Web3 is growing on us, but here’s the thing—blockchain adoption doesn’t just depend on technology. Nope, it’s about people. It’s about culture. It’s about whether your country has the chaotic energy to make decentralization work.
Take Kenya, for example. Kenyans don’t just hustle; they multi-hustle.
Let’s talk about our parents. They didn’t have one job—they had all the jobs. A 9-to-5? Sure, but that was just the warm-up. After work, they ran a kiosk, sold clothes on the side, and managed a car-clearing business. Oh, and just for fun, they probably ran a chama (savings group) one in Nairobi and the other 5 in shags. They created the multi-hustle, in a Kenya where the struggle was real.
But here’s the kicker: they did all of this without M-Pesa. Imagine running five operations at once while relying on slow, expensive money transfers. You’d have to physically send money across the country with a bus conductor or wait for a week for your cash to arrive via money order. Efficiency? Nonexistent.
Then came M-Pesa, and Kenyans said, “Finally, a solution built for people like us!” The ability to send and receive money instantly wasn’t just a convenience—it was the oil that kept the hustle machine running.
Now imagine adding blockchain to that mix. That’s where Web3 comes in, and boy, are some Kenyans, so ready.
Here’s the thing about Kenyans: we love systems that work. And Web3 is all about building systems—only this time, they’re decentralized. No need to trust a bank to move your money; no need for a middleman to take a cut.
We all love being middle men but just dont like paying them. Life and its ironies.
Need to pay your supplier in Kisumu while collecting funds from a chama in Nairobi? A blockchain-based DeFi app could handle that. Launching your mitumba (second-hand clothes) side hustle? NFTs could double as loyalty cards for your customers. Thinking about starting a new kiosk? Use a DAO to crowdfund the capital and split the profits fairly with your targeted customers.
And the best part? No one’s waiting in line at the bank.
Kenyans thrive on controlled chaos. Think about matatus. They’re loud, colorful, and unpredictable, yet they’re the lifeblood of transportation. Web3 is the matatu of finance—decentralized, unpredictable, and not everyone understands it, but somehow, it works.
Other countries might look at Web3 and say, “This is too complicated!” But Kenyans? We’re like, “I’ve been juggling five jobs since I was 12—this is nothing.”
Colombian Appeal: They’re escaping centralized systems like a drug lord dodging extradition. Their Web3 game is about freedom, plain and simple.
Nigerian Hustle: They’re flipping NFTs and trading tokens like it’s another form of street market negotiation. Nigerians don’t wait for opportunities; they create them.
American Dream: They’re chasing the next big thing in Web3 like prospectors chasing gold. It’s about striking it rich—even if the odds aren’t in their favor.
Russian Exit: They’re using crypto to vanish into thin air, whether that’s dodging sanctions or pulling off a major rug pull. They are not the only ones who do it.
If M-Pesa proved anything, it’s that Kenya doesn’t wait for innovation—we create demand for it. Web3 isn’t just a buzzword here; it’s a natural fit for a country where every single person has five things going on at once.
So, whether you’re a farmer crowdfunding your next project or a farmer tokenizing your produce, Web3 has something for you. Because if there’s one thing Kenyans know how to do, it’s hustle—and Web3 might just be the biggest hustle of all.
There are these Kiboko NFTs on rarible, that could give you ownership in building the builders of web3 across africa, get yourself one now.
Fabian Owuor
