Nandi County has partnered with the Open Institute to establish a Data Desk where Nandi will have Open Data to actualize its commitment to providing access to information for transparency, accountability and responsiveness in Open Governance (OG).
Open Data is one of the Action Plan in Open Government Partnership (OGP) and Nandi County affirmed its commitment to strengthen government openness, efficiency and accountability by joining the OGP in 2020.
The County Data Desk is a platform through which users can obtain relevant and actionable data about the county and also enable the public, private sector and government to access information for decision making free of charge.
Speaking during the signing of agreement, Nandi County Deputy Governor Dr. Yulita Mitei said the signing of the agreement is a milestone in implementation of the Action Plan to achieve Open Governance.
“We have witnessed a momentous occasion in Signing a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Open Institute to working together on a journey, of establishing Nandi County Data Desk to actualize openness in Nandi,” said Dr. Mitei.
She further said that Open Data will form a basis for better budgeting and proper allocation of resources therefore supporting the County Government of Nandi to be more responsible.
According to the Open Institute Executive Director Al Kags the data desk is a useful tool for the citizens of Nandi and even for investors for they will access data that tells them what they need to know about the county.
“If an investor comes to Nandi, they are able to know what kind of resources are available in details and these will help them make informed decisions. More importantly the citizens are the bosses of the government and they should be engaged proactively by accessing open data,” Kags said.
He added that as the organization, they are providing the County with technical support and tools that they need for openness so that citizens can access data easily. They also provide capitation for the team so that they can harness and collect data well, analyse and structure it well for better decision making.
By Benard Tanui
