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Local nonprofits, social enterprises, community centers and arts organizations in Nairobi — with business listings kept in their own categories.
African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Research NGO · Research NGO
African-led research organization working on population health and policy.
African Wildlife Foundation (AWF)
Conservation NGO · Conservation NGO
Conserves wildlife and habitats while supporting African communities.
African Women's Development and Communication Network (FEMNET)
Women's rights network · Women's rights network
Pan-African network advancing women's rights and gender equality.
Human Needs Project Kenya
Community development NGO · Community development NGO
Operates community infrastructure and services in Kibera.
Kenya Human Rights Commission
Human rights NGO · Human rights NGO
Advocates for human rights, accountability and democratic governance.
Shining Hope for Communities (SHOFCO)
Community development NGO · Community development NGO
Provides health, education, water and livelihoods services in urban informal settlements.
CFK Africa
Community development NGO · Community development NGO
Community-led health, youth leadership and livelihoods programs in Kibera.
Amref Health Africa in Kenya
Health NGO · Health NGO
Improves community health and strengthens health systems.
Kituo Cha Sheria
Legal aid NGO · Legal aid NGO
Provides legal aid and advances access to justice for marginalized people.
Transparency International Kenya
Governance NGO · Governance NGO
Works against corruption through advocacy, research and citizen support.
Centre for Rights Education and Awareness (CREAW)
Women's rights NGO · Women's rights NGO
Advances women's rights, gender justice and protection from violence.
Akili Dada
Girls' leadership NGO · Girls' leadership NGO
Develops leadership among girls and young women.
The Action Foundation
Disability inclusion NGO · Disability inclusion NGO
Supports children and young people with disabilities and their families.
Food4Education
Child nutrition NGO · Child nutrition NGO
Provides affordable school meals to children in public schools.
Usikimye
Gender-based violence response nonprofit · Gender-based violence response nonprofit
Supports survivors of gender-based violence with rescue, shelter and advocacy.
Legal Resources Foundation Trust
Legal empowerment NGO · Legal empowerment NGO
Promotes access to justice and legal empowerment.
Uraia Trust
Civic education nonprofit · Civic education nonprofit
Supports civic education, citizen participation and accountable governance.
Mathare Social Justice Centre
Community human rights nonprofit · Community human rights nonprofit
Community-led human-rights documentation and social-justice advocacy in Mathare.
Ghetto Foundation
Youth development nonprofit · Youth development nonprofit
Uses arts, mentorship and livelihoods programs with youth in Nairobi informal settlements.
Carolina for Kibera Kenya
Community development NGO · Community development NGO
Community health, youth leadership and girls' empowerment programs in Kibera.
University of Nairobi
public education · public university
Public university in Nairobi.
Nairobi National Polytechnic
public education · public polytechnic
Public technical and vocational institution under Kenya's Ministry of Education.
Kenya School of TVET
public education · government teacher-training institute
Government teacher-training and technical institute.
