WEB-BASED LAND INFORMATION MANAGEMENT SYSTEM: A CASE STUDY OF NAIROBI CITY COUNCIL

Abstract

This paper explores performance ethnography in an attempt to overcome the shortcomings of dimensionsselection and aggregation within the application of Sen’s capability approach while evaluating Information andCommunication Technology. It exemplifies this in a qualitative examination on the impact of mobile banking,commonly known as MPESA on the lived experiences of the marginalised poor of western Kenya. This paperdraws from Denzin’s call to performance, a performance which contributes to a more enlightened andinvolved citizenship. Here, the paper through the critical eye of capability approach explores performanceethnography to interrogate and evaluate specific, social, educational, economic and political processes asmechanisms that affect the adoption and successful implementation of MPESA as a poverty eradicationstrategy. The research relies on the people that are representative of the community to provide a capabilityset though focus groups then it conducts interviews with the people in poverty which it rewrites into dramatictext in effect aligning with critical thinking. The interviews are aimed at illuminating the impact of mpesa onthe valuable dimensions selected during focus group. The findings provide insights on how to draw valuabledimensions in a capability approach evaluation. This information can be used to develop targetedinterventions aimed at poverty eradication. The paper is organised into five subheadings: the introductionwhich examines the existing literature on ICT4D; the theoretical framework which gives an overview ofcapability approach; the methodology which covers the focus groups and interviews conducted in westernKenya; the discussions then looks at the individual usage of MPESA against a growing discussion on bothmobile banking and poverty alleviation and; conclusions which hints to empowerment and emancipation.