[kictanet] Data revolution in Kenya - briefing

Wed Sep 2 04:56:28 EAT 2015

Walu

Great article. Thanks for sharing. I can't agree with you more..Take for example the way the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics collects information in the Kenya Integrated Household Budget Survey. The latest one is the 2015/16 Survey dubbed 'Measuring Well-Being for Sustainable Development'. Seems the latest buzz word is Sustainable Development!

What I'm unable to understood is how Statisticians in Government cannot reinvent themselves in this Information Age era. By the time this survey starts, the information they collect is already outdated. This information cannot be trusted by government or anyone else to make decisions of national importance, allocate resources etc because it is simply outdated before it is published! 

FMCG companies today do their own research and can predict the size of the average shopping basket in different parts of the country on a month by month and sometimes week by week basis. Research companies like Ipsos and Nielsen have become so savvy that they churn these reports tailored specifically for different brands across the social spectrum.

Sustainable Development indeed!

Thanks & Regards

Ali Hussein
ali at hussein.me.ke

+254 770 906375
Twitter: @AliHKassim
Skype: Abu-Jomo
LinkedIn: http//ke.linkedin.com/in/alihkassim
Blog: www.alyhussein.com

> On Sep 1, 2015, at 8:23 PM, ngethe.kariuki2007 via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> wrote:
> 
> Walu, 
> Good writing. However, there is need to separate FOI from " Re - use of public sector information " by third parties. FOI emphasis is mainly on information to ordinary citizens so that they can effectively participate in their governance. "Re-use" is more about commercialization of public sector information by third parties as your Google example shows. A policy framework for the latter is also important as it opens doors for new "Information" industries powered by innovatively re-packaging information held by government to meet specific social-economic needs 
> 
> John Kariuki
> 
> 
> Sent from Samsung Mobile
> 
> 
> 
> -------- Original message --------
> From: Edna shiko via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
> Date: 
> To: ngethe.kariuki2007 at yahoo.co.uk 
> Cc: Edna shiko <ednawanjiku at gmail.com> 
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Data revolution in Kenya - briefing 
> 
> 
> walu,
> nice piece there liked this bit more 
> Most government bureaucrats enjoy a false sense of importance when they go through a paper report stamped “Top Secret” or “Highly Confidential”, even when its contents are easily found in yesterday’s tabloids.
> 
> 
> 
> On Tue, Sep 1, 2015 at 2:22 PM, Walubengo J via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke <mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>> wrote:
> @ Waudo
> 
> I did a write up on the above just for you :-)
> 
> Have a read...
> 
> 
> National Data Forum seemed heavy on talk but light on walk <http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/walubengo/-/2274560/2853868/-/y6sbbrz/-/index.html>
>  
>  
>  <http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/walubengo/-/2274560/2853868/-/y6sbbrz/-/index.html>	
>  
>  
>  
>  
>  
> National Data Forum seemed heavy on talk but light on wa...
>  <http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/walubengo/-/2274560/2853868/-/y6sbbrz/-/index.html>Without freedom of information and data protection laws, there will be no data revolution.
> View on www.nation.co.ke <http://www.nation.co.ke/oped/blogs/dot9/walubengo/-/2274560/2853868/-/y6sbbrz/-/index.html>	
> Preview by Yahoo
>  
> 
> walu.
> 
> 
> From: waudo siganga via kictanet <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke <mailto:kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke>>
> To: jwalu at yahoo.com <mailto:jwalu at yahoo.com> 
> Cc: waudo siganga <emailsignet at mailcan.com <mailto:emailsignet at mailcan.com>> 
> Sent: Friday, August 28, 2015 12:56 PM
> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Data revolution in Kenya
> 
> Not heard of this Data Forum Kivuva. It's being held where?
>  
> 
> 
> On Fri, Aug 28, 2015, at 11:59 AM, Mwendwa Kivuva via kictanet wrote:
>> So the Data Forum is happening in Nairobi, with the aim of harnessing the data revolution for sustainable development. Well, the meeting started an hour and more from schedule (They say it’s a Kenyan thing), but luckily, participants had the chance to showcase their social skills and chitchat with their neighbors ... data scientists, policy makers, innovators, entrepreneurs, academicians, media, and all  …
>>  
>> In mid 2011, government institutions were able to release public data through the Kenya  Open Data Initiative with full of executive support. Support from the top, say President. It was the first African government north of the Limpopo to do so. It was a big deal then, it still is. It seems Uhuru’s government is keen to continue with the same, although since coming into power in 2013, they seem to have dropped the ball. From 2011, the next update for data sets available at opendata.go.ke <http://opendata.go.ke/> only came through mid 2015. It’s a big deal still, but for it to remain so; there must be a policy to require the relevant government agencies, and even ICT Authority of Kenya to continuously release data as it becomes available. We should also have proper legislation (freedom of information act, data protection act, Official Secrets Act,) to enable agencies release data in the confines of the law.
>>  
>> The importance of open data is not in doubt. According to Socrata, the American firm dedicated to providing social data discovery services for opening governments; “The impact of data as a utility is real — informing the daily decisions of government employees and citizens in ways that improve quality of life, unleash new economic opportunity, and increase operational excellence in government”.
>>  
>> Well, how are these researchers, policy experts, think tanks (I love the word), innovators, and civil society using the datasets to inform the society on which direction to take as a country? Moving from the fabled UN Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) to Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) as DP William Ruto would put it, how are we using these datasets to realize SDGs? These are the questions the conference seems to address.
>> It’s great to see the Government of Kenya seeks to host the World Data Forum in Kenya in 2016. 
>>  
>> Sincerely,
>> ______________________
>> Mwendwa Kivuva, Nairobi, Kenya
>> 
>> "There are some men who lift the age they inhabit, till all men walk on higher ground in that lifetime." - Maxwell Anderson
>>  
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> The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.
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