#Connectedke2017 to focus on how Government and Private Sector can benefit on citizen data

One of the key objectives of Connected Kenya 2017 will be to develop and recommend policy and regulatory operational interventions necessary to ensure use of citizens’ data brings mutual benefits for the public and private sectors.

The Acting CEO of the ICT Authority, Robert Mugo related that sentiment in opening remarks at the ninth Connected Kenya Summit, which is being held in Diani, Kwale County.

“The fact that private entities in this era are actively collecting and keeping citizen data is becoming a concern as people increasingly question how this data is used,” he said, “The storage and utilization of this data becomes a concern.”

Mr. Mugo also pointed out that government operations entail offering efficient and effective service to the public, from health to education, security to agriculture, where huge data sets are gathered pertaining to patient data, school data, weather patterns, crime data, etc.

“The use of multiple systems and online platforms across multiple government ministries and departments that render e-government services such as e-citizen has helped us get a mass chunk of structured and unstructured data,” he added.

Mr. Mugo also said, ”Data collection is increasingly helping the government explore some of the driving forces that can impact quality and speed of delivery and how to maximize on service delivery for less and characteristic of successful service delivery innovation.”

“By mining this data and collaborating with the private sector we are continuously implementing new methods and channels for delivery of e-government services.”

Other topics slated for this year’s event include security, IoT, Innovation in schools, blockchain technology and Innovations in service delivery.