Ory Okolloh Explained

thumb|right|300px|Okolloh in 2006

Ory Okolloh (or Ory Okolloh Mwangi) is a Kenyan activist, lawyer, and blogger. She is Director of Investments at Omidyar Network.[1] [2] [3] She was formerly the Policy Manager for Africa with Google.[4] In 2007, Okolloh co-created Ushahidi.[5]

Early life

She earned an undergraduate degree in Political Science from the University of Pittsburgh and graduated from Harvard Law School in 2005.[5] [6]

Career

In 2006 she co-founded the parliamentary watchdog site Mzalendo (Swahili: "Patriot"). The site sought to increase government accountability by systematically recording bills, speeches, MPs, standing orders, etc.[7] [8]

When Kenya was engulfed in violence following a disputed presidential election in 2007, Okolloh co-created Ushahidi (Swahili: "Witness"), a website and tool that collected and recorded eyewitness reports of violence using text messages and Google Maps.[5] The technology has since been adapted for expanded purposes (including monitoring elections and tracking pharmaceutical availability) and used in a number of other countries.

Okolloh has a personal blog, Kenyan Pundit, which was featured on Global Voices Online.[9]

She has worked as a legal consultant for NGOs and has worked at Covington and Burling, the Kenya National Commission on Human Rights, and the World Bank.[10] [6]

Okolloh was appointed to the Board of Thomson Reuters Founders Share Company, the body that acts as a guardian of the Thomson Reuters Trust Principles in May 2015.[11]

Okolloh has also served as an independent director at Safaricom since February 2023.[12]

Awards

External links

Notes and References

  1. News: Group launches initiative for global policy reform to lower Internet access cost. 8 October 2013. https://web.archive.org/web/20140408212112/http://www.worldstagegroup.com/worldstagenew/index.php?active=news&newscid=11162&catid=31. 8 April 2014. dead.
  2. Web site: Why aren't more wealthy Africans backing the continent's start-ups?. 2015-09-27. Mohammed. Omar. 2015-06-09. Quartz - Africa.
  3. Web site:
    1. 147notjustanumber aims to name all those slain in Kenya attack
    . 2015-09-27. Kozlowska. Hanna. 2015-04-06. Quartz.
  4. Web site: Ms. Ory A, Okolloh. 2021-04-24. www.stanbicbank.co.ke.
  5. Bahree. Megha. Citizen Voices. 2008-11-13. Forbes.
  6. Web site: About. Okolloh. Ory. Kenyan Pundit. 2009-09-11. https://web.archive.org/web/20091021170513/https://www.kenyanpundit.com/about/. 2009-10-21. dead.
  7. News: Bengali. Shashank. Native voices blog out of Africa. 2007-06-21. https://archive.today/20130128080611/http://www.mcclatchydc.com/homepage/v-print/story/17159.html. dead. 2013-01-28. McClatchy Newspapers. 2009-09-11.
  8. News: Heavens. Andrew. The web watchdog biting Kenya's MPs. 2007-03-14. BBC News. 2009-09-11.
  9. News: Boyd. Clark. Global voices speak through blogs. 2005-04-06. BBC News. 2009-09-11.
  10. News: Kantai. Wallace. Kenyan gives platform for airing post-poll atrocities. 2009-07-19. Business Daily. Nation Media Group. 2009-09-11. 2019-03-23. https://web.archive.org/web/20190323223522/https://www.businessdailyafrica.com/-/539444/624996/-/view/printVersion/-/h6s6rm/-/index.html. dead.
  11. News: Ory Okolloh joins Reuters Board of Directors. Innovation Village. 2015-05-10.
  12. News: Kagonye. Fred. Standard Media. 2023-02-27. Safaricom appoints new board directors. 2024-09-02.
  13. Africa's Most Successful Women: Ory Okolloh. Nsehe. Mfonobong. Forbes. 2012-06-01.
  14. 2023-08-14. African Leadership Magazine. Africa's Most Powerful Women In Technology - 2013.
  15. Ory Okolloh. Dyson. Esther. Time. 2014-04-24.

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