Zynde – I must say this is a very well executed site. The design looks sharp and it just seems to “work” (unlike many things Kenyan). The site works a lot like Mint.com in that it helps you manage your money better (but is very local, with the inclusion of things like NHIF, etc). Give it a try 😉

Mukuru.com – nice site name! To me, this site is impressive. Not only is it offering a service that is very much in need but it is also pretty well designed and it inspires confidence. The site allows you to quickly and easily send money to Kenyan mobile phones. Nice, eh? Why would you need Western Union? Kudos to whoever is behind mukuru.com!

NHIF – while I personally do not really like the design of the NHIF website, I know that this may be due to my own personal taste. I think the site is pretty good, though – it presents the NHIF as an organisation I would want to deal with. One of the very few Kenyan government related sites that I can call good!

50-50
Kasarani.com – no this has nothing to do with sports. It is a dating site, a Kenyan dating site. I almost put it as a flop but on account of the really good design I put it as 50-50. However, for a dating site, I would think it would be in their interests to showcase the already existing members so as to entice other singles to join (right now we have no way of knowing if the site is deserted).

Flops
The Kenyan Ministry of Education – in the words of Ian Mbugua, this website is nothing short of pathetic. The use of colour may be passable, even good, but the very fact that some parts of the site pages seem broken – it looks like it is a “work in progress” – make this a huge fail in my eyes. I know the Ministry must have paid someone a lot of money for this, which is a crying shame because I know tens of people who could have done a much better job for much less.

Nairobi Swahili – this is the website of one Oloo, a Swahili teacher in Nairobi. I think the site is very well done and a rare gem in the (sometimes shocking) Kenyan web design industry. The site is pleasing to look at and does a good job of selling Mr. Oloo’s Swahili courses. Kudos to him, and the web designers.

Mara Enkipai – there’s a big drive to “sell Kenyan tourism” online spearheaded by the government. The sad truth is that 99% of all tourism related sites in Kenya are rather shoddy jobs that may actually detract from Kenya’s image. This is NOT the case with Mara Enkipai – the site is extremely well done and something that I’d be proud for people all over the world to see as the first glimpse of what Kenya has to offer. May other tour firms and operators follow suit!

Flops
Kenya Teachers’ Service Commission – for an organisation as big as the TSC, this is a pretty shameful site – it looks unfinished and the design, well, is poor at best. It looks more like a student’s high school project than a professionally done website of a national organisation.

Cheki – I remember a while back when a friend of mine told me it took two months for him to find and buy a good car in Kenya. This is because he had to spend time going physically to various used cars sales ‘bazaars’. It was clear back then that Kenya needed a large site where people can buy/sell any type of car. Cheki looks to be that site!

Baba Watoto – “BabaWatoto is the most valuable kenyan site to us out here (outside Kenyan – the so called ‘diaspora’) we can do practically anything in Kenya without leaving my computer!” – Mbugua . True to Mbugua’s word, Baba Watoto seems to be able t enable people outside Kenya to do anything. Try it.

Flops
Mchongoano.com – now this is a really nice domain that has not been utilised properly. The site feels outdated and, as a new visitors, I cannot tell what the site is about. It looks like someone had a good idea way back in 2002 (that’s the date on the site’s footer) and then just lost focus. Sigh. The site has potential, a re-design and some re-focusing would do wonders!

Kibera News Network. You know CNN? This is the CNN of Kibera, KNN. Sounds nice eh? Basically it is a YouTube channel for videos from Nairobi’s Kibera slums, made by residents of Kibera. It gives Kibera exposure much unlike the typical ‘doom and gloom’ CNN reports.

Majibu. I severely dislike those “Ask Auntie Tabby” type of columns in the newspapers where some wise guy (or girl) answers readers questions. However, more than once Yahoo Answers has provided me with very accurate answers to very specific questions. Therefore, Majibu – which looks like a local version of yahoo Answers – excites me in that it is now, theoretically at least, possible to get ‘local’ answers to any questions you may have. Give it a try!

Flops
E Pesa. Perharps this is an unfair review but I just would NOT do any business with this site. The idea is good but, well, the site doesn’t inspire enough confidence in me to take them seriously. It is important to do this when handling money. The fact that the site says “Copyright © E-pesa 2008” doesn’t help one bit! Please be careful when dealing with these guys or just do not do it!

What could they do? Spruce the site up and make it more appealing. Also, keep it updated.

GetH2O – this actually a game! A (serious) game which simulates the complexity of life in the slums, the scarcity of resources, how to deal with them and prevent escalation of conflict. Mobile and board. By playing the game, be it the single player mobile phone version or the multi-player board game, it fosters the awareness about how to peacefully handle community problems and options are flagged for common action and possible long-term results. As such, the game provides an engaging, self-reinforcing context in which to motivate and educate players.

Eat Rolex – I really like the cool, simple look of this site. As you may have guessed, it is about the chapati-ish meal known as a “Rolex”. You can find the guys who run the site on Friday & Saturday night at Black Diamond, Westlands. Otherwise, use the site to order your own rolex!

Flops
Mlevi.com – this definitely is a good domain and I bet someone somewhere has the perfect idea of taking this site to great heights. Looks like the current owner gave up long ago and just let’s the domain stay parked now. 🙁 Lost potential.