How Tusemesane works
A DIGITAL PUBLIC COMPLAINTS REPORTING SYSTEM (TUSEMESANE)
There is a hue and cry nationally regarding complaints that are either not attended to or that those affected fear reporting for lack of a secure reporting system available to the public. Indeed, many people have been victimized through loss of jobs, intimidation, threats to their lives, death and so on. Many people are aware of this and therefore fear speaking out. Other people fear because they do not know where to report. Yet others want to report yet they are coerced into “illegal” acts they would not want to be part of.
This is a digital anonymous system to enable members of the public to present their complaints for the attention of the persons concerned. The system is app based and can be used in any part of Kenya where there is network connectivity. The system is meant to help various organizations improve the goods and services they offer to members of the public. Matters of unbecoming or unethical conduct can also be reported through the system.
A would-be complainant can log in, file his/her complaint, attach any documents, pictures, video-recordings or audio recordings, which can be uploaded into the report. The complainant is expected to give as much details as possible relating to the complaint to enable a concerned person to respond. After sending the report, no copy remains on the sender’s phone. The sender does not need to disclose their contacts in the report. The report is then released. The system keeps changing the positioning such that a message send from Mombasa would appear as if it was send from Kilgoris. This is to prevent anyone from reverse engineering to track down the complainant. The entity complained against can also log in as an entity, click on the complaint, and take action. Such an entity can either take action and indicate that the complaint has been dealt with or that it can declare the complaint as ‘irrelevant’.
A log will be generated showing the number of complaints per entity. Another screen will show the status of the complaint, i.e pending, responded to or irrelevant. The entity need not specify the action taken.
Through this system, a complaint can be raised by the general public from anywhere and about anything, from the conduct of a matatu tout to the conduct of a bank manager to the conduct of teachers. Complaints can be made against utility companies like water and power companies, about government officers and so on. Where some people may be planning illegal activities like robberies or other security related ones, this can be reported. Employees both in the public and private sectors can report. House helps can also report mistreatment by their employers. Issues of discrimination, forgery, impersonation, or fraud can be reported. This is therefore a system open to the public for use to help us improve the workplace.
We recognize that by speaking out without fear, we can make our world a better place.
