"A research poster presented as part of the Exploring the Emerging Impacts of Open Data in Developing Countries project at the Research Sharing Event in Berlin, 15th July 2014. For more see http://www.opendataresearch.org/emergingimpacts/"

1. INTRODUCTION
• Article 1 of the Constitution gives the people of Kenya the sovereign power, which in effect emphasizes citizen participation. Articles 34 and 35 lay
out the framework to access information and the means through which that access is possible. Kenya is yet to ratify the Freedom of Information
Bill (FOI)
• This study investigated possible impacts of the Kenyan Government’s open data initiative, and how it is assisting marginalized communities and
groups to access key social services, engage with government, and the ways in which these users utilize open government data.
• Our study revealed that there are four categories of citizens when it comes to the open data landscape in Kenya: Those who neither know about
nor look for government information; those who know that government data exists but don’t use it; those who know about government data and
use it but do not know if the source; and those who know about the government data portal and use it.
• Government information forms an important part of Kenyans life. This is expressed by a variety of interests and preferences people have for
government data.
Investigating the Impact of Kenya’s Open Data Initiative on Marginalised Communities: Case Study of Urban Slums
and Rural Settlements"
Evidence and findings!
• Government information forms an important part of Kenyans life. This is expressed by a
variety of interests and preferences people have for government data.
• Traditional information intermediaries, especially local chiefs, play a key role in access to
government information and services, particularly for communities inhabiting low income
areas.
• The kinds of data needed to support service delivery in Kenya may be different from those
needed in other places in the world. The findings emphasize the need to pay considerable
attention to the local context when designing and implementing open data initiatives, as
these factors are crucial to the success and sustainability of such initiatives.
Conclusions & Recommendations:!
• Our findings suggest that Kenyan citizens do seek and use government information in different domains of their lives and that
more and better government information is fundamental to enhancing effective public participation in the marginalized areas
covered in this study."
• Traditional information sharing systems/institutions are crucial for enhancing the awareness, access and utilization of
government data. However, there is need for building capacities for these traditional information intermediaries. Therefore,
there is need to further study the information economy of the traditional intermediaries particularly in low income settlements
to establish possibilities of optimizing access to open government information. "
"
"
"Citation information:
Chiliswa, Zacharia (2014) Open Government Data for Effective Public Participation - Investigating the Impact of
Kenya’s Open Data Initiative on Marginalised Communities: Case Study of Urban Slums and Rural Settlements.
Jesuit Hakimani Center, Nairobi, Kenya.
www.opendataresearch.org
Zacharia Chiliswa, Jesuit Hakimani Centre, programmes@jesuithakimani.org
Credits
The funding for this work has been provided through the World Wide Web Foundation 'Exploring the Emerging Impacts of
Open Data in Developing Countries' research project, supported by grant 107075 from Canada’s International
Development Research Centre (web.idrc.ca). Find out more at www.opendataresearch.org/emergingimpacts
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OPEN GOVERNMENT DATA FOR EFFECTIVE PUBLIC
PARTICIPATION