Kenya’s Poa Internet Secures $4m to Improve Internet in Underserved Communities

Kenya’s Poa Internet secures $4m to improve Internet in underserved communities, bringing hope to many people who have struggled to get a good connection. Poa Internet, a popular Kenyan internet service provider, recently got $4 million in debt funding with support from Finland’s Finndfund. This money will help the company make its broadband network stronger and reach more people living in areas where internet access is limited or too expensive.

Kenya’s Poa Internet is on a mission to close the big gap in internet access between cities and rural places. Many parts of Kenya, especially in small towns and villages, have slow or no internet. By securing this $4m, Poa Internet can now work better at providing affordable internet to those communities, helping them get online without spending too much money.

A key part of this plan is a new partnership with Nokia. Nokia will help Poa Internet by bringing its fibre technology, which is important for fast and reliable internet. The company’s CEO, Andy Halsall, said this partnership is very important because it aims to bring the internet to every African home, not just the cities. He said a good internet helps with things like education, healthcare, business, and government services, and with this funding, Poa Internet can offer its cheap and reliable internet to many more people.

Kenya’s Poa Internet secures $4m to improve Internet coverage and upgrade its network so that more communities, especially those in remote areas, can get connected. This is a big deal because having the internet is now a basic need for everyday life and helps people find job opportunities, study, and access important services.

This $4 million funding deal started when Finland’s President Alexander Stubb visited Poa Internet in May 2025. That meeting helped build the plan on how to get affordable internet to people who need it the most. Nokia’s support also strengthens the friendly relationship between Kenya and Finland.

Kelvin Kiiru from Finnfund said they are happy to help Poa Internet grow. He mentioned that an affordable internet is important because it supports economic growth and makes sure people can work from home, study online, see doctors remotely, and use financial services easily, all of which are needed now more than ever.

Besides Finndfund, the European Union and the European Fund for Sustainable Development Plus (EFSD+) are also backing this funding through the EU’s Global Gateway initiative. This is a bigger plan to improve the internet across Africa and make sure no one is left behind in the digital world.

Kenya’s Poa Internet started in 2015 and launched its internet services in 2017. The company is based in Nairobi and focuses on providing cheap and reliable internet through street-level wifi. This strategy helps them reach remote areas and small businesses better than some of the bigger companies. With street wifi, people in hard-to-reach areas can easily connect to the internet without expensive equipment or high bills.

In Kenya, even though over 40% of people have the internet, most high-speed broadband is only in cities. Many people in rural areas still find the internet too expensive or the connection too slow. Kenya’s Poa Internet wants to change this by bringing affordable internet to neighbourhoods that have been left out for too long.

Right now, Poa Internet works in not only Nairobi but also in cities like Nakuru, Mombasa, Eldoret, Kisumu, and Ngong. They are growing fast, reaching neighbourhoods around Nairobi such as Donholm, Jogoo Road, Umoja, Ngong, and Rongai. By the middle of 2025, Poa Internet had over 238,000 customers and held nearly 14% of the Kenyan internet market, making it the country’s fourth biggest internet service provider.

Kenya’s Poa Internet secures $4m to improve Internet, and this means more people in Kenya will soon get affordable, fast internet. This will help families, students, and businesses connect better than before and open up many new opportunities for the future.

Was this information useful? Drop a nice comment below. You can also check out other useful contents by following us on X/Twitter @siliconafritech, Instagram @Siliconafricatech, or Facebook @SiliconAfrica.