Kenya Private Sector Alliance (KEPSA)
cross-sector advocacy · business-support institution
Umbrella private-sector body representing multinationals SMEs and startups; runs an annual SME Conference and provides training networking and market-access support
Nairobi Garage
coworking space · coworking/business-support
Largest coworking network in Kenya with five Nairobi locations (Kilimani Spring Valley Karen Westlands) offering hot desks private offices and startup networking events
Gearbox
hardware and manufacturing · makerspace/incubator
23000 sq ft makerspace for rapid prototyping with welding 3D printing CNC and laser-cutting equipment plus Gearbox Academy training and incubation for hardware entrepreneurs
@iBizAfrica (Strathmore University)
cross-sector startup incubation · university incubator
Kenya's leading university-based business incubator offering mentoring seed-funding legal and financial advice and product testing; over 300 startups have gone through its programs
Villgro Africa
healthcare and life sciences · incubator/impact investor
Incubator and impact investor founded in Kenya in 2015 supporting early-stage healthcare and life-science ventures with personalised incubation seed funding and partner networks across East Central Southern and West Africa
Kenya Climate Innovation Center (KCIC)
climate and clean energy · incubator
World Bank-backed climate innovation center launched 2012 in Nairobi providing incubation capacity-building and financing to entrepreneurs in renewable energy water agribusiness and waste management; has supported 3500+ SMEs
Kenya Investment Authority (KenInvest)
cross-sector investment facilitation · government investment-promotion body
Statutory body under the Ministry of Investments Trade and Industry that promotes and facilitates domestic and international investment issuing licenses permits and incentive guidance
Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI)
industrial R&D · government research institute
National research institute (est. 1979, restructured as a body corporate in 2022) undertaking multidisciplinary industrial research across engineering textile food and materials technologies
Maasai Market
artisan crafts and textiles · open-air craft market
Rotating open-air bazaar (weekly at various Nairobi sites, e.g. Court of Appeal parking lot on Saturdays) for beaded jewelry, African-fabric clothing and handmade crafts
Toi Market
secondhand goods and crafts · open-air retail market
Open-air market on the edge of Kibera known for affordable secondhand clothing bags and accessories, smaller and less crowded than Gikomba
Gikomba Market
secondhand clothing (mitumba) and textiles · open-air wholesale/retail market
Nairobi's largest open-air market, dating to the 1950s, and East Africa's major hub for secondhand clothing (mitumba) trade
iHub
technology and civic tech · tech innovation hub
Technology hackerspace founded 2010 by Erik Hersman Juliana Rotich and David Kobia with Ushahidi backing; catalysed hundreds of Kenyan tech companies before its 2019 acquisition by Lagos-based CcHUB
Konza Technopolis
ICT life sciences and engineering · government-backed technology city (Special Economic Zone)
Vision 2030 flagship 5000-acre smart city/tech park attracting Sh99.4 billion in investment, expanding into AI cloud computing and digital media, with Kenya-AIST university launching late 2026
Nairobi Innovation Week (University of Nairobi)
cross-sector innovation showcase · annual innovation event
University of Nairobi's flagship innovation event; 2026 edition (9th, themed Youth-Driven Solutions for a Sustainable Future) held 15 July 2026 with French Embassy partnership and a Shelter Afrique housing MOU
China Trade Week (CTW) Kenya
cross-sector trade and investment · trade exhibition
11th edition B2B/B2G trade exhibition at KICC 22-24 July 2026 convening ~3000 attendees, endorsed by Invest Kenya and the Ministry of Investments Trade and Industry
Nairobi Fashion Week
fashion and design · fashion industry event
Annual fashion week (2026 edition themed Decarbonize, held Jan 28-31 2026) featuring designer masterclasses, a pop-up market connecting designers to buyers/retailers/investors, and sustainability-focused runway shows
Adele Dejak
luxury accessories and jewelry · fashion/accessories brand
African luxury accessories brand founded 2008 in Nairobi by Adele Dejak, handcrafting jewelry and bags from reclaimed materials; has collaborated with Samsung and Salvatore Ferragamo
Katush
contemporary fashion design · fashion brand
Kenyan fashion label exploring identity, culture and history through design; featured on the BoF 500 list and stocked at Selfridges
Riverwood Ensemble Filmmakers Association
film production · film industry association
Association representing Kenya's homegrown 'Riverwood' film industry (named for River Road), which produces 20-50 low-budget films weekly and distributes via a Riverwood Channel on Bamba TV plus Iflix Showmax and AfricaXP
