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{
    "id": 697900,
    "url": "https://info.mzalendo.com/api/v0.1/hansard/entries/697900/?format=api",
    "text_counter": 311,
    "type": "other",
    "speaker_name": "",
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    "speaker": null,
    "content": "Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, the reason why the OGP has become very key is to address the issue of corruption and inequality. This is because when that data is made open, it is very possible to see that. Sometime back, I raised the same issue here in the House about the position of Kenya and the action plan that Kenya was meant to have come up with systematically to address this issue of corruption. Unfortunately, the level of openness yet for Kenya has not reached the level where we can actually have access to this data. There are certain provisions in the Constitution where civil society individuals can ask for specific information. However, for those who do not have issues and have not engaged a particular discourse, it becomes a wasted resource because they do not know where to look for it. So, you find that those who ask specific questions will ask for specific data like the petitions that come to this House. These people addressing specific petitions understand as they have been following what is going through. This OGP encourages the putting out of data even before that request is made. For example, countries that were represented like Norway and Sweden through presentations were able to clearly show the direction and connection in terms of corruption because these are systems that are scrutinised and at the press of a button all the information comes up. It would make be very difficult for any sort of corruption to happen, be it across issues of land, education or service provision. This is what this summit was about. The more open governments are, the less corruption there will be and this becomes a way of addressing inequality. So, it becomes an anti-corruption measure and a realisation where the member states of OGP make specific commitments to ensure that they are able to do that. There is high level of political, administrative or financial backing that comes from the various countries. All these countries will be in a database that will help in keeping up with the systems and valuation that is reviewed over and over again. The Open Government Partnership (OGP) also has a steering committee that has various representatives and standards for good government presentation, rules and guides. This ensures conflict of interest is avoided. It also enables member counties to follow what is meant to happen and encourage participation from the civil society. Protocol is also involved. Various sanctions are put in place to ensure that these particular rules are taken into consideration over time. There is also a high level of demand that is put into place to ensure citizen participation through process, consulting, evaluation and direct feedback that comes from the member states. Lastly, it ensures that the member states are able to make their commitments in a shared space, so that they hold each other accountable for what happens within the systems. Mr. Temporary Speaker, Sir, I came back from this summit with a hope, renewed energy and a feeling that if the rest of the world has reached there, then this is definitely a place that Kenya should go. In Kenya the commitment for us to go into open government partnerships in terms of participation and entrenchment does not seem to be there. We are one of the 66 countries that already have membership in the OGP, but we have not validated performance and processes. Therefore, as we move forward, we need to think about the level of expertise, technology aspect, empowering technological reviews that need to be done and empowering people through Information Communication The electronic version of the Senate Hansard Report is for information purposes only. A certified version of this Report can be obtained from the Hansard Editor, Senate"
}