GovCheck in two sentences
You see where your city’s public money goes. You report what is wrong, and the right service answers you.
GovCheck is a free website of CERC (Centre de Recherche sur l’Anti-Corruption) that brings residents closer to their local administration: the Province, the City, the Municipality, the Sector or the Chiefdom. Anyone can find out about services and official fees, report a problem in their own language and follow the answer until it is resolved.
GovCheck also tracks the budget voted and executed, revenue and funded building works, so that public money truly serves residents.
Why GovCheck?
Residents see the problems. The administration often does not.
Imagine a trader who pays a market tax without receiving a receipt. A blocked drain floods his street every time it rains. A project announced in the budget has stopped moving. He tells his neighbours, but nobody at the municipal office will ever know. Multiply this by thousands of residents: this is what GovCheck makes visible, so that it changes.
Unclear fees and undue payments
Unknown price of a document, tax collected without a receipt, middlemen.
Complaints that get lost
A problem reported orally, with no record and no follow-up.
Languages and access
Many people write better in Swahili, Lingala or a local language, on a basic phone.
Invisible public money
Voted budget, spending and revenue rarely published.
Unmonitored building works
Works stopped, delayed or of poor quality, with no explanation.
Climate risks
Floods, rising rivers and erosion hit neighbourhoods without warning.
Our vision
What we want to see in every local entity
- 1
Official fees published and respected
Every resident knows the price of a document or a tax and receives a receipt.
- 2
Every request followed until it is resolved
A reference number, an answer from the right service, and the resident confirms it.
- 3
A visible budget and visible works
Voted and executed budget, revenue and project progress published for all.
- 4
Neighbourhoods prepared for risks
Alerts before heavy rain and investment in the most exposed neighbourhoods.
Our approach
Citizens first
Who does what?
- Residents find information, report, follow their requests and rate the services.
- Local Development Committees and assessors trained by CERC, take part in budget hearings and visit projects.
- CERC trains, checks the quality of data before publication and supports the dialogue.
- City Hall, Municipalities and services each have an account, answer requests and fix problems.
- The AI Assistant informs, translates, summarises and routes; it does not decide.
Take part in the budget hearings
CERC trains the Local Development Committees; residents express their priorities and follow how they are taken into account in the voted budget.
Follow the execution and visit the projects
With GovCheck, citizens compare revenue and spending with the amounts voted and visit building sites, with geotagged photos.
Check and publish the results
CERC checks and validates the information before publication; each local entity has its own account to view its budget and projects.
Make the findings heard
CERC supports citizens before elected officials and services, highlights the gaps and makes concrete recommendations.
Obtain corrections and check them
The authorities respond: works resumed, better revenue collection, spending redirected. The measures are checked in the field.
Then the cycle starts again: the results feed the next budget cycle.
- Accountability
- Competence
- Ethical behaviour
One platform
Five services for residents and the administration
Find information
The AI Assistant answers in your language about the services, procedures and fees published by the entity; if the information is not published, it says so.
Report and request a service
In French, Swahili, Lingala, English or a local language, with photos; the request goes to the right office or public body (SNEL, REGIDESO…).
Follow until it is resolved
Reference number and tracking code; the resident confirms whether the problem is solved and rates the service from 1 to 5 stars.
Track the budget and projects
Voted and executed budget by sector, local tax revenue, progress of building works.
Climate resilience
Rain forecasts, free SMS alerts, a map of exposed neighbourhoods and adaptation projects.
What we check
Fifteen questionnaires, simple questions
During an assessment, the assessor answers question by question (yes, partly, no, don’t know), for example:
- Does a site sign show the cost, the contractor, the source of funding and the deadlines?
- Is the physical progress in line with the schedule?
- Are the materials used of the type and quality set in the bill of quantities?
- Have the works been stopped or delayed without a public explanation?
- Has the population been informed and consulted about the project?
- Have you seen signs of corruption (bribes, overbilling, a shell company)?
The questionnaires cover revenue, spending, transparency, participation in the budget, oversight, building sites and each type of infrastructure (road, school, health centre, water, electricity, market, public building).
Your protection
Your data is protected
- Your name and phone number are never published; they are deleted one year after your request is closed.
- Sensitive topics (security, civil status, taxes, land plots, health) are never made public.
- The text of a report is published only after it has been checked; positions on the map are rounded to about 100 m.
- Artificial intelligence helps; it does not decide.
Simple questions
You may be wondering…
Is it free?
Yes. Finding information, reporting and consulting GovCheck is free.
Do I need an account?
On the website, an account opens with a phone number; the password arrives by SMS. You can also write on WhatsApp to +243 82 733 2229, without an account.
Will the service know it is me?
Only the staff handling your request see your name and contact. They are never published.
Where does GovCheck stand?
The platform is online. Its first deployment started in the City of Uvira and its three municipalities, Kalundu, Kavimvira and Mulongwe; GovCheck now covers the entities of South Kivu Province.
How do I become an assessor?
Fill in the “Become an assessor” form: CERC trains you on the questionnaires and assigns you an entity.
Is the data open?
Yes. Published data can be downloaded freely from budget tracking, under the CC BY 4.0 licence.
What is the legal framework?
The Constitution of 18 February 2006, organic law no. 08/016 on decentralised territorial entities, law no. 11/011 on public finances, law no. 10/010 on public procurement and the Digital Code (ordinance-law no. 23/010) for data protection.
Who is CERC?
The Centre de Recherche sur l’Anti-Corruption, a Congolese civil society organisation that works with citizens for integrity and good governance. GovCheck is one of its platforms, with EduCheck, HealthCheck and UNCAC Tracker.
A problem in your city or municipality?
Report it: the right service receives it, and you follow the answer until it is resolved.