WordCamp Nairobi 2025 is here! If there is an event that everyone should look forward to this year, it’s WordCamp Nairobi. Last year, with 3 of my students, we took the 13 hour bus ride from Kampala to Nairobi, East Africa’s tech capital. It was my first time going to Nairobi by land and the journey was worth every effort.
For three days we enjoyed the hustle and bustle of Nairobi. On top of the educative and inspiring sessions at the event, we had a memorable time visiting unique places, living together as family with my students, hanging out with fellow Ugandan attendees, visiting a lovely mum and the magnificent 2 Rivers Mall. In short, it was an event to remember!
First Things First. What is a WordCamp?
A WordCamp is a casual, locally organized conference dedicated to WordPress, the world’s most popular web designing software, bringing together ordinary users like you, developers, web designers, and even amateurs like my students. These events feature talks, workshops, networking opportunities, and activities focused on learning about WordPress, sharing knowledge, and collaborating on projects. WordCamps are community-organized events with very low ticket prices, reflecting the open-source nature of WordPress and the spirit of the community.
Earlier WordCamps
I vividly remember my first WordCamp. In 2018, along with other teachers, Rogers Mukalele a fellow teacher invited us to WordCamp Kampala. Personally, all I knew about WordPress was the word. I even didn’t know that it could be used to build websites. I attended just because everyone else was going but guess what! The sessions that I attended on that day were the beginning of my journey as a pro web designer. I was so excited that I shared my excitement in an interview I had with Rogers at the end of the event.
From 2019, I have attended each of the WordCamps in Uganda with my first speaker role at WordCamp Entebbe in March of that year. Every event came with it’s uniqueness that always made me look forward to the next. Below is the video of my first talk at a WordCamp which was shared on WordPressTV.
Memories of WordCamp Nairobi 2024
After attending so many WordCamps in Uganda, there was an intrinsic urge in me to test the waters at an event outside Uganda. Initially, this seemed a distant possibility. But when I opened my WordPress dashboard in 2024, I saw WordCamp Nairobi was scheduled. Without a blink, I decided this was a must-attend. I saw this as a chance for me to share the Ugandan story across the border. After scribbling down a couple of ideas, i decided on Teachers and Tech: How Uganda’s Teachers are Shaping the WordPress Community whose video I share below.
Kampala to Nairobi in 13 Hours
I had never travelled to Nairobi by bus. But since I had the company of three of my students, this was the affordable option. I learnt that buses to Nairobi leave Kampala in the late afternoons to make it possible to arrive in the early hours of the next day. I also learnt that it was safer to book a day in advance.
By 3:00 pm, we were already seated in Super Metro Bus and at exactly 4:00 pm, we set off from Namayiba Buss Park. If you live on the Eastern flank of Kampala, there is no need to come to Kampala to board the busses. They will easily find you along the way if you book with them. This saves you the 2 or 3 hour jam from Kampala to Mukono.
I don’t remember at what time we arrived at the border, but it must have been towards midnight. The border crossing process was obvious. All one needed was either their National ID or passport. On a rather funny side, two of my students naively lost some money to crooks at the border point, till now, I have never known how.
I spent the rest of the journey sleeping and only woke up at around 6:00 am to the sound of the early morning hoots from the early commuters of Nairobi.
Settling in
I’d never travelled to Nairobi by bus and this would have made navigating downtown from scratch but we were fortunate to have the company of Moses Cursor Ssebunya who was also one of the organisers of this edition of WordCamp. We had travelled with his team of three all the way from Kampala.
By 3:00 pm, all was set, booking done and took my students to our 3 bedroomed apartment. I think we were the luckiest of the Uganda crew because we chanced on a promo by Samra apartments next to 4 Points by Sheraton. They offered us their apartment only 100,00 Uganda shillings a day!
Team Uganda
With three of my students and Moses Cursor’s family of three, we now had a team big enough to make our stay in Nairobi memorable. But wait, we joined a dozen others from Uganda and this pushed the excitement to the roof.
Before and after the event, we roamed the streets, taking pictures and learning some Kiswahili. The evening before the event, we had a chance visit the venue at Day Star University. Here we had the chance to connect with other speakers who had travelled from outside Kenya to come and grace the event.
Event day
The event was packed with insightful sessions with a rich cast of speakers with nine of them from Uganda. Day Star University didn’t disappoint, the auditorium was on point! The reception was top notch and the team from automattic was there to answer all the questions from attendees.
Visit to 2 Rivers Mall and More
After the event, we took a dash around Nairobi with an unforgettable 3 hours at Two Rivers Mall. If you’ve been to Acacia , Game and Victoria Malls, here we are talking the largest mall in East Africa.
We were hosted for lunch by Mama Jane Lucy, a few minutes drive outside Nairobi. Catching up with someone I’ve known for a couple of years made me and my crew really feel at home, adding to the experience of hospitality in Kenya.
My visit to Nairobi couldn’t be complete without a a visit to my OB, the legendary MC Fullstop(RIP) arguably East Africa’s most iconic microphone master.
Return to Kampala
Everything comes to an end and so, despite the hospitality that we were accorded in Nairobi, we had to find our way back to Kampala. The three days in Nairobi were worth every coin for any Ugandan that attended WordCamp and will long remain on our minds and conversations.
Tips for Ugandan attendees
- While a passport is not a requirement for travel to Nairobi, it is the only document you can use to purchase a SIM card for local use. I would recommend that you use your National ID for border crossing but have your passport with you if you intend to use a Kenyan SIM card.
- Life is easier with a Kenyan SIM Card. While we were in Nairobi, most of the transactions were digital, even boda boda. You will find hard time finding someone who will accept hard cash from you.
- Stay near the venue. With my team, we resided at Samra Apartments, a walkable distance to the venue. This made it easy for us to have an authentic feel of the city. There was no worry of traffic jam to and fro the venue.
- Book your AirBnB early. If I didn’t have the company of Moses Cursor, getting where to stay would have proven tricky. Having arrived in Nairobi at around 7:00 am, we were only able to settle in later in the afternoon. This can be avoided if you book your Air BnB early enough, perhaps while still in Uganda. It is also important to use your personal email for booking.
Going to WordCamp Nairobi 2025?
Look, WordCamp Nairobi 2025 is here and happening on 7th and 8th November. I would strongly advise that you travel from Kampala on the evening of 5th (Or even before) and arrive in Nairobi on 6th, a day before the event. This will give you a day of settling in and acquainting yourself with the venue, the peoples, the meals and more.
There are many nice places to visit like the famous Two Rivers Mall and these would require a full day or two in order to have a full experience. If that’s your plan, remember to add more days to your itinerary.