By Kellen Kanyunyuzi, DataCities Program Manager.

The East African policymakers and practitioners in modern digitalization (data and AI) governance agree
that innovation and accountability must go hand-in-hand. At the 2026 East Africa Data Governance
Conference in Nairobi, Kenya – with a theme: “Navigating Duality – Innovation and Accountability”-
leaders and practitioners emphasized that data-driven services only succeed when trust and rights are built in from the start. Kenya’s Data Protection Commissioner, Ms Immaculate Kassait, while opening the
conference, reminded delegates that emerging digital tools should unlock data’s value responsibly, not
undermining people’s rights. This context sets the stage for DataCities’ work of co-creating urban data
governance solutions that empower city authorities and citizens well-being alike.

The DataCities Consortium partners with Uganda’s emerging cities to build practical data systems
through the co-creation of data use-cases, beginning in 2023. One of its flagship projects, the “SafiSiti
Waste Data Management” platform in Jinja City, exemplifies this approach. SafiSiti is a mobile and web
platform for managing urban waste data. It was co-designed with city officials, service providers and
village health teams (VHTs), through joint co-creation workshops (2023–25) to ensure local urban needs
are met. The system collects data at every step from waste generation points to landfill. SafiSiti waste
management system enables real-time data collection, supporting efficient planning, monitoring and
accountability. By digitizing what was once manual tracking, Jinja’s leaders can now plan waste routes,
target hotspots and budget accurately. The system is expected to mark a significant step toward smart,
data-driven waste management, empowering city authorities, communities, and service providers to make informed decisions together.  Read more