r/nairobitechies

I came across a post talking about seeing so many copycats in the Kenyan tech scene and why there really are not as many new-ish ideas

Dev's try and build a startup on the side,the grind is hard and they always go and build a ride hailing app,a Jumia clone,a delivery app,a house help app etc....and I really wanted to push across my thoughts

It really is a matter of 2 facts ;

it is always (statistically) better to be a second mover,learn from the wins and failures of the first mover advantage and make a radically better product,or a competing product at the least,see Uber vs Lyft vs bolt....see kilimall vs Jumia in Kenya

2.Funding,esp in Africa and Kenya as well,is difficult.Look at nearly all funded startups in Kenya and most fit the second mover profile because our VCs and Angels will only fund something they've seen work...Our VCs and Angels aren't really 'risk takers per se - esp if you are a first time founder,better bring the numbers (seed levels of traction at preseed) and then be in a market that's established.

Bootstrapping is very difficult... Mpesa without Safaricom would have struggled to get off the ground if they were trying the VC route,Too new an idea,no one has done it,must mean it's stupid..and why would I give an agent my money,what if tomorrow they've moved shop?Our VCs do a good job,but their risk profile matches a pension fund managers...

So what can we build?I think it's better to build an adjacent product to what exists (Symbiotic products for an apps customers...for example,a househelp/admin app gig worker would probably need a hardware app for plumbing,electrical toolings etc..its not a good example but you get the gist) , or a localised 'ripoff' of a working product,we are not yet there, Interms of funding , to try and build unique unicorns,or even camels..

what do you think anyway ? and are you building a 'ripoff' or an adjacent market?...The Dev job market is tough ,let's build clever .

Recently applied for a gig and they offered me an internship instead due to my lack of experience, having previously being an intern for a fintech company. Now at the first internship i was getting paid 8k but i didnt mind cause I knew i would gain alot in terms of first hand experience esp in fintech, but know with this one they're trying to offer me the same contract but with added roles, I told them the lowest i could do is 25k-30k, am i right for this or should i just take the offer and wait for something else?

Genuine question:

Would anyone here actually be interested in a Kenyan cybersecurity / hacker sub?

Not on some weird illegal stuff — I mean a space for people into CTFs, bug bounty, malware analysis, reverse engineering, Linux, networking, OSINT, hardware hacking, and just generally learning / building together.

I’ve noticed there are Kenyan tech communities around, but not really a focused local space for people deep into cyber and hacking-related topics.

Could be useful for:

• sharing labs and learning resources
• discussing tools and workflows
• local CTFs / competitions
• career advice and certifications
• writeups, projects, and research
• beginner to advanced discussions

Would you join something like that if it existed?

Also, what would make it worth joining instead of just staying on global subs?

If this existed, what would actually work best?

Possible subreddit names: r/KenyaCyberSec r/KenyanCyberSec r/254CyberSec r/KenyaHackers r/InfosecKenya

And beyond Reddit, would people actually be more active somewhere like Telegram or Discord?

the warst thing that can happen when using ai to build apps that have database

Looking for 1–2 people to split the Claude Code Max plan ($232/month ~ KES 15k).

I’ve used it for a long while and it’s definitely worth it.

I don’t use it full-time — sometimes I travel and can go up to 2 weeks without using it, so there’s plenty of room to share.

DM if interested

I am 27 (F) and a Junior Backend dev and I am looking for short-term gigs to supplement my main 9-5. Any suggestions?

in 2024 september I enrolled pale campus... obviously kusomea BBIT...well... Highschool sikuwa nmesoma mambo na IT..I did agriculture...so kufanya IT ilikuwa influence...plus I was good in IT kidogo...basic computer skills...I was surprised kujua my course adi sio IT.. like IT ni 8% ya the course..the rest ni business😂🙌🏿It was boring...after some few months.. second semester I met this sharp neighbour..akaniconnect na online gig..it was paying 7k a month...in 3 months I was being payed 22k🥹nlikuwa nafanya na three accounts 😂Sharp right!?... of course by now I was busy like in 24 hours I had 7 hours free...4 za kulala...zingine either usingizi or catch up na friends...well..exams came..nkashikwa na mwakenya got suspended for 1 academic year...kazi ikaisha masomo ikaisha💔I was depressed of how I wasted my life...pesa nlikuwa nayo kidogo ikanisaidia kusurvive a month and so .inshort sai nko job tena...some hardware business.. assistant 😂🙏🏽Guess the business education worked...sai adi nmesahau shule...man this life is a sea saw😂💀

