Featured posts
Stories of interest
View allAbilityAccountabilityActive CitizensAgenda2063AnnouncementsBuntwaniConversations & CommunitiesData BootcampData DeskData GovernanceData RevolutionDevolutionEventsExtractivesFellowshipGlobal Goals For Local ImpactGlobal PartnershipGrassrootsGuest PostsMilestonesOGPOpen CountyOpen DataOpen Data DayOpen DukaOpen GovernanceOpen InstituteOpen LabOpen Source SolutionsOpen2063Post-2015Press Statements & ReleasesResponsive GovernmentRestore Data RightsSDGSidenyake ProjectsSpotlightTeam WellnessThink PieceTrainingTransparencyUncategorizedYALI
Building a data-driven culture to #MakeNairobiWork
Goal 17 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) explicitly recognizes the importance of data in…
Announcing Maono Space, the dynamic collaboration space for changemakers
We are thrilled to announce the opening of Maono in Malindi, Kilifi County, an innovative…
Announcing Open Chats on Youtube
The Open Institute is excited to announce the launch of our new talk show series…
Driving inclusive decision-making with citizen-generated data
We are proud to work with KNBS as they lead the Technical Working Group on…
Open Institute Appoints New Board of Directors
The Open Institute team is proud to announce the appointment of five exceptional individuals to…
Nandi County Data is now open
Last Friday, Nandi County released the Nandi Data Desk Dashboard, which seeks to showcase the…
The Governors Baraza
The Governors Baraza, a high-level breakfast meeting that brought together Governors, civil society organisations and…
We are ten! Here are our 10 lessons in 10 years
This week, we celebrate ten years since our founders started on a journey towards an…
Global Goals Week 2022 – it’s time to #Act4SDGs differently
Today marks the start of the Global Goals Week 2022, a shared commitment between more…
Congratulations, Senator Crystal Asige
Image Credit Crystal Asige, our Ability Programme’s lead, has officially been gazetted as a Senator…
We’ve officially handed over the Nandi Data Desk!
After the successful launch of the Nandi Data Desk, we were back at it, working…
Reflections on the Data Governance Programme, 2 years on
Two years on, we are reflecting on what our joint data governance programme has achieved.…
#BeLit: Lit Initiative’s work with Malindi’s youth
We’ve been supporting Lit Initiative, an organisation based in Malindi, Kilifi County, in a training…
Sabasi – Data Collection Simplified!
In 2016, we started building a tool that could simplify the data collection process that…
Nandi officially launches the County Data Desk
Nandi County’s Data Desk was officially launched on 5th May 2022 amidst pomp and glamour…
Announcing the Green Fellowship
The Open Institute’s Green Fellowship is given in line with our goal to shed light…
Nandi County signs MOU to establish Data Desk
Yesterday marked a great milestone in our Open County programme as we signed an MOU…
Check your bias! Components of effective citizen engagement
How do biases affect how we interact with others? We explored this question during our…
Piloting Sabasi: Data Collection Made for Africa
We have been developing Sabasi as a free and open-source tool designed to help individuals…
Examining Data Protection Practices In Kenya & Africa: Launching Key Data Reports
The Open Institute and Amnesty continue to lead the push for the championing of Data…
Announcing Jonah’s Miners Report
As we remember our dearly departed colleague, Jonah Mngola, we are excited to publish his…
#LoveMalindi: Malindi Content Creators’ Meet Up
Mwanajuma Hamadi is a shy 24-year-old who lives in Shela, the old town of Malindi.…
Great things happen when we come together
We recently held the second data leaders fellowship programme workshop on 29th September 2021 at…
How Counties Use Their Data: Assessing Data Maturity in 10 Counties
It is no secret that we live in a data-driven world. Everyday, quintillions of data…
The Data Leaders Fellowship Programme is underway
We are very excited that the Data Leaders’ Fellowship Programme is now underway, as 10…
Through the lens of a woman film-maker at OI
I am told, I am the first woman to get inside a gold mine in…
#FichaUchi: Guard your personal data
#FichaUchi is a social media campaign that was aimed at demystifying the Data Protection concept…
Supporting county systems towards openness & accountability: A case of Kilifi County
As an organization, we are passionate about building capacity and supporting county systems, and working…
The Truth About Remote Working
Loise Mboo, Wellness Director at the Open Institute reflects on our experience as a remote…
Open Data and Personal Data Protection – Al Kags on Ole Law Podcast
Our Executive Director, Al Kags, was featured on the Ole Law Podcast where the issues…
Data protection and open government – are these compatible tenets in the Kenyan context?
