This is not a technology problem. It is a leadership problem.

The Ward Office That Exists Only at Funerals

Let me be honest. Most MCAs in Kenya — and I include past versions of myself — have operated on a simple model: show up at community events, make promises, distribute something small, and wait for the next election cycle.

This model is broken. It was designed for a Kenya that no longer exists.

Today, a farmer in Kapsoit can check global tea prices on his phone before breakfast. A university student in Ainamoi can attend a lecture from Nairobi without leaving home. A mother in Kericho town can order medicine delivered to her door.

But if that same farmer wants to know what happened to the borehole project that was budgeted two years ago? Good luck. If that student wants to see how ward development funds were allocated? There is no dashboard, no report, no website. If that mother wants to submit a complaint about a broken road? She has to find a way to the MCA's physical office — if she even knows where it is.

What Digital Transformation Actually Means for a Ward

When people hear "digital transformation" they think of Silicon Valley, apps, and startups. That is not what I am talking about.

For a ward like Kapsoit, digital transformation means something much simpler and much more powerful:

1. Transparency That Cannot Be Hidden

Every shilling of ward development fund allocation should be published online. Not in a PDF buried in a county website, but in a simple, searchable format that any resident can access on their phone.

Rwanda does this. Every district publishes its budget, procurement contracts, and project status online. Citizens can track a road project from tender to completion. This is not futuristic technology — it is a spreadsheet with a public link.

2. Communication That Does Not Require a Funeral

An MCA with a simple website, a WhatsApp broadcast list, or even a well-run Facebook page can reach more constituents in one morning than they would at ten harambees.

Imagine receiving a monthly update from your MCA: "This month, we allocated KES 2.3 million to the Kapsoit water project. Contractor: ABC Ltd. Expected completion: March 2027. Here is a photo of current progress."

That is accountability. That is trust-building. And it costs almost nothing.

3. Service Delivery That People Can Actually Access

A digital complaints and requests system — even something as simple as a Google Form — can transform how a ward office operates. Instead of a resident traveling hours to submit a complaint verbally, they can do it from their phone. The MCA's office can track it, assign it, and follow up.

Counties like Makueni have experimented with this. The results are remarkable: faster response times, better tracking, and constituents who actually feel heard.

4. Youth Engagement That Is Not Patronising

Kenya's leaders love to talk about "empowering the youth." But empowerment does not mean giving them T-shirts at rallies or creating temporary cleaning jobs before elections.

The youth are digital natives. They live online. If you want to engage them, meet them where they are. Create digital platforms where they can contribute ideas, report problems, volunteer for projects, and hold their leaders accountable.

A young person who can track how their ward's education bursary was distributed is a young person who will vote in the next election — and vote wisely.

5. A Marketplace for Local Economic Activity

One thing I have learned: governance is not just about roads and water. It is about economic opportunity.

A ward-level digital marketplace — where farmers can list produce, artisans can advertise services, and small businesses can reach customers — is a simple tool that can transform local economies. No middleman. No exploitation. Just people connecting with people.

This is why we built Soko on this very website. A farmer in Kapsoit should be able to sell a cow without traveling to the market and losing a day's work. A carpenter should be able to advertise his services beyond his immediate village. Technology makes this possible. Leadership makes it happen.

Why Most MCAs Will Not Do This

I will be blunt about the obstacles:

Fear of transparency. If every shilling is tracked, every project is visible, and every promise is recorded — then politicians cannot hide. Many prefer the fog. Digital transformation is the enemy of corruption, and corruption is the engine that keeps many political careers running.

Digital illiteracy among leaders. Some MCAs genuinely do not understand what a website can do. They see technology as something for the young or the educated, not realising that their own constituents are already more digitally literate than they are.

Short-term thinking. Building digital infrastructure does not win votes in the next rally. It does not photograph well. It does not come with a ribbon-cutting ceremony. Politicians prefer visible, physical projects — even when digital ones would serve more people at lower cost.

No one is demanding it. This is perhaps the biggest reason. Constituents have been conditioned to expect so little from their MCAs that they do not even know to ask for digital services. When the bar is "show up at the funeral," no one thinks to demand "publish your budget online."

The Singapore Lesson, Again

I have written before about Singapore and Lee Kuan Yew. Here is another lesson from that tiny nation: Singapore invested in e-government before most countries had reliable internet.

In 1999, when Kenya was still debating whether to privatise Telkom, Singapore launched its e-Citizen portal — a single website where citizens could access every government service. Licences, permits, tax filings, complaints — all online.

The result? Singapore consistently ranks as the world's best e-government. Citizens trust their government because they can see what it does. Corruption is near zero because everything is traceable.

Kenya launched the e-Citizen portal in 2014 — fifteen years later. And it is still limited to national-level services. At the county and ward level, we are still in 1995.

What I Will Do Differently

This is not just an article. It is a commitment.

If I am given the opportunity to serve Kapsoit Ward, I will:

Publish all ward development fund allocations online — in a format anyone can read on their phone.
Create a digital complaints and requests system — so every resident can submit issues and track their resolution.
Send monthly ward updates — via WhatsApp, SMS, and this website — on every ongoing project.
Support local digital marketplaces — so farmers, traders, and artisans can connect with buyers directly.
Train ward staff in basic digital tools — because transformation starts with the people who run the office.

These are not expensive initiatives. They do not require millions in funding. They require a leader who believes that the people deserve to know what is being done with their money and their trust.

The Question for Every Voter

Next time your MCA comes to your event, ask them one question:

"Can I see your ward's budget and project status online?"

If the answer is no — and for 90% of Kenya's 1,450 wards it will be no — then ask yourself: in 2026, is that acceptable?

The digital tools exist. The infrastructure exists. The only thing missing is the political will to use them.

And that is a choice. Not a limitation.

William Kipkurui Biegon is a leader, accountant, and farmer from Kapsoit Ward, Ainamoi Constituency, Kericho County. He believes that governance in the 21st century must be transparent, digital, and accountable.