In my public speaking engagements over
the past three weeks, the emerging issue of Big Data featured in eight
of the ten speeches I gave.
There is consensus that we need evidence-based policy making and nowhere is that more important than at sub-national level.
Even
counties need to devolve data to sub-country level and not just deal
with inequalities but also advance the most appropriate discourse.
Let
me highlight a few examples to show why it is necessary that we focus
our data collection and use efforts at sub-national level.
In
a 2015 International Monetary Fund World Economic Outlook report,
Luxembourg was featured as the richest country in world on exchange rate
basis.
The GDP (nominal) per capita of Luxembourg was
estimated at $111,716 in 2014. The world average per capita income
stood at $10,880, thus making Luxembourg’s per capita income 10.27 times
greater.
GDP (Nominal) per capita of Luxembourg increased by $1,410 in 2014 and that is $200 more than the per capita income of Kenya.
Such
comparisons help to highlight global income disparities. Without
breaking down these data by country, it could be assumed that there is
no poverty yet there are more than 600 million people living below $2
per day.
Similarly, developing countries, when they rely on national per capita income, fail to see disparities at sub-national level.
There
is reason to foster greater inclusivity if there is visibility at
sub-national data within the country, otherwise we may never understand
the significance of data to correct existing inequalities.
Let
me now turn to another case that directly impacts Kenya’s devolved
system and was highlighted in the recent Kenya Institute for Public
Policy Research and Analysis (Kippra) report.
Kippra
and the World Health Organisation (WHO) 2015 report estimate life
expectancy in Kenya at 63 years. Kenyans in Bomet County on average
enjoy three more years than the average Kenya.
The
county has the highest life expectancy in Kenya at 66 years. There is
disparity also between men (61 years) and women (66 years).
What
is startling is the disparity between Bomet and its neighbouring
counties. Kenyans within the Lake Victoria region counties of Kisumu,
Homa Bay, and Siaya have fewer people living below the poverty line when
compared to other counties.
Yet their life
expectancy of 40 years is significantly below neighbouring Bomet. Even
though we know that these counties have different risk factors, it is my
considered view that such significant disparities should be part of
national political, social and economic discourse.
Instead,
the matter is buried in data. The point I am trying to make is that
data is telling us that national averages are deceptive and if we want
greater impact at county and sub-county levels, data must be devolved
and used for evidence based policy making. This is not happening
currently.
Analyses of different data sets, from
fiscal management to hiring practices, reveal the serious lack of
capacity to respond to the glaring problems at county level.
Even
though the Constitution created institutions like the Commission on
Revenue Allocation (recommends equitable distribution of national
resources) and Office of Controller of Budget (oversees implementation
of the budgets of the National and County Governments by authorising
withdrawal from public funds) their mandate as has been demonstrated
over the last four years does not impact the management of counties in
any meaningful way.
In my opinion, we need a more
interventionist national government acting the way the Bretton Woods
institutions do to developing countries. There is urgent need to develop
various capacities but, more important, that of data analytics, and use
the same to inform policy at sub-national level.
At
the moment, we are virtually using voodoo to run the counties. The
rising interest in the Member of County Assembly seats tells volumes of
stories. With more than 40,000 aspirants for 1,450 seats, the allure
of power and money is evident. Yet these are the offices meant to
provide checks and balances.
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