Open government is an inclusive and participatory approach to governance that allows citizens to be…
WhatsApp’s new Terms & Conditions: What they mean to us
Eight years after it gained popularity in Kenya, WhatsApp is now not only owned by…
The Next Best Time To Restore Data Rights Is Now!
Written by ‘Gbenga Sesan This is a guest blog written by the Executive Director of…
14 Countries, 1 Event: Open Data Day Africa 2021
The Open Institute on the 6th of March convened virtual webinars across various African countries…
Spotlight on Amy Lehman, founder of the Lake Tanganyika Floating Health Clinic
We had a virtual sit down with Dr Amy Lehman, founder of the Lake Tanganyika…
Announcement: Our team is going into lockdown to reduce COVID-19 exposure
The Open Institute has today taken a raft of measures to reduce our team’s exposure…
Supporting contact tracing for COVID in Africa through the Sabasi app
When the COVID-19 pandemic hit our continent, it became apparent that some gaps, particularly the…
My Experience as a Remote Worker
In this blog, Mukanda shares her personal experience with working from home. From time to…
We are now an entirely remote-working organisation
We have closed our office and empowered our team to work efficiently from home. Happy…
What 2020 has taught us
What a year this has been! For many of us, this year has been an…
The data collection and digitization process for Citizen Generated Data in Elgeyo Marakwet
Deep in the heart of the county of champions, in the scenic and partly remote…
Reimagining our future
When we started the Open Institute, we never imagined that it would achieve so much…
The importance of stakeholder engagement to ensure participation and successful project results
When undertaking any project, it is important to note that it will usually involve multiple…
Design considerations for the citizen-driven census in Elgeyo Marakwet County
In our work in citizen-generated data, we have had experiences that have demonstrated that the…
How Do You Break The NEWS? The Lesson No Leader Has Mastered
When I joined the Open Institute, I was clear about my role and excited at…
Unajua Mtu…? Why Kenyan systems are no greater than the sum of their parts
In Kenya, there is a widespread notion that, in order to receive services from a…
Building Partnership with the Open Governance Institute to Promote Good Governance at the County Level
It is no secret that we are passionate about citizen generated data. We believe that…
Launching a movement for transparent, inclusive and accountable data governance: Introducing the #RestoreDataRights Declaration
The #RestoreDataRights movement comprises seven partners across Africa; Paradigm Initiative (Nigeria), Africa Digital Rights Hub…
Rest well, Jonah
In a small team, just like in a family, the loss of one member is…
Meet Loise, our new Director of Team Wellness
We are excited to announce our new Director of Team Wellness, Loise W. Mboo, who…
Farewell, Chief Kariuki
We are sad to lose a champion for community driven development We are terribly sad…
A Restore Data Rights Initiative for Africa
The Restore Data Rights initiative was born out of necessity; we realised that personal digital…
Being corrupt is usually the cheaper option, so what should we do?
Imagine you are driving from one city to another in your country and a policeman…
What are Data Rights, and why should they matter to you?
In the wake of the COVID 19 pandemic, contact tracing – and the swift actions…
Announcing The Decent Work Initiative
SDG 8 aims to “promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment…
Adapt or die: When rivers change course
In August 2020, a story went viral about the Choluteca bridge in Honduras. Legend has…
Announcing Nuru, a community monitoring tool during the COVID-19 pandemic
We are excited to announce Nuru (Kiswahili for light), a tool that is designed to…
Moving Together: Managing Urban Mobility During Covid-19
On 5th May 2020, the Open Institute supported The United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat),…
COVID-19 and it’s Impact on Access to Education.
(Image from Standard Digital) During the early days of the Coronavirus disease outbreak, the Government…
#RestoreDataRights: Data use in the COVID-19 response must be transparent, inclusive and accountable
The declaration of the COVID-19 virus as a public health emergency of international concern on…
Impact of COVID-19 on Kenyans With Disabilities
On 16th April 2020, the Open Institute through the Ability Programme hosted an online Persons…
Announcing Shiriki, an open marketplace for ideas, innovations & initiatives fighting COVID-19.
