Final Impressions
Eight weeks ago I touched down at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. I was doe-eyed and ready to tackle Kenya head-on. Today I will return to Kenyatta, en-route for London Heathrow after a tremendous summer in Nairobi. I have experienced so much and I am very grateful to Erik Hersman and Nat Manning of Ushahidi for taking a chance on a red-bearded MALD student from The Fletcher School.
Since it is difficult to sum up my summer at Ushahidi and the iHub in one blog post, I’ll reference three of my top experiences between June and August:
First, I’d like to call out my initial impressions of the iHub and the tech ecosystem here in Kilimani. My Hola de Kilimani post underscores my unabashed excitement for the summer to come.
Next, I’d like to highlight Kenya’s growing cohort of hipsters—and beyond hipsters, the country’s emerging knowledge workers. My Hipsters Not Hippos post lightly pokes fun at outsiders’ perceptions of Kenya and emphasizes the spirit of creativity that runs deep throughout this country.
Finally, I’m quite proud of my entry On BRCKs and Banana Bread. The post discusses Ushahidi’s budding romance with the Internet of Things (IoT). I foresee devices like the BRCK that marry the physical world and virtual world—as well as entrepreneurs who focus on tech-enabled businesses—to be the next new thing. Keep a keen eye at this space.
In closing, I’ll leave you with a few raw numbers. To date, I have written over 11,000 words for my blog, taught over 150 young African entrepreneurs negotiations skills, traveled to 5 separate countries on the continent, transacted over 20,000 shillings on my M-PESA account, ran over 125 kilometers, and had far too many Tuskers to count. More importantly, I befriended the next generation of leaders who will take Kenya further and farther than ever before.
Thank you for listening.











