Google has launched a groundbreaking initiative aimed at empowering university students in Kenya through free access to its premium artificial intelligence tools. The offer, which runs for one year, is part of a larger education-focused program spanning six African countries. It underscores Google’s ongoing commitment to building Africa’s digital skills and preparing the continent’s youth for a rapidly advancing AI-driven world.

Eligible Kenyan university students will gain access to Gemini 2.5 Pro, Google’s most advanced AI model, designed to enhance academic research, writing, and creative work. Alongside Gemini, the student package includes 2 terabytes of cloud storage shared across Google Drive, Gmail, and Photos, ensuring students can store and manage large volumes of data seamlessly. This combination of advanced AI capability and generous storage aims to foster an environment of innovation, productivity, and learning efficiency.

Students will also benefit from powerful tools such as Deep Research and NotebookLM. Deep Research can generate comprehensive, cited reports from hundreds of web sources within minutes, while NotebookLM helps students organize notes and connect ideas intuitively. Additionally, Google is including Veo 3, an AI-powered tool that transforms text prompts or images into short, high-quality videos — a game-changer for presentations, academic projects, and creative storytelling.

According to Alex Okosi, Managing Director for Google in Sub-Saharan Africa, this initiative is about democratizing access to technology and giving African students the opportunity to compete and lead on a global stage. “By providing students with access to our most advanced AI tools, we want to empower them to not only excel in their studies but also to become critical builders and shapers of the future,” Okosi stated. The program reflects Google’s broader vision to bridge the technological gap and nurture a generation of digital leaders across the continent.

The offer is available to students aged 18 and above enrolled in accredited Kenyan universities, who can verify their status through Google’s student portal before the redemption deadline of December 9, 2025. In addition to Kenya, the initiative extends to Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, South Africa, and Zimbabwe, marking a major milestone in Google’s mission to expand access to advanced AI resources and strengthen Africa’s digital talent pipeline.

Kenya Power has taken a major step toward digital transformation and enhanced customer experience with the introduction of its Artificial Intelligence (AI) chatbot, ‘Nuru’. The new solution, now integrated across its digital platforms, is designed to accelerate customer response times, streamline communication, and offer real-time assistance for complaints and service inquiries. The move underscores Kenya Power’s ongoing commitment to harnessing innovation to better serve millions of customers nationwide.

Alongside the launch of ‘Nuru’, Kenya Power has unveiled an upgraded version of its MyPower App. The new version includes enhanced features such as the ability for landlords to manage multiple accounts, monitor monthly token usage, and directly engage with customer service through WhatsApp chat support. These improvements reflect the company’s push to simplify energy management and make digital interaction more seamless for users.

Through the MyPower App, customers can now perform key functions such as purchasing tokens, paying electricity bills, self-reading postpaid meters, lodging billing complaints, and receiving timely updates on scheduled power interruptions. This holistic approach aims to reduce dependency on in-person service centres while promoting convenience, transparency, and empowerment for users across the country.

Kenya Power General Manager for Commercial Services and Sales, Eng. Rosemary Oduor, emphasized that the company’s customer-first approach remains at the centre of every decision and investment. She noted that Kenya Power’s goal is to make customers’ lives easier, more predictable, and more enjoyable through consistent innovation and service efficiency. The company’s recent report shows a surge in digital engagement, with interactions on the MyPower App increasing by 22.1% to 2.02 million, and USSD requests growing by 13.6% to 1.84 million in the 2024/2025 financial year.

Kenya Power Board Director Ruth Muiruri highlighted that customer experience remains a central pillar of the utility’s operations, reaffirming that the company is listening closely to feedback and continuously developing solutions that align with customer needs. With the integration of AI and digital platforms like ‘Nuru’, Kenya Power is setting a new benchmark for customer-centric innovation in Kenya’s utility sector, paving the way for smarter, faster, and more responsive service delivery.

Airtel Kenya has announced a major step toward advancing digital education access by offering free connectivity to the Kenya Education Cloud and Elimika platforms. The move, launched on World Teachers’ Day, allows teachers and students across the country to access vital learning and training resources without incurring data costs. The initiative is part of Airtel Africa’s $57 million partnership with UNICEF under the “Accessible Learning Content” pillar, which seeks to enhance inclusive, technology-driven education across the continent.

This partnership, implemented in collaboration with the Kenya Institute of Curriculum Development (KICD) and the Ministry of Education, focuses on equipping learners and educators with the tools needed to thrive in a digital era. By zero-rating access to KICD’s Kenya Education Cloud and the Elimika teacher development platform, Airtel is enabling teachers to access digital content and professional training materials aligned with the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) at no cost.

In addition to free access, Airtel Africa’s UNICEF collaboration supports 141 public primary schools in Kenya by providing each with 300 GB of monthly data. This effort strengthens classroom integration of digital learning tools through government-issued tablets and ensures that students benefit from reliable connectivity. The Kenya Education Cloud offers an extensive library of educational materials, including video lessons, recorded sessions, and interactive resources for learners from pre-primary to Grade 9, while Elimika focuses on teacher development and pedagogical innovation.

The initiative also addresses Kenya’s persistent digital divide. National data shows that only 10.7% of households own a computer and just 23.8% have stable internet access, with many rural schools lacking computer labs or internet connections. By removing data barriers, Airtel Kenya is empowering more students and teachers to participate in digital learning and narrowing the technological gap between urban and rural regions.

Airtel Kenya’s commitment to digital inclusion reflects a broader effort to promote equitable access to education and strengthen the foundation of a knowledge-based society. By making digital learning tools universally accessible, the company is helping to ensure that every learner—regardless of location—has an equal opportunity to succeed in the digital age.

Kenya has embarked on a bold plan to digitize academic credentials in a bid to eliminate forgery and restore integrity within the higher education sector. The government aims to replace traditional paper-based degrees with verifiable digital credentials that can be instantly authenticated online. This transformative initiative is being developed by the Ministry of Information, Communications and the Digital Economy in collaboration with the Ministry of Education and the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change.

The system will rely on secure digital wallets and cryptographic verification to issue tamper-proof academic credentials to graduates. The approach promises to streamline verification processes for employers, universities, and regulators, cutting costs and reducing delays in confirming qualifications. By ensuring that degrees are verifiable in real time, Kenya seeks to enhance trust in its education system and improve global recognition of its qualifications.

While the Tony Blair Institute has faced criticism in the United Kingdom for advocating digital ID systems, Kenyan authorities have clarified that their focus lies in academic transparency and digital modernization rather than surveillance. Officials have framed the partnership as a step toward efficiency, accountability, and innovation in higher education—an effort to safeguard institutions against fraud and rebuild public confidence.

The move comes amid growing scrutiny of Kenyan universities by lawmakers, who have raised concerns about rising cases of fake degrees, outdated programs, and poor regulatory oversight. The Commission for University Education (CUE) continues to grapple with financial and staffing challenges while contending with issues of program relevance and strained lecturer-to-student ratios. With the number of enrolled students growing faster than academic staff capacity, the education sector faces mounting pressure to reform.

Through this digital transformation, Kenya is positioning itself as a pioneer in leveraging technology to strengthen higher education governance. The initiative represents not only a step toward curbing academic fraud but also a foundation for modern, competency-based education that aligns learning outcomes with job market needs. It underscores Kenya’s broader vision of a secure, transparent, and future-ready digital economy.