Mary Onguko

This project explores how Artificial Intelligence (AI)-enabled mobile applications can better support female micro-entrepreneurs operating in Kenya’s informal economy. While mobile technologies have transformed financial access, healthcare, and business across Sub-Saharan Africa, many digital solutions are still designed with assumptions that do not reflect the linguistic, cultural, and socioeconomic realities of most Kenyan women. As a result, existing AI business tools often remain inaccessible, underutilized or mistrusted. The study investigates how women currently use smartphones and AI-driven applications, identifies challenges related to usability, affordability, language, and cultural fit, and co-designs improved mobile application prototypes with women entrepreneurs themselves. Using a human-centered and participatory design approach, the project will generate inclusive and culturally aligned AI features such as voice interfaces, local language options, intuitive icons, offline capabilities, and community device-sharing models. Ultimately, the project aims to inform developers, innovators, and policymakers, thereby ensuring AI becomes a practical enabler of women’s economic empowerment and inclusive digital transformation in Kenya.