University of Nairobi DESIS lab, Kenya

Hosted by
The School of the Arts and Design (StAD),
University of Nairobi, Kenya
Telephone: +254202724527, +254720317860
P.O Box 30197, Nairobi, Kenya.
http://arts-design.uonbi.ac.ke

Coordinator
Mr. Collins Makunda, +254773678347, colmak02@yahoo.com

Operations manager
Ms. Betty Mwiti, +254722694853, mwiti.bk@uonbi.ac.ke

Objectives

• Promote the role of design as an agent for social change in Kenya and in the region
• Develop programs that enhance interaction between the academia and the community for the betterment of the society
• Facilitate sustainable social and economic growth in the informal sector in Kenya through design innovation

Background and past activities

In the past, the School has run programs where students worked together with informal sector artisans to design products and services that are economically, socially and environmentally sustainable. In particular, from 2006 to 2009 the School in partnership with an NGO, run a ‘Jua kali’ program that brought together professional designers, lecturers, students and informal sector artisans in workshops that were avenues for mutual engagement. The School has also partnered with other organizations such as Amref and Nokia in collaborative design activities for the benefit of students and local communities.  

Furthermore, the School of the Arts and Design has been involved in the activities of DESIS in its informal stages. In 2009, lecturers and students of the School participated in the Creative Communities for Sustainable Lifestyles-Africa (CCSL-A) program that was held at the University of Nairobi. The program allowed students to get involved in local community initiatives that exhibited sustainable ways of living. It is during the CCSL-A that the School agreed to informally join DESIS and further its aims in both teaching and practice. Since then, the School has made efforts to create space in both its syllabi and extra-curricular activities for the dialogue on sustainable design and social innovation. Staff members of the School were also involved in other international activities such as the ‘Changing the Change’ conference and the Torino World Design Capital 2008 that also served as the origins of DESIS.

Lastly, in May 2011 the School co-hosted the Nairobi International Design Conference (NIDEC) that brought together design professionals and academics from around the African continent. At the conference, presentations focused on design for industrial transformation, providing an opportunity for discussions on the sustainable development of small scale industries in Africa. Through NIDEC the School renewed its commitment to actively promote and support sustainable social change.

Activities and Primary Research areas

The StAD DESIS lab is currently pursuing an expanded  ‘Jua kali’ program whose aim is to provide a platform for engagement between the design academia/professionals on one hand and the informal sector entrepreneurs/community-based enterprises on the other, in the co-creation of socially relevant and enabling design solutions. The activities of the StAD DESIS lab for the year 2011/2012 will therefore focus on craftsmanship and community-based enterprises.

Future Programs and List of projects

Thanks to the collective experience on sustainable design and social innovation of members of the School, the StAD DESIS lab is set to become a robust hub for social innovation. The StAD DESIS lab will promote the aims of DESIS in Africa by opening up channels of communication with other design schools in the region. In the near future, the lab also plans to set up a web-based platform to share and disseminate ideas and success stories with the informal sector. The lab also hopes to plan mobility services for the ‘Jua kali’.

Main Partners

Cape Peninsula University of Technology, University of Botswana, Politecnico de Milano, Government of Kenya, Jua kali Association

Project example

Location