I want to start by saying I am a dev but I have not launched anything. But why when I look at the app start ups that are being launched just from seeing an app ad they are all the same delivery apps, savings app 'fintech' or a jumia ripoff. Is it that kenyans are no longer creative or why is it. I've see also in trends like the tree hugging trend people started copying and I saw someone say in r/kenya someone copied their PS business and even after they moved he moved and opened the same location they were.

I have not seen anything new or that solves our problems literal problems. I was pleased to see last year I saw some game devs who built some masaai game it looked so good and raw new idea I think its not done yet in production but I would buy it.

I know people might come at me saying that where is mine I have my own ideas its just that I haven't chosen the entreprenuer path I will eventually and hope people will find it to be raw and not just some copy. Its just something I have observed I am asking is it the school 8-4-4 system that sucked the creativity within us and created just employees or what is it why are people not developing raw ideas and only creating similar apps with just some new name. No shade to those devs build keep going but I would just love to see some creativity maan new innovative ideas

What I need from you:

1. Strong portfolio in UX/UI for web (not apps)

2. Experience with brand-aligned visual design

3. Comfortable with wireframes through to final design handoff

4. Available to start within the next 2–3 weeks

This is a paid engagement. Budget is KES. 100k or there about, depending on expertise. Project scope is defined and timelines are clear.

DM me with your portfolio link. That's the only thing I need to see first.

- I'll update here once the position is filled.

I’ve been trying to get into a proper dev role for a while now so I figured I’d just post here.

I graduated mid last year and got a role as a Software Development Trainer at a local institute. Contract ended late last year and since then I’ve just been building projects and improving my skills.

My stack is mainly: JavaScript (Node.js, React, Next.js, TypeScript)

Python (Django & Flask – still growing here)

I also have some data science basics

Currently learning C# to get better at OOP and DSA

I’m really just looking for a chance to work on real systems with a team. Could be an internship, junior role, or even project-based work.

I’m flexible with time and I learn fast. I don’t mind starting small, I just want to grow and get real experience.

If you know of anything or think I can fit somewhere, I’d really appreciate

I am experiencing a weird confusion. My Google Account exists, but the Gmail address attached to it is returning "Address not found." I am also stuck in a 2FA loop.

​The Details: ​The Bounce-back: When I send an email to the address, it immediately bounces with a 550 error: "The email account that you tried to reach does not exist." ​The Login Screen: However, when I go to accounts.google.com, the account is recognized. I can enter my password. ​The 2FA Wall: After entering the password, I am asked for verification. My recovery phone (...27) is accepted, but then the system asks for a second code from a phone number ending in ...04 that I don't recognize. ​Current Status: I am now getting the "Too many failed attempts" error. ​Recent Changes: I recently updated the recovery phone to mine (...27), but I noticed the recovery email listed in security was unverified.

​Questions: ​Why would a Google Account exist but its Gmail address return "Address not found"? (Was the Gmail service deleted while keeping the account?)

​Is the ...04 number appearing because of the 7-day security grace period?

​If I wait the full 7 days without any login attempts, will the system stop asking for that ...04 number and rely only on my verified ...27 phone?

I'm very much confused

I am looking into the Point of Sales system within the business community, that includes e-commerce and physical stores or locations. I want to know if anyone has interacted with these kind of systems. Na by interaction I do not mean as a user(but that counts too) more like the developer, system administrator sort of. PS. I have had a chance to look into Absa POS, works absolutely fine juu it's offered by a banking entity but I need an interaction with one that isn't tied to a corporate.