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Learner First

Africa · country & exam lens

AI learning in Kenya

The global epicentre of feature-phone learning — the market where SMS and USSD tutoring on a basic handset is a first-class channel.

Note: Kenya’s exam system is mid-reform — dates below reflect the state as of 2026.

Exam systems

  • KCSE (retained) — The Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education, the high-stakes senior-secondary exit exam.
  • CBC transition (KPSEA, KJSEA) — Kenya is moving from 8-4-4 to the Competency-Based Curriculum: KCPE is phased out for KPSEA (Grade 6), and a new KJSEA (Grade 9) was first sat in Oct 2025.

Languages of the classroom

English and Kiswahili — both examinable, with Kiswahili compulsory.

Price points

Micro-priced for cash-thin users: Zeraki is KES 20/day billed via M-Pesa. Eneza charged KES 10/week (~US$0.08) off airtime before it merged into Knowledge Platform.

How students reach it (delivery channel)

The signature layer has been feature-phone SMS/USSD needing no smartphone, data or internet (Eneza's *291# and M-Shule's SMS engine, though Eneza has since merged and M-Shule now serves organisations, not schools); Kytabu leases textbooks on microSD via M-Pesa, fully offline.

How it’s used

Reaches students on the lowest connectivity floor of any market on the map.

Built for this exam

  • Zeraki — KCSE-aligned video and past Science practicals, billed daily via M-Pesa. (not yet profiled on the map)

  • Kytabu — Textbook micro-leasing on microSD latched to a SIM — page/chapter/book by the hour/day/week via M-Pesa. (not yet profiled on the map)

Also on the map from Kenya

Other markets

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