At Mjini Primary School in Murang’a County, a new solar-powered lab has given pupils their first access to digital learning. Outside, a row of solar panels tilts toward the afternoon sun, powering a modest room where pupils take turns at the keyboards.
These changes are being implemented by a patchwork of initiatives that are determined to narrow Kenya’s digital divide. From Kenya Kids Can in Nakuru to MANDO Maasai Organisation in Kajiado, to corporate and government-backed projects in Siaya and Busia, solar power is turning rural classrooms into centres of digital instruction.
In many schools, this is the first time children have touched a computer. For teachers, it is a chance to connect their lessons to the rest of the world. For the wider community, these projects are rewriting what opportunity looks like in places once written off as too remote for the digital age.
Lighting up learning
Founded in 2000, Kenya Kids Can started by serving school meals in drought-affected areas. Its mission has evolved over time to include digital empowerment. The organisation now operates solar-powered computer centres in public primary schools that have no access to grid electricity. Each centre—often built from a converted shipping container—is equipped with solar panels, batteries and refurbished computers. What’s more, they operate using Linux Mint and LibreOffice, avoiding the ‘walled garden’ of Big Tech systems.
“We start with a used 20-foot shipping container,” explains Kenya Kids Can. “We convert the container into a classroom by sealing the end and adding a door, windows, counters and a teacher’s desk. When the container is delivered to a school, we add a metal roof to help keep the container cool and dry. We mount solar panels on the roof, with the inverter and deep-cycle batteries inside. This design has worked very well for KKC. It has proven to be durable and provides a clean, airy environment to learn in.”
At a time when Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) requires learners to use digital tools, such centres are bridging the gap between policy and access. Teachers now use computers to design lessons, prepare digital exams and expose learners to multimedia content. These were once impossible to deliver without electricity.
In Kajiado County, the MANDO Maasai Organisation has built a solar-powered computer lab at Nkuyan School, complete with laptops and internet connectivity. According to MANDO, the computer lab provides “a safe place for children to study computer skills, be mentored and tutored and practice English.”
A growing ecosystem of green learning
Kenya’s shift toward solar-powered learning mirrors the country’s wider push for clean energy and inclusive technology. Over the years, government policy has supported small-scale solar projects for off-grid schools.
In Kisumu County, the Kenya Pipeline Company Foundation established a solar-powered computer lab at Ong’eche Secondary School in 2024, which also serves students from neighbouring schools. In doing so, the lab extends its reach to the wider community.
Several groups are trying similar ideas elsewhere. For example, Computer Aid Kenya has rolled out solar-powered digital schools along the Kenyan coast, including Muungano and Sakake Comprehensive Schools.
Meanwhile, Computer for Schools Kenya (CFSK) has taken a different path. Its DigiTruck is a solar-powered mobile computer lab that moves from one remote region to another. The truck has been equipped with laptops, solar panels and desks. Here, young people learn basic computer and entrepreneurship skills.
There is also a solar-powered digital initiative in Siaya County. Here, TT Global Foundation installed a solar-powered computer lab at Ramula Mixed Secondary School. Each of these efforts adds a piece to a growing network of sustainable learning spaces. They tie into Kenya’s Vision 2030 and the country’s digital economy blueprint, which are designed to foster digital inclusion as a path to equality.
Still, there have been challenges. Some schools cannot afford regular internet bundles; others struggle to maintain old machines. A few teachers admit they are still learning the basics themselves. Even so, these projects have survived because the communities believe in them.
Connecting every child
At Nkuyan Primary, the computer room hums softly in the afternoon heat. Dusty desks, a row of small solar panels outside and a handful of children staring intently at screens. A girl clicks through an online maths game amid the buzz of taps as her fellow students type away.
Beyond the technical success stories, the human success of these projects is easy to see. These solar-powered digital classrooms are providing education while rewriting Kenya’s map of access. Sometimes, it begins with a few panels on a roof, a handful of donated computers and a community’s will to connect its children to the world.
