Why Kenya’s Health System Depends on Data Quality
Authors: Catherine Gichobi, Rachel Juma Within the corridors of a county referral hospital, a health records officer transcribes numbers from a paper register into…
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WE ARE OPEN!
Fostering open, informed communities where citizens actively engage with transparent governments for sustainable development.
12 Years of Building Better Governance
For more than a decade, we've worked with citizens, communities, and governments to use evidence to create more transparent, accountable, and responsive public institutions.
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Embedding transparency, public participation, and evidence-based decision-making.
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Making Numbers Matter: How to Get Data Moving at the County Level
Part Two of a two-part series on data at the subnational level | By Christine Ajulu, Deputy Director – Open Institute Earlier this year,…
Why Kenya’s Health System Depends on Data Quality
Authors: Catherine Gichobi, Rachel Juma Within the corridors of a county referral hospital, a health records officer transcribes numbers from a paper register into…
Making Numbers Matter: How to Get Data Moving at the County Level
Part Two of a two-part series on data at the subnational level | By Christine Ajulu, Deputy Director – Open Institute Earlier this year,…
Beyond Access: Why Good Governance Requires Information That People Can Understand
Across East Africa, governments have made significant investments in public participation processes. Constitutional provisions, county forums, digital platforms, and citizen consultations have become increasingly…
From Learning About Data Values to Seeing Them in Practice
By Furaha K. Hesketh – Community Manager, Maono Space and Data Values Advocate When I joined the Data Values Fellowship, I thought I was…
From Awareness to Action: Launching Ficha Uchi Phase 4
Five years. Over 200 million touchpoints. One stubborn gap. Kenyans know they have data rights. But most still don’t know how to use them.…
When Data Belongs to the People: Lessons from the Frontlines of Community-Led Data
There is a quiet disconnect in development data that lies between where data is collected, who it serves, and whether it ever makes its…
Maono: Backing the Closest Point in the System
In Kiswahili, maono means vision. It is also the name of one of the projects closest to our heart at the Open Institute; a…
Brown Envelopes and Broken Trust: The Real Threat to Democracy
The brown envelope has its own language and names. Every journalist in Kenya knows it. Za kabej. Mshiko. Facilitation. Kakitu. Za macho. Niko na…
When the Pump Runs Dry on Trust: Kenya’s Fuel Crisis and the Case for Transparent Governance
By The Open Institute | 19 May 2026 Kenyans woke up this week to near-empty roads and stranded commuters. On Monday, 18 May 2026,…
The evidence exists. Are we using it?
Across Africa, researchers are producing credible, rigorous, and often urgent findings. Governments are making decisions without them. This is not a research problem. It…
Statement: The Open Institute Announces Leadership Transition
After twelve years at the helm, Al Kags has left the role of Executive Director of the Open Institute. This is in accordance with…
Evidence Mkononi: Putting the Power of Data Back into Community Hands
Across many communities, data is constantly being collected about people’s needs, challenges, and lived realities. Yet, the very communities represented in this data are…
