Chagika Booths
Charging your phone at the nearest spot in Nairobi.
Chagika turns ordinary street-side shade into solar-powered charging booths — a safe, convenient place for city residents to sit, rest and charge a phone on clean energy, with nothing drawn from the grid.
Launched
9 Sept 2023
First Site
Dagoretti, Nairobi
Seats Per Booth
Up to 6
Grid Power Used
None
The booth, in the open
SAWA MEDIA covered the launch of the first Chagika booth in Nairobi.
“The Solar Chagika Booth Launch | Charging Your Phone At The Nearest Spot In Nairobi” — SAWA MEDIA on YouTube.
A roof of panels, and a place to sit
Triangular Solar Roof
Each booth carries a triangular-shaped roof fitted with solar panels, which generate the electricity that feeds the booth.
Sockets Beneath The Seats
Charging sockets sit beneath the seating, so up to six people can sit down and charge at the same time.
Shade And A Safe Stop
The booths double as shaded public seating — somewhere to wait out the sun rather than leaving a phone charging with a stranger.
Entirely Off The Grid
Nothing is drawn from KPLC. Every charge is generated on the spot, from the sun, at the point of use.
Why we built it
Founder
Emmanuel Murunga
Project Lead & Founder, AkiliSolar
Chagika started from a simple observation: a phone is how most people in Nairobi bank, work and get home — and running flat in town leaves you stuck. The usual fix is to hand your phone to a shop and hope, or to pay for grid power that is not always there.
Founded by Emmanuel Murunga, who also leads AkiliSolar, the project set out to embrace renewable energy and put a charging point where people already are. The booths are medium-sized, seat up to six, and carry a triangular roof of solar panels that powers the sockets beneath the seats.
The first booth launched in Dagoretti, Nairobi, on 9 September 2023. With a site at Uhuru Park prepared, the plan is to secure further space from Nairobi County and expand across the city, and then to other counties.
“With Uhuru Park ready, we hope Nairobi County will allow us space as we expand to other parts of the city, and then reach other counties.”Partner With Us
