As part of our efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to announce the Shiriki initiative. Shiriki (Kiswahili for Partnership) is a platform that is designed to serve as an open “marketplace” for ideas, solutions, innovations and initiatives that are tackling various aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic. Why we built Shiriki The…
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We are excited to have partnered with Data Ready to convene a virtual meeting to plan engagements with governments around the world regarding how data rights will be safeguarded when the world recovers from the COVID-19 pandemic. What steps must be taken to #RestoreDataRights after the #COVID-19 pandemic is over? Tom Orrell, Managing Director, Data…
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The Ministry of ICT issued an invitation to members of the public to comment on the data protection regulations on civil registrations through the press. We submitted our comments, which you can read in detail here. We essentially raised five points of concern with the regulations: issues around the operation of consent under the Regulations,…
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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…
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Kenya has a vast array of natural resources. From Gold and Gemstones to soapstone and fluorspar to Titanium and Oil, Kenya is rich with natural minerals that have the potential to not only grow the economy exponentially but also to improve the well being of many ordinary citizens in all parts of the county. Decisions…
Read articleAll policy decisions are mainly influenced and discussed by government, large Civil Society Organisations and large Companies. Citizens are often invisible in these engagements. As our work increases and becomes more focused, we are happy to grow our team even more. Jonah will lead our Open Extractives Programme, which we are in the process of…
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A few years ago, at the Africa Open Data Conference, I spoke about the value of “Period Zero” in the planning and development of programmes. I was talking about the challenges that happen in implementing Open Data projects – and I think this is relevant across the development spectrum. In my speech, I advocated for…
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We are excited to be back after a long silence since we started the Ability Project in 2018. As you will recall, last year, we worked with volunteers to map out Nairobi’s Central Business District, from University way to Haile Selassie Avenue and from Uhuru Highway to Tom Mboya Street. The idea behind the mapping…
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Today, we relaunch (again!) our new website. This would be the fourth iteration of our website since we started out in September 2012. What’s more, is that it is the second iteration since we rebranded in June 2018. This iteration was provoked by a recent hacking attack on our online properties and as we strengthened…
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The Open Institute welcomes the news that President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday signed an executive order requiring all government entities and public owned institutions to publish details of tenders and awards from July 1, this year. We laud this action as a significant step in the fight against corruption. Public procurement is the number one risk of corruption…
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