By George Maina Kariuki
July 2015
The Commonwealth Secretariat Debt Recording and Management System (CS-DRMS) has been in use since 1983. Over time, the CS-DRMS has been undergoing various changes that have been occasioned by technological advancements and the dynamic nature of debt management. These changes have resulted to release of several versions of the software, with each release offering enhanced functionality than its predecessor. The current version of the system, CS-DRMS Version 2.0, is now able to meet most of the requirements of the users. CS- DRMS V2.0 has also been designed with major improvements on reporting as seen in the newly added functionalities including the Dashboard and the Dynamic Data Query (DDQ).

Owing to the evolving nature of debt management and the ever-changing user requirements, there is need for continuous improvement of the CS-DRMS. Additionally the tremendous changes in the information technology landscape are fast changing the way business is done across the globe. A lot of people and businesses are relying on web-based and mobile applications. This discussion paper addresses the need for changes that would be ideal in the current technological environment and addresses the need for a reengineered CS-DRMS that will ensure that both the users requirements and the expectations of the debt practitioners are m e t. A reengineered CS-DRMS would be expected to be a more technologically relevant system. Kenya is one of the earliest countries that adopted CS-DRMS and will be used as a case study in this paper. The country has also changed its Constitution to a devolved government structure. The sub-nationals will also be contracting debt and this will need to be captured at the national level. Additionally, guaranteed debt given under letters of comfort or support together with contingent liabilities under the Public Private Partnership will need to be quantified and captured appropriately as memoranda items. This makes Kenya a suitable case study.