05/06/2026
๐ ๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ถ๐ณ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ฎ๐ ๐ป๐ผ๐ ๐ท๐๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฏ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐, ๐ฏ๐๐ ๐ฝ๐น๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐ฑ ๐ฑ๐ถ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐น๐ ๐ถ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐ถ๐ฟ ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ต๐ฎ๐ป๐ด๐ฒ?
Today we convened the ๐ถ๐๐๐ง๐ โ ๐ฃ๐ผ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ถ๐ป ๐ฌ๐ผ๐๐ฟ ๐ฃ๐ฎ๐น๐บ session at the Global Data Festival & Kenya Space Expo and Conference, bringing together government actors, researchers, development partners, civil society, county stakeholders, and grassroots women leaders to explore how inclusive digital public infrastructure can make gender data more accessible, usable, and actionable for decision-making at all levels.
In her opening remarks, Eunice Wanjiru, our Executive Director, emphasized that communities should not remain mere subjects of data but active users of data in shaping decisions that affect their lives and livelihoods. She challenged participants to reflect on a key question:
โ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐บ๐ผ๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐ฒ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐น๐น๐ฒ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฟ๐ฒ๐ฝ๐ผ๐ฟ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐๐ผ ๐ฒ๐ป๐๐๐ฟ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ถ๐ ๐ฑ๐ฟ๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ ๐บ๐ฒ๐ฎ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐ณ๐๐น ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป ๐ณ๐ผ๐ฟ ๐ด๐ฟ๐ฎ๐๐๐ฟ๐ผ๐ผ๐๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐บ๐บ๐๐ป๐ถ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐?โ
The interactive session featured engagement with the iDATA platform, with discussions reinforcing the need for accessible, localized, and actionable data.
Key recommendations included:
โข Local language options for wider accessibility
โข Use of County Statistical Abstracts for granular insights
โข Integration of citizen-generated data
Discussions reaffirmed a shared understanding: data systems must be designed to serve people where they are, not only institutions at the centre. Participants emphasized the need for ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐๐ถ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ, ๐น๐ผ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐น๐ถ๐๐ฒ๐ฑ, ๐ฎ๐ป๐ฑ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐๐ถ๐ผ๐ป๐ฎ๐ฏ๐น๐ฒ ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ that reflects lived realities and strengthens evidence-based decision-making.
Closing the session, Dennis Njungโe, our Programmes Coordinator, posed a critical reflection:
โ๐๐ผ๐ ๐ฑ๐ผ ๐๐ฒ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ป๐๐ฒ ๐ฏ๐๐ถ๐น๐ฑ๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐ฑ๐ฎ๐๐ฎ ๐๐๐๐๐ฒ๐บ๐ ๐๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ฐ๐ผ๐ป๐๐ถ๐ฑ๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ป๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ฑ๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐ ๐ฝ๐ฒ๐ฟ๐๐ผ๐ป ๐๐ต๐ผ ๐๐ฎ๐ป๐๐ ๐๐ผ ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฐ๐ฒ๐๐ ๐๐ต๐ฒ๐บ?โ
He underscored the importance of sustained engagement with diverse stakeholders throughout the evolution of the platform, ensuring that recommendations, feedback, and lived experiences from communities are continuously integrated into design and implementation.
Thank you to all who joined and contributed to this important conversation.
Read more on iDATA- Power in Your Palm here: https://grootskenya.org/events/power-in-your-palm-how-groots-kenya-is-putting-gender-data-directly-in-the-hands-of-grassroots-women/
Kenya Stats
Equal Measures 2030
State Department for Gender
SDGs Kenya Forum
UN Women
Kenya Space Agency
UN SDG Action Campaign
Global Partnership for Sustainable Development Data
Open Data Watch
