Macro

AOk. Google chose Nairobi for its African regional base because the Kenyan government embraced the Internet

This excerpt from the TIMES article repasted below explains that Nairobi was seen as attractive for American technology company, Google, to set up a regional office because of government support...Read more

META: What discourses shape the way people in this setting talk about and conceptualize qualitative data infrastructure and capacity, right-to-know, freedom of information, the potential of expanded public participation, and so on?

Perry, A. (2011, June 30). Silicon Savanna: Mobile Phones Transform Africa. Time.

Analytics Across Scales and Systems: Qualitative Data Capacity

AOk. Nairobi "as a test-bed for tomorrow’s technologies"

This quote touches on what becomes heavily popularized discourse in the early days of the iHub (~2010-2013) that because of the numerous limitations present in the everyday lived experiences...Read more

META: What discourses shape the way people in this setting talk about and conceptualize qualitative data infrastructure and capacity, right-to-know, freedom of information, the potential of expanded public participation, and so on?

Zachary, G. P. (2008, July 20). Inside Nairobi, the Next Palo Alto? The New York Times.

Analytics Across Scales and Systems: Qualitative Data Capacity

AOk. Google's selection of Nairobi for its Africa office as "Nairobi’s highest-profile validation"

Google opened a development office in Nairobi in September 2007 which the author labels as "Nairobi’s highest-profile validation".

The article includes a...Read more

MACRO: What laws and economic drivers produce (or undercut) qualitative data infrastructure, access, work and capacity in this setting?

Zachary, G. P. (2008, July 20). Inside Nairobi, the Next Palo Alto? The New York Times.

Analytics Across Scales and Systems: Qualitative Data Capacity

Mwangi, E. (2010). Between imagination and delusion: Cosmopolitan postcolonial critique in Ken Walibora’s Ndoto ya Amerika [The American Dream]. Journal of Postcolonial Writing, 46(2), 125–137.

AO: This article by Mwangi analyses the late Ken Walibora's "Ndoto ya Amerika", arguing that it promotes “rooted cosmopolitanism” as a framework for literary and political development.Read more

Strachan Matranga, H., Bhattacharyya, B., & Baird, R. (2017). Breaking the Pattern: Getting Digital Financial Services Entrepreneurs to Scale in India and East Africa. Village Capital.

AO: This 2017 report has been particularly influential in the Kenyan technology space and continues to be cited in conversations regarding race, tech capital and privilege. The key finding that created a big buzz and is primarily what is referred to when people mention "The Village Capital...Read more

Macro readings

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Amrute, S. (2020). Bored Techies Being Casually Racist: Race as Algorithm. Science, Technology, & Human Values, 45(5), 903–933.

AO: This paper seems relevant to read in preparation for our macro chapter as it focuses on the racialization of Indian software engineers in the US and Germany. Does Amrute's concept of "race-as-algorithm" hold in the Nairobi context and help to explain the digitcal economy in Nai? What is...Read more

Government of the Republic of Kenya. (2008). Kenya Vision 2030 (The Popular Version). Government of the Republic of Kenya.

AO: This is the Kenya Vision 2030 document launched in 2008 (and republished as the "popular version") in 2018 on the Vision 2030 website (https://vision2030.go.ke/). The document outlines the long-term development blueprint for the country.Read more

What motivates this research? How are economic or other interests are mentioned in research/data/data sharing?

Zachary, G. P. (2008, July 20). Inside Nairobi, the Next Palo Alto? The New York Times.

This article written in July 2008 is particularly interesting to me because of when it was written. It predates the slew of international media coverage on tech development in Nairobi (most of which was written in 2010 - 2012) and the article also touches on some of the cultural orientations...Read more

Republic of Kenya. 2020. Kenya Gazette Supplement: The Startup Bill. 163.

AO: The Senate on 14 September 2020 proposed the Start-up Bill, ostensibly to help support start-ups. However, the current draft appears to only add to the myriad of complications currently faced by start-ups operating in Kenya.Read more

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