As part of our efforts to respond to the COVID-19 pandemic, we are excited to…
Restoring Data Rights Post-COVID-19 Crisis – Virtual Meeting
We are excited to have partnered with Data Ready to convene a virtual meeting to…
CensusKe: a new platform for exploring Kenya’s 2019 Census Data
We are excited to release Census.ke, a new platform for all of the census 2019…
Submissions on the Data Protection Civil Registration Regulations (2020) in Kenya
The Ministry of ICT issued an invitation to members of the public to comment on…
Building Trust in Citizen Generated Data – what we have learnt
Today I attended a meeting organized at the Ford Foundation offices by the Global Partnership…
Ending 2019: What we know now
As the year 2019 comes to a close, we are in a reflective state. This…
Al Kags Joins GPSDD Technical Advisory Group
We at the Open Institute, are proud to announce that our Founder, Al Kags, has…
Kenya’s first sub-national Data Desk is a big deal for us.
We at the Open Institute are very excited as just this week we witnessed the…
Kenya’s First County Data Desk Launched
Elgeyo Marakwet County is the first devolved unit in Kenya to establish a Data Desk,…
Celebrating Peter da Costa
We are very sad to learn of the passing of our friend, Peter da Costa.…
Gender Dynamics in Mining: Why women don’t go into mines
In all mining areas, we found that mining work, in general, is gender-segregated – women…
Setting up Data Desks in Counties: Why we care about this.
Since 2013, we have been working together with counties and the World Bank in Kenya…
Gold Rush: Artisan Miners battle with underground water in search of wealth
In the last few weeks, we have travelled to different parts of Kenya to meet…
Participation must be meaningful for successful extractive projects
Public participation should not be just a way of ticking a box Communities in Lamu…
The 15th CAADP Partnership Platform Meeting
The 15th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform Meeting was held on from…
The 15th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform Meeting
The 15th Comprehensive Africa Agriculture Development Programme (CAADP) Partnership Platform Meeting was held on from…
Invisible Citizens: How I was swindled out of my land by a powerful politician
Our Open Extractives team was last week in Lamu County, where communities have been actively…
The Invisibles: Finding the Citizen Voice in the Extractives Sector
Kenya has a vast array of natural resources. From Gold and Gemstones to soapstone and…
New Money: Missed Opportunity?
Money makes the world go round, so the saying goes. It is certainly a measure…
Completion of the Data Desk Training to Elgeyo Marakwet County’s Data Desk Fellows
We have just completed week’s training (6th – 10th May 2019) with Data Fellows who…
Welcoming new team members
All policy decisions are mainly influenced and discussed by government, large Civil Society Organisations and…
Citizen Generated Data vs. Official Statistics
Should Citizen Generated Data be official? If not, does it make it any less essential?…
Training of the Open County Initiative to Elgeyo Marakwet County sector data champions
In the last post on this series, we were commencing activities in Elgeyo Marakwet and…
Help Us Map our City
Imagine this. Imagine for a moment, if our public and private spaces were made more…
Period Zero: A necessity for successful programmes and where we are now
A few years ago, at the Africa Open Data Conference, I spoke about the value…
Ability: We are Back
We are excited to be back after a long silence since we started the Ability…
Finding ways for the invisible to become visible
Working with citizens in Kenya, using data to identify their development needs and priorities, we…
Integrating the Open County Initiative with Participatory Budgeting – a kickstart for Baringo and Elgeyo Marakwet Counties.
