🇰🇪KenyaEast Africa
Kenyan software engineer develops Mfumo platform to boost voter participation and access to electoral information
via Tuko5 min read
Samuel Waithaka, a Kenyan software engineer, has developed Mfumo, a civic-tech platform designed to enhance voter participation and access to electoral information in Kenya ahead of the 2027 general election. The platform addresses challenges voters face, such as locating Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission IEBC offices for registration assistance or transferring voting stations. Mfumo utilizes a chatbot that allows users to share their location and receive guidance to the nearest IEBC office. Waithaka, whose background is in software development and building chatbots, was motivated to create Mfumo after observing difficulties people encountered in finding IEBC offices and accessing reliable civic information. He aims for the platform to help citizens critically examine leadership qualities and make informed choices. While building the platform was not technically challenging, Waithaka notes that raising awareness and recruiting volunteers to map IEBC offices nationwide have been the biggest hurdles. User feedback on Mfumo's intuitive design and usability has been consistently positive.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by Tuko.
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