Nerima Wako

Nerima (neh ree mah) is the Executive Director of Siasa Place (SP). The word Siasa means politics. SP is a youth organization established in 2015, a youth-led, youth-focused civic-tech organization that builds the confidence, skills, competencies, and institutional structures necessary for the meaningful and dignified participation of young people in politics, governance, and civic life. SP has directly engaged with over 8,000 youth, and through 180 digital campaigns, it has made 131 million impressions online. Nerima attained her Bachelor of Arts in Journalism and Sociology from Jacksonville State University in 2010 and her Master’s in Public Administration in 2012. SP specializes in civic tech, digital political campaigns, and advocacy. SP has a women-specific program that supported the political campaign of 10 women from different parties, and right after the Kenya general election, SP is currently collecting data on online gender-based violence in Kenya specific to female politicians. Additionally, SP has published several reports that focus on young people. Siasa Place is currently supporting digital workers and policymakers on revitalizing labor laws to enhance tech company compliance and labor rights in Kenya.