[CivicAccess-discuss] Kenya boosts access to govt data

[Tracey P. Lauriault]

Looks like Kenya is doing better than Canada re-access to census data!
Kenya boosts access to govt data BY EVELYN NJOROGE
Updated 23 hours 54 minutes ago
http://www.capitalfm.co.ke/business/Local/Kenya-boosts-access-to-govt-data-2513.html

 *NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 23 – Members of the public will now be able to access
accurate, timely and comprehensive census and survey information following
the launch of two data dissemination systems by the government.*

Planning Permanent Secretary Dr Edward Sambili said on Tuesday that through
the Integrated Multi-sectoral Information System (IMIS) and KenInfo (Version
2.0) which will be available on the internet, the government will be able to
make more information available to more people, which in turns aids
accountability and transparency.

“The two systems have the capability to organise, analyse and present data
in a variety of forms including tables, graphs and maps. They will provide
policy makers, development partners and research institutions with a
friendly platform for data access,” he explained.

Dr Sambili disclosed that this was part of a wider Integrated System for
Monitoring and Evaluation that the government had developed to measure the
efficiency and effectiveness of policies and service delivery.

“They (systems) focus on development indicators which mainly measure the
Millennium Development Goals and other locally oriented indicators. They are
also able to link national, provincial and district information for planning
purposes,” he stated.

He added that this would also go a long way in enabling the government to
monitor the extent to which activities in the Medium Term Plan of the Vision
2030 are being implemented.

The PS hoped that by obtaining the trends of the various indicators from
different sectors, users would be able to appreciate the socio-economic
situation in the country.

The systems will initially be rolled out to line ministries and selected
districts and provinces countrywide in an effort to sensitise users of the
database.

“Continuous system backup support will be availed to ensure that the systems
run without impediment,” he pledged.

Olivia Yambi a representative of UNICEF which is one of the project’s
financiers challenged the Kenya Bureau of Statistics, which is the custodian
of statistics to monitor the number of visitors to the website to determine
their effectiveness.

“If we could start to monitor the number of hits at the database that would
give us a feel of how many people are using it. It would also ensure that
the huge investment does not remain accessible to technocrats therefore
depriving the larger population access to this data,” she said.


-- 
Tracey P. Lauriault
613-234-2805
https://gcrc.carleton.ca/confluence/display/GCRCWEB/Lauriault
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