Most of Nairobi’s apartment areas have fibre to the building, and prices have fallen sharply as providers compete. Where fibre is not available, 5G or 4G routers and Starlink fill the gap.

Your options

Fibre. The best choice where available: fast, unlimited, and reliable. The big home fibre providers include Safaricom Home Fibre, Zuku, JTL Faiba, and smaller networks such as Vilcom and Poa Internet. Coverage is building by building.

5G and 4G home routers. Safaricom and Airtel sell routers with monthly data plans. No installation, and you can take it when you move - but speeds vary with the signal and time of day.

Starlink. Satellite internet that works almost anywhere. You buy the kit, then pay monthly. It suits houses in areas without fibre, and people who need a backup.

What it costs

As a rough guide in 2026:

  • Budget plans from low-cost providers such as Poa Internet start at under KES 2,000 a month for slow speeds.
  • Typical home fibre is around KES 3,000 to 6,500 a month for speeds suitable for streaming and video calls.
  • The fastest plans reach around KES 20,000 a month.
  • Starlink plans are in a similar monthly range to mid-level fibre, plus the cost of the kit.

Providers change speeds and prices often. Check their websites, and ask about installation fees and router costs.

How to choose

  1. Ask the building. The caretaker or other tenants know which providers are connected and how reliable they are.
  2. Check coverage on the providers’ websites or by calling them, using your exact building name.
  3. Match the speed to your use. Working from home with video calls, or several people streaming, needs more than one person browsing.
  4. Look at upload speed if you work remotely.
  5. Ask about fair use, installation time and contract length.

Before you sign a lease

If you work from home, ask which fibre providers already reach the building before signing - it can take weeks to bring a new provider in. See Finding housing.

Backup

Power cuts also cut Wi-Fi. A small UPS (battery backup) for the router keeps you online for a few hours, and a mobile data bundle is a useful fallback. See Working remotely from Nairobi.

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