Maria Tekwani

Kenyan blockchain activist establishing decentralized land rights for indigenous communities

Maria Tekwani (1991-present) developed MaishaChain - an Ethereum-based land registry system preserving Maasai territorial claims through NFT deeds. Since its 2021 launch, over 12,000 pastoral families have secured immutable ownership records resistant to government or corporate challenges.

Her biometric verification protocol combines tribal elder consensus with cryptographic signatures. The system's success in preventing 43 land grabs (2020-2023) was documented by The Guardian.

Tekwani's Decentralized Stewardship Model enables profit-sharing from eco-tourism while maintaining cultural sovereignty. Her 2023 TED talk 'Blockchain as Ancestral Wisdom' reimagined Web3 through indigenous governance frameworks.