Business
Kenya frees govt data on the internet
With the open data portal, constituents will track monies assigned on projects and point out discrepancies between expenditure reports and reality at the grassroot.
Dr Ndemo said the Ministry of Information and Communications will give grants to support the development of innovative high-impact web and mobile applications to ensure useful and relevant applications are built.
Through the Kenya ICT Board, the Ministry will make a Call for Proposals for ideas on how to use government data.
The Call for Proposals is open from July 8 – August 8; the best proposals will receive $50,000 each (for companies) and $10,000 (for teams and individuals). At least 30 grants will be awarded in 2011.
The portal is managed by the Kenya ICT Board in partnership with the World Bank and Socrata, a US-based developer and provider of Open Data Services, that enable federal, state, and local governments to improve the reach, usability and social utility of their public information assets.
Local input
Private web and content developers also played part in setting up the portal.
Media Council of Kenya Chairman Levi Obonyo said the government’s move portends well for Kenya in general but will particularly boost the work of the media industry.
“It means that journalists will be able to access a lot of information that they need for their work easily unlike previously. Since media plays the watchdog role this is very facilitative in that function and I think most journalists will or should welcome this launch,” said Mr Obonyo.
Mr Obonyo said the new constitution provides for expanded freedom to information access but much needs to be done to ensure the Freedom of Information Bill (FOI), which is in the pipeline, becomes law.
“With the new constitution there is obviously a greater opening and emerging forthrightness in providing information. But this culture is not yet entrenched,” said Mr Obonyo.
Mr Obonyo said certain sectors of the civil service are yet to fully embrace the spirit of openness.
“…We should not look only at the civil service. Withholding information takes place both in the public and private sector and both sectors need as much openness as this is is good for the society,” he said.
Freedom Of Information (FOI) bill
However, Dr Ndemo said the FOI bill is currently at the cabinet level before it goes to Parliament for debate.
According to Michael Murungi, an ICT legal expert, the new constitution obliges government and Parliament to ensure free flow of information and the FOI will outline the processes to be followed to achieve the objective.
“Democracy dies behind closed doors. This historic event marks the end of a siri kali (top secret) era constructed on a colonial relic that founded, facilitated and perpetuated a hitherto information access caste society,” argues Alex Gakuru, Kenya ICT Consumers Association chairman.
Mr Gakuru says top echelons in the government thrived on concealing information secretly for personal gains making the public lose faith in political leaders and public institutions.
“The power class had sanitised corruption as ‘standard operating procedure’ ridiculed and punished honest officials who acted in public interest … one may be excused for reading this government openness ceremony as a major step in reclaiming our long lost national values direction with far reaching social transformation implications,” said Mr Gakuru.
Echoing Mr Obonyo’s sentiments, Mr Gakuru said journalists’ agenda-setting stories will be based on solid official data and information translating to improved media professionalism and reduced speculative reporting due to insufficient information.
