Transparency and access to information
We make public information easier to request, find, understand and reuse, helping people make informed decisions and participate more effectively in public life.
Rwanda-based civic technology
We build civic technology for transparency, participation and accountability.
Zen Citizen builds practical digital systems that help people access public information, take part in public life and engage institutions through clear and trusted processes.
About Zen Citizen
Building civic technology for public life in Rwanda.
Zen Citizen is a Rwanda-based civic technology organisation working to strengthen transparency, participation and accountability through practical digital systems.
We build and sustain initiatives that help people access public information, engage in public life and interact more effectively with institutions.
Our focus
Building stronger connections between people and public institutions.
Public participation and civic engagement
We create accessible ways for people to contribute to community decisions, shape local development and engage constructively in the issues that affect them.
Institutional accountability
We support clearer processes through which institutions can communicate, respond to public needs and remain accountable to the people they serve.
Our initiatives
Making access to public information work in practice.
Urumuri
Urumuri is a platform for submitting and tracking access-to-information requests in Rwanda.
It gives people a simple way to request information from public institutions, follow the progress of their requests and receive responses through one clear process.
For institutions, Urumuri provides a more organised way to receive, manage and respond to information requests.
Requests and responses that are published contribute to a searchable public record, helping others find and reuse information without having to submit the same request again.
Request pilot accessBuilt for
- Ordinary people seeking public information
- Public institutions responding to requests
- Experts, journalists, researchers and civil society organisations
How we work
Useful civic systems earn trust through clarity, care and consistent operation.
Practical
We build tools and processes that are understandable, maintainable and usable in real operating environments.
Grounded
We build with an understanding of Rwanda’s institutions, communities and home-grown approaches to participation, dialogue and collective action.
Responsible
Privacy, accessibility, lawful use, transparency and long-term maintenance are considered from the beginning, not added after launch.
Work with Zen Citizen
Build civic infrastructure people can rely on.
We partner with public institutions, civil society organisations, researchers, funders and technology teams to design, pilot and sustain digital systems that strengthen transparency, participation and accountability.