Promise due dates explained
Is a promise without a due date still a promise? We believe so.
This is how we deal with due dates and time references when adding promises to the database:
Where a mayor doesn’t specify a due date in a promise and gives no indication of the time frame, we assign the end of the five-year term as the due date for the promise.
Where nonspecific time references are used, we assign due dates as follows:
- Immediately, almost immediately, in the near future, in the coming weeks or soon – three months from the promise date
- In the coming months – six months from the promise date
A brief guide to promise outcomes
When we track a promise, we assign one of four ratings:
Kept
The promise is fulfilled by the due date.
Kept in part
The promise is either partially fulfilled (at least 75% in cases where progress can be quantified) or completely fulfilled but after the due date.
Broken
Where progress can be quantified, less than 75% has been achieved by the due date.
Note: There are cases where progress is not taken into account because it’s an all-or-nothing promise. An example would be the eradication of the bucket system: you have either reached zero by the due date as promised or you haven’t.
In progress
This rating is used when work on a promise has started but the due date has not yet arrived.
It is also used when a mayor has made progress on a promise but their term was cut short before the promise due date.
Note that the status of a promise might change as new information becomes available or as promises become due.
This guide was last updated on 03/11/2022.
Track My Mayor is a promise tracker aimed at increasing accountability at local government level. It was established with support from Code for Africa’s