Our Knowledge Centre

An oasis of connectivity in rural Kenya.

ENTASOPIA, Kenya: The road from Nairobi winds 160 kilometers to this town deep in Masai country, the asphalt giving way to sand and dust, until finally it is just a dirt track climbing over broken hills and plunging back to desert flats. The going is slow.

The outpost, with about 4,000 inhabitants, is at the end of that road and beyond the reach of power lines. It has no bank, no post office, few cars and little infrastructure. Newspapers arrive in a bundle every three or four weeks. At night, most people light kerosene lamps and candles in their houses or fires in their huts and go to bed early, except for the farmers guarding crops against elephants and buffalo. Read more>>

VSAT Technology lands in Entasopia village

Alin team pulling resources for the new VSAT

In November, 2008 a VSAT was installed in the center to enhance internet services. The exercise was carried out by students from Michigan University’s Imagine Africa in USA in collaboration with , ALIN.
The VSAT started operating on the 26th November 2008 after the technical work was done by David Musila, from KDN, Raphael Marambii of ALIN and Dennis Mutwiri of Baobab Communications.


Services sought
The following services are sought since the installations of VSAT at Nguruman.They include:
• Training on the Internet: Youths and Adults have been flocking at the center to get training on internet,web-2 tools,online social networking tools and applications.
• Sending and reading mails: Government officials, Development Workers, visitors and students get in touch to the outside world by sending and receiving emails everyday.In fact almost every community member holds an email accounts.
• US Visa Applications: We receive visitors who book for their Visa interview online at the center. We have so far assisted two users book their Visa appointments online.
• E-Government services: Members of the community use the center to download vital documents like PIN registration forms, University application forms the center also assists the community members apply for green card.
• Reading online newspapers and journals, the center assists the users get latest information on health, agriculture, HIV, Gender issues and the current affairs.This helps them be enlightened since no newspaper reaches the village.
• Entasopia village is only served by two televisions sets and they are located in public places where people pay a fee of ksh 10/- to watch news or a movie, film. Most people cannot afford this fee daily thus they visit the center to watch short clips of music videos, news bulletin via you tube and blip TV.
• Scholarships and Job Applications. This is done by both the jobless and those employed looking for greener pastures and students looking for scholarships to further education.
• We have a range of professionals including teachers and other practitioners who are doing research for various projects. These also include people doing various development projects and are searching for funds and donors.
• Chatting with friends and family through social network sites
• Creating blogs and Web albums for saving their pictures especially on Picasa
• Searching information concerning agriculture, livestock and various livelihood information including market and prices.

Nguruman Commmunity Knowledge Center

We are pleased to announce to our members that we are now offering all our services free of charge. Come and receive knowledge at our center. We are offering

-Computer Training
-Online market Information
-E-Gorvernment Services
-Internet and E-Mail services
-Library Services
-Typing Services
-Printing
-Sale of Air-Time
-Phone,Torch and Radio repairs
-Barber Shop

Come and be part of us as we change lives of the communities....

BOOK AID TEAM TOURS NGURUMAN CENTER

Book Aid International a Donor that has been supplying the Center with resourceful books paid a courtesy visit to the center with the aim of making a film that will show case the use of the library and the impact it has on the community.

The day was very interesting especially the interviews, the users got a chance to talk on camera. The day could not end without having a maasai traditional song. Thanks to Osigili traditional dancers who made sure the day was interesting as they sung maasai songs and everybody joined in. We appreciated the company of the book aid team who promised to give us more books that touch on issues affecting us.

We look forward to seeing you again and may you spread our messages and what we are doing wherever you will tour. May God bless you. Thanks a lot to Lesley Punder, Preti Taweja, Ben Crowe, Noah Lusaka and Peter.

INTRODUCTION OF INTERNET TO OUR VILLAGE OUTSHINES A VILLAGER.

Julius Kasifu, a local farmer could not hide his joy and appreciation after the introduction of internet in Entasopia Village in Magadi Division a place where no one would think of having internet, located approximately 150 km west of Nairobi and linked with a dusty, rocky road Google put up internet to help the community get enlightened.

Since the inception of internet at the village, many people have benefited out of it. Julius Kasifu who despite of his disability has been a frequent user of the internet at the Community Information Center. He runs a blog that highlights issues of disabled people within Magadi division.

Kasifu runs a project called Tuko Disabled Group that highlights the issues affecting the disabled people in Magadi Division and he has formed a blog that talks on the issues of disability. He uses the blog to campaign on issues affecting the disabled by echoing out their hidden voices and showing the real issues affecting the disabled people.

With the use of internet, he has uploaded a short video showing the plight of the disabled people. Kasifu is now a happy villager because he can reach out the larger community and share more on the plight of the disabled people living in Magadi division thanks Arid Lands Information Network who put up the information center.

Introduction to Nguruman Community Centre

Nguruman Community Knowledge Centre (CKC) is a resource centre that was set up in collaboration with Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN)and African Conservation Centre (ACC) with the aim of helping the community exchange information and acquire knowledge that will improve their livelihoods.

Ngurumani CKC is located at Entasopia, Magadi division of Kajiado district, Rift Valley province of Kenya. The Nguruman CKC is located about 150 Kilometers southwest of Nairobi.

The Nguruman community is largely made up of Maasais, a pastoralist group whose main income in livestock. Due to increased usage of irrigation farming, other communities have also moved in the area. There is a lot of horticultural production for export and the area is also well known for its tourism activities with support from the African Conservation Center. The community lacks Information on markets, pest and diseases management and technical issues like computer skills.


The centre has become a vital focal point for knowledge sharing and the community have learnt a lot. Let's share information because information is power.

ALIN office on Google Maps

View Larger Map