Digital mapping as a tool for environmental and social corporate accountability in the extractive sector in Kwale County, Kenya

Environmental and social injustices in the extractive sector in Kwale County are rampant and there are limited citizen participatory mechanisms to address the injustices to enhance dialogue among stakeholders. Community exclusion from corporate governance has perpetuated environmental and social injustice causing mistrust and conflicts between communities and investors in mining areas. This study aimed to evaluate a digital mapping platform as a tool for community engagement. A participatory study approach was used where selected stakeholders were trained to use the digital mapping platform and then participated in the study. Mobile phone digital applications and Poi mapper data collection and management applications were used to generate and quantitatively analyse stakeholder responses which were instantly transmitted to a computer server. Digital mapping is interactive, elicited effective interactions among stakeholders and supported citizen participation to enforce corporate accountability.