In the heart of Kibera – considered Africa’s largest informal settlement – a pilot project is attempting to make bitcoin more than just a buzzword. With support from AfriBit Africa, a non-profit organization focused on digital finance inclusion, about 200 garbage collectors in Soweto West have started receiving part of their wages in BTC. The initiative, which has seen around $10,000 worth of bitcoin disbursed via mobile wallets, is being hailed by some as a blueprint for financial inclusion in the unbanked economy.
But beneath the optimism lies a harder truth: grant-funded adoption without measurable traction is not success – it’s an experiment.
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TL;DR
~$10,000 in BTC disbursed to garbage collectors in Nairobi’s Kibera slum.
Volatility, limited access to devices/internet, and lack of education pose major risks.
No published KPIs to measure user retention, transaction activity, or financial impact.
Without solid data, the project risks becoming another short-lived pilot in a long list of untracked crypto experiments.
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The Big Risk: Bitcoin Without Guardrails
While the idea of “banking the unbanked” with bitcoin has long captured the imagination of crypto evangelists, Kibera’s real-world trial shows the risks of high-stakes financial exposure without infrastructure or education:
Volatility exposure: Some recipients reportedly now hold up to 80% of their net worth in bitcoin. In an economy where daily essentials are bought with cash, this kind of exposure could devastate households during a market downturn.
Access barriers: While bitcoin avoids KYC and red tape, adoption still depends on smartphones, consistent internet, and digital literacy – all of which remain scarce in informal settlements like Kibera.
Regulatory fog: Kenya’s crypto sector faces growing uncertainty, including upcoming digital asset taxes and restrictions on crypto giveaways. Scaling this initiative in the current environment could face significant headwinds.
REGULATION | Kenya High Court Declares @worldcoin Operations Illegal, Orders Deletion of Biometric Data
Justice Aburili emphasized that Worldcoin’s operations infringed on Kenyans’ constitutional right to privacy.https://t.co/AHnH6TtksO #Worldcoin #DataPrivacy pic.twitter.com/8CLZBLuEpm
— BitKE (@BitcoinKE) May 6, 2025
Where Are the KPIs?
Despite the headlines, there’s one glaring omission in the project rollout:
performance metrics.
So far, no data has been shared around:
Monthly active BTC users
Number of retained wallets post-grant
Average transaction value
Percentage of users cashing out vs holding
User education on risk and volatility
Without these KPIs, it’s impossible to say whether the program is fostering real financial behavior change – or simply handing out free crypto with no follow-through.
“Bitcoin isn’t a silver bullet. If we can’t prove sustained usage or economic impact, this becomes a charity stunt – not financial inclusion.” – Kenyan fintech strategist
STATISTICS | Kenya Leads in Gig Economy in Africa with 216% Growth in Online Freelancers in 5 Years – https://t.co/XJxhIy4nvo
— Ọlá (@samcenaexe) April 14, 2025
What Success Would Actually Look Like
To move from pilot to scalable model, initiatives like this need measurable traction. Here’s what BitKE believes should be tracked:
Metric What It Shows Retention rate If users are still transacting 3–6 months post-grant Transaction frequency Proof that bitcoin is being used – not just held Value-to-cash-out ratio Insights into spending vs hoarding patterns Financial literacy improvements Key to reducing risk from volatility Infrastructure access Ensures the model isn’t excluding large portions of the population
Bitcoin in Kibera is an inspiring experiment – but it needs to be more than just crypto feel-good PR. To truly unlock financial inclusion for the 1.5 billion unbanked, we must demand data, define KPIs, and design projects that don’t just distribute coins – but deliver outcomes.
Otherwise, the next wave of crypto funding risks being well-meaning noise in communities that need real, sustained solutions.
Stay tuned to BitcoinKE for deeper insights into Kenya’s digital and crypto adoption journey.
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