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23Jun

Showcasing Civic and Social Tech in East Africa

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By Ashnah Kalemera |
As access to information and communication technologies (ICT) has continued to grow across Africa, so have technology-based initiatives that enable social accountability and the participation of citizens in promoting transparency and accountability in government operations.
In Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda, there is a growing number of government portals for public sector information (PSI) provision, responding to complaints about quality of public services or for corruption whistle-blowing, and generally making PSI more readily available, such as open data portals and budget information websites.
In 2013, Uganda’s finance ministry launched the Know Your Budget portal with government budget expenditure and plans for national and local levels. Citizens are able to interrogate the data and provide feedback or ask questions about budgets for different administrative units. In Kenya, the National Treasury has since 2007 published online its budgets and expenditure figures, offering citizens the opportunity to interrogate the numbers and raise queries to the treasury and to oversight bodies such as parliament.
Similarly, Tanzania developed the Wananchi Portal (or Citizens’ Portal) as a channel for receiving complaints from citizens about the quality of public services. A comparable initiative in Uganda is an ICT platform that enables citizens to provide information and tip-offs to the government anti-corruption ombudsman known as the Inspectorate of Government (IG). Using the IG’s SMS Corruption Tracker, a case can be reported to the ombudsman via the website or through texting Corrupt to 6009 toll free.
The various initiatives in the three countries are improving duty bearers’ use of ICT to provide information and get feedback from citizens, and a growing (but still unsatisfactory) number of leaders are becoming active users of ICT, particularly social media. This is aiding the sprouting of citizen-side eParticipation initiatives in Kenya, Tanzania and Uganda – in social accountability including quality of public services monitoring, in political campaigning, parliamentary monitoring, and generally giving citizens platforms to debate issues of community and national concern, including democratic governance issues.
Uganda’s Parliament Watch and Kenya’s Mzalendo use social media to monitor the performance of parliamentarians. Also in Uganda, civic groups such as Women of Uganda Network and ToroDev use Ushahidi for citizens to report on service delivery failures and thereby compelling duty bearers to take remedial action. Similarly, Transparency International’s Stop Health Worker Absenteeism initiative enables citizens in Northern Uganda to report health service delivery failures via a toll free call centre.
However, despite having a vibrant mobile and web application development sector in East Africa, partly driven by innovation hubs such as Buni, iHub, Outbox and Hive Colab, whose patrons are mostly youths, there is still a gap in the appreciation of innovation related to civic engagement and social accountability. This is a reflection of how distant the local tech industry and many youth in East Africa are from engaging in democratic and governance processes.
Indeed, according to research conducted by iHub in 2015, there was growing interest in web and mobile applications innovation in support of civic participation, service delivery, transparency and accountability across the region. However, the “hype” remained within tech hubs and tech competitions such as hackathons, often excluding other relevant stakeholders such as civil society, the media and government.
As such, CIPESA, under the ICT4Democracy in East Africa initiative, has embarked on a series of events showcasing innovation in social and civic tech geared at increasing knowledge and awareness, and promoting opportunities for collaboration among technologists and actors in the transparency, accountability and human rights arena.
Stay tuned for updates!

18Jun

Le Parlement de la République démocratique du Congo est invité à adopter des lois qui appuient les droits des citoyens en ligne

