Great things happen when we come together
We recently held the second data leaders fellowship programme workshop on 29th September 2021 at the Lake Naivasha Country Club. It was great to interact with all the data fellows…
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Active Citizenship
We envision a future with an open society that is managed by informed, fact-driven citizens.
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Responsive Government
We work with governments to design and implement policy and tools for increased responsiveness to citizens and for greater accountability.
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Our Programmes
Our Programmes aim to enhance collaboration with governments, citizens, civil society organisations and other players to develop policies, tools and knowledge.
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Our Experiments
Through our side nyake programme, we partner with other organisations and stakeholders to find unique solutions in line with our mission.
"It doesn't matter where you work or how you work, if you're passionate about the work... it gets done"
At the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, organisations around the world implemented work-from-home policies. The Open Institute was not left behind, however, our Finance Director and Trustee has been a remote worker for years.
Jay Bhalla has managed to understand the dynamics of remote work, having worked in a different time zone from the rest of the team and managing a team remotely.
His passion and work ethic continues to be an inspiration to the Open Institute team as we learn how to be collaborate virtually while being effective in everything we do.
Jay Bhalla
Trustee, Open Institute
Our vision
We envision a future with an open society that is managed by informed, fact-driven citizens.
This society features a responsive and accountable government that delivers the services its citizens need at the level of service they deserve.
It includes active non-state actors who play an active role in educating citizens on their role as responsible and active citizens safeguarding democracy and development.Our mission
Our Mission is to collaborate with governments, citizens, civil society organisations and other players to develop policies, tools and knowledge that strengthen citizens’ voices in the governance and development in their societies.
WHAT WE DO
Our Programmes
Subnational Citizen Engagement
We work to build citizen capacity to use data for better engagement with government and other stakeholders for better resource allocation and development outcomes, and achievement of global and national goals.
Open County
We work with subnational governments to build their statistical capacity for better transparency and accountability, while providing technical support to establish structures to better listen to and engage with citizens.
The Ability Programme
The Ability Project aims to gather data around the Nairobi Central Business District and clearly mark out how accessible these every day environments really are, by using the globally recognized concept of Universal Design as our compass.
Open Extractives
We work to improve the working environment for artisanal small scale miners as well as to build on the body of knowledge for the achievement of Kenya’s policy goals in the mining industry. We recognise artisanal small scale mining potential and the need to create a conducive ecosystem to foster its development.
Data Governance
The #RestoreDataRights movement aims to work with governments and other stakeholders towards realising a transparent, inclusive and accountable COVID-19 response in Africa and beyond by working to foster trust in the handling of people’s sensitive personal data.
Community Monitoring
To monitor the COVID-19 pandemic, we created Nuru as a tool to crowdsource observations about how citizens are coping in the exceptionally difficult circumstances brought on by the virus, with the aim of inspiring engagement with civil society, governments and other stakeholders to take action and effect change in their communities.
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How Counties Use Their Data: Assessing Data Maturity in 10 Counties
It is no secret that we live in a data-driven world. Everyday, quintillions of data are generated and utilised by Big Data and private sector companies, who weave data analytics…
The Data Leaders Fellowship Programme is underway
We are very excited that the Data Leaders’ Fellowship Programme is now underway, as 10 Chief Officers in charge of Economic Planning got together in the inaugural workshop last week.…
Through the lens of a woman film-maker at OI
I am told, I am the first woman to get inside a gold mine in Vihiga county, Kenya. In many parts of the world, women are not allowed to go…
Supporting county systems towards openness & accountability: A case of Kilifi County
As an organization, we are passionate about building capacity and supporting county systems, and working with Kilifi County has once again provided an opportunity to support their work in increasing…
The Truth About Remote Working
Loise Mboo, Wellness Director at the Open Institute reflects on our experience as a remote working organisation 5 months in.
Open Data and Personal Data Protection – Al Kags on Ole Law Podcast
Our Executive Director, Al Kags, was featured on the Ole Law Podcast where the issues of active citizenship and responsive governments – our main mandate as an organisation – were…