Kenya’s gaming community showed up in force at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre on Saturday, 24 August 2025, for the Otamatsuri Gaming Convention. The show floor mixed tournaments, casual play, and hands-on demos in a lively space that also celebrated anime, manga, cosplay, music, film, and tech. Organisers leaned on fast, low-latency 5G connectivity to keep matches stable and multiplayer sessions smooth, which is essential for both competitive and social play.
The convention had a wide sponsor roster that included Infinix as the exclusive mobile partner, NCBA Bank, Anisuma Traders Ltd, and Africa Bon Odori.
Safaricom’s Chief Consumer Business Officer, Fawzia Ali, framed the partnership as more than a speed demo, saying the goal was enabling experiences, connecting communities, and supporting the growth of gaming culture in Kenya. The on-ground impact was obvious across the venue where real-time play, online sign-ins, and content sharing stayed responsive throughout the day.
LAN party at the heart of the action
The convention’s highlight was an overnight Local Area Network party where PC and console players connected to a high-throughput local network for head-to-head battles across shooters, strategy titles, and sports games. The format mirrors Otamatsuri’s own “LANarchy” tradition, an after-hours session that extends the festival atmosphere into the night, combining friendly rivalry with a community hangout.
Event organiser Jotham Micah said the strong turnout underscored how far local gaming has come, and credited the network’s speed and stability for raising the competitive bar. Veteran gamer Murray Lidambiza echoed that reliable connectivity now sits at the core of the scene. Without it, modern multiplayer simply does not work.
Why reliable 5G matters for Kenyan gamers
The jump from casual gaming to organised play depends on two things, access to capable hardware and dependable connectivity. Kenya has been ticking both boxes. On the network side, 5G home and mobile options have matured in price and performance in 2025, making sustained high-bitrate gameplay more realistic for households and community venues. Techish has covered how 5G WiFi is increasingly competitive on speed and pricing compared to home fibre, which is good news for events and gaming cafés that want simpler setup and flexible capacity.
There are still important caveats to watch. Entry plans and device limits can bottleneck multi-user setups if you do not pick the right tier, a factor that matters when planning tournaments or LAN nights where dozens of devices hit the same access point. We documented these constraints earlier this year and tested how newer plans handle user caps, which event organisers should factor in when sizing their networks.
A scene that is broadening and professionalising
Otamatsuri sits inside a wider rise in structured play. Campus circuits and brand-backed tournaments are offering Kenyan players new pathways to compete, while keeping the format accessible to first-timers. Earlier this year, Infinix and PUBG Mobile ran a national campus championship that showed how mobile-first esports can pull in big numbers with modest kit and smart logistics.
Zooming out, Africa’s esports growth story continues to be defined by a young audience, mobile adoption, and improving internet. The opportunity is real, but so are the execution challenges from venues to infrastructure. Otamatsuri’s strong showing, plus a stable network backbone, is a proof point for how curated local events can bridge that gap and grow sustainable communities.
The bottom line
Otamatsuri 2025 delivered exactly what a modern gaming convention should, a reliable network core, room for skill to shine, and a festival vibe that welcomes newcomers. If local organisers and venues keep pairing thoughtful network planning with community-first programming, Kenya’s tournaments and LAN culture will only get stronger.
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