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Statement |
Les acteurs de la société civile dans la ville congolaise de Goma ont exhorté le Gouvernement de la République démocratique du Congo (RDC) à apporter des modifications à ses lois actuelles régissant les technologies de l’information et de la communication (TIC) pour les rendre favorables à la croissance de l’utilisation d’Internet, comme la vie privée en ligne, l’accès à l’information et la liberté d’expression.
Les acteurs de la société civile, y compris des journalistes, des militants des droits numériques et les blogueurs, ont également exhorté le Parlement du pays et le Ministère des TIC à offrir des moyens significatifs aux citoyens de fournir des contributions aux nouvelles lois proposées dans le secteur des télécommunications.
Le gouvernement a récemment envoyé au Parlement le projet de loi sur les télécommunications et les TIC visant à mettre à jour la loi-cadre 013/2002 sur les télécommunications, ainsi que le projet de loi sur les transactions électroniques, et une loi modifiant la loi qui a mis en place le régulateur – l’Autorité de Régulation des Postes et Télécommunications du Congo (ARPTC). Cependant, ni le Parlement ni le Ministère n’ont annoncé de possibilités pour les autres parties prenantes de faire des commentaires ou des observations sur ces projets de loi.
L’importance des consultations des parties prenantes dans les processus décisionnels en RDC a été l’une des questions qui ont émergé lors d’un atelier de formation sur les politiques et le plaidoyer autour des TIC tenu à Goma les 10 et 11 juin 2017 par Rudi International en collaboration avec Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Les participants ont noté que l’exclusion des acteurs, comme ceux du secteur privé, de la société civile, etc. du processus législatif pourrait conduire à l’adoption de lois qui nuisent à l’accès et à l’utilisation de l’internet dans le pays d’Afrique centrale.
À l’heure actuelle, l’adoption des TIC en RDC fait face à plusieurs défis, y compris des coûts de données déraisonnablement élevés qui ont largement contribué au faible taux de pénétration de l’Internet de 4,2% en 2016. La loi-cadre 013/2002 sur les Télécommunications et la loi 14/2002 sur le Régulateur sont les lois primaires régissant entre autres, les communications en ligne, mais elles ne prévoient pas suffisamment de garanties au sujet des droits des citoyens à la vie privée, ni ne fournissent un environnement propice aux citoyens pour jouir du droit à la libre expression sur Internet.
En outre, ces lois contiennent des clauses vagues telles que « l’intérêt public », « perturbation de l’ordre public », « vérité ultime » et « sécurité nationale » qui créent la latitude pour des abus des lois, y compris par la censure et la surveillance. Pendant ce temps, les fournisseurs de services d’Internet et de télécommunications n’ont pas de protection contre les interférences indues de l’État, comme en témoigne l’évolution des coupures de l’Internet ces dernières années.
Les nouvelles lois proposées sont les bienvenues parce qu’elles présentent l’opportunité d’expurger des articles rétrogradés des lois existantes et de remédier aux lacunes actuelles. Cependant, les projets de loi ne reflètent pas une protection suffisante pour les droits des citoyens à la vie privée et à la liberté d’expression, et ils ne prennent pas en charge adéquatement la libre circulation de l’information en ligne. Par exemple, le projet de loi sur les Télécommunications et les TIC contient plusieurs clauses problématiques, notamment en accordant au Ministre des pouvoirs excessifs sur l’interception des communications et leur interruption. Le ministre et l’organisme de régulation renforcent également leur pouvoir face aux opérations des prestataires de services. En outre, il existe de faibles dispositions relatives à la protection des données ; le projet de loi étant dépourvu de mécanismes indépendants de surveillance, en particulier en ce qui concerne l’Etat qui fait des demandes d’informations sur les abonnés aux fournisseurs de services.
Le manque de mécanismes indépendants de surveillance pour lutter contre l’abus du pouvoir excessif par le ministre ne garantit pas que les citoyens soient protégés contre l’interception injustifiée de la communication.
Bien que l’article 175 du projet de loi sur les télécommunications et les TIC reconnaisse le droit du citoyen de demander des informations sur ses données personnelles auprès de l’État ou d’une autre entité, il n’existe pas de dispositions claires sur la manière dont ces informations peuvent être demandées ou si les détenteurs de cette information sont obligés de répondre à une demande d’information dans un délai déterminé.
La communication en ligne sécurisée est prioritaire selon les articles 116-117. Cependant, des clauses qui permettent à l’Etat d’intercepter la communication privée avec des garanties limitées sont également incluses. En outre, l’article 119 comprend une disposition pour que le Procureur général désigne un magistrat en chef qui peut demander à un agent qualifié du Ministère des TIC ou d’une entreprise de télécommunications de mettre en place des mécanismes permettant l’interception de la communication en ligne des citoyens.
Au cours de l’atelier de formation, les acteurs de la société civile ont noté que ces clauses contreviennent aux normes internationales en matière de droits de l’homme énoncées dans un certain nombre d’instruments, y compris la Déclaration universelle des droits de l’homme, la Charte africaine des droits de l’homme et des peuples et la Déclaration africaine sur les droits et les libertés de l’Internet.
En tant que tel, ils ont recommandé que:

