Open Governance

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Lessons: Transforming Subnational Data Systems

What it takes to Transform Governance Through Data Systems in our experience. Statistical systems—whether from government agencies or non-state actors—form the backbone of a democratic society’s information ecosystem. These systems generate the essential data that shapes economic policies, demographic strategies, and decisions on social and environmental issues. Reliable and accessible data is not merely a…

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Championing Citizen Generated Data in Kenya in Partnership with KNBS

The Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) continues to lead the way in championing Citizen Generated Data in Kenya. On 22nd November the KNBS inaugurated their Technical Working Committee on Citizen-Generated Data (CGD) to strengthen stakeholder collaboration in adoption of quality CGD as an alternative source of data for official reporting where data gaps exist,…

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Towards Africa’s GDPR?

Africa, with its tapestry of cultures and a history as old as time itself, is now amid a digital awakening. Stepping into the data era with purpose, it’s time we asked ourselves, “How do we take control of our digital narrative?” Multinational corporations are setting up the data rules—much like someone else dictating how we…

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The Power of Local Engagement: Reflections from the Global Goals for Local Impact Project

In 2015, we did some work to try and see what citizens care about enough to act and be engaged with the government. We had a simple goal – to stimulate active citizenship and foster responsive government using data to aid communities to provide input into government activities. This project showed us that citizens cared…

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Nandi County wins 2023 Open Government Award!

Nandi County is again in the spotlight, basking in the glory of its remarkable achievements. On September 6th, Nandi County received an impressive win for the 2023 Open Government Award in the Digital Technologies category for Africa and the Middle East. This award, warmly received by the Deputy Governor, Dr Yulita Mitei, clearly demonstrates their…

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We’ve officially handed over the Nandi Data Desk!

After the successful launch of the Nandi Data Desk, we were back at it, working together with Nandi’s county leaders to prepare their data for public view. Through our engagement, the team from Nandi were well trained to manage the system. With the simple accessible web application, the Nandi data desk provides a responsive and seamless data upload process. The engagements culminated in the successful handing over of the system to the technical team, who are well equipped to manage the County Data Desk.

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Data protection and open government – are these compatible tenets in the Kenyan context?

Open government is an inclusive and participatory approach to governance that allows citizens to be involved in the formulation and eventual implementation of public policies, and has been recognized as a catalyst for democracy and inclusivity in sustainable growth. Government is open when it follows the principles of transparency, accountability and participation; key initiatives include open data, public participation, open contracting, open parliament, among others.

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The data collection and digitization process for Citizen Generated Data in Elgeyo Marakwet

Deep in the heart of the county of champions, in the scenic and partly remote wards of Arror, Tambach, Kayego and Kaptarakwa, the activities for the citizen-led household census in Elgeyo Marakwet County are underway,  targeting data collection in 101,000 households. The training of enumerators,  data collection and data entry activities have been taking place…

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Building Partnership with the Open Governance Institute to Promote Good Governance at the County Level

It is no secret that we are passionate about citizen generated data. We believe that active citizens have a lot of power to influence governments to bring about the change they want. We started out in 2015, working with local communities to collect data from every household as a means to understanding their needs and…

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CensusKe: a new platform for exploring Kenya’s 2019 Census Data

We are excited to release Census.ke, a new platform for all of the census 2019 data currently released by the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, the principal agency of the Kenya Government for collecting, analysing and disseminating statistical data, and the custodian of official statistical information. The Bureau is also responsible for the coordination of…

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