B
NARRATIVE VALUE
Certainty
●●○ medium
ABCDEFG
There is no confirmed −; independently verified + decide the position (B). No unreachable strike-through.= non-additive meter
As of: 2026-Q4Status: ActiveCeiling reason: No confirmed −
History2026-Q4BHistory grows each quarter
Mawingu Networks: Internet at a price rural Kenya can pay. The letter is B; certainty is medium. Unconfirmed concerns are placed under “Watching.” (As of 2026-Q4; estimate based on public information.)
Main narrative
In rural Kenya, a mobile signal may arrive but a connection fast and cheap enough for work or study does not. Mawingu, started in 2013 in Nanyuki, uses solar-powered wireless base stations to extend connectivity beyond the electricity grid. The name means 'cloud' in Swahili.
Monthly prices sit below urban commercial offers, and the customers include not only households but schools, clinics and small shops. Regulator statistics put subscriptions at 76,650 as of June 2025, nearly double the 38,601 of a year earlier, making it Kenya's seventh-largest fixed internet provider. In October 2025 it raised $20 million from an infrastructure fund, with a stated goal of one million customers by 2028 across 28 counties. Solar plus wireless is the combination that keeps capital costs realistic where both power and connectivity are thin.
One person’s story (N1)
+ A single story
The benefit appears collectively. Solar-powered wireless base stations carry a usable connection to settlements beyond the electricity grid. Regulator statistics show subscriptions rising from 38,601 in June 2024 to 76,650 in June 2025, making it Kenya's seventh-largest fixed internet provider. Schools, clinics and small shops are among the customers. Source type: independent (regulator statistics and reporting)
Source nature: T1 official statistics. Positive effects are not used to offset negatives.
Positive / negative effects
+ effects
- The positive side of this assessment rests on the single story (N1) above and its source. A per-item ledger of positive effects has not yet been compiled for this organization.T1 official statistics
Watching (unconfirmed; not counted in the assessment)- Balancing investor returns with low prices as a for-profit company
- cost of maintaining rural infrastructure
Looking ahead (not included in the assessment)- Targeting one million users by 2028.
A second look
Connection is a means; whether lives change has to be measured separately. Even as prices fall, devices and electricity remain a barrier for some households. How far it reaches the lowest-income rural households is the open question.
Sources
How to read this assessment
A Independently verified +, with no confirmed −
B Leans +, with independent backing
C Mixed. A confirmed − sets the ceiling, or much is unverified
D A serious confirmed − sets the ceiling
E A serious − reaches the core of the organization
F Serious and systemic, with little redeeming +
G Only extreme cases
Out of scope An entity whose core purpose is illegal
On hold Independent evidence is scarce on both + and −
- Reachable upper bound (ceiling): a confirmed − sets the ceiling, and independently verified + decide the position within it. + do not cancel out −.
- The weight of evidence is not symmetric: only confirmed − are counted; the volume of disputes or allegations goes under “Watching.” + are counted from independent evidence, while an organization’s own PR is treated as “reference.”
- Size is not value: scale is not used in the assessment. Matters that stay within money or competition—investors, shareholders, sanctions, trade secrets—are also excluded.
- The letter (assessment) and certainty (how reliable the information is) are separate axes.
This is a translation; the Japanese version is authoritative. The assessments here are generated automatically by AI based on published criteria. The operator does not alter individual results. Because they are AI-generated they may contain errors, and they are opinion and commentary, not statements of fact. Where evidence is insufficient, the entry is marked “On hold.” Requests for correction are accepted via the form.
Terms: Narrative Value = an assessment (A–G) of the distance between the narrative an organization tells and its reality / Ceiling meter = a visualization of the reachable upper bound / Watching = unconfirmed matters not counted / Protected stakeholders = people, animals, nature, and future generations. | Generated by: AI | As of: 2026-Q4 | Back to top