  • Il devrait y avoir une participation accrue de plus d’acteurs dans le processus de développement de la loi, ainsi que des engagements réguliers multipartites entre le gouvernement, les prestataires de services et la société civile;
  • Le gouvernement, en particulier le Ministère des TIC et le Parlement, devrait diffuser largement les trois projets de loi, sensibiliser à leurs objectifs et inviter des commentaires des diverses parties prenantes;
  • La législature devrait veiller à ce que les terminologies vagues, y compris la « sécurité nationale », les « illicites » et les « interférences a l’ordre public », soient bien définies avant l’adoption de ces lois ;
  • Suite au fait que, dans sa forme actuelle, le projet de loi sur les télécommunications et les TIC crée des marges d’abus en donnant des pouvoirs excessifs au Régulateur et aux Ministres de l’Intérieur, de la Défense et de la Sécurité, le pouvoir judiciaire et le Parlement devraient avoir un mandat de surveillance plus large sur le Régulateur et le Ministre.
  • Une loi spécifique sur la protection des données devrait être promulguée pour garantir la sauvegarde des données personnelles et de la vie privée des citoyens;
  • Le projet de loi sur les Télécommunications et les TIC devrait préciser les procédures pour que les citoyens demandent de l’information de l’État et la publication de ces informations par l’État;
  • Les trois lois examinées par le Parlement devraient inclure des clauses qui protègent le droit à la liberté d’expression et la libre circulation de l’information;
  • Des clauses sur la non-discrimination et l’égalité devraient être introduites dans la loi proposée sur les télécommunications et les TIC, notamment en criminalisant les actions qui favorisent le cyber-harcèlement, la pornographie de vengeance et d’autres actes qui constituent une violence en ligne contre les femmes et d’autres groupes minoritaires et vulnérables.

Ces recommandations font écho à celles faites par le CIPESA dans le rapport sur l’Etat des libertés de l’Internet en RD Congo en 2016, qui a également demandé au Parlement de travailler avec d’autres parties prenantes, y compris la société civile, les internautes, le secteur privé, les universitaires et les médias pour examiner les lois et modifier celles qui limitent et restreignent les droits des citoyens à la vie privée, à la liberté d’association, d’expression et à l’accès à l’information. Le rapport a également déclaré que la rédaction et la modification des lois devraient respecter des normes internationales acceptables en matière de droits de l’homme.

15Jun

DR Congo Parliament Urged to Pass Laws That Support Citizens’ Rights Online

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Statement |
Civil society actors in the Congolese town of Goma have urged the Government of the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) to make amendments to its current laws governing Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) to make them favourable to the growth of internet usage, as well as online privacy, access to information and freedom of expression.
The civil society actors, including journalists, digital rights activists and bloggers, also urged the country’s Parliament and the Ministry for ICT to offer meaningful avenues for citizens to provide inputs to proposed new laws related to the telecommunications industry.
The Government has recently sent to the Parliament the Telecommunications and ICT Bill which is aimed at updating the Framework Law 013/2002 on Telecommunications, as well as the e-Transactions Bill, and a law amending the Act that set up the regulator – the Authority of the Post and Telecommunications of Congo (ARPTC). However, neither the Parliament, nor the Ministry, have announced opportunities for other stakeholders to make comments or submissions on these draft laws.
The importance of stakeholder consultations in Congo’s policy-making processes was among the issues that emerged during a two-day ICT policy and advocacy training workshop hosted in Goma on June 10- 11, 2017, by Rudi International and the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA). Participants noted that the exclusion of private sector and civil society actors from the law-making process could lead to the passing of laws that are detrimental to internet access and usage in the central African country.
Presently, ICT adoption in DRC faces several challenges including unreasonably high data costs which have largely contributed to the low internet penetration rate of 4.2% as of 2016. The Framework Law 013/2002 on Telecommunications and the Law 14/2002 on the Regulator are the primary laws governing online communication but they do not adequately provide for citizens’ rights to privacy, nor do they provide a conducive environment for citizens to enjoy the right to free expression.
Further, these laws contain vague clauses such as ‘public interest’, ‘disruption of public order’, ‘ultimate truth’, and ‘national security’ which create the latitude for unwarranted abuse of the laws including through censorship and surveillance. Meanwhile, internet and telecommunications services providers lack protection from undue state interference as has been evidenced by the evolution of communications shutdowns in recent years.
The proposed new laws are welcome because they present an opportunity to expunge retrogressive articles from the existing laws and to address the current gaps. However, the current drafts neither reflect sufficient protections for citizens’ rights to privacy and freedom of expression, nor do they adequately support the free flow of information online. For instance, the Telecommunications and ICT Bill contains several problematic clauses, including granting the minister excessive powers over the interception of communications and interruptions to communications. The minister and the regulator also maintain strong over the operations of service providers. Furthermore, there are weak provisions related to data protection, with the bill lacking independent oversight mechanisms particularly with regards to the state making user information requests to service providers.
The lack of independent oversight mechanisms to safeguard against the abuse of the excessive power by the minister fails to ensure that citizens are protected against unwarranted interception of communication.
While article 175 of the proposed ICT and Telecommunications law recognises the right of a citizen to demand for information on their personal data from the state or another entity, there are no clear provisions on how this information can be requested or whether the holders of this information are obliged to respond to an information request within a specified timeframe.
Secure online communication is prioritised in articles 116–117. However, clauses which permit the state to intercept private communication with limited safeguards are also included. Further, article 119 includes a provision for the General Prosecutor to designate a chief magistrate who can instruct any qualified agent from the Ministry of ICT or a telecommunications company to put in place mechanisms that allow for interception of citizens’ online communication.
During the training workshop, the civil society actors noted that these clauses contravene international human rights standards as set out in a number of instruments including the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights and the African Declaration on Internet Rights and Freedoms. As such, they recommended that:

