Maai Makwa

About this project

maAI Makwa {/màːéꜜ mækwæ/}, is a portmanteau for two phrases: My Water in my indigenous Kikuyu language; as well as Artificial Intelligence.

It is an open-source, open-data and public domain water quality and quantity monitoring project integrated with evidence-based citizen science and practical environmental education to empower climate-vulnerable, water-scarce & disenfranchised individuals, households, and communities in Kenya's Kihumo Village and surrounding settlements to participate in sustainable domestic-led freshwater resource management.

The Maai Makwa project is premised on the promise that deploying credible citizen science tools and enhancing evidence-based public participation and community engagement can stir civic discourse and action on freshwater conservation including water quantity and quality amongst water-scarce communities. As such, the theme of the project is: Empowering Water-Scarce households and Communities with Open Data for Sustainable Freshwater Exploitation: A Citizen Science and Community Engagement Approach.

Goals and Objectives

The overall goal of maAI makwa project is to empower 11,000 households, 2 utility/water service providers and 1 County/devolved Governments in Kihumno Village and surrounding settlements with appropriate data-driven tools to track domestic freshwater resource management and strengthen participatory processes on water rights in the digital age.

Specifically, the main objectives of the maAI makwa project are:

1. Provide actionable insights:
   (i) From conducting extensive research, curating and publishing archival open-government and citizen-generated data on freshwater resources to counter climate-related misinformation;
   (ii) To empower water-scarce, climate-vulnerable and disenfranchised communities with real-time freshwater quality data to enable informed decision-making towards mitigating the long-term negative impacts of consuming contaminated water on human and ecosystem health;
2. Deploy effective, low-cost & accessible tools to amplify grassroots communities' voices to effectively engage local elected representatives, local government agencies and other stakeholders towards improving freshwater resource service delivery and the adoption of open citizen generated data to accelerate freshwater conservation and inform infrastructure development & improvement;
3. Galvanize multi-sectoral stakeholder support towards raising awareness on freshwater quality rights through the Water (Amendment) Act, 2024, Climate Change (Monitoring, Reporting and Verification) Regulations, 2021, and the Environmental Management and Co-ordination (Water Quality) Regulations, 2024 and its application on rural and urban domestic water users.

Expected result

maAI makwa's sustainability & impact strategy is anchored upon community ownership to ensure long-term positive impact for both people (social) and planet (environment).

Our expected planet/environmental impacts will include:

• Reduced unsustainable extraction of freshwater resources by at least 12%: In the last three years, by empowering water users with insights on the impact of human activities on freshwater availability, we approximate that we have reduced overextraction of freshwater resources and increasing its availability in natural ecosystems for regeneration.
• Reduced chemical & biological contamination of freshwater resources: By engaging & educating domestic, agricultural & industrial water users in the target community on the dangers of consuming contaminated water on human & ecosystem health, we are preventing unnecessary runoff of pollutants into shared water resources (rivers, ponds, lakes) that have severe long-term effects on terrestrial & riverine ecosystems.
• Creation of localized early warning systems on freshwater & atmospheric resources: By installing & deploying environmental monitoring devices (weather stations, hydrological stations & air quality monitors) in vulnerable ecosystems, we are at the forefront of documenting environmental degradation and fostering stakeholder engagement towards preventative measures on environmental action & human health.

Our people/social impacts include:

• Increased awareness on atmospheric & freshwater responsibility amongst key vulnerable groups: We believe that the global climate crisis and its subsequent negative human/ecosystem health impacts can be resolved by behavioral and attitude change towards freshwater resources. By targeting at least 1.2 million persons across Kenya, we aspire to build consensus on the impacts of air & water pollution on human/ecosystem health through sensitization forums & awareness campaigns. We expect a 5% reduction in hospitalization cases due to contaminated air & water by informing participants on effective remedial measures;
• Reduction of domestic freshwater consumption & cost of living in participating households & communities by at least 7%: Based on data from our ultrasonic water tank/storage sensors, we have documented the reduction of domestic water consumption and savings on the cost of living through data-driven insights & informed decision making for enhanced awareness.
• Increased uptake of environmental education & STEM careers among learners: Having piloted an age-appropriate massive open online course (MOOC) amongst 1,800 elementary/primary school learners & high/secondary schools’ students in our locality, we expect to publish the MOOC curriculum & course platform for full rollout to at least 28 schools (approx. 5,000 children) in our village.

Partners

About me / organisation

Richard Muraya

Richard Muraya (He/Him) - Team Lead and Executive Director. He is a licensed Environmental Impact Auditor (EIA), citizen scientist, water rights advocate, environmental journalist, digital storyteller, data visualization designer/ developer and cartographer with a focus on democracy, population and human rights. He has 9 years’ experience as a subject matter specialist in good governance in Africa and an award-winning champion for devolved governance in Kenya across the United Nations, Kenyan public service, international non-profits, community organizations and entrepreneurial ventures. He is an alumni of the YALI regional Leadership Centre East Africa where maAi makwa was awarded first runner's up in the Cohort 50's Public Management track. In 2024, he was recognized by the North American Association for Environmental Education (NAAEE) & Global Environmental Education Partnership (GEEP) in the Global Environmental Education Top 30 Under 30.