Kijiji Yeetu Community Network phase 2 with ISOC Kenya

Status: Closed

Country: Kenya

Partner: ISOC Kenya

Impact goal: 3000 students, 150 teachers

About the project

Phase 2 of the Kijiji Yeetu community network will focus on addressing gaps in internet service consistencies and digital skills through training sessions, establishing more network nodes, and implementing sustainable solutions. Partnerships for internet and digital connectivity with Siaya SEED SACCO, Tembea Youth Radio among local businesses and organizations has been strengthened.

This project aims to provide functional, affordable, and secure connectivity in underserved Ugunja areas. It will enable residents to access government services, educational tools, and business opportunities. Technical expertise from the Internet Society of Kenya, Google Taara, Gonline Africa, and affiliated networks will support the project. The initiative is addressing the digital divide and empowering the local community by providing reliable internet access, thereby fostering growth and development in Ugunja. By fostering reliable connectivity, the project not only bridges the digital gap but also opens avenues for e-commerce, online entrepreneurship, and broader community development, empowering Ugunja's underserved populations with newfound opportunities.

Results

Through this initiative, three schools—St. Michael’s Nyandema Secondary School, Nyandago Secondary School, and Obalwanda Primary School—were connected to the internet. Each school had four teachers trained in basic ICT skills, totaling 12 educators now equipped to integrate digital tools into teaching.

In addition to these foundational efforts, three more schools—Nyandema High School, Nyandago High School, and Olanda Comprehensive School—have begun building digital capacity for both students and teachers, reaching 110 students to date. These students are gaining crucial digital literacy that supports academic performance and digital readiness.

Further, 15 teachers across the connected schools have acquired practical digital skills, enabling them to use online platforms for research, cross-referencing academic content, and enhancing classroom engagement with tools like YouTube and other educational media.

The infrastructure expansion includes connectivity to 3 schools, 2 community organizations, 1 health center, 3 public Wi-Fi hotspots, and 15 households, bringing reliable internet access to a broad cross-section of the local population. Over 300 individuals now have direct access to the internet at home or via institutional connections.

Public Wi-Fi usage has seen significant growth, with 9,000 subscriptions since June, averaging 50–100 new subscribers daily and supporting 1,800 unique users per month through info-spots.

ISOC Kenya extended its reach beyond schools by engaging local farmers, street vendors, and women’s groups in small, informal sessions (5–10 people per group). These training sessions taught participants how to leverage the internet for economic growth, marketing, and information access. This model proved highly effective and cost-efficient, requiring no formal venues.

At GONLINE AFRICA’s community hub, over 100 young women now regularly access the internet for learning, exploration, and accessing educational, marketing, and entertainment content—marking a major step toward digital inclusion for women.

The project has also supported three university students who now conduct their studies entirely online using the deployed internet, highlighting its life-changing potential for higher education access.

Two community institutions—a church and a children’s orphanage—now use the internet for research, education, and streaming live services, strengthening communal ties and enhancing learning opportunities.

The connection of 15 homes has brought students access to digital materials such as interactive lessons and educational animations, broadening their learning experiences beyond physical textbooks.

A particularly impactful aspect of the project was the active inclusion of women in network deployment tasks. In communities where technical roles are often male-dominated, this challenged prevailing stereotypes and demonstrated the potential of women in ICT and infrastructure development. The initiative sent a powerful message: when given the opportunity, women can thrive in tech roles just as effectively as men.

Challenges

1. Lack of access to electricity in many places and schools. Mariba primary school wanted access to the Internet but due lack of reliable power, ISOC Kenya could not connect them to the internet.
2. Signal interference and line-of-sight was challenging due to long distances and issues of blockage and interferences which made reach and connection difficult.
3. ISOC Kenya does not have stable backup power that can sustain the network infrastructure in case of power outages that can last more than one-two weeks. To be able to address this, they purchased a small backup that can run for eight hours a day.
4. At the beginning of the project, having a robust billing and network management solution was not considered. This slowed the process of the monetizing the network.

About the partner

ISOC Kenya Chapter is an affiliate organization of the Global Internet Society. They work hand in hand to support the vision of the Internet Society by supporting and promoting the development of the internet as a global technical infrastructure, a resource to enrich people's lives and a force for good in society. Their work aligns with their goals for the Internet to be open, globally connected, secure, and trustworthy. You can read more about them on their website.