Map Kibera has been working for the past two years with some of Kenya’s county governments to create maps of their primary features and funded projects. After implementing a Participatory Budgeting process, these counties realized that without good maps it was difficult for people to not only allocate resources, but to work with citizens to identify needs and prioritize funds. Map Kibera has been assisting counties to map key features and projects in OSM by working with youth from the local communities. The maps not only serve to connect citizens to the budgeting process and hold county government accountable for the funded projects, but, they have also become central to county functions in all areas. This talk will share all about the process used and outcomes.
Map Kibera has been helping communities map out their local projects by collecting data and creating digital maps that they can use for planning and decision making. The Participatory Budget Mapping project was conducted in 3 counties in Kenya: West Pokot, Baringo and Makueni. These counties had already been part of an annual process of participatory budgeting, with locals weighing in on how budgets should be spent in their counties.
In early 2018, Map Kibera along with partner GroundTruth Initiative began working with the World Bank in Kenya to initiate Community Participatory Mapping, by training the local citizens on how to map their county-funded projects using OpenStreetMap, Open Data Kit, and Kobo Toolbox. The project also enabled citizens to track the progress and quality of those projects, allowing them to hold the government accountable for delivering what had been promised during the budgeting sessions. The results of the mapping are displayed on a dedicated website and printed maps for budgeting sessions, which often take place in rural villages.
The project has been able to:
1. Visualize existing and/or new government-funded (county and national level) development projects which will enable the counties to know which projects have been completed, which are in progress and the projects that are pending.
2. Perform a needs assessment analysis through the Participatory Budget meetings where the counties engage the citizens and together determine the distributions of the projects.
3. Assist citizens to monitor progress of projects and hold the government accountable for delivering on its promises.
4. Transfer knowledge of mapping in OSM to county government representatives directly, in offices of M&E, GIS, ICT, and Budgeting.
Using OpenStreetMap and sharing the data with the counties is a huge milestone for Map Kibera as this will encourage more institutions and people using OpenStreetMap within both communities and county government. This session will share the process and tools being used in the project and early outcomes.