For a child in rural Kenya, the first day of school should be an opening of doors. Instead, for many speaking Samburu, Somali, Borana, or Turkana, it feels like a wall. They walk into a classroom only to find that the “language of learning” is English or Swahili—languages that feel entirely foreign to their world.

Abhinur Ali Mahdi saw this disconnect and decided the system was backwards. “It doesn’t make sense,” he says. “Imagine the only language you know is your mother tongue, but the system insists on English.”

To fix this, Mahdi founded M-Lugha, an edtech platform built on a simple but radical premise: To teach a child, you have to speak their language.

The Gap: Why 40% of Learners are Left Behind

According to UNESCO, nearly half of the world’s students can’t access an education in a language they actually understand. In Africa, this often looks like “language-first” schooling that prioritizes colonial languages over indigenous ones.

Mahdi points out the double standard: “If Sweden uses Swedish and France uses French, why are African learners forced into English from day one?”

How M-Lugha Works

M-Lugha isn’t just a translation app; it’s a bridge. Here is how it’s changing the classroom dynamic:

• Cultural Alignment: It translates Kenya’s PP1 and PP2 (early childhood) curriculum into 19 indigenous languages. This includes everything from the names of objects to the attire shown in storybooks.

• KICD Approved: The content is fully aligned with Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) and has the official stamp of approval from the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development.

• Offline First: Recognizing that “broadband” is a luxury in remote areas, the app works entirely offline.

• AI for Teachers: Many teachers in rural areas aren’t locals. M-Lugha uses AI to help these teachers type an English phrase and have it played back instantly in the local dialect.

From “Known to Unknown”

The results in regions like Wajir and Turkana are proving Mahdi’s philosophy of “known to unknown.” By starting with what a child already knows—their mother tongue—they build the cognitive foundation needed to eventually master English and Swahili.

The platform’s growth was supercharged by the Mastercard Foundation EdTech Fellowship at iHub Kenya. During the eight-month program, M-Lugha refined its tech to work on the thousands of government-issued “Digital Literacy Programme” tablets that were previously sitting idle in schools.

The Future of Literacy

For Mahdi, the next era of African digital literacy isn’t about big data or flashy hardware. It’s about identity. By making the language spoken at home the language spoken in the classroom, M-Lugha is ensuring that a child’s first experience with education is one of inclusion, not confusion.

“The teacher clicks, and the children hear their own language. That is where learning begins.”