Abstract:
This research project was carried out to ascertain the use of Information and Communication Technologies and Social Networking Sites in political governance of East African Legislative Assembly Parliament. The research project was based on the conviction that in this era of globalization use of ICTs and SNS‘s are fundamentally important and will have tremendous impact on governance, leadership and legislation now and in the near future. The specific objective of this study was intended; a) To evaluate the use of Social Networking Sites in enhancing the political governance of East African Legislative assembly Parliament. The findings from the research showed that that all the respondents 100% were subscribed to social networking sites and used them from time to time. Additionally, the EALA parliamentarians had a disparity when it came to use of SNSs to interact with constituents, 73.3% of the respondents indicated that they have used SNSs to interact with constituents on matters affecting the community from time to time however 26.7% showed that they did not use Social Networking sites to interact with constituents. Lastly, the use of ICTs and SNSs by EALA has also made it possible for citizens to view Assembly proceedings in real time and hence where able to view their representatives in the course of carrying out their duties in the political arena.Lastly, the world is changing in a dynamic fashion SNS‘s are among the tools leading the transformation and it is about time Parliamentarians in Africa embrace SNS‘s as major tools in changing how leaders interact and remain accountable to their constituents a practice that‘s been a myth in Africa.
