For a long time, the fixed home internet landscape in Kisumu has felt somewhat restrictive. Having lived in the lakeside city for several years, I can tell you firsthand that reliable home internet has largely been the preserve of a handful of neighborhoods, with Safaricom and Zuku essentially running a duopoly. But that is about to change.
I can exclusively report that Poa Internet is gearing up to launch its services in Kisumu later this year.
In a recent conversation with a Poa Internet sales representative, I learned that the ISP has quietly been laying down the necessary infrastructure to distribute home internet across the city. According to the rep, the heavy lifting is already done, with infrastructure already in place. The company is now simply waiting to officially launch the service, the rep told me.
While a concrete launch date hasn’t been pinned down just yet, the confirmation that it will happen before the year ends is a massive win for Kisumu residents hungry for alternatives.
The target market: Where will Poa set up shop?
Poa Internet’s standard playbook involves bridging the digital divide by offering affordable, unlimited internet to low- and middle-income neighborhoods. If we apply that strategy to Kisumu, it’s easy to predict where their initial footprint will be.
Given their pricing model and target demographic, I expect Poa to zero in on student-heavy hubs and rapidly growing residential zones. