Kenya fiber course with Tanda Community Network

Status: Closed

Country: Kenya

Partner: Tanda Community Network

Impact goal: 15 participants

About the project

This project is a fellowship program to support Community Networks (CN) in Kenya with Community-Centric Approaches to Planning, Designing, and Deploying of Fiber Infrastructure. The fellowship is a response to a request from CNs in Kenya that are rapidly expanding to address various gaps in underserved communities, such as the lack of internet connectivity, unaffordable access, lack of locally relevant content, insufficient community engagement, and the integration of cultural norms. Most community networks in Kenya utilize license-exempt 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi spectrum bands due to their low cost and availability.

However, Wi-Fi faces significant challenges like signal interference, congestion, and reduced reliability, especially in densely populated areas. Wi-Fi networks also struggle with scalability and require frequent maintenance. In contrast, fiber optic networks offer superior data capacity, stability, reliability, and scalability, making them an advantageous alternative for community networks serving unserved and underserved areas.

Results

The Fiber Fellowship project has delivered strong, encouraging results aligned with its original goal: equipping community networks in Kenya with community-centric approaches to planning, designing, and deploying fiber infrastructure.

The project was developed in response to a growing demand among community networks to transition from traditional Wi-Fi deployments to more scalable and reliable fiber connectivity. While 2.4/5 GHz Wi-Fi remains a common choice due to its affordability and license-free operation, its limitations, including interference and performance issues, have become more apparent as network demands grow.

The Fellowship aimed to build local capacity through a three-phase program:

1. Training – A one-week in-person course hosted at AFRALTI (African Advanced Level Telecommunications Institute) in Nairobi introduced foundational concepts in fiber planning and deployment.
2. Industry Practicum – Each fellow was placed with a local ISP in their home region for hands-on experience, including trenching, splicing, pole installation, and documentation.
3. Techno-Feasibility and Project Design – A virtual training delivered by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) focused on developing comprehensive project plans, including techno-feasibility studies.
   

The program received 99 applications from a mix of practitioners, students, and local ISPs. Fifteen fellows were selected, representing 13 community networks across 9 counties. Inclusion was a key focus: 13 of the applicants were women, 4 of whom were selected. Special accommodations were made to support participation, for example, a young mother attended the Nairobi training with her infant and a caregiver provided by the program.

Challenges

Challenges faced during implementation included limited access to tools and safety gear, logistical delays, and difficult environmental conditions in rural areas. Despite this, fellows demonstrated resilience and problem-solving in real-time situations.
The Fellowship successfully strengthened the technical capacity of community network operators, and the approach has been validated as both scalable and locally adaptable. Based on its impact, there is strong interest in continuing and expanding the program.

“Seeing schoolchildren cheer when we arrived to install fiber made me realize the bigger picture, this is about opportunity.” — Kiruja Glory Kendi, Raha Internet

You can check out their blog about the project here.

About the partner

Tanda Community Network is a community-led initiative situated in the heart of Kibera, Nairobi, Kenya. Their mission is to foster grassroots-driven development through connectivity. Tanda is driven by its commitment to democratizing technology and promoting digital literacy among the masses.