Ory Okolloh Quotes
Born: July 26, 1977
Ory Okolloh stands as a formidable force for resilience and focused action, a Kenyan activist, lawyer, and technologist whose life’s work proves that clarity can flourish amidst chaos. As a co-founder of Ushahidi, she pioneered open-source crisis mapping, transforming raw, desperate data from Kenya’s post-election violence into a tool for global accountability. Her philosophy is not one of passive endurance, but of strategic, unwavering intention: she insists that true resilience is the discipline of channeling anger into constructive, systemic change. Her quotes resonate because they are forged in the crucible of real struggle, offering a blueprint for turning disruption into a catalyst for a more just world.
Ory Okolloh Quotes (25)
"I didn't grow up in the slums or anything that dire, but I know what it is to grow up without having money or being able to support family."
— Ory Okolloh"I probably can win a prize for the most ways to use a Harvard Law School degree because of all the things I'm doing."
— Ory Okolloh"I believe in the power of ideas. I believe in the power of sharing knowledge."
— Ory Okolloh"That's one thing you Americans take for granted, you know? That you can grow up, you know, not so good circumstances, and you can move. Just because you are born in rural Arkansas, whatever, that doesn't define who you are."
— Ory Okolloh"Blogging requires consistency, and you need to have some time on your hands, which I don't really have."
— Ory Okolloh"I always ask the question: As more Africans are going online, are they finding content that is meaningful and relevant to them, or are they just consuming from everywhere else. As Africans, we have the capacity to generate our own content."
— Ory Okolloh"At any one particular time, there is something in my life that is suffering as a result of my many responsibilities; most of the time, it's me."
— Ory Okolloh"If I were to have an epitaph, I'd want it to read, 'She did stuff.'"
— Ory Okolloh"I'm concerned about what I see is the fetishization around entrepreneurship in Africa. It's almost like it's the next new liberal thing. Like, 'Don't worry that there's no power because, hey, you're going to do solar and innovate around that.'"
— Ory Okolloh"We can't entrepreneur our way around bad leadership. We can't entrepreneur our way around bad policies. Those of us who have managed to entrepreneur ourselves out of it are living in a very false security in Africa."
— Ory Okolloh"I always tell people that I am most proud of the fact that the Ushahidi story has provided an inspiration to other techies in Kenya and Africa as an example of the kind of talent the continent holds."
— Ory Okolloh"I wish I had not believed that my work would speak for itself; the working world requires a bit more than that."
— Ory Okolloh"Life is too short to play-act if you don't have to."
— Ory Okolloh"I resigned from my position as Ushahidi Executive Director and member of the Board in 2010. However, my role as a co-founder and my journey as a woman in the technology space means that I remain inextricably linked to Ushahidi, for better or worse."
— Ory Okolloh"The idea that either individuals or organisations are 'too big to fail' or that the tech and start-up sector is somehow different is wrong."
— Ory Okolloh"In Kenya particularly, we have a lot to say - we're sort of obsessed with politics. We have three nightly news broadcasts, predominantly bad politics."
— Ory Okolloh"I think that we have been able to demonstrate that we cannot just consume software, that we can create software that can be used all over the world, that we have that kind of talent in Africa."
— Ory Okolloh"When I was in law school at Harvard, the Defence of Marriage Act (DOMA) in the U.S. was a big thing. I remember the fight between the army recruiters and Harvard University due to 'Don't ask, don't tell.'"
— Ory Okolloh"If you want to amplify the data that you have, you need media, you need lawyers, you need the judiciary. Especially when governments try to shut down a particular website or when litigating on an issue."
— Ory Okolloh"As I see it, tech in Africa 1.0 was the mobile-phone boom, and version 2.0 was about new apps developed in response to local needs. Tech in Africa 3.0 should be about those who are successful in transforming the chatter into real opportunities."
— Ory Okolloh"An absence of credible information prevents citizens from participating in public decision-making, particularly on key issues of concern such as education, health, and governance."
— Ory Okolloh"Omidyar Network first supported Africa Check in 2014 when they were a team of just three dedicated people intent on building a more fact-based environment for public debate in South Africa."
— Ory Okolloh"Anyone who has been successful and has knowledge to share is a potential mentor."
— Ory Okolloh"Ninety percent of my mentors have been male, most of them with very little in common with me on a personal level - from life experience, work experience, backgrounds, etc."
— Ory Okolloh"Technology influenced me in that it gave me an opportunity to have a voice as a woman. I think it's because the barriers to entry tend to be a bit lower."
— Ory Okolloh