In Kiswahili, maono means vision. It is also the name of one of the projects closest to our heart at the Open Institute; a programme built around a simple belief: that community-based organisations are not at the bottom of the development pyramid, but the closest point in the system to the citizens it serves. Across…
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The brown envelope has its own language and names. Every journalist in Kenya knows it. Za kabej. Mshiko. Facilitation. Kakitu. Za macho. Niko na njaa. Jua ni kali. Za uji. The words shift, the envelope stays the same. The brown envelope has names in every language, every newsroom, every city, county and across the country,…
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By The Open Institute | 19 May 2026 Kenyans woke up this week to near-empty roads and stranded commuters. On Monday, 18 May 2026, a nationwide transport strike brought cities to a standstill. Four people were killedand more than 30 injured as protests erupted across several towns. A further 348 people were arrested. The immediate…
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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 often excluded from understanding, managing, or using it meaningfully. Evidence Mkononi is a project led by Furaha, our Community Manager at Maono Space, under the Data Values Advocate Programme and a…
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Artificial Intelligence is no longer a distant concept, it is already shaping how we work, learn, and make decisions every day. Yet for many communities, especially in underserved and remote areas, AI still feels out of reach. It is often seen as complex, technical, and disconnected from everyday realities. So we asked ourselves a simple…
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On Wednesday 25th February 2026, we launched a podcast studio at Maono Space in Malindi, and while it is easy to describe it in technical language, microphones calibrated properly, cameras that respect light, acoustic panels that absorb echo, the real story lies in why such a space matters in the current media climate and why…
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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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📅 Dates: November 25 & 26, 2024
📍 Location: Nairobi, kenya
Unlock the future of data governance with industry leaders, insightful sessions, and networking opportunities!
