Data is a critical factor in policy formulation and planning. In Kenya, data for planning is periodically and traditionally sourced from censuses, surveys and administrative generation and coordinated by the National Statistics Office. This has to some extent given a narrow approach to planning for the needs of citizens. CSOs on the other hand has been working with citizens and periodically collect information that could inform policy processes.

Policy gaps triggered by missing information has since activated discussion to tap into the Kenyan data ecosystem and harness citizen-generated data to fill the gaps and be used for official reporting. The National Statistics Office with CSOs led by SDGs Kenya Forum (Coalition for Sustainable Development) Coined a Quality Criteria for Citizen-Generated Data (CGD) which has been embedded in the Quality Assuarance framework. Currently Kenya led by NSO is implementing the Kenya Statistical Quality Assurance Framework (KeSQAF), which is a tool for assuring the quality of data produced in the National Statistical System (NSS) and beyond. The framework, which was launched in May 2022 also outlines the criteria for validating Citizen-Generated Data (CGD) to fill data gaps in official reporting where official sources are not available.

This is, particularly, for reporting on Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) indicators but can also be applied to fill data gaps at the subnational level. The criteria have already been applied to several data sets and one of the datasets and the report on “Are Our Children Learning? The Status of Remote-learning among School-going Children in Kenya during the Covid-19 Crisis, Nairobi” Usawa Agenda is being used for reporting on SDG GOAL 4, “Ensure inclusive and equitable quality education and promote lifelong learning opportunities for all”, where official data is not available.

This session will bring together CGD actors (state and non-state) in Kenya to showcase the Citizen-Generated Data journey and how the process of reusing CGD has not been a smooth pathway always marred by trust issues, expertise, and collaborations to ensure it is launched. Likewise, the process of operationalizing/institutionalizing CGD is critical to ensure its sustainability as such the Forum and other actors are expanding the interest base to avail resources and the required expertise. CGD initiatives may hit a wall of inertia unless aspects of deliberate mainstreaming into government processes can be reconciled with those institutionalized values and norms that prevail at all levels of government (National, sub-national, and local).