Development of information system for enhancing communication between members of parliament and citizens: A study of dodoma, Tanzania

Context: In Tanzania, Members of Parliament rely on traditional methods and social media to gather citizens’ concerns, but these face challenges such as low public meeting attendance, unavailability of Members of Parliament, social media limitations, high costs, and a lack of smartphones and computers. Other studies have proposed mobile and web applications as solutions, but they exclude the majority who rely on feature phones and don't have internet access.Objective: This study aims to develop an inclusive platform to bridge communication gaps between citizens and Members of parliament by addressing the technological and infrastructural limitations of existing systems.Method: A Literature Review Methodology was employed to explore scientific articles and identify technological gaps, while Extreme Programming Agile Methodology was used in the development of the system.Results: Literature review studies revealed that most of the proposed solutions rely on mobile and web applications accessible via the Internet, which excludes individuals without smartphones, tablets, or computers. Therefore, the Public Participation Information System was developed to enable citizens to express their concerns and receive responses online through a web application or offline via a two-way messaging system in Swahili or English language.Conclusion: The Public Participation Information System provides an inclusive communication solution, addressing technological barriers and enhancing democratic engagement between Members of Parliament and citizens in Tanzania.