  • There should be increased participation by more stakeholders in the law development process, as well as regular multi-stakeholder engagements between government, service providers and civil society;
  • Government, particularly the Ministry of ICT and Parliament, should widely circulate the three bills, create awareness about their objectives and invite comments on the draft laws from various stakeholders;
  • The legislature should ensure that  vague terminologies in the bills, including “national security”, “illicit” and “public order interference”, are defined before they are passed;
  • Since in its current form the Telecommunications and ICT bill creates room for abuse by giving excessive powers to the regulator and the Ministers of Interior, Defence and Security Affairs, the judiciary and Parliament should be granted wider oversight mandate over the regulator and the minister.
  • A specific law on data protection should be enacted to  ensure that citizens’ personal data and privacy are safeguarded;
  • The ICT and telecommunications bill should specify the procedures for citizens to request for information from the state, and the release of such information by the state;
  • The three laws under consideration by Parliament should include clauses that protect the right to freedom of expression and the free flow of information.
  • Clauses on non-discrimination and equality should be introduced in the proposed law on Telecommunications and ICT specifically through criminalising actions that promote cyber bullying, cyber stalking, revenge pornography, and other acts that constitute online violence against women and other minority and vulnerable groups.

These recommendations echo those made by CIPESA in the State of Internet Freedom in DR Congo 2016 report, which also called for the Parliament to work with more stakeholders including civil society, internet users, private sector, academics and the media to review laws and amend those that limit and restrict citizens’ rights to privacy, assembly, expression and access to information. The report also stated that the drafting and amendment of laws should meet acceptable international human rights standards.

12Jun

Round 2 Now Open: CIPESA-ICT4Democracy Academia Fellowship Programme

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Fellowship Opportunity |

 About the ICT4Democracy in East Africa network
The network works in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to achieve two top-line objectives: 1) Increased citizen participation in governance and the realisation of human rights through ICT; and 2) Improved transparency and accountability of governments through ICT. Partners in the network are the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), Transparency International Uganda, iHub Research (Kenya), the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG, Tanzania) and Toro Development Network (ToroDev). Read more about the network here: www.ict4democracy.org.
 Aim of the Fellowship Programme
The CIPESA-ICT4Democracy Fellowship (Academia) aims to nurture university students’ and early career academics’ understanding of Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) for governance, human rights and development. By engaging members of the academic community, the programme benefits partners of the ICT4Democracy in East Africa network through placements of individuals with skills in fields such as ICT, mass communication, and informatics, within the partner organisations. Ultimately, the programme aims to grow links between the academic community and practitioners in the ICT field for mutual research, learning and knowledge exchange, so as to create the next generation of ICT for democracy and ICT for human rights champions and researchers.
A total of 10 fellowships shall be issued each year starting May 2017. Applications will be accepted on a quarterly basis as per the below dates:

