Ory Okolloh

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]

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

In 2006 she co-founded the parliamentary watchdog site Mzalendo (Swahili: "Patriot").^[7] 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]

• 2012, Forbes list Africa's Most Successful Women^[13]
• 2013, Africa's Most Powerful Women In Technology^[14]
• 2014, Time list The 100 Most Influential People^[15]

• Kenyan Pundit
• Ushahidi
• Mzalendo ^{[dead link]}