Leveraging Artificial Intelligence to Digitalize Immigration Services for Quality and Sustainable Public Service Delivery in Kenya

Abstract

The provision of high-quality and sustainable public services remains a central mandate of Kenya’s Directorate of Immigration Services. However, systemic obstacles such as bureaucratic delays, inadequate infrastructure, and constrained digital capabilities continue to impede service delivery, and have hindered the achievement of sustainable development in Kenya. This study explored the role of leveraging Artificial Intelligence to digitalize immigration services for quality and sustainable public service delivery in Kenya. The reference was put on enhancing operational efficiency, services quality, service accessibility, and long-term sustainability. The study sought to assess the role of Artificial Intelligence in promoting the delivery of quality and sustainable immigration services at the immigration directorate in Kenya. It equally sought to assess the digital literacy of the employees in the immigration directorate, including their engagement and proficiency with the Artificial Intelligence digitized system. Moreover, the study sought to assess citizens’ literacy towards using the Artificial Intelligence digital system in accessing digitized immigration services at the immigration directorate in Kenya. The study was underpinned by Diffusion of Innovation and the Cohesive Service Delivery Theories, with a mixed methods research that incorporated exploratory research approach to collect and analyze data. The study findings show that the use of Artificial Intelligence in public services like immigration, significantly enhance efficiency in immigration operations. The study found that Artificial Intelligence used in immigration services enhances and improves quality of service, and promotes sustainability of those services. The study findings revealed that the use of Artificial Intelligence enhances the delivery of immigration services as a lower cost and less time thus promoting efficiency and accuracy in the process. The study showed that the use of Artificial Intelligence in immigration services would address corruption and corrupt arrangements because it remove middle men who normally serve as the agents of corruption. The study however, found that using Artificial Intelligence in Kenya’s immigration services would encounter numerous challenges such as lack of strong internet infrastructure, occasional system downtime, staff resistance to digital adoption, financial constraints, and limited training opportunities. The study underscores the need of integrating capacity building, robust policy frameworks, and citizen sensitization into Artificial Intelligence adoption strategies. The study underscores further research in digitalization and a comparative analysis research in the areas of ethics of Artificial Intelligence.