By Winnie Kamau
Elgeyo Marakwet County recently became the first County in Kenya to launch a data desk and portal for County statistics.
H.E Governor Alex Tolgos led World Bank and Open Institute officials in presiding over the launch at a ceremony held at the County headquarters.
Under the initiative, County-specific data in all sectors is uploaded to the website and updated regularly for use by the public, government officials and non-state actors to make informed decisions on development interventions in the County.
This is part of efforts by the County to enhance transparency and accountability in its operations. “With this data, all of us can now make informed decisions based on accurate data. This will also enable us make optimum use of County resources unlike in the past when we did not have real-time data,” said Governor Tolgos.
The County data desk which is comprised of technical staff from the departments will be charged with the responsibility of updating data including household-based information to inform current and future implementation of development projects and programmes.
Open Institute, with support from the World Bank-financed the initiative and trained County staff for six months as part of its Open County Programme. A representative of World Bank and a Senior Specialist, Philip Jaspersen, lauded the partnership between Open Institute and the County saying it was a trailblazer for other counties in Kenya to emulate.
“On this initiative, you are the leaders and I hope other counties will follow your good example and learn from you as regards open governance,” he said.
Open Institute’s CEO Al Kags hailed the commitment to open governance by the County led by the Governor saying it was rare in public service.
“We have not seen this kind of commitment and dedication to ensure that accountability and transparency are placed at the core of public service and it is commendable,” he said.
The function was attended by other invited guests including County Assembly Speaker Philemon Sabulei, MCAs, members of the public, NGOs and CSOs.