Fellowship round Application deadline
May – July Closed
August – October July 1st
November – January September 1st
February – April January 1st

Duration: The fellowship shall last for three months but can in some circumstances be shorter or longer by up to a month.
Role of the fellows
Provide skills in their field of competence to enhance the work of ICT4Democracy in East Africa Network partner organisations. During the subsistence of the fellowship, the fellow will be expected to produce outputs, such as blog posts, commentaries, briefs, curriculums, multimedia content, and journal articles, as will be agreed in advance of the start of the fellowship. The skills of the fellow will guide the role assigned to them.
Eligibility
Applicants should be university students or early career academics. While there are no limitations on where the university is located, it is preferred that the students be from African universities. Applicants should have competence in areas that are relevant to the work of ICT4Democracy in East Africa partners, which may include ICT4D, Computer Science, Journalism, Informatics, Gender Equality, Development Studies, Human Rights and Governance.
Compensation
The fellows shall be given a monthly stipend to cater for their expenses during the duration of the fellowship. The amount may vary depending on location, outputs and on the qualifications of the fellow.
Application process
To apply, email [email protected] with subject line stating Application for Academia Fellowship. Submissions should include:

  1. Your CV
  2. A statement of interest that mentions the areas of competence that you wish to contribute to the fellowship programme, a suggestion of which partner organisation you wish to be attached to, the duration for which you wish to have the fellowship, the proposed outputs from your involvement in the programme and breakdown of expenses. The statement of interest should not exceed 3 pages.
  3. Copy of transcript or letter confirming university affiliation.
  4. Two samples of your writing.
  5. Two reference letters.
12Jun

Round 2 Now Open: CIPESA-ICT4Democracy Media Fellowship Programme

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Fellowship Opportunity | 

About the ICT4Democracy in East Africa network
The network works in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda to achieve two top-line objectives: 1) Increased citizen participation in governance and the realisation of human rights through ICT; and 2) Improved transparency and accountability of governments through ICT. Partners in the network are the Collaboration on International ICT Policy for East and Southern Africa (CIPESA), the Women of Uganda Network (WOUGNET), Transparency International Uganda, iHub Research (Kenya), the Kenya Human Rights Commission (KHRC), the Commission for Human Rights and Good Governance (CHRAGG, Tanzania) and Toro Development Network (ToroDev). Read more about the network here: www.ict4democracy.org.
Aim of the Fellowship Programme
The CIPESA-ICT4Democracy Fellowship (Media) aims to raise media understanding of, and its effective and consistent reporting of ICT-for-Democracy issues in East Africa. It is expected that the fellowships will result into increased quality and regularity of reporting, as well as a greater diversity of voices, in coverage related to ICT, democracy and human rights.
A total of 12 fellowships shall be issued each year starting May 2017. Applications will be accepted on a quarterly basis as per the below dates:

Fellowship round Application deadline
May – July Closed
August – October July 1st
November – January September 1st
February – April January 1st

Duration: The fellowship shall last for up to three months but can in some circumstances be shorter.
Outputs
Participants in the media fellowship programme will be expected to create various outputs, which may include print articles such as features, broadcast content, multimedia content (animations and infographics) and social media content, as will be agreed in advance of the start of the fellowship.
Eligibility
Applicants should be early career print, broadcast, online or multi-media journalists. Individuals passionate about media platforms such as bloggers and social media enthusiasts with relevant skills are also welcome to apply. Applicants must be based in Kenya, Uganda or Tanzania. It is preferred that applicants have experience in coverage of areas that are relevant to the work of ICT4Democracy in East Africa partners, which may include social accountability, gender and youth mainstreaming, technology, human rights and governance.
Compensation
The fellows shall be given a modest allowance to cater for expenses related to producing the outputs of their fellowship engagement.
Application process
To apply, email [email protected] with subject line stating Application for Media Fellowship. Submissions should include:

  1. Your CV
  2. A statement of interest that mentions the outputs you intend to produce from the fellowship, how they will be disseminated, and how these outputs are beneficial to the work of the ICT4Democracy network or its partner organisation(s), a suggestion of which partner organisation you wish to be attached to, the duration for which you wish to have the fellowship, and anticipated expenses. The statement of interest should not exceed 3 pages.
  3. Two samples of your work (written or other)
  4. Two reference letters.
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