The solution is the result of one of its founder’s experience. The latter was assaulted when he was a student. After his painful experience, he decided to give others the means to quickly inform relevant authorities when they encounter such situations.  

Usalama is a digital solution developed by a Kenyan startup. It allows users to alert relevant authorities when they are threatened, assaulted or burgled.  The idea for the solution started from an unfortunate experience one of the founders had while still a student.

“One evening while going home I was suddenly surrounded by four men at gunpoint. I sadly realized that there was no way I could call for help. One of them punched me in the gut and as I was writhing in pain they ransacked me. The ordeal lasted for five minutes but afterwards I saw a problem,”   explains Edwin Inganji, one of the founders of Usalama. 

The solution has an Android app, through which users can register and select people to be contacted in case of emergency. The app uses GPS to pinpoint users’ exact location, which is transmitted to relevant people along with the time of danger facing the user. Four danger scenarios are predefined on the app and the user, in case of danger, can select one of them.

“Our focus as of now is on four types of emergencies: medical emergencies, security emergencies, roadside rescue and gender-based violence. In each of these areas we seek emergency service providers that offer services in the respective sector and sign them up for our platform,” Edwin indicates. 

Usalama sends a message with the location of the victim, the location of the rescuers, the three police stations closest to the victim, and the respective paths to the victim. When the contacts to be reached also have the application on their smartphone, they receive distress calls or notification prompting them to open the app and check the emergency.  

The app has already been downloaded more than 5,000 times. Its founders plan to launch it in other countries as more countries are faced with insecurity on the continent. 

In 2017, Usalama was a winner of the Innovating Justice BoostCamp of The Hague Institute for Innovation in Law (HiiL). It was awarded €20,000 in funding. In 2019, it was also selected for the Westerwelle Young Founders¸ program, which offers access to six months of mentoring and access to the program’s network.  

Adoni Conrad Quenum