Ory Okolloh

Ory Okolloh
Ory Okolloh in 2006

Ory Okolloh is a Kenyan activist, lawyer, and blogger. She currently holds the position of Policy Manager for Africa with Google. In 2006 she co-founded the parliamentary watchdog site Mzalendo (Swahili: "Patriot").[1] The site sought to increase government accountability by systematically recording bills, speeches, MPs, standing orders, etc.[1][2] When Kenya was engulfed in violence following a disputed presidential election in 2007, Okolloh helped create Ushahidi (Swahili: "Witness"), a website that collected and recorded eyewitness reports of violence using text messages and Google Maps.[3] The technology has since been adapted for other purposes (including monitoring elections and tracking pharmaceutical availability) and used in a number of other countries. Okolloh also has a personal blog, Kenyan Pundit, which was featured on Global Voices Online.[4] She also works as a legal consultant for NGOs and has worked at Covington and Burling, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the World Bank in the past.[5][6]

Okolloh was born into a relatively poor family.[7][8] She has said that her parents sent her to a private elementary school that they could "barely afford," which "set the foundation for what ended up being my career."[8] She earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2005.[3][6] Her father died of AIDS in 1999.[7][8] Okolloh lives in Johannesburg, South Africa, with her partner and two children.[7]

Notes

  1. ^ a b Bengali, Shashank (2007-06-21). "Native voices blog out of Africa". McClatchy Newspapers. http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/v-print/story/17159.html. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  2. ^ Heavens, Andrew (2007-03-14). "The web watchdog biting Kenya's MPs". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/6412143.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  3. ^ a b Bahree, Megha (2008-11-13). "Citizen Voices". Forbes Magazine. http://www.forbes.com/forbes/2008/1208/083.html. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  4. ^ Boyd, Clark (2005-04-06). "Global voices speak through blogs". BBC News. http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/4414247.stm. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  5. ^ Kantai, Wallace (2009-07-19). "Kenyan gives platform for airing post-poll atrocities". Business Daily (Nation Media Group). http://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/624996/-/view/printVersion/-/h6s6rm/-/index.html. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  6. ^ a b Okolloh, Ory. "About". Kenyan Pundit. http://www.kenyanpundit.com/about/. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  7. ^ a b c Hogg, Care Dwyer (2009-03-10). "Modern networker: using ICT to change Kenyan life for the better". The Independent. http://www.independent.co.uk/news/business/sustainit/modern-networker-using-ict-to-change-kenyan-life-for-the-better-1640467.html. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 
  8. ^ a b c Okolloh, Ory (2007-06). "Ory Okolloh on becoming an activist". TED Talks. http://www.ted.com/index.php/talks/ory_okolloh_on_becoming_an_activist.html. Retrieved 2009-09-11. 

External links


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  • Ushahidi.com — A Web site that maps post election violence in Kenya by collating SMS and email eye witness reports. (Ushahidi is Swahili for testimony.) Ushahidi.com was established by Kenyan journalist Ory Okolloh after herblog was overwhelmed by reports of… …   Dictionary of unconsidered lexicographical trifles

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