world view - Al Kags — Strategist, Social Entrepreneur, Writer

November 26, 2024

AI: Are We Witnessing the Final Frontier of Cultural Homogenisation?

David Sasaki’s Time Capsule piece, When Languages Die, Part 2, triggered something deep within me. His reflections on the quiet extinction of languages across the globe took me back to my own childhood in Kenya, where speaking your mother tongue was frowned upon—where the sound ...

September 2, 2024

Maisha Namba: Thoughts about Kenya’s evolution of identity

Last week, I attended a meeting presided over by Amb. Prof. Julius Bitok, the Principal Secretary of the State Department for Immigration & Citizen Services. It was a Public Participation exercise on the Maisha Namba, Kenya's new Unified Personal Identifier meant to replace the National ...

August 1, 2024

Why I decline to speak at International Youth Day events

I have been honoured to receive invitations to deliver keynote speeches at three events celebrating the upcoming International Youth Day on August 12, 2024. Despite the prestige and potential impact of these opportunities, I have chosen to decline them. My decision stems from several reasons ...

May 31, 2024

#BanMuguka: a great opportunity to clarify devolution

The struggle to ban muguka in Kenya's coastal counties is more than a public health issue. It is a pivotal moment for understanding and applying devolution in Kenya. Sparking this battle is Zeinab Zahor, a courageous woman whose journey from potential child bride to community ...

May 20, 2024

Philip Thigo’s appointment as Special Envoy gives me hope

I am excited that President William Ruto appointed Philip Thigo as Special Envoy for Technology, the first in Kenya. I have known Philip since around 2011, as he has been in the trenches of developing our ICT industry from when we were trying to build ...

May 16, 2024

Africa: It’s Time to Boldly Rewild the Digital Jungle

#LongRead In the early, heady days of the internet, a boundless frontier of digital innovation was promised—a digital utopia where anyone could make their mark. Fast-forward to April 2024 and this dream has been co-opted by a handful of tech behemoths, leaving Africa a mere spectator ...

May 15, 2024

Spare a thought for child-parents this International Day of Families

As we mark International Day of Families on May 15th, it's time to spotlight the unsung heroes shaping our societies: families. This isn't just a day to celebrate the myriad forms of family units but also to confront the stark realities many face, especially those ...

November 6, 2023

Thoughts from the Data Festival (1): Power of Definitions in Data work

I travelled 40 hours from Nairobi to Uruguay to attend the first Data Festival after COVID-19. The event underscored how the world seems to have paused for those three years since 2020. On day zero, I attended a couple of exciting sessions. The first was co-organized ...

September 27, 2023

Part Three: Citizen-Generated Data must be kept true to its essence – the role of National Statistical Organisations

In response to my last two blog posts (this one and this one), I have been asked what role I think National Statistical Organisations play in citizen-generated data. Here goes. In the dynamic world of data, where each number and statistic carries a narrative, it is ...

September 25, 2023

Part Two: Citizen-Generated Data must be kept true to its essence – and be kept in its definition.

The Nuance of "Citizen-Generated Data": Why It's More Than Just "Citizen Contributions to Data" and "Citizen Data" In my last post, I argued that Citizen-Generated Data should be kept true to its essence that it is by Citizens and for Citizens. I have read some discussions ...

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