From conversation to community network

The work began with dialogue, not equipment. Young people from Ugunja, Kisii, Machakos, Tana River and Nairobi's informal settlements came together at iHub on Ngong Road to talk about the futures their villages were being denied: scarce work, costly internet and few second chances.

Partners including Amani Kibera, Oasis Mathare, County Governance Watch and Usalama Forum carried the work through the decade. In February 2020, Kijiji Yeetu was registered as a non-profit with the Registrar of Societies.

With the Internet Society Kenya chapter and 48percent.org, we launched a 12-month connectivity project in Ugunja Sub-County. A 100 Mbps Cambium Networks wireless broadband link now serves the Kijiji Yeetu Centre — last-mile connectivity built for and with the community.

More than 60 people took part in our forum on internet governance, digital safety and cybersecurity. Youth, women and people with disabilities were trained as internet safety champions for their own communities.

R. Hawi's paper, The Impact and Role of Community Networks in Kenya, set out what locally owned networks can do for digital inclusion, digital literacy and indigenous knowledge. It remains one of our most-read publications.

Our work now spans digital learning, community networks, multistakeholder dialogue and local research across five counties. The mission is unchanged: connect the unconnected, from the village up.