Stories
Profiles, place stories and social enterprise stories from Nairobi.
Inside Gearbox: Kenya's makerspace for hardware entrepreneurs
Nairobi's only large-scale prototyping/makerspace, central to hardware startup formation in the Silicon Savannah ecosystem
Riverwood at scale: how Kenya's low-budget film industry built its own distribution pipeline
Riverwood represents a homegrown, self-financed creative industry model distinct from Nollywood, rooted in Nairobi's River Road and now central to Kenya's film economy
Nyayo Moms Sokos: trust-based commerce in a Nairobi estate
A grassroots, women-led social-commerce model built entirely on community trust rather than platform infrastructure — a distinctly local approach worth documenting for the Dear Network's storefront/vilaj angle
Adele Dejak and Katush: Nairobi's designers on the global stage
Two Nairobi-founded fashion brands (Adele Dejak, Katush) with verified placement in international retail (Selfridides) and design press (BoF 500) — strong storefront-forward story for Discover/Vilaj
KCIC a decade on: measuring Nairobi's climate innovation center
KCIC's claimed impact (57517 jobs, 3500+ SMEs supported) is a major but under-scrutinized data point in Nairobi's green-economy narrative
Konza Technopolis: promise versus delivery on Kenya's Silicon Savannah
Konza is the government's flagship answer to Nairobi's organic tech-hub growth (iHub, Nairobi Garage); a factual progress-check matters for anyone considering relocating or investing there
Who really benefits from Kenya's Creative Economy Bill?
Directly relevant to Nairobi's music, film, fashion and craft communities that make up the bulk of the Dear Network's creative-sector contacts
Gikomba, Toi and the Maasai Market: Nairobi's market economy up close
These three markets are foundational to Nairobi's informal commerce and craft economy and are natural entry points for the Dear Network's local-intelligence and vilaj sections