The Action for Transparency (A4T) project team held a meeting with education stakeholders to discuss the scale up of the project to the remaining 8 sub-counties with a target of about 52 public primary schools. The session took place on 28th June 2017 at the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.
The A4T project has been implemented in Embakasi sub-county with a focus on 20 public primary schools and 8 health facilities. This lays a foundation for successful scale up of the project to the remaining 8 sub-counties targeting 52 additional schools to enhanced avenues for reporting misuse of public resources using ICT tools.
Participants at the meeting included the project partners from TI-Kenya and Pawa 254, a representative from the Nairobi County Education Office, 4 sub-county officials from Starehe, Embakasi, Lang’ata, and Kasarani sub counties; and 17 head teachers from across the county. The participants identified were important for the scale up of the project to the additional 8 sub-counties of Starehe, Kamukunji, Kasarani, Makadara, Njiru, Dagoretti, Langata and Westlands.
At the meeting, head teachers and sub-county officials from the additional schools and the 8 sub-counties were formally introduced to the A4T Project.
Ms Sheila Masinde, the Head of Programme at TI-Kenya thanked the County Education Office for supporting the project. She informed participants that policy level engagements with national and county education officials resulted in a request for scale up of the project to the entire Nairobi County. As a result, 52 public primary schools from the additional 8 sub-counties were selected to be part of the project. Ms. Masinde urged head teachers of the public primary schools in the target areas to actively engage in the A4T project and help in its implementation to enhance transparency and accountability in the use of public resources.
Participants were introduced to the A4T Project by Titus Gitonga, the project coordinator for the A4T project from TI-Kenya. He noted that the A4T project aims at empowering the public to monitor use of public resources at public primary schools and health centers in Nairobi County. He noted that the A4T project makes use of a set of secure tools to achieve this objective. The tools are the Public Expenditure Tracking Survey; Social audits and ICT platforms – they include web-based and mobile platforms used to disseminate information collected from the PETS and social audit exercises.
Participants applauded TI-Kenya and the A4T project partners for their work in trying to ensure that there is transparent and accountable use of resources at the schools. They noted that the project was useful in developing the skills of head teachers and boards of management in developing budgets and monitoring the use of resources allocated to their institutions.
A4T ICT platforms
- The A4T mobile – The App currently has up to date information for 2016 for 20 public primary schools with information for 2015 for eight health centers in the target area of Embakasi Sub-County. The A4T mobile App also provides users with the possibility of making reports on the App for any discrepancies or issues relating to the mismanagement of funds at the institutions on the App or making general reports on corruption. The mobile App is now available on Play Store and Apple Store. Available for Android and IOS.
- The Action for Transparency Website - with updated information on the A4T project as well as data analysis of information from the Public Expenditure Tracking Survey carried out in 2016 and 2017. The Website also has a display of reports and gives up to date information on upcoming activities under the A4T project;
- The A4T Knowledge Base – with important information relating to the education and health sectors as well as providing a platform for discussion forums.
- The A4T Social Media platforms are active and are used to interact with member of the public on the project as well as activate discussions on accountability for the education and health sectors; – Flickr , Twitter, Facebook , and Medium ;
- Flash survey system – Development of the Flash Survey System commenced in March 2017 with an initial implementation design on the development work going on. The Flash Survey is meant to reach out to member of the public who do not have access to smartphones and internet by taking part in the A4T project through accessing information and taking part in surveys generated by the A4T team.
