Bryan's View: Technology in Kibera


In Kibera everyday technology is taking charge. Barely no home or house in Kibera would lack a mobile phone, a television or even a radio. Technology has completely taken over this vast slum of East and Central Africa. Over 80% of the youths aged between 18-25 years own a mobile phone, mostly smartphone. However this has sparked an evolution, people can now access any service at the comfort of their zone. From government's job application to marketing their own skills and talents over the internet. For instance, I will go ahead and use an example of myself; I first had my internet enabled phone in 2009, this was as a result of my good performance in the Kenya Certificate of Primary Education exam, basically this was a gift from my mum. Then I used to be a poet and would regularly write. Then it's like as if I discovered the internet would be the best platform to share my work with the world and I was doing it just for fun as everybody else would do. With time I would get people from Facebook asking me to write for them poetry at a fee and it was awesome. This is the power the internet has. That was on my side. Again I've had friends who spends lots of time glaring at the screens of the computer or smartphones possibly googling new inventions to try them at home, or evening learning online because their are some people who are so passionate about some course of study and they wouldn't actually afford the cost of paying for a university or college. So the internet, their smartphones would come in handy.

Technology has taken charge and created employment opportunities for many of the once jobless youths around. People can now own cyber cafes and provide other computer services like printing, scanning, typing,et al at an affordable fee. This computer services are located all over the streets of Kibera.

Many houses in Kibera also have solar lamps, another invention of technology. This would come in better when there's a total blackout or in houses where residents cannot afford electricity.

Another thing about technology in Kibera is that many businesses are using some very complicated gadgets to run their businesses. This is another wake in technology as businesses now have fridges, blow-dryers, flat-iron for salons and many more.

At the end of every other day, another gadget of technology finds its way into the slum and in one way or another residents get to embrace it.

Bryan Jaybee was born and raised in Kibera slums where he still resides. He is 22 years old and a journalism student at Multimedia University of Kenya, currently in his final year. Bryan will be sharing an insider’s view on life in Kibera every Tuesday on our blog with his photos and words. You can follow Bryan on instagram at @kiberastories for daily posts on life in Kibera. 


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