Kericho County NGAO Officers Trained on Grassroots Data Management

The State Department for Economic Planning has launched a three-day training programme for National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) in Kericho County aimed at strengthening grassroots data management and planning systems.

The training brings together NGAO officers from the county’s seven sub-counties and seeks to enhance their capacity to collect, manage, validate and utilize reliable community-level data to support government planning, resource allocation and development interventions.

The training, being held at Sahara Gardens in Kericho Town, was officially opened by Chief Economist, State Department for Economic Planning, Evelyne Bengal, who read a speech on behalf of Principal Secretary, State Department for Economic Planning, Dr. Bonface Makokha. 

In the speech, the PS emphasized the importance of strengthening grassroots data systems to ensure government planning and development interventions are informed by timely, reliable and credible information from communities. 

The programme focuses on strengthening the availability and use of accurate grassroots information to enable the Government to identify local needs, prioritise development interventions and inform decisions based on the prevailing conditions in communities.

The officers are being trained on the national planning architecture, with emphasis on the role of administrative data in development planning and the integration of community-level information into national data systems to support policy formulation and implementation.

On the first day, the training covered legal and ethical frameworks governing data management, including data protection, confidentiality and compliance with national legislation in the collection, handling and utilization of community information.

Other areas covered include household enumeration, community listing and identification of vulnerable populations to strengthen the availability of reliable grassroots data for targeted government interventions and improved service delivery.

On the second day, the officers will be trained on data quality assurance, validation techniques, error detection and correction, as well as the transition to structured and digital data management systems.

The sessions will also cover digital data collection tools, data standardization protocols and practical simulations on digital data collection, validation and reporting.

On the third day, the training will focus on the utilization of data for local planning, including interpretation of community-level information and its application in development monitoring.

The officers will also be taken through reporting formats, data flow across administrative levels, county action planning and reporting exercises, as well as simulations on the integration of grassroots data into planning and reporting systems.

The three-day programme is part of the State Department for Economic Planning’s wider efforts to strengthen grassroots data management across the country and build the capacity of NGAO officers to provide timely, accurate and credible information for evidence-based planning and national development.