Egerton University has been feted after emerging as the second-ranked institution of higher learning nationally in 2025, following upgrades to its digital infrastructure.
The move was lauded for bolstering the university’s digital capabilities, thereby enhancing learning, research, and overall institutional effectiveness.
The upgrade carried out over the past twelve months was done with financial assistance from the Kenya Education Network (KENET) Digital Campus Infrastructure (DCI) Revolving Fund.
The fund supports universities to upgrade critical ICT infrastructure, including campus fibre networks, Wi-Fi coverage, data centres, and related systems, ensuring seamless access to the internet and digital academic resources for students and staff.
KENET Executive Director Professor Meoli Kashorda noted that the upgrade by Egerton University will yield improved quality and access to education.
He added that digital infrastructure, such as high-speed internet provided to institutions of higher learning, allows for both synchronous and asynchronous learning, making education more flexible and accessible to students regardless of their physical location.
Professor Kashorda, while issuing a Certificate of Recognition to Egerton University, stated that digital technology enables interactive and engaging learning experiences through multimedia, e-books and online platforms, which can improve student engagement, information retention and overall academic performance.
As a start, KENET established a Sh200 million digital campus network infrastructure revolving fund in July 2022.
The fund finances the upgrade of campus networks that had network equipment aged 10 years and above and the urgent expansion of campus networks to connect new buildings or extend campus Wi-Fi to on- and off-campus student hostels.
The Fund replaced the annual Direct Engineering Support (DES) budget that had previously donated campus Wi-Fi and/or network equipment to “needy” member institutions.
Professor Kashorda underscored the importance of robust digital infrastructure in Kenyan institutions of higher learning, as it provides access to global scholarly databases, digital repositories for local research outputs, and high-performance computing necessary for advanced research, including in fields like Artificial Intelligence (AI) and data science.
Kenya Education Network (KENET) is licensed by the Communication Authority of Kenya (CAK) as the National Research and Education Network (NREN) of Kenya that promotes the use of ICTs in teaching, learning and research.
It is run by a Board of Trustees and a Management Board, including representatives from CAK, public and private universities, the Ministry of Education and the private sector.
It is a not-for-profit membership organisation and was registered as a trust in 1999 to provide affordable, cost-effective and low-congestion Internet bandwidth services to Education and Research Institutions.
Professor Kashorda disclosed that KENET currently serves over 130 education and research Institutions in Kenya.
He added that the beneficiaries are KENET member institutions, including academic staff, researchers and students.
With regard to the Digital Campus Infrastructure (DCI) Revolving Fund, the Executive Director explained that a beneficiary member institution signs an “engineering, procurement, build, operate and transfer” agreement with KENET.
“The recovery period for the investment shall be over a period of 12 to 60 months. The actual amount to be invested per beneficiary institution shall be limited to the annual Internet expenditure of the member institution,” he added.
Professor Kashorda pointed out that early exposure to digital tools and platforms, supported by initiatives like the National Digital Literacy Programme, equips students with essential digital skills, creativity and critical thinking abilities needed to succeed in a global, evolving job market.
He added that digital tools can promote efficient administration through Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) and Student Information Systems (SIS) by integrating administrative functions, such as finance, human resources, and admissions, leading to paperless operations, increased efficiency, transparency and data-driven decision-making.
Over the years, KENET has been providing virtual classroom platforms that enable live, direct interactions between students and lecturers when physical interaction is not possible.
The network also supports optimisation of existing Learning Management Systems to ensure smooth operation and efficient digital learning delivery.
Egerton University Vice Chancellor Professor Isaac Kibwage indicated that the award highlights the continued steady investment in modern, reliable and inclusive digital systems that support teaching, learning, research and administration.
By Jane Ngugi
