Action for Transparency​

What We Do

We empower citizens and government employees to act on corruption experienced in their everyday lives. Using a mobile phone with Internet access, anyone is able to check the amount of government money pledged to each school and health clinic – and the amount actually spent. By exposing which institutions and individuals are involved in corruption and providing the data to journalists and activist groups we hope we can make corruption less attractive.

Our Story

Why? Corruption is an ingrained behaviour – this must be taken into consideration. In order to change this attitude, we need to cooperate with civil society, media, government and the international community. Government should be an active partner from the very start, just as the community. Focus in the community should be on citizen monitoring, using wiki solutions, rather than relying too much on whistle blowing.

Participate

Citizen participation in governance and development processes is based on the constitutional foundation which places sovereign power on the people of Kenya. It is this power that has been delegated to state actors at the national and county levels. This sovereignty must be respected and institutionalised in all processes of governance including in the Education and Health sectors. Public participation is also one of the national values and principles of governance stipulated in article 10 for which we all have a duty to promote and exercise as patriotic citizens.

Background And History

Action for Transparency (A4T) is a pioneering project that fights corruption and mismanagement of government funds by putting the power to change in the hands of citizens.

Using a mobile phone with Internet access, anyone is able to check the amount of government money pledged to each school and health clinic – and the amount actually spent. If you don’t have a smartphone, you can find the same functionality on the website.

The app was launched in May 2014, and has been endorsed by the former Prime Minister of Uganda Amama Mbabazi, the Swedish Ambassador to Uganda Urban Andersson, the Zambian Secretary to the Cabinet, Dr Msiska, to mention a few.

In Uganda and Zambia journalists, human rights activists and civil servants have been trained on government finance and how to use the A4T app to monitor the flow of public funds to primary schools and health centres and report any suspected loss of funds. Community representatives are now bringing the information to the hands of the citizen as part of the public awareness campaign to tackle corruption and misuse of government funds.

In May 2015 the project was launched in Kenya.

Click here to find more information about the Action for Transparency project.

 

Project Partners

Fojo Media Institute is Sweden’s leading development centre for professional journalists, and now forms part of Linnæus University, one of the largest inSweden. Since it was founded in 1972, Fojo has trained thousands of journalists in Sweden, and now manages training programs for the media and civil society in many countries worldwide, including Kenya, Rwanda, Somalia and Zimbabwe

Swedish Development Cooperation helps reduce poverty in the world. Our support contributes to economic and political development in poor countries. This strengthens their democracy and creates conditions for people to lift themselves out of poverty. The objective of Swedish development cooperation is to create opportunities for people living in poverty and under oppression to improve their living conditions. Everyone living in Sweden and paying taxes is contributing to this. The government decides how much money is allocated to development in the annual budget. It has long been about one per cent of Sweden’s GDP. The Swedish state authority for development cooperation, Sida, has the power to decide about a half of the Swedish aid budget and is subject to the Swedish Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

James Kinyua

Project Officer, Public Finance Management

James Kinyua is a dynamic professional with a diverse range of experience and skills on matters economics, governance, public administration and project management. James has over 7 years of professional experience having previously worked with renown institutions within Kenya such as the Ministry of Finance at the County Government of Kirinyaga, the United Nations Human Settlements Programme (UN-Habitat), the National Democratic Institute (NDI) For International Affairs, and the Parliament of Kenya prior to joining Transparency International-Kenya as a Project Officer Public Finance Management (PFM). James has a diverse background, holding a Bachelor of Arts degree, double major in Economics, Political Science and Public Administration; a Post Graduate Diploma in Project Planning and Management; and currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Political Science and Public Administration all from and at the University of Nairobi.

Andrew Letting

Project Assistant, Climate Governance

Andrew Letting is an enthusiastic Environmentalist with a diverse range of experience and skills in Climate Finance, Climate Diplomacy, and Natural Resources Management across both private and public sectors. He currently works as a Project Assistant in Climate Governance at Transparency International Kenya. His past roles include research in Climate Finance and work in Ecological Restoration . Andrew holds a BSc in Natural Resources Management and is a certified Associate Expert in Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA). His passion for Climate Finance, Adaptation, Climate Negotiation, and Environmental Law drives his commitment to fostering sustainable practices and governance in the face of global climate challenges.

Caroline Maina

Monitoring & Evaluation Officer

Caroline is a dynamic PMERLA professional with over 8 years of progressive experience and skills in planning, monitoring, and evaluation, research, reporting, learning, quality assurance and resource mobilisation. Passionate on PMERLA, she has a profound commitment on enhancing program effectiveness and sustainable impact through rigorous data-driven insights for evidence-based decision making. In TI-Kenya, she is responsible for Planning, Monitoring, Evaluation, Research, Reporting, Learning and Adapting (PMERLA) processes and quality assurance ensuring TI-Kenya remains progressive in achieving its Strategic Plan. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Planning from the University or Nairobi, certification in Monitoring and Evaluation from the Amref International University and is currently pursuing her masters in Monitoring and Evaluation from the University of Nairobi.

