Mid-January marked a milestone journey for us. Leaving the bustle of Nairobi behind, we traveled to Garissa County as the KICTANet team to bring the Enhancing Digital Access and Community Resilience (EDACR) project – an initiative funded by the British High Commission in Nairobi – closer to the communities it serves.
While the distance is significant, the reward upon arrival was truly immeasurable. It is easy to let expectations influence your view before you arrive; for many, the first glimpse of the Arid and Semi-Arid Lands regions might seem quiet or even somber.
But let me tell you—everything changes the moment you step into the heat of the region. As you meet its vibrant people and immerse yourself in their rich culture, misconceptions begin to fade. You quickly realize that there is a story here, far more complex and beautiful than what is often portrayed.
Beyond the Headlines: A Land of Plenty
To truly understand this place, you have to forget what you’ve seen on the evening news or scrolled past on social media. Garissa is actually a land of untapped opportunity and surprising abundance. As an eye-opener, I had the unique opportunity to join the community during Garissa Farmers’ Day hosted by Village Enterprise, under the Kuza Jamii II initiative, at the county headquarters.
Agricultural Produce at the Farmers Day in Garissa
As I listened to successful agricultural stories and viewed the produce showcase, I realized how easily these successes are overlooked by the outside world. In the heart of Garissa lies a treasure trove of nature’s bounty: golden honey that rivals the finest in the country, lush orchards bursting with bananas in every conceivable variety, sun-ripened mangoes, and great yields of maize.
This diversity paints a vivid picture of the ingenuity and sheer hard work of local farmers. However, as we moved from the farms to the town centers, we realized that the community’s potential isn’t just limited to the soil.
A Hunger for Growth and Innovation
Beyond the harvests, we encountered a community deeply yearning for the future. There is a profound hunger here for digital and production skills, technical expertise, and capacity building. This energy was most electric during our Town Hall meeting at the Garissa Township National Library, hosted by NieHub.
A TownHall meeting with Garissa CDcs
We sat down with leaders from the Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) and local cooperatives—the “community cells” that serve as the heartbeat of Garissa’s economy. They are united by a singular goal: growth. It was incredibly moving to see these leaders wholeheartedly embrace our EDACR mission to bridge the digital and financial divide. A call to action that is already hitting the ground running, and aims at:
Training 510 Community Digital Champions (CDCs) on intermediate skills and AI literacy, and advancing them into Community Digital Entrepreneurs (CDEs), transforming 36 Village Savings and Loans Associations (VSLAs) into digital, financial, and agribusiness hubs, and impacting youths with market-driven digital skills in agriculture, IT services, the creative economy, and the gig economy.
None of this would be possible without the incredible support and vision of the Garissa County leadership. We are deeply grateful for their warm welcome and their commitment to these community engagements.
As we look back on this trip, we know this is just the beginning. We are fired up and ready to reach more communities and cover even greater regions. We aren’t just looking at a map; we are overseeing a historic digital and economic shift across the ASAL regions.
Nic Nyakundi is a Digital Rights and Accessibility Programs Assistant at KICTANet.
– Every right has its responsibilities. Be responsible –