Post2015

The Data Revolution in Policy Making

“To take part in the African revolution it is not enough to write a revolutionary song; you…

Citizen Engagement, Open Government, Post2015

The Boring Necessities of the Data Revolution

Let’s not kid ourselves. Although many of us are still trying to figure out what the data…

Uncategorized

Don’t be a Crocodile in the Ocean

Sometimes we just don’t have the sense to stay in our lanes. Literally and often metaphorically. It’s…

Citizen Engagement, Open Government, Social Accountability

Designing Sustainable Citizen Engagement Initiatives

Recently I lost a relative in what seemed to be a case of profit-first-service-later after he was…

Post2015

Post-2015 and the Data Revolution

I recently had the honour of participating in the Dialogue on Data for accountability within the post-2015…

Citizen Engagement, Open Government, Social Accountability

Build it and the government will come: The problem with Civic Tech.

Those of us who have been involved in open data and the broader open government space may…

Social Accountability

Open Data. Cui Bono.

Bandying latin phrases around maybe a sign I have had too much coffee to drink. Nevertheless, I…

Uncategorized

Kenyan Politics: Playing in the Dark

There’s a game I play with my kids. I turn off the lights, shut the door and…

Citizen Engagement, open

Fragmentation Isn’t Helping Civil Society

There’s the open data crowd with their glitzy visualisations and apps. Then there’s the Freedom of Information…

Citizen Engagement, ICT4D, Peer Review Mechanisms, Social Accountability

We Need Politicians for Social Accountability Mechanisms to Function

Peer reviews have been in existence for a very long time. The field of science has long…