United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework(UNSDCF) Joint Programme on Strengthening of Data Systems
The State Department for Economic Planning, Principal Secretary, James Muhati on 14th November afternoon met with representatives from various United Nations agencies to discuss areas of collaboration in the United Nations Sustainable Development Cooperation Framework (UNSDCF) Joint Programme on Strengthening of Data Systems.
The meeting was a key step in aligning UNSDCF (2022-2026) with Kenya’s national development priorities, such as the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), Vision 2030 and the Fourth Medium-Term Plan (MTP IV).
The focus of the discussion was to address key challenges related to data availability, reliability, timeliness, and security. The initiative aims to enhance the capacity of national and county-level statistics systems to produce high-quality, timely data, which is critical for evidence-based policy, planning, budgeting, and monitoring.
Additionally, the programme will play a vital role in tracking the progress of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with a particular focus on populations at risk of being left behind, particularly all women and girls, all children and youth, all people in the ASAL counties and in informal urban settlements.
“There is a need to ensure that everyone is counted and accounted for in pursuit of sustainable development thus the need for strengthening of the data system,” said Ezekiel Ngure, United Nations Development Programme.
“With the right approach, a focused goal, and clear areas to prioritize, we will be able to collect and present reliable and accessible data, ensuring it is not only accurate but also vital to guiding decisions and shaping impactful development interventions,” PS Muhati stated.
The PS also stressed that centralized data is very crucial, therefore, continuous meta-data analysis is necessary to ensure the data collected is effectively used for programming, reporting, and monitoring.
The UN is reinforcing partnerships with key stakeholders, including the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), the Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), Academia, Civil Society organizations (CSOs), and the Private Sector. These collaborations will help avoid duplication of efforts and unlock the full potential of data for informed decision-making.
Through these efforts, the initiative will strengthen Kenya’s data systems, ensuring that data becomes a powerful tool for building a more inclusive, sustainable, and growth-driven future.
The UN, Government of Kenya and other stakeholders are working together to create a data-driven approach to development that will guide decisions and lead to positive outcomes for all Kenyans.
Others present were; Economic Planning Secretary, Timothy Gakuu, some State Department for Economic Planning Directors, Representatives from UN Agencies among others.
