Part One of a two-part series on data at the subnational level published by Christine Ajulu, Deputy Executive Director Imagine a nurse in a county health facility somewhere in Kenya. Call her Amina. Every month, she fills in a register on how many children have been immunised. She writes the figures neatly, signs the form,…
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The brown envelope is quietly reorganising Kenya’s journalism, deciding what stories get told and which ones stay silent. Our recent reflection paper, Between Truth and the Brown Envelope: Rebuilding Kenya’s Narrative Infrastructure by our Executive Director, Al Kags and the Association of Freelance Journalists (AFJ) president Winnie Kamau, unearths cold truths. It says out loud…
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Grassroots journalists in Kenya face an uphill battle. In counties like Kilifi, reporters navigate underfunded newsrooms, precarious contracts, limited access to public data, and political pressures that shape which stories reach the public. Investigative journalism, which shines a light on accountability, innovation, and community agency, is often impossible under these conditions. The narratives that dominate…
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Citizens in Kilifi met with their Governor and his cabinet to present their needs - with data.
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Every year on 15th September, the world pauses to mark the International Day of Democracy, a day to reflect on the state of democracy and celebrate the people and institutions working to uphold it. This year, as the United Nations Democracy Fund (UNDEF) celebrates 20 years of advancing democratic values, UN Secretary-General António Guterres reminded…
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Over the past year, Kilifi County has emerged as a shining example of how communities, civil society, and government can come together to use data for meaningful change. With support from the Open Institute and through partnerships with youth-led community-based organisations, such as Kilifi Youth Assembly (KIYA) and the Maono changemaker network, citizens in Kilifi…
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What happens when people are invisible in the numbers? When communities are omitted from datasets that shape national policy? When stories that are rich, complex, urgent are reduced to a footnote or not recorded at all? In Kenya, where 2.2% of the population — over 1 million people — are recorded as having a disability,…
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Public Participation Bill 2025 When Parliament tabled the Public Participation Bill, 2025, we welcomed it. At last, there’s a serious effort to build structure around a practice that has too often been treated as symbolic. Public participation is not just a constitutional obligation—it’s the soul of democracy. But for too long, the way it’s been…
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Last week, we launched a five-month programme in partnership with AFJ-K to engage journalists on how they can promote alternative narratives. It was clear from the first session that this is not just another training. Journalists didn’t just learn about investigative reporting; they challenged, uncovered, and reimagined storytelling. They explored the ethics of reporting, the…
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In 2015, the world united behind 17 ambitious Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with the aim of eradicating poverty, tackling inequalities, and addressing climate change by 2030. It was a bold vision for a fairer, more sustainable world. Yet, as we near the end-point, the progress toward these goals tells a troubling story. According to the…
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📅 Dates: November 25 & 26, 2024
📍 Location: Nairobi, kenya
Unlock the future of data governance with industry leaders, insightful sessions, and networking opportunities!