GoDown Arts Centre
visual and performing arts · arts and culture center
Established 2003 in a former car-repair warehouse in Nairobi's Industrial Area; provides artist studios exhibition/performance space and runs the East Africa Arts summit and Creative Entrepreneurship and Copyright courses
Twiga Foods
agribusiness/food supply chain · agritech company
B2B mobile platform (founded 2014) connecting smallholder farmers directly to urban vendors in Nairobi, formalizing supply chains for 140000+ MSMEs; raised $29.4m IFC debt funding for contract farmers
Nyayo Moms Sokos
women-led hyperlocal e-commerce · social commerce platform
Hyperlocal social commerce platform founded by Maureen Amakabane Njoki Mwangi and Martha Owuor, launched 2019, using WhatsApp/Facebook to let women in Nyayo Estate trade goods on trust-based 'social collateral'; over 5500 users
Women Enterprise Fund (WEF)
women's business finance · government fund
Semi-autonomous government agency established 2007 providing affordable credit capacity building and market linkages to women entrepreneurs; disbursed loans to over a million women, targeting Sh10bn by 2027
Hand in Hand Eastern Africa
SME growth and job creation · NGO/business-support organization
NGO empowering sustainable enterprises and jobs; its Applied Invest Program Cohort III (deadline Aug 31 2026) supports entrepreneurs in Nairobi Mombasa and surrounding areas with mentorship, product development and finance linkages
Kenya Association of Manufacturers (KAM)
manufacturing · business association
Industry association (est. 1959, 1300+ members) offering SME-focused business advisory, training in strategy and financial management, and market-access support including trade missions and expos
Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA)
innovation funding and awards · government agency
Semi-autonomous agency (est. under the 2013 Science Technology and Innovation Act) that funds innovation platforms and runs the annual Presidential Innovation Award recognizing top Kenyan innovators
iHub Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship
education technology · fellowship/accelerator program
18-month equity-free fellowship (3rd cohort) selecting 12 Kenyan edtech startups for up to $100000 in funding, business development support and science-of-learning insights
AethexAI
customer-support automation · fintech/AI startup
Nairobi startup building customer-support and voice automation for African markets; raised a $3 million pre-seed in 2026 led by 4DX Ventures and Enza Capital
Kenya Development Corporation (KDC)
SME and manufacturing finance · government development finance institution
State-owned development finance institution that unveiled a Sh18.5 billion financing pipeline for manufacturing automotive climate-finance and SME sectors
Java House
food and beverage · coffee house chain
Coffee house chain founded 1999 by Kevin Ashley and Jon Wagner, headquartered at ABC Place Nairobi, now with 73 East Africa locations serving export-quality Kenyan coffee and meals
Pointzero Coffee
coffee retail · craft coffee roastery
Kenyan retail coffee business established 2015 with a mission to increase local consumption of Kenyan-grown coffee through cafes and freshly roasted beans
Kesh Kesh Coffee Roastery
coffee retail · craft coffee roastery
Nairobi coffee roastery specializing in freshly roasted beans blending Kenyan and Ethiopian coffee flavors
Sendy
e-commerce fulfillment and logistics · logistics technology company
Nairobi-founded (2015) logistics platform providing B2B fulfillment freight and last-mile delivery, aggregating transport partners from motorcycles to 28-ton trucks for e-commerce and consumer brands
Glovo Kenya
last-mile delivery · on-demand delivery platform
On-demand delivery platform operating in Nairobi; launched 'She Delivers' with eBee Mobilities in 2026 to train women as electric-bicycle couriers for gender-inclusive zero-emission logistics
Safaricom M-Pesa for Business
digital payments · mobile money platform
Mobile money service (launched 2007) with a Lipa Na M-Pesa Business app serving 170000+ merchants, enabling real-time statements, fund transfers to banks/agents, and wage/supplier payments
Swift Academy
music industry mentorship · music talent development program
Nairobi program targeting emerging musicians, combining financial support with practical training and access to industry professionals amid growing private investment in Kenyan music
Riverwood Channel (Bamba TV partnership)
film distribution · digital film distribution channel
Digital distribution channel set up by Riverwood filmmakers with Bamba TV, extending reach onto continental platforms Iflix Showmax Afmobi and AfricaXP
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