Ory Okolloh

Kenyan activist who pioneered crowdsourced crisis mapping through Ushahidi platform

Known as Kenya's Digital Warrior, Okolloh (b.1977) co-created Ushahidi ('testimony' in Swahili) during 2007 post-election violence. This open-source platform combined SMS, email, and web reports to generate real-time crisis maps, revolutionizing humanitarian response.

After Harvard Law education, Okolloh's TED Talk detailed how citizen journalists exposed atrocities when traditional media failed. Ushahidi's 2010 Haiti earthquake deployment mapped 80,000 reports within 10 days, directly assisting rescue teams. The platform has since been used in 160+ countries for elections, disasters, and pandemic tracking.

As Google Africa's Policy Manager (2010-2015), Okolloh championed digital inclusion, pushing for affordable internet and local content creation. Her CNN interview highlights efforts to balance technology with African socio-cultural realities. The platform's success inspired derivative tools like Global Forest Watch and OpenStreetMap humanitarian projects.