Use of technology in the ongoing #OccupyParliament protests has been given another boost. Techsavvy citizens have raised funds to set up and operate a USSD service. Accessed by dialing, *665*971# the USSD platform is meant to help Kenyans protesting the proposals of the Finance Bill 2024 in various ways.
As the protests take place countrywide, the platform promises to offer an updated list of Meetup points and regrouping locations. The protests organized by youthful citizens have been downgraded by politicians as uninformed. However, the platform helps to dissuade that notion by making it easier to access updated reading materials on the bill which is currently in its second reading.
Kenyan protests are often brutal due to a police service that lacks crowd control skills. The USSD platform has direct lines to emergency services. In addition, it enables users to report police brutality to the Independent Policing Oversight Authority (IPOA) and Amnesty International. As Kenyans have been crowdsourcing funds to support the protests, a call for contributions to the cause is available on the USSD.
Accessing the USSD isn’t free but the cost is just KES 1 airtime.
#OccupyParliament Starlink and Zello Use
Kenyan techies have been at the forefront to shore up street protests. At the time of writing, six Starlink Satellite dishes were made accessible to Nairobi CBD protestors. This was done in anticipation of a possible internet disruption by state bodies.
Protestors have also adopted tech solutions to try and ensure privacy and safety.
Starlink was also necessary as the main mobile network in Kenya, Safaricom, is facing allegations of limiting access to digital platforms.
Zello installation and VPNs were encouraged. Zello’s push-to-talk walkie-talkie app delivers secure private channels. This is one of the platforms Kenyans have adopted as a medium for live protest updates.
Read :Digital Activism: Techsavvy Kenyans Use Technology to Make their Case in #OccupyParliament Protests
AI Civic Education Efforts
USSD, a technology of old developed in 1997, is working in tandem with modern day artificial intelligence. This is to help in efforts not just of mobilization and crowdfunding but for civic education. For generative AI, a finance bill GPT was created last week.
This has been followed by a Social Health Insurance Fund (SHIF) GPT and a GPT on the 13th Parliament Hansards. This GPT has a knowledge base from 8th Sept 2022 to 13th June 2024. It is part of efforts to strengthen citizens Civic education using tech.
But even as this happens, the main hashtags behind the protests remain suppressed on social media platforms.
