Author: Rachel Juma There is a moment in many data-for-evidence projects when a number becomes a lived reality. It is the moment a spreadsheet becomes a face-to-face conversation with a community member in Tinderet, explaining why their water tastes different from their neighbour’s in Aldai. It is the moment a “60% positive perception score on…
Authors: Catherine Gichobi, Rachel Juma Within the corridors of a county referral hospital, a health records officer transcribes numbers from a paper register into a digital system. In a remote dispensary, a nurse tallies the day’s immunisations, deciding how to classify a child who received a catch-up dose. At the Ministry of Health, analysts compile…
Part Two of a two-part series on data at the subnational level | By Christine Ajulu, Deputy Director – Open Institute Earlier this year, I wrote about why data so rarely moves at the county level. That first article sat with an uncomfortable set of obstacles: data that clashes with political agendas, county staff with…
Across East Africa, governments have made significant investments in public participation processes. Constitutional provisions, county forums, digital platforms, and citizen consultations have become increasingly common. Yet despite these efforts, participation often remains procedural rather than meaningful. Citizens are invited to meetings, budgets are published online, and draft laws are shared for comment. But an important…
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,…
The Devolution Conference 2025 convened in Homa Bay marked a key milestone in Kenya’s political and development calendar. It was a moment to reflect on over 12 years of county-level transparency since the 2013 Constitution. For us at Open Institute, it marked more than a decade of collaborating with counties to build open, responsive institutions…
In recent years, the global civic space has been shrinking at an alarming rate. Governments are cutting budgets, laying off staff, and scaling back initiatives that support openness, transparency and accountability. At the same time, restrictions on civil society, the media, and digital freedoms are making it harder for citizens to access information, engage with…
For years, the Open Institute has worked diligently to guide counties towards more effective, data-centred decision-making. Our focus has been on equipping local governments with essential tools and expertise, ensuring better resource allocation, stronger policies, and improved public services. In the last two and a half years, our partnership with Nandi and Kilifi counties has…
For far too long, women in remote areas have struggled to be seen and heard. At the Open Institute, we’re committed to the ideal of leaving no one behind, especially those most marginalised. We have taken the view that achieving the sustainable development goals is best done at the local level – in all villages. …
Systems change is the goal of our work, promoting Responsive Governments and Active Citizenship. Our pursuit of this goal has continually convinced us that systemic transformation must be built from the ground up. Actual progress lies in adjusting policies and reconfiguring the societal and governance ecosystems that determine whose voices are amplified and silenced. To…
📅 Dates: November 25 & 26, 2024
📍 Location: Nairobi, kenya
Unlock the future of data governance with industry leaders, insightful sessions, and networking opportunities!
