Ushahidi: How a Kenyan Team Used Open Source to Turn Crisis into Opportunity

The Story

The streets of Nairobi were in turmoil. Kenya had just gone through a highly contested election, and violent clashes erupted across the country. Between 2007-2008 after the election violence, there was a lack of reliable information about incidents of violence and their locations. Misinformation spread like wildfire, and the world struggled to understand what was really happening. Journalists couldn’t report fast enough, and many affected communities were left voiceless. Amid this chaos, a group of Kenyan technologists, bloggers, and activists knew that technology could provide clarity. But how?

Solutions on the ground: Mapping Crisis in Real-Time

Kenya was facing a humanitarian crisis, but there was no single source for real-time, verified information. The mainstream media couldn’t keep up, and official reports were often delayed or inaccurate. A team identified as Ushahidi, which means "testimony" in Swahili emerged from the tech activists to define their scope of refining communication challenges amidst their doomed era. The team needed a way to collect reports from people on the ground quickly, a system that could filter false information and highlight verified incidents, and a tool that anyone, anywhere could use to contribute to crisis mapping. 

The Birth of Ushahidi: Open Source to the Rescue 

Instead of developing a complex, closed system, the team turned to open-source technology. They built Ushahidi, a platform that allowed people to report incidents via SMS, email and online forms. These reports were mapped geographically to provide a real-time visualization of incidents. It was created by Erik Hersman, Juliana Rotich, David Kobia, and Ory Okolloh, a group of technologists and activists in Africa. The platform has since evolved into a global tool for crisis mapping, citizen engagement, and data collection. Because it was open source, developers from around the world quickly joined to improve the platform, fix bugs, and scale it beyond Kenya. The platform has been used in over 160 countries for various purposes, including disaster response, election monitoring, and citizen engagement.

Behind the scenes

The core technology stack was built using: 

PHP and MySQL for the backend, JavaScript (Leaflet.js) for the interactive maps, FrontlineSMS (An open-source tool that enabled SMS reporting for those without internet access),  OpenLayers (An open-source JavaScript library for interactive maps).

The Open-Source Legacy

Ushahidi proved that open-source technology can save lives in crisis situations. It became a tool used worldwide without expensive licensing fees.

Today, Ushahidi remains one of the most powerful examples of how open-source software can transform disaster response and governance. From a small group of Kenyan developers in a crisis to a globally recognized platform, its success proves that technology, when built openly, can empower communities and change the world.

                                                        "What will be the next Ushahidi? And who will build it?"