From Sensors to Stories: Reflecting on Our RESPIRA-AQM Stakeholder and Ambassador Training Workshop in Nakuru

Nakuru, Kenya, May 6 2025 – the RESPIRA-AQM project reached a major milestone: we brought together a vibrant mix of community ambassadors, students, researchers, government representatives and institutional partners for a full-day workshop in Nakuru. The goal? To bridge air quality science with the lived realities of the people most affected by pollution.

Hosted at Egerton University’s Njoro Campus, the day began with a spirited introduction to our project mission: to build an Early Warning System for air pollution in Nakuru, grounded in collaboration between researchers, local authorities, and citizens. Using both low-cost sensors and community reports, RESPIRA-AQM is creating an air quality map that doesn’t just model data—it tells stories!

The morning kicked off with a plenary session introducing the project’s vision and progress. Partners from KU Leuven, Egerton University, the Kenya Meteorological Department (KMD), Stockholm Environmental Institute (SEI), and Nakuru County Government were present, underscoring the cross-institutional nature of the work. The team outlined technical achievements like the AI-driven forecasting pipeline and geospatial infrastructure, but also emphasised the human side: 330 citizen “AngaWatchers” will be recruited across 11 city wards to report pollution events and contribute to short surveys.

The heart of the workshop lay in its participatory sessions. Community ambassadors engaged in interactive training on how to use the AngaWatch app and practiced mock story collection scenarios with their paired student partners. They showed great enthusiasm and asked sharp questions, eager to start reporting and recruiting others in their wards.

Stakeholders broke into thematic groups—on strategy and policy, sensor deployment, and community engagement—to reflect on the challenges and opportunities of integrating community-generated data into policy and planning. Key suggestions included the use of local languages in communication, the engagement of health workers in awareness campaigns, and the inclusion of air quality in Nakuru’s County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs). The need for timely feedback loops and legal frameworks that support citizen-driven data collection was strongly emphasised.

As one ward ambassador put it: “Involving community champions in the design of sensor deployment and in shaping local narratives around air pollution fosters a strong sense of ownership and connection to the project among Nakuru’s communities.”

Looking ahead, the next steps are clear: our knowledge broker, Elizabeth and our dedicated team of students will now visit each ward with the ambassadors to assist with the first rounds of real-time data entry. The commitment of the ambassadors will be reaffirmed during these sessions, setting the stage for the full rollout of the AngaWatcher panel.

May 6th was a moment of co-creation, where stories and sensors met, and where the promise of cleaner air became a shared responsibility. As one slide cheekily put it at the end of the day: “Tuko radar sasa!” (We’re on the radar now!) — but in many ways, this is just the beginning.

Workshop participants shared their reflections and key takeaways

• Do you want to learn more about this project? Click here

• Are you Nakuru-based and do you want to join this project as AngaWatcher? Click here

• Do you immediately want to report on an air pollution event in Nakuru? Click here