Assessing the Quality of E-Government Websites in Uganda

Introduction

The continued advancement of Information technology has created opportunities through which governments can avail information to its citizens efficiently and cost-effectively (Al-Khalifa et al. 2017, Salvio & Palaoag, 2019). The urgency of services and information online is on the rise resulting in governments adopting and using technology to support effective and timely service delivery to its citizens (Kamau, 2016). E-government is a way the government uses information technology such as the internet or web-based portals to provide citizens with information and facilitate improved service delivery (Witarsyah et al., 2017) in a cost-effectively. The quality and reliability of e-government websites is a crucial factor for the successful implementation of the information to society (Verkijika & De Wet, 2018). Indeed, Akgül (2016) notes that Governments need to design websites that are accessible and usable to all citizen categories for their benefits to be realized. While, Government websites are increasingly offering considerable benefits to citizens; the quality of information on some websites is lacking and in some cases, not usable (Verkijika and De Wet, 2018). In other cases, issues such as navigation, readability and privacy, among others, have hindered the success of these websites (Akgül, 2016). For a developing country like Uganda, Government websites are a primary avenue through which governments interact with their citizens and provide information to support efficient and effective service delivery.

Consequently, there is a call to study Uganda government websites, and this is particularly important since limited or no information is available that relates to access to these websites. Current studies mainly relate to usability, accessibility, aesthetics, content analysis among others (Nakatumba-Nabende et al., 2019; Baguma, 2018; Verkijika & De Wet, 2018; Okello-Obura, 2015; Asiimwe & Lim, 2010; Moshagen & Thielsch, 2010). This article aims to assess the quality of Uganda e-government websites. The study specifically investigates the current status of the government (Ministries, Departments and Agencies - MDAs and District Local Governments - DLGs) websites.