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piqer for: Global finds
Ciku Kimeria is a Kenyan author "Of goats and poisoned oranges" - (https://www.amazon.com/goats-poisoned-oranges-Ciku-Kimeria-ebook/dp/B00HBBWPI6), development consultant, adventurer and travel blogger (www.thekenyanexplorer.com). She writes both fiction and non-fiction focusing on African stories that need telling. She has worked on diverse pieces for various international and local publications including Quartz, Ozy, The East African etc. She has travelled to 45 countries – 16 of them in Africa. 153 countries to go and 63 territories!
"Of goats and poisoned oranges" has been extremely well received in Kenya and beyond. It tells the story of a Kenyan middle aged power couple and their complicated marriage. The novel explores issues of greed, revenge, betrayal and murder. It runs from the 1960s to 2013. It has been described as “Wicked, funny, poignant, wacky, human, a big ball of fun and danger”, “A unique and captivating book”, “Fun and intriguing”, “Impossible to put down once you start reading.”
She recently moved to Dakar, Senegal from Kenya to work on her second novel. She also works at as the Africa Communication Manager at a leading global strategy consulting firm.
She holds a B.S. in Management Science from MIT with minors in Urban Planning and International development studies.
How Young African Technology Entrepreneurs Are Changing The Continent
Though Africa is still having to catch-up in the technology revolution, several hubs are popping up across the continent that are using technology to solve real life issues. The African tech entrepreneur greatly differs from his silicon valley counterpart, but is driven by the same passion.
No one in Engineer [a village] had access to the Internet. Few even had electricity. Tech booms were a faraway notion, and talk of random scrawny, bespectacled kids inventing hardware or writing code and cashing out in their 30s had yet to reach Engineer. Regardless, Peter was hooked. When his superb grades in primary school qualified him to attend the prestigious Maseno School (whose alumni include Barack Obama’s father), a teacher gave Peter the keys to the computer science lab, where he could code all night long.
Against all odds, tech entrepreneurs on the continent are creating apps that have the potential to positively change the lives of millions. Kariuki, the main character in the article, sets off at the age of 18 to Kigali, Rwanda from his homeland Kenya to design an automated ticketing system for Kigali's bus system. He grapples with how to set up an Uber-like motorcycle-taxi service that is efficient, affordable, and safe.
Indeed, throughout sub-Saharan Africa, road accidents are catching up with AIDS and malaria as leading causes of death—and police statistics that Kariuki has seen indicate that in Kigali about 80 percent of road accidents involve motorcycles.
He finally is involved in his own motorcycle accident, and thus SafeMotos is born.
The tech revolution on the continent is aided by increased access to education (and computers) supportive government policies for the growth of the sector in countries such as Kenya and Rwanda, a growing young workforce that have to create their own jobs and a real drive by the entrepreneurs to address issues faced daily by Africans.
