InfoNET is a technological, innovation and development facility that is committed to expand the democratic space by strengthening collaboration between Government, Private Sector, Civil Society and Citizens in fostering good economic & democratic governance and service delivery through the strategic use of technology.
With the expansion of a robust technology architecture in Africa, InfoNET designs and develops strategies that add value to technological innovation through research, client engagement and feedback.
Here are the main services we expertly offer.
We work with your team to offer the best Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) package that suits your organizational needs.
We strengthen capabilities through capacity building in the use of technology for efficiency and improved responsiveness.
We develop Android and Windows Apps for a richer experience for users.
We grow your organization’s social media presence through content management, social media optimization, and full-service management.
We develop interactive web platforms for service delivery, budget tracking, public engagement, election monitoring and user feedback.
We integrate SMS/USSD applications for better access by a majority that still remains in the margins of internet connectivity.
Latest news from InfoNET Initiatives
InfoNET’s commitment to openness and transparency drives the organisation to work on projects championing causes such as these. With a credible track record of harnessing the use of ICTs to enhance civic participation and monitor elections, we provided the Zambia Elections Information Centre (ZEIC) with technological support and capacity building for their work on and around the 11th August, 2016 election period. The election centre, which is ICT driven was set up to provide relevant, verified and timely information on the election situation around Zambia and is the country’s first ever Election Situation Room (ESR). Having been a part of the project from inception we met with several of partners of ZEIC, namely the Foundation for Democratic Process (FODEP), Southern Africa Centre for Conflict Resolution and Dialogue (SACCORD), Zambia National Women’s Lobby ( ZNWL) and Transparency International Zambia (TIZ) as we helped bring to life the information centre. We set up all the technology platforms for the centre, allowing the flow of information from the citizens to the centre and vice-versa to be seamless, easily accessible and wide reaching. In addition to this, we developed the SMS response systems as well as the Elections Action Response Model that the centre uses to manage and respond to the information that it receives in a systematic manner. The project not only relies on information from citizens but that from selected monitors and data officers on the ground. Our team conducted training sessions for data officers as well as monitors in different parts of the country. The regional monitor training, which was a ‘Trainer of Trainers’ will have a spillover effect targeting 9,000 monitors whom these “new” trainers will go on to train. Similarly trained were up to 156 Media Monitors in the capital city, 255 Women Monitors from the Womens Lobby, Lusaka and 50 TIZ monitors in Zambia. The technical support rendered has helped the centre meet its objectives of being a credible source of information that the Zambian people and various stakeholders can access and rely on through various ICT platforms and as the nation goes about writing its future.
It is important for any government to involve the citizens in projects being undertaken. In governance, Citizen Participation, involves the public evaluating their own needs depending on the problems that they are experiencing and taking part in project planning and budget monitoring. This is important as it improves public resource management and reduces corruption. Citizen participation also makes leaders and political leaders to be answerable to the people they serve. For Citizen Participation to work, transparency of government information is required. Information is power and helps the citizens in making right choices. Inclusion of members into decision-making from groups whose concerns are being addressed is also important. Excluding the weak and powerless from decision making is a cause of poverty because it denies them their rights and creates unequal power relationships. The basis of Citizen Participation ranges from freedom of expression to access of important information. Citizens need to understand their right to participate in governance issues. A lot of civic education has to be carried out revolving around where and how to participate with the concerned authorities ready to embrace the voice of the people. This in turn creates more inclusive and cohesive communities. Engaging citizens in local governance increases accountability and the ability of those in power to increase awareness and also increases the number of quality initiatives made by communities. There needs to be open spaces, aided with technology and social media for dialogue and improving transparency and hidden social structures that always generate corruption. Citizen Participation fosters efficient, effective, transparent, accountable, clean and citizen-centered open governance, administration and services The county governments need to prioritize areas for reform and they should do so in participatory working groups in order to identify problems. Once the problems have been identified, they shoukd propose of ways of addressing in an open manner and then follow with the implementation stage which should be monitored and evaluated. All this should be open to the public. To achieve transparent and efficient governance, it is important that a strategy which includes participatory methodologies and tools to promote an open and participatory government: county assemblies, local consultation processes, participatory action plans, participatory budgets and county consensus-building workshops.
