Richard Chirchir

Principal Digital Technology Specialist

Director and Principal Digital Technology Specialist, Richard Chirchir leads the design and development of our multi-platform ICT solutions. He has extensive experience in designing management information systems for social protection programmes, including complex integrated MISs. He reads inspiring stories and writes blogs in his spare time.

Richard Chirchir's Work

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9 reasons why Uzbekistan’s Social Protection Single Registry digital transformation journey is unique

Richard Chirchir, Principal Digital Technology Specialist, offers some key learning from his experience working with the Government of Uzbekistan and UNICEF on the country’s Social Protection Single Registry.

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Autumn leaves
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Join our events this autumn

As the autumn leaves start to fall and  summer winds down in the UK, our team are doing anything but winding down! Over the coming weeks, we are busy speaking...

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Making a pilot cash transfer possible in Angola by developing an MIS

A new pilot cash transfer for children in Angola required an MIS for a successful launch. As part of the design and implementation of pilot cash transfer for the Government...

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Spearheading Cash Transfer Design and Implementation Worldwide

Development Pathways’ experts have experience in both the high-level design of cash transfer programmes and the operational design and technical parameters for programme implementation. When designing social protection programmes —...

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Uganda’s National Single Registry: a foundation for a digital social protection system

This report about the National Single Registry explores Uganda’s journey to establish an integrated and digital information system for social protection.

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Inua Jamii 70+ social pension Kenya
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Securing smooth operations across social protection programmes

Our assignment was to ensure that existing databases and systems for a number of cash transfers was consolidated into one integrated system for efficient and effective programme operations.

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Expanding Social Protection Uganda
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Expanding Social Protection in Uganda by implementing a pilot and making the case

We were contracted to carry out a long-term project to build a comprehensive national social protection system, playing an integral role in building political support for a more cohesive system.

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7 ways technology can help the social protection response to COVID-19

Our blogger, Richard Chirchir, is a Director and Senior Management Information System Specialist for Development Pathways. As the COVID-19 pandemic rages like a wild inferno at a global scale, humanity is neck-deep in responding with every resource, instrument, policy and strategy that is at its disposal. We have all witnessed...

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Uganda Single Registry
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Upgrading a social assistance MIS and linking social protection programmes with a Single Registry

Uganda’s social protection sector is characterised by a large number of fragmented and uncoordinated interventions with a wide variety of different management information systems (MISs). There was a need to...

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Strengthening Rwandan Social Protection
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Strengthening Rwanda’s social protection system

To strengthen Rwanda's social protection system, we supported the development of a National Social Protection Policy and Strategy.

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Digital social protection paper to be discussed in webinar

Developing digital infrastructure is a crucial step in building a national social protection system. It enables the flow and management of information within the social protection sector and other areas such as education, health, agriculture, humanitarian and disaster risk management. 

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Exploring how to bridge the gap between social protection, technology, responsible financial inclusion and regulation at our event in Nairobi, Kenya

The event focused on how stakeholders can, and should, aim to ensure that social protection schemes and programmes are not only inclusive but delivered responsibly.

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We’re hosting an event in Kenya

Development Pathways will be hosting an event in Nairobi, Kenya that will explore the nexus between inclusive social protection, technologies and financial inclusion. With leading experts in the field, Dr Stephen Kidd, Dr Milkah Chebii, Richard Chirchir and Sarah Langhan speaking at the event.

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Kenya Social Protection Sector Review 2017: Main Report

The Kenya Social Protection Sector Review Report, released by the Ministry of Labour and Social Protection, offers a strategic review of the evolution of Kenya’s social protection sector between 2011 and 2017 and includes many lessons for other countries as they seek to expand their social protection systems.

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Inua Jamii Senior Citizens’ Scheme

The Inua Jamii Senior Citizens’ Scheme is a tax-financed pension-tested social pension offering universal pension coverage for all citizens of Kenya once they reach 70 years of age. The programme,...

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Making smart use of technology: How electronic registration made Kenya’s universal pension possible

The Government of Kenya made a landmark decision in 2017 to provide a basic monthly pension income to its older citizens over the age of 70 years. The move represents a major step forward in the building of Kenya’s national social protection system. As the final preparations are made to...

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Are you respecting the right to privacy as you advance social protection?

The protection of privacy in large scale social protection programmes in low-income countries is rightly under the spotlight at this time, and this demands an effective response from those designing and implementing social protection programmes, writes Richard Chirchir. Criticism regarding data handling for beneficiaries and entitlement transfers, and apparent unauthorised access to identity...

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Single Registries and Social Registries: Clarifying the Terminological Confusion

Development Pathways is pleased to share our latest Pathways’ Perspective, Single Registries and Social Registries: Clarifying the Terminological Confusion, by Richard Chirchir and Shez Farooq. Richard Chirchir and Shez Farooq seek...

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Kenya has innovated by implementing a single registry for social protection schemes
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An overview of Kenya’s Single Registry Model

The launch of Kenya’s Single Registry scheme marks a major step forward in the management and monitoring of social protection in low- and middle-income countries, writes Richard Chirchir. The Registry has enabled the government of Kenya to link together the Management Information Systems (MISs) of five social security schemes (the...

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In recent years, social protection has moved rapidly up the policy agenda in developing countries. Debates on the design of social protection schemes, however, are often dominated by ideological discussions, such as whether to introduce conditions. Less attention is given to implementation challenges and the demands placed on countries’ administrative systems. Management information systems (MISs) are core to the design of social protection schemes. Indeed, social protection schemes could be regarded as systems of information management. The various components of social protection schemes – such as “targeting”,“registration”, “conditions”, “payments”, “grievance systems” and “exit and graduation” – all require information to be captured, transferred, stored and analysed. Yet, little attention is paid to MISs in the social protection literature. This paper, therefore, aims to fill a gap in the literature by examining good practice in the design of MISs for social protection.
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Good practice in the development of management information systems for social protection

In recent years, social protection has moved rapidly up the policy agenda in developing countries. Debates on the design of social protection schemes, however, are often dominated by ideological discussions....

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