Since the implementation of devolution through the 47 county governments commencing 2013, different counties have…
Our Website Reloaded (Again)
Today, we relaunch (again!) our new website. This would be the fourth iteration of our…
Dundori Data Fair: Global Goals for Local Impact
When communities have data, then action is possible – where solutions can be implemented directly…
My experience at the 2nd UN Data Forum
The 2nd UN Data Forum was well attended in the beautiful City of Dubai. The…
Introducing Kobole: know how much you pay in taxes
The Open Institute is happy to release Kobole, an initiative borne out of a collaboration with…
Nakuru Leaders Leverage on Data for Better Agriculture
Agriculture has been recognized as a major economic driver in the African region. Current statistics…
Citizen Generated Data: What we now know
Today, we are excited to release datalocal.info, a web site through which we share our…
Farmers Get Datafied
The farmers in Nakuru North Sub County are set for a new skill that will…
Using Data to Transform lives in Agriculture: The Nakuru North Agriculture Data Fair
Yesterday, working with the administration officials in Nakuru North sub-county, led by the Deputy County…
Guest Blogger: My experiences digitizing community data
My friends and I (about 10 volunteers) have been doing data entry work at the…
UPDATE: Download the Executive Order
Download the Executive Order
Transforming Lives Through Agriculture
One of the locations that The Open Institute had targeted to study and gather evidence…
Embracing Agri Based Ideas
The weather was overcast and dull but like ants that make their way out of…
We welcome Executive Order on Procurement
The Open Institute welcomes the news that President Uhuru Kenyatta yesterday signed an executive order…
We have Rebranded!
Today, marks a new chapter in our lives. We have rebranded. For the past six…
Introducing The Ability Project
Do me a favour: think back to earlier this morning when you were getting yourself…
WE CAN Leave No One Behind
As the world agreed on the Sustainable Development Goals in September 2015 – to end…
Sting like a mosquito
This blog post is inspired by a mosquito that looked like it was on its…
Our 2018 SDG Action Award Experience in Bonn, Germany
The venue of this years’ United Nations SDG Action Campaign – a special initiative of…
We won the 2018 SDG Action Award!
The venue of this years’ United Nations SDG Action Campaign – a special initiative of…
Final Day of Community Leaders Induction: The Bahati Location Experience
Bahati Location, marked the final location of Community Leaders Induction. Since we understand that an…
Community Leaders Induction in Mutukanio Location
We are almost coming to the end of the journey we commenced in the beginning…
Community Leaders Induction
Today, marked the beginning of the final week of Community Leaders Induction at Kirima Location,…
Day 6 – Community Leaders Induction : Githioro Location
Githioro location, is located on the southern slopes of the Dundori hills. The hills are…
Community Leaders Induction: The Mereroni Experience & Lessons
Today we continued with the Community Leaders induction process at Mereroni location, Nakuru North sub-county. …
Community Leaders Induction in Rurii Location
We commenced week two of Community Leaders Induction at Rurii location, Nakuru North sub-county. The…
End of Week 1 Community leaders Induction : Kabatini Location
Today marked the end of week one’s process of the community organisation process in Nakuru…
Day 2: Community Leaders Induction – Thayu location
Day two of our journey towards achieving an organised community for better citizen participation and…
Community Leaders Induction Kicks Off in Kiamaina Location
Today, we started the community organisation process in line with the lessons that we have…
Open Lessons: Organised Communities are an important ingredient for Citizen Engagement
We are happy to release our first Think Piece of the year – Open Lessons: Organised…
Getting back on the job: Global Goals for Local Impact
Happy new year! We hope that this year will be for you (and for us),…
Buntwani as an action point
All over the world, states, organizations as well as individuals have been, and continue to…
The Government should take a stronger leadership role in OGP
Recently, we participated in a national Open Government Partnership forum was held in Nairobi. This…
Guest Post: From Buntwani 2017: Two Areas of Work for the Africa We Want
Muchiri Nyaggah – Executive Director, LDRI and one of the convenors of the Africa Open Data…
Guest post: Musings from Buntwani 2017
Mark Irura, Principal Consultant, Development Gateway When data — particularly government data — is made…
#DataWork: From the Abstract to the reality
The Open Institute is excited to note that the brand new dispensary at Lanet Umoja,…
Announcing the Kaya Community Lab
The team at the Open Institute is pleased to announce the launch of the Kaya…
Success: 4 days, 4 locations Introductory meetings in Nakuru North
In the past week, the Open Institute has completed its first set of four-day marathon…
Bahati: a great start to the scale up marathon.
Following the success we had in Lanet Umoja location, where we worked with Chief Kariuki,…
Focus on people to achieve the global goals – thats what we will do
At the Open Institute, we have grown to believe that the power to fight inequality…
Release: DevolutionHub v2 Beta – One Stop Platform for Devolution Information
The Open Institute is really excited to release the beta version of a new iteration…
The final link in the chain: Citizen participation through data
When we started the Global Goals for Local Impact programme, we had a simple hypothesis:…
New Experiences Expected as we Scale up Global Goals for Local Impact Programme.
