By Nelly Moraa Nyangorora
Stakeholders at a national summit in Machakos called for stronger investment, policy support and collaboration to make community networks more useful to underserved communities.
Stakeholders in Kenya’s digital access sector are calling for stronger institutional support, investment and collaboration to make community networks more sustainable and more useful to the communities they serve.
At the 3rd National Community Networks Summit in Machakos, participants said the debate is shifting from simply expanding internet access to ensuring connectivity supports livelihoods, education, civic participation and other practical community needs.
The three-day summit, organised by the Internet Society of Kenya (ISOC), brought together community network operators, universities, internet governance actors, researchers, technical experts and development partners to discuss how best to bridge Kenya’s digital divide.
Globally, an estimated 2.6 billion people remain offline, with Africa accounting for a significant share of the unconnected population.
Bob Ochieng, senior director of the New Generic Top-Level Domain (NgTLD) Program, urged community networks to develop stronger institutional structures as they seek to reach populations often overlooked by large commercial providers.
“The challenge is monumental. It is not just connecting the next one billion or two billion. We go to the question of the last one billion,” he said.
“You have to aim to be a proper institution with proper records, proper documents, proper licenses, so that you can attract meaningful investment.”
Much of the discussion focused on whether community networks can remain viable unless they deliver direct value to users.
Technologist Michuki Mwangi said affordability alone does not determine whether people prioritize internet access.
“If I have to choose between buying food and connectivity that I’m only using for entertainment, the priority will go to food,” he said.
“But if connectivity gives humanity value tomorrow, then maybe it becomes a priority.”
Participants said the long-term sustainability of community networks will depend on their ability to support local livelihoods, learning, local content creation and civic engagement.
Scholars at the summit also argued that connectivity should be treated as part of a wider local digital ecosystem involving schools, universities, creators, businesses, civil society and participatory media spaces.
Professor Carolyne Omulando of the Open University said Kenya should begin to view connectivity as a shared public good.
“We need to be bold enough to imagine a Kenya where connectivity is not a privilege but a shared public good that reaches every community,” she said.
Dr. Caroline Muaka of Daystar University said universities have an important role to play through research, innovation labs and practical partnerships that respond to community needs.
“This is where we have the oven for cooking things, because we cook so many things, and we don’t know — some of them bake up and become good, some of them don’t bake, some of them don’t cook,” she said.
“But that is the university’s oven of research, innovation and trying to cook things to see how they work and how they can go back to the community.”
Dennis Sonoiya of the Communications Authority of Kenya said a pilot project is underway in Kajiado to assess whether community networks could eventually operate 4G mobile infrastructure in addition to existing wireless and fibre-based models.
He also pointed to possible regulatory changes in the next financial year that could ease licensing barriers for community networks.
“Right now, we are limited to doing wireless hotspots and maybe fibre. Imagine being able to add on 4G. It increases your opportunity to have a mobile network,” he said.
Youth participation, digital skills and digital safety also emerged as key themes, with ISOC Kenya President Alphonce Odhiambo calling for greater involvement of students and young people in community-centered digital ecosystems.
And perhaps one of the strongest reflections was Mwangi Michuki’s brief but poignant quote,
“There is nothing as expensive as running an empty internet.”
Photo Gallery:
At the 3rd National Community Networks Summit in Machakos – March 27,2026.