Brian Ekodere

Project Assistant, ALAC Mombasa

Brian Ekodere is a lawyer with a passion for legal systems, social justice, governance, human rights, and dispute resolution. He holds a Bachelor of Laws (LL.B) from Kenyatta University and a Diploma in International Studies from the University of Nairobi. Brian has extensive experience in legal research, advocacy, and youth empowerment. Brian is dedicated to fostering a just and equitable society by promoting transparency, accountability, and good governance.

Lucky Philomena Mbaye

Project Assistant, Citizen Demand and Oversight

Philomena is a lawyer, currently undertaking the Advocates Training Program at the Kenya School of Law, following her attainment of a Bachelor’s Degree in Law (LL. B) from the University of Nairobi. She is also a Certified Professional Mediator (CPM).

With a keen interest in Human Rights, Policy, Democracy, and Governance, she is deeply invested in promoting equitable legal practices and advocating for social justice. Her professional journey includes valuable experiences from (Coulson Harney LLP) Bowmans Law and ENS Africa, where she developed a solid understanding of legal intricacies and demonstrated proficiency in navigating complex legal landscapes. Beyond her legal pursuits, Philomena actively engages in community service through volunteer work with local CSOs, aiming to extend her impact beyond the legal sphere and contribute meaningfully to societal progress.

Thomas Juma

Project Assistant, North-Rift Region

Thomas is a dynamic professional with a wide range of experience and skills in community mobilization, capacity development in governance, media engagement, networking and partnership development. In his new role, he shall be responsible for offering support to the North Rift Regional Office to ensure successful implementation of the projects and assisting in logistical tasks, data collection and documentation. Thomas holds a diploma in public relations, marketing and advertising from ICS college, diploma in project planning and NGO management from Cambridge universal college and diploma in film and television production from Alphax college.

Emily Atieno

Procurement Officer

Emily is a dynamic professional with a diverse range of experience and skills in asset management, vendor relations, process improvement, event management, procurement process and procedures, admin management, communication and interpersonal skills. In her role, she is responsible for all the procurement processes and procedures towards achieving the TI-Kenya’s strategic plan. Emily holds a Bachelor of Commerce from Africa Nazarene University. She is also a holder of certificate in facilitation skills and Diploma in Business Management.

George Kiondo

Finance and Investments Manager

George is a dynamic professional with a diverse range of experience and skills in financial and project management, couching and mentoring, monitoring and evaluation, financial reporting and procurement amongst others.

In his new role, is responsible for overseeing the work of finance, investments and business development towards achieving the TI-Kenya’s strategic plan.

George holds a Bachelor of Science in International Business Administration from USIU, a Masters of Business Administration from the African Nazarene University, CPA-K and CPS-K qualifications from Strathmore Business School.

Linet Mukhula

Project Officer, Natural Resources and Climate Governance - Land, Extractives and Energy

Linet is a highly dynamic and versatile professional with extensive experience across various domains. She possesses a comprehensive skill set essential for effective project and organizational management. This includes expertise in Program Management and Reporting, ensuring strategic initiatives are designed and implemented to meet objectives with accurate reporting on outcomes. She excels in Coordination and Relationship Management, forging strong connections with stakeholders to drive collaboration and achieve shared goals.

She is responsible for implementing governance projects and working with communities and government with an emphasis on Land, Extractives and Energy towards achieving the TI-Kenya’s strategic plan.

Linet holds a Bachelor of Environmental Studies (Community Development from Kenyatta University with a Diploma in Public Relations Management and Advance Certificate in Business Management from the Kenya Institute of Management. She’s currently pursuing a Master of Arts in Development Studies (Economic Planning)- thesis level at the Management University of Africa.

Anno Annet Andisi

Intern, North-Rift Region

Annet is a dynamic professional with a diverse range of experience and skills in community engagement and advocacy, training, strategy and policy development as well as project management.

She is responsible for offering support to the North Rift Regional Office to ensure the successful implementation of the projects and documenting of legal aid cases for walk-in and call-in clients towards achieving the TI-Kenya’s strategic plan.

Annet holds a Bachelor of Bachelor of Political science and Public administration from Kisii University.

Jane Kingori

Grants Manager, USAID USAWA Program

Jane is a finance and grants specialist with a Master of Science in Organizational Development, Bachelor of Commerce in Finance and CPA (K). She has over 15 years’ of experience in strengthening organizations ‘capacities for sustainable program delivery through integration of best grants and financial management practices and compliance with different donor rules and regulations including USAID, UKAID, DANIDA, GCERF, SIDA and EU among others. She has served as the grants management technical lead at Faith To Action Network and Act Change Transform.