Sandi AI, the Uganda-based artificial intelligence platform revolutionising access to clean water and sanitation, has announced a major expansion into Kenya alongside the rollout of a new Group Rotational Savings feature and USSD access for non-smartphone users.
The platform’s latest innovations aim to make access to clean water and sanitation both inclusive and community-driven, targeting grassroots groups that often struggle with financing and digital access.
“Our goal is to make access to clean water and sanitation simple, inclusive, and community-driven,” said Nabakka Sandra, Chief Executive Officer of Sandi AI, during the launch in Nairobi. “With Group Rotational Savings and USSD access, communities can save together, support one another, and receive high-quality water solutions directly from trusted manufacturers.”
The Group Rotational Savings feature—dubbed “Save Now, Take Later”—allows community members to collectively save toward shared goals such as installing water harvesting systems or sanitation facilities. Groups can set targets and timelines, with the system automatically rotating benefits among members.
“For instance,” Sandra explained, “a group of eight can contribute monthly toward a water facility. Each month, one member receives the installation until all eight benefit. It’s about fairness, transparency, and building shared ownership.”
Unlike traditional microfinance schemes, Sandi AI doesn’t sell water technologies directly. Instead, it connects saving groups to verified partner manufacturers, ensuring access to high-quality and affordable products. Through AI-driven monitoring, the platform tracks each group’s contributions, verifies transactions, and offers tailored guidance to help communities reach their goals.
To bridge the digital divide, Sandi AI has rolled out USSD support, enabling users without internet access or smartphones to join and manage savings groups via basic mobile phones.
This move is expected to significantly increase participation in rural and low-income areas across East Africa.
“Digital exclusion has been a major barrier,” Sandra said. “Now, even users with simple handsets can participate, contribute, and track their savings. Nobody should be left behind just because they don’t own a smartphone.”
The expansion into Kenya marks a major milestone for Sandi AI, which launched in Uganda to tackle the persistent water access crisis through financial innovation. Its new Nairobi office will act as a regional coordination hub, strengthening partnerships with local NGOs, manufacturers, and community-based organisations.
“Kenya is a key player in East Africa’s innovation ecosystem,” Sandra noted. “Our presence here helps us work closely with community partners and accelerate our impact across borders. The Uganda headquarters will continue leading regional operations, while the Nairobi team drives local engagement.”
Sandi AI’s approach combines community savings, AI analytics, and ethical technology partnerships to create a scalable financing model for clean water access.
The company’s “water credit” concept—built around collective savings and digital accountability aims to transform how African communities finance essential infrastructure