Access to Information as a Pillar of Good Governance: Evidence, Challenges, and Policy Implications for Kenya

Abstract

The study aimed to examine the supply-side administrative barriers and demand-side usability constraints that hinder the practical utility of disclosed public data by citizens to achieve accountability and good governance in Kenya. A purely quantitative approach was deemed the best method to get broad patterns across different groups of people. The study focused on adult registered voters in four counties: Nairobi, Machakos, Embu, and Vihiga. A sample size of N=400 was used and data was collected using a structured digital survey over a period of four months. The study achieved a response rate of 85.8%. Overall, the study findings highlight a significant gap between formal transparency mechanisms and practical usability. Kenya has established impressive legal and digital systems, yet those investments aren't fully translating into everyday civic empowerment. On the supply side, unusable data formats remain the primary obstacle, while on the demand-side issues like distrust, low awareness, and limited information literacy skills emerged as the key barriers. The study recommends government institutions to adopt more user-friendly formats such as short videos and social media to communicate to the public. The ministry of education may consider integrating information literacy skills into the school curriculum to address low information literacy skills among citizens and public agencies may need to focus on improving the accuracy and consistency of public data published.