We at the Open Institute, are proud to announce that our Founder, Al Kags, has been invited to join the Technical Advisory Group (TAG) of the Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD). GPSDD comprises of Data Champions who aim to harness the data revolution to achieve the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The Open Institute…
Since 2013, we have been working together with counties and the World Bank in Kenya to develop systems to be transparent and engage citizens. The Open County Initiative provides a framework through which county-level engagement between county government, private sector and civil society is initiated and sustained. The programme also promotes an environment where citizens…
We have just completed week’s training (6th – 10th May 2019) with Data Fellows who have been identified by Elgeyo Marakwet County to lead the implementation activities of the Data Desk. The sessions were an engaging exchange; this post will focus rather on highlighting some of the critical matters arising. During the training, it was…
Recently, we participated in a national Open Government Partnership forum was held in Nairobi. This forum, organised by the Constitution and Reform Education Consortium (CRECO), brought together civil society, academia, media, private sector and multilateral institutions. The debate focused on the progress of implementation of the OGP Kenya commitments. At this forum, key issues emerging…
At the Open Institute, we have grown to believe that the power to fight inequality in all its forms lies in people. It is in people that the possibility of wide acceptance and tolerance abides. It in people that the ability of the world to change and find its better self lies. It is for…
When we started the Global Goals for Local Impact programme, we had a simple hypothesis: that when citizens are involved in the collection of the data that relates to their immediate lives, they are able to then take greater control of their destiny as a community. When they have facts about their lives, when they…
Today was a public holiday in Kenya as muslims celebrate Idd-ul-Adha, the festival that commemorates Abraham’s willingness to sacrifice his son to please Almighty God. While the rest of the country took time off, my team and I used the day to bond with each other in the office over chocolate encrusted doughnuts, Mandazi (a…
Very frequently, and more so lately, our team gets up very early in the morning and prepares to set off to Lanet Umoja location in Nakuru County. We usually leave at about lunch time, having made many small and important logistical preparations. On most days, we are ferrying boxes filled with paper forms – data…
At the Open Institute, we have centered much of our work around transparency – making government and corporate data available to everyone. The argument is simple: the more data and information there is available, the more citizens are empowered to participate in their governance. When citizens participate, the argument follows, life is improved because they…
We are coming to the end of our pilot exercise for the Global Goals for Local Impact project in Lanet Umoja location. Data was collected successfully by the community leaders in conjunction with volunteer youth from the same location. Data entry was also done by a group of youth from the location. This meeting was…
