Uhuru!

On June 1, 1963 Mzee Jomo Kenyatta was sworn in as Kenya’s first Prime Minister, taking the reins of power from the British Colonialists. He started his speech with an energetic salutation, "UHURU!" It has been 62 years since Kenya attained self rule, on this day we call, Madaraka!

What does Madaraka mean to you? Is it power? freedom? independence? or all of the above?

Find out what's happening, opportunities, and resources in the EdTech Space in Africa. Please forward EdTech Jalada to an EdTech enthusiast in your circle!

What’s Happening

• Ngũgĩ wa Thiong'o, Author and Playwright who was detained and exiled for writing truth to power died, aged 87 on 28 May 2025. His books and plays, of protest, liberation and resistance to colonialism, were read widely in Kenya and beyond. Ngũgĩ's activism in the academia and literary space led to the adoption of studying African Literature in Kenyan Universities. A literary giant has rested, and with him, the ever burning question—will he win the Nobel Prize in Literature?

• Hon. William Kabogo Gitau, Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, launched the National Digital Literacy Skills Curriculum at the 14th annual Connected Africa Summit (CAS) 2025 in Diani, Kenya. Read about it here.
• The Persons With Disabilities Act 2025 was passed into law on 8 May 2025. Therefore, all learning institutions must provide inclusive education for all, and ensure accessibility for learners with disabilities. I am eager to see how EdTech comes to play in implementing these fundamental right to education for all learners. What are you looking forward to? Read more.
• Ephraim Shikanga from JKUAT University, Ian Omwenga and Mark Omaiko from Machakos University in Kenya clinched the first prize in the Computing Track at the Huawei ICT Global Competition 2024/2025 finals. This competition, hosted annually in China, is designed for students and teachers from tertiary institutions all over the world to solve real-world problems using ICT. Learn more.

Events

What can we do better to create resilient learning systems in Kenya's Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASAL) region? Join us at the Frontier Counties EdTech Summit in Garissa to discuss and collectively come up with solutions that will transform education.

Register for the Inclusive Africa Conference 2025 June 3 - June 5, 2025 whose theme is ‘Scaling Digital Accessibility through Innovation & Entrepreneurship’.

Join Global School Leaders (GSL) and the UNESCO Global Education Monitoring (GEM) Report on 3rd June for a webinar unpacking key insights from the newly launched 2025 Gender Report: Women Lead for Learning. This webinar will bring together education stakeholders to discuss the report's findings, share lived experiences of women education leaders, and highlight strategies for building systems where more women can lead effectively.

Resources

Can AI bridge education challenges in Africa? Read this education report. Find out the status of digital courseware for learning in low-resource countries and recommendations for scaling edtech use. Watch the Podcasting for Learning episode of EdTech Mondays Kenya to know how Kenyan content creators are designing learning experiences through audio for early learners.

Madaraka Matters

• Field Marshall Muthoni wa Kirima, first of her name, Kenya's only female Field Marshall in the MauMau Uprising for Independence. She believed Kenya was her only child, and joined the revolution for us to get our Madaraka! Listen to Muthoni wa Kirima’s story (with your child) on KaBrazen.

Field Marshal Muthoni wa Kir... Nov 2 · KaBrazen 21:09   ​

• The Trial of Dedan Kimathi, a play Ngũgĩ co-wrote with the late Mĩcere Mũgo will be performed at the Kenya National Theatre on June 11-12. Attend the show to learn about the revolutionary fighters that led to our Madaraka.

Do you have an EdTech product/event/report/opportunity that you’d love for our community to know about? Send me a brief about it on nyarinda@edtech-eastafrica.com.

Until next time,

What is it that you truly desire? Go for it! Uko na madaraka!

Nyarinda :)

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