Event: World AIDS Day Soccer Tournament and Medical Camp Where: Mlango Kubwa, Mathare When: 1/12/2017 Time: 7:00am-5:30pm InfoNET is partnering with Joy Divine Children’s organization and other organizations in a bid to foster a healthy community in Kenya. This is being done through hosting an event that aims to indulge street dwellers and street kids with the agenda of liberating and elevating the deprived in the society. The Event, dubbed World AIDS Day Soccer Tournament and Medical Camp will be held on 1/12/2017 starting from 7:00 am to 5:30 pm at Mlango Kubwa in Mathare. InfoNET’s vision is reducing inequalities by improving the universal quality of life of citizens through innovation. In line with this, we are focused on initiating programs that promotes healthy living and therefore encouraging peaceful co-existence. This event is expected to feed more than 300 street dwellers who will also participate in a football tournament and benefit from a comprehensive medical checkup and treatment Activities of the day Soccer tournament: The tournament will comprise of 20 teams with 7 players each. Participants will be of an open age group provided they have the talent. The winners will be awarded as follows: Winner: Trophy, Jersey, ball 1st Runners up: Jersey, Ball 2nd Runners up: Jersey. Medical camp: The medical bit of the camp will cover: HIV/ AIDS testing and counseling TB testing BMI check up Treatment Skin care There will also be various professionals to address the audience within the activities. At intervals, the experts will handle topics on health, drug abuse and peace among others. .
This was a Crisis center setup at the onset of the El Nino Season which is part of the larger EL Nino Southern Oscillation Cycle (ENSO). In the past the phenomenon has led to massive loss of lives and damage to infrastructure, most notably the 1997 rains. This time round through a collaborative effort spearheaded the Office of the Deputy President (Legal and Intergovernmental Liaison Office) and InfoNET, a center was put up to monitor and document weather patterns, casualties and appropriate responses. The activities of the Center were also supported by external partners who include Columbia University, Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), Kenya Red Cross, National Disaster Operations Center (NDOC) amongst others. Weather feeds were monitored in real-time and projections provided which then were made available to the National Disaster Operations Center (NDOC) and appropriate partners. The team methodically scoured a myriad of web-based sources and county disaster operatives on reports on El Nino related incidences. The data sourced was used to maintain an updated registry which contained figures of casualties, displacements, infrastructure damage (roads, schools) amongst others. The various activities conducted by the Situation Room went a long way in providing reliable statistics that was used in mapping out new hotspots and directing response initiatives by the Government and NGO’S.
The essence of data harnessing to meet Sustainable Goals. On a global scale, abject poverty, increase in equality and injustice, and climate change sit at the realm as focal concerns being experienced. To curb this, a Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (GPSDD) was formed and supported by 198 nations who vowed to achieve 7 global goals through a series of short term and long term efforts. These efforts are expected to achieve the global goals within the next fifteen years. Established on September, 2015 the initiative was adopted by governments, civil society, private sector, international organizations, academic, statistical and data communities, and networks who represent all sectors of society, dedicated to achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) by 2030. However, these goals cannot be realized without harnessing credible data to measure the effectiveness and viability of these SDGs. The goals include: No poverty Zero hunger Good health and well-being Quality education Gender equality Clean water and sanitation Affordable and clean energy, Decent work and economic growth Industry-innovation and infrastructure Reduced inequalities Sustainable cities and communities, Responsible production and consumption Take urgent action to combat climate change and its impacts Conservation and sustainable use the oceans, seas and marine resources Sustainable management of forests, combat desertification, and halt and reverse land degradation, and halt biodiversity loss Promotion of peaceful and inclusive societies for sustainable development, provide access to justice for all, and build effective, accountable and inclusive institutions at all levels Strengthening the means of implementation and revitalize the global partnership for sustainable development. The attainment of these goals will require corporation from all fronts through various means. First, keen support of multi-stakeholder data initiatives that link data revolution to the realization of the SDGs is fundamental. Through the global contribution to data sourcing and enrichment, immense information will be made available in respect to development of nations as per the looming crisis, enabling leaders make decisions from an informed and credible standing. Secondly, the initiative will focus on building a capacity to generate, share, and use available data at local levels. This will empower the citizenry of a nation in making informed choices on their preferred leadership and increase awareness on the need to partner in achieving these goals. Considerable contribution to filling data gaps, using original data as well as new data in achieving SDGs needs to be addressed. As these issues affect all nations, contribution in data harnessing will help collate data in order to formulate realistic measures to achieve the goals on a global and local level. Immense assistance is required in developing and supporting international principles tying together the data, including sharing and leveraging the current, privately held data. Organizing local, regional, and global data events to advance increasing connectivity, collaboration, and innovation towards achieving and measuring the SDGs is also encouraged. Kenya is at the forefront in realizing these goals as evident in the recently concluded ENNOVA challenge held on January, 2016. It was hosted by Infonet in collaboration with the Kenya School of Government (KSG), under the National Partnership for Sustainable Development Data (NPSDD). The ideation sought to harness the data revolution to catalyze actions to mitigate development challenges in Kenya such as the El Nino Response. This ties to the 13th SDG, Climate Change. Kenya’s undeterred commitment was again noted during the Data Forum held on 28th and 29th August, 2015. The Forum was very successful in emphasizing the need for the domestication of the data revolution as a key step in accelerating the implementation of Kenya’s national development agenda. By learning and documenting the Kenya case, the Global Partnership could help with replicating Kenya’s National Forum on Sustainable Development Data in other countries.
Following last year’s Open Government Partnership (OGP) Initiative held in Mexico, South Africa was at the forefront chairing the continent’s Regional meeting in Cape Town earlier in May this year. The meeting saw the convergence of more than 500 individuals from Africa who are involved in the government or civil society to debate how open government, and a more transparent and accountable style of governance, can support sustainable development in Africa. In his opening speech, South African Minister for Public Service and Administration N. A. Ramatlhodi revealed that his country had made significant strides in creating platforms for engagement with partners from government and civil society to discover, share and promote sustainable alternatives in improving the lives of the people of South Africa. In line with the OGP principle of enhancing the use of innovation and technology to improve public participation, the country has developed a government information portal that seeks to centralize information for easy access to citizens making them better informed about the service available to them. Through partnerships with various software companies, the Government set up the OGP ‘’Hack-for-Water’’ project which aims to encourage more responsible use of water in industry, agriculture and within communities as well as spur innovative ideas to combat water management problems. Here at home a multi-agency committee submitted our country’s second National Action Plan (NAP) under the Open Government Partnership on June 30, 2016. The plan encompasses eight core commitments namely: Legislative Openness Climate Resilience Anti-corruption Extractive Sector Transparency Beneficial Ownership Access to Information and Records Management Budget Transparency Open Contracting The National Action Plan has adopted dual approach towards their attainment of these commitments. The first is centered upon providing a policy based frame work which will the support new and ongoing innovations geared towards the attainment of the Country’s Developmental goals. The Climate Change Act, 2016 is one such policy that is set to benefit from the accelerated implementation of strategies set to address the adverse effects of climate change. The plan also sets to build new partnerships between the government and corporations in the extractives industry. Unquantifiable amounts of revenue continue to be lost through the failure to reveal prospects and revenue information by players in the sector. In combating corruption, the plan recognizes partnerships especially ones with ties to corporations in the diaspora as one area of concern. It stands steadfast in the development of a register of public contracts which will include the disclosure of the beneficiaries of companies, who are in Kenya and overseas. In contracting, the plan adopts open standards which ensure that they can be reviewed freely by anyone. It is important to note that admission into the OGP was no easy fete. Inclusion required the submission of an action plan developed with public consultation followed by an obligation to independently report on their progress.
The Open Government partnership global summit held in Mexico in 28th October 2015, set the stage for a buildup of inclusive multi-stakeholder enterprises to fast track data revolution in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). In order to achieve this Governments will need to open up previously non-existing or closed channels to allow data flow to be used as a tool in the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). The summit was attended by leading partners in this Data led Revolution namely InfoNET, Paris 21, ODI and CEPEI. Main talking points hovered around multi-stakeholder approaches and regional approaches on the implementation of Data to attain the SDG’S. Broadly the partnership aims to ease the prioritization of goals which are primarily to End extreme poverty. Fight inequality & injustice Fix climate They are encapsulated in the broader 17 Global Goals. In order to achieve these goals there is need to embrace high quality data. One issue highlighted in Paris 21 swas the need producing the “right data, to the right people, at the right time, in the right format”. This means that the process of data creation needs to have a common template for it to work. Small stakeholders who include individuals, Community Based Organizations (CBOs) and many more need to have access to this template. Their participation is key in this chain and goes a long way in influencing policy and helping in the realization of the SDG’s. Governments need to open up and share technologies freely and be open to experimentation on new ones. This includes Multi-national Corporations, Parastatals, tech-companies and other affiliated groups. However this cross-sharing platforms open up the opportunity for Data misuse. Such a grave issue calls for the formulation of appropriate policy and laws to officiate this process. The benefits of the use of quality data are immeasurable and will prove invaluable in the realization of Sustainable Development Goals (SDG’s).
Our Past Projects
The Election Situation Room in Eastern Africa is an initiative that aims to contribute to the credibility and integrity of elections
The Kenya Elections Information Centre (KEIC) is an election strong room which is a complementary to traditional election observation.
InfoNET through Orodha is dedicated to track the actions of the government against its promises.
The objective of Open Contracting is to improve transparency in companies being awarded government contracts and also the provision of adequate evidence to support legal prosecution.
InfoNET hosted 5 GOKInteracts Sessions between December 2014 and October 2015. The sessions which are carried out on twitter and live stream, targeted ministries that provide critical services to citizens on performance and efficiency in service delivery. In attendance were various media editors and bloggers. In 2016, the title of the event was changed to […]
The Government of Kenya, through the Office of the President, the Commission on Administrative Justice and InfoNET Africa have collaborated to create an ecosystem of support towards creating a responsive government and a responsible citizenry, by providing Sauti Yetu portal & applications. Sauti Yetu is developed as a tool to improve the ecosystems of public service delivery. […]
Achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (Global Goals) adopted in September 2015, by the United Nations General Assembly, will require intense mining of data from public, private, and citizen-generated sources. The essence of investing in high-quality data, from an array of sources, is to enable the country scale effectiveness of projects set to meet these goals. […]
InofoNET’s commitment to openness and transparency drives the organization to work on projects championing causes such as these. With a credible track record of harnessing the use of ICT to enhance civic participation and monitor elections, we provided the Zambia Elections Information Centre (ZEIC) with technological support and capacity building for their work on and […]
Our dedicated partners
Keep scrolling for more of what we do…
These are projects that we're currently actively working on. Click on each to learn more.
The KEIC situation room model aims to bring together civil society groups, independent management bodies, development partners for the period of the election, sharing information and resources, observation, monitoring, anticipating problems and responding swiftly when they occur ahead of the general elections in Kenya.
Sauti Yetu is an online portal for real time information sharing on service delivery by county governments.
The Ennova Model seeks to develop a complete cycle ecosystem that identifies the gaps, the strengths, the partnerships, addresses the gaps and builds a sustainable model that is actionable at all levels of the ecosystem.
“When citizens are actively involved in their civic and democratic institutions, their community and their nation are stronger, more just, and more prosperous.”
Alan Solomont
