Technological affordances,low-power AI,and climate justice among the Ogiek in Kenya’s Mau forest

Abstract

In regions with unreliable electricity and limited Internet access, low- power AI tools offer scalable solutions for low-bandwidth environments. In Kenya’s Mau Forest, AI-generated SMS messages on low-power feature phones offer possibilities for advancing climate justice for Ogiek Indigenous people. Through interviews, focus group discussions, and direct observation, the study examined how low-power AI SMS systems can be integrated with Indigenous Knowledge to enhance land rights, food security, and climate resilience. While challenges such as electricity, Internet connectivity, and cost of airtime persist, the key drivers for adoption emerged as community trust in co-designed low-power tools, alongside their usability. The study demonstrates the affordances of co- designed, low-power tech in mediating user priorities and underscores data sovereignty as a fundamental expression of indigeneity in reclaiming agency over their digital futures.