Working at the grassroots is so exciting for us. It is there that all the…
Checking in: visiting the experience
Sometimes, our blog posts are so high level that we forget to give the interesting…
Towards an (African-Led) Africa Network
Over the past decade – certainly since 2010 – Africans have made great strides in…
Of women’s unpaid work and the SDGs – a village discussion
One thing that always, always strikes me when I go for community meetings in places…
Data for data’s sake… is good.
Today was a public holiday in Kenya as muslims celebrate Idd-ul-Adha, the festival that commemorates…
The long road to citizen power
Very frequently, and more so lately, our team gets up very early in the morning…
LEAVE NO ONE BEHIND: Gender Data – Women and Girls Matter
Recently, part of the Open Institute team attended the SDG 5 forum in Nairobi that…
Making Transparency Matter: What Citizens Care About
At the Open Institute, we have centered much of our work around transparency – making…
Global Goals for Local Impact: Lanet Umoja Community Leaders’ Meeting
We are coming to the end of our pilot exercise for the Global Goals for…
The Devolution Twitter Chat Storify by The Open Institute and The World Bank
We are grateful to everyone who participated in the #Devolution Twitter chat at the World…
Announcing the Devolution Tweetchat hosted by Open Institute & World Bank
The Devolution Tweetchat 7 June 2016, 1pm – 3pm #WBGOpenDay #Devolution The World Bank Kenya…
Global Goals for Local Impact: Chiefs’ Update
Yesterday we met the administration leadership of the whole division, where Lanet Umoja is. As…
Developing the right tools for citizen participation
It’s always an exciting moment when an idea is formulated and the time to engage…
THE KENYA BUDGET CALENDAR
The International Budget Partnership (IBP) Kenya shared with the public the updated version of Kenya’s…
BUNTWANI ROUNDTABLE: DEVOLUTION & THE DATA REVOLUTION IN KENYA
A Roundtable Conversation, suppported by UNICEF Kenya, on the State of Devolution and the Data…
Global Goals for Local Impact – Buntwani Locally Day 2
There is always something exciting about carrying out a pilot exercise. It’s results show you…
Global Goals for Local Impact: Buntwani Locally in Lanet Umoja (Day 1)
The first day of the #Buntwani Locally in Lanet Umoja Location flew by with much…
Release: Global Goals for Local Impact – OI Position on SDGs
The Open Institute is happy to release our thinking on the achievement of the Global…
BUNTWANI LOCALLY: GLOBAL GOALS FOR LOCAL IMPACT
The Open Institute have organised a Buntwani-locally event to take place in Lanet Umoja in…
Announcing SDG Tracker – Keeping tabs on the Global Goals
The Open Institute team is proud to release the alpha version of SDG Tracker –…
4 points to consider when designing an Open Data programme
This is truly unchartered for me since I have never written a blog before –…
Let’s do hype-free development – we can!
I had the privilege to give a keynote speech at the Africa Open Data Conference in…
What if we knew the cost of Panadol in all East African hospitals?
This is a guest post from Dr. Bitange Ndemo More by this Author I spent…
From the Africa Open Data Conference: Let’s go back to the basics
The Africa Open Data Conference is underway in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. I had the…
Africa Open Data Conference Session – “Role of Local Data in the data revolution”
The Open Institute in conjunction with the PEPFAR-MCC Partnership is organising a session at the…
National Data Conference a demonstration of Kenya’s commitment to the data revolution
Over the last two days, the Kenyan Deputy President, HE William S. Ruto presided over…
Buntwani 2015 was a huge Success!
The Open Institute, Techsoup Global and Making All Voices Count successfully organized the second Buntwani…
A new approach to measuring the impact of open data
This original blog was posted by Julia Keseru Strong evidence on the long-term impact of…
Can Co-Working on a Deadline Create Better Public Policy?
Four cities across the world are preparing to launch the “GovCombinator.” Jean-Louis Sarbib (left), Dennis…
Introducing the Badili Initiative
We are happy to unveil Badili (Swahili for Change), which is an on-line resource to share stories and…
Follow the Money: How to design a financial transparency and role-playing game
The following post is by Beatrice Martini, capacity builder and event curator, and a co-facilitator…
Moving on and up: Muchiri Nyaggah transition from OI executive
The Open Institute is today announcing the transition of Muchiri Nyaggah who has been serving as…
Open Duka wins Oscars
We are so excited to find out that Open Duka has won the Honesty Oscars…
And the Honesty Oscars go to….
Every day in the week leading up to the Academy Awards, February 17th to 21st,…
Open Data Day 2015
Open Data Day is back After a very successful Open Data Day 2014, Kenya is…
Launching Open Data Day Coalition Micro-Grant Scheme
OPEN DATA DAY 2015 is coming and a coalition of partners have come together to…
Players or Spectators – 6 Observations of CSO participation in OGP
Our founder, Al Kags is happy to publish Players or Spectators – Observations on CSO…
Come join us at the Open Duka Hackathon in Mombasa!
Open Institute and M-Power would like to jointly invite developers out there to the Open…
Give Your Input to Kenya’s Draft OGP Action Plan
Kenya is one of the 65 participating countries of the Open Government Partnership (OGP), a multilateral initiative…
Buntwani 2014 ends on a high note!
The just concluded Buntwani 2014 Conference which brought together stakeholders in citizen engagement was a…
Speech by Ms. Anne Waiguru, OGW, Cabinet Secretary, Ministry of Devolution and Planning, During the Buntwani Conference
SPEECH BY MS. ANNE WAIGURU, OGW, CABINET SECRETARY, MINISTRY OF DEVOLUTION AND PLANNING, DURING THE…
Buntwani 2014
The Open Institute & TechSoup Globalpartnered to organise the Buntwani 2014 conference that was held…
Where are the citizens in Devolution?
Yesterday at the World Bank in Washington DC, I had the pleasure to spend lunch…
How sustainable is OGP?
Having been involved in promoting the Open Government Partnership over the past couple of years in Africa,…
Data for Accountability Workshop
Open Institute, in collaboration with FEMNET, is holding a two-day workshop on August 20th &…
Research Study: Journey to Consensus
The African continent through the African Union’s Common African Position (CAP) on Post 2015 Development…
Engaging Civil Society in Turkana County on Open Data
This week, our team went to Lodwar, Turkana County in Nothern Kenya, to conduct a…
#OKFest14 – Open Government Data Around the World in Two Minutes
In March last year Kenyans took to the polls and elected a new government. With…
Open Institute at #OKFest2014
Anne Muigai (OI Knowledge Lead) and Simeon Oriko (OI Community Lead) are in Berlin for…
Why We Need An African Partnership for Development Data
Earlier this year, I published my thoughts on the general direction in which a partnership for…
Post-2015 Has Provided Us All With A “Big Tent”
In their paper The Benefits of a Big Tent: Opening Up Government in Developing Countries,…
Essential Question: Can Open Government Really Change the World?
This is cross-posted from Al Kags’ personal blog, alkags.me. I have just started the six-week…
The Data Revolution in Policy-Making
“To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary…
Buntwani 2014: Using Technology to Close the Gap between Citizen Voices and State Responsiveness
At the foundation of strengthening good governance and better service delivery in Kenya lies the…
Data Visualization Training at TISA
On 29th May 2014, we conducted a Data Visualization training at The Institute for Social…
BUNTWANI 2014 - “The Potential of ICT in Strengthening Citizen Engagement and Participation”
Buntwani aims to be a conversation starter and facilitator among various stakeholders actively involved and/or…
A look back at Kenya’s open data jouney
This past week I had the privilege of attending and participating in the International Conference for…
The great thing about fellowship programmes
At Open Institute we are thrilled that our very own Al Kags has been selected…
What’s the problem with education in Kenya?
In November last year, as the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exams were being held,…
The Link Between Devolution in Kenya and Open Governance
It has been just over a year since Kenya formed a decentralised form of government,…
Devolution Conference 2014
The Council of Governors (CoG) hosted to a two-day inaugural Devolution Conference held on 3rd…
Open Duka
December 2013 – April 2014 When we left the incubation by AMI, our first project…
Open Duka and the Transformative Power of Open and Visualized Data
GUEST BLOGGER: MICHAEL MURUNGI, CEO, KENYA LAW Leafing through a print edition of the Kenya…
Post-2015 and the Data Revolution.
I recently had the honour of participating in the Dialogue on Data for accountability within…
The Open Data Delusion
The open data movement has grown exponentially in a relatively short period of time. Many…
Open Duka, Tech for Transparency, and Learning Kung-Fu
This is a cross-post from Global Integrity Submitted by Nathaniel Heller on 21 February ,…
Summary of Open Data Day Kenya
High energy, high engagement and many ideas characterised this year’s edition of Open Data Day…
Gauging the needs and challenges of the global open data community
This is a cross-post by Julia Keserü from the Sunlight Foundation, taken from the Global Open Data Initiative blog.…
Gearing up for Open Data Day Kenya
The International Open Data Day is a gathering of citizens in cities around the world…
Making transparency real: Why Open Duka is important
Recently in the Kenyan press, it emerged that there was ambiguity as to the company…
Open Institute Launches the Open Duka Platform
The Open Institute is pleased to announce the launch of the Open Duka platform. Open Duka…
Meeting IMF Managing Director, Christine Lagarde
THIS WEEK I MEET MS. CHRISTINE LAGARDE, MD, IMF. This week, the 11th Managing Director…
CSO position paper on AU2063: Please contribute
The Africa Freedom of Information Centre, AFIC has been invited to attend African Union consultation…
Connecting Widely at the Open Government Partnership Summit in London
Two weeks ago London was host to the Open Government Partnership Summit in which government…
The Global Open Data Initiative Needs Your Input
This is a cross-post by Julia Keserü from the Sunlight Foundation, taken from both the…
Releasing #KCPEtrends
This past week, as primary school pupils in Kenya started their Kenya Certificate of Primary…
When it comes to aid transparency, there’s something more important than data
This is a Post written by Jennifer Lentfer for OXFAM America Tech geek proclaims the unthinkable!…
Defining Grassroots – Google Hangout Summary
Over the last month or two, we’ve made a strategic decision to dedicate a huge…
Defining Grassroots Google Hangout – Thursday, 7 November at 4pm (EAT)
As we bridge gaps between open data ecosystems, we continually ask ourselves what impact our…
Announcing the Global Open Data Initative’s declaration on open data
The Global Open Data Initiative partners are excited today to share a draft Declaration on Open Data, and…
Why Kenya’s open data portal is failing — and why it can still succeed
This is a cross post from Greg Brown Kenya’s open data portal is floundering. Despite…
Code4Kenya
When we started out in 2011, we were incubated by the Africa Media Initiative to…
The Missing Link in Kenya’s Open Data Story
Authored by Nick Hargreaves and cross posted from his blog. It’s slightly over two years…
Africa Shares Technical expertise with Nepal
African Data Journalists and Code for Africa Hacktavists this week traveled to Nepal to be…
Ghana and Malawi Data Bootcamp
Since 2012, the Open Institute, in partnership with the World Bank Institute, Africa Media Initiative…
APRM, OGP, What’s The Plan?
In May 2013, delegates convened in Mombasa for the first OGP Africa Regional Meeting; a…
Do Rural Folk Know About Open Data?
I have spent the last couple of days in Wote, Makueni County with Sam Lee…
Announcing the Global Open Data Initiative
The Open Institute is excited to announce the Global Open Data Initiative, which it is…
From Feedback to Action: 5 Principles for Sustainable Citizen Engagement.
There’s a basic premise held by many in the citizen agency space. Empower citizens with…
AfricanSpending – Monitoring The Money in Africa
The Open Knowledge Foundation, in partnership with the Open Institute in Kenya and the African…
Lessons from KODI: Completing the Job
Perhaps to answer the question we should start by reviewing what we hoped to…
Code4Kenya Launch
Below the speech delivered by Jay Bhalla, Executive Director of The Open Institute Trust, during…
GotToVote! A way to bring Open Data to the ground
The Open Institute is really proud to have helped birth an exciting new viral web…
Open Africa Summit – Beyond the Hype
This weekend, leading lights in the global Open Data scene will attend the Open Africa…
Thoughts from NDI Conference: Open Data & Elections
This past week I was invited by the National Democratic Institute team in Kenya to speak at…
The Power of Open: my reflections
I said yesterday that, I am likely to have more to say as part of the discussion started…
Welcome to the Open Institute Website
It’s a great pleasure to welcome you to the Open Institute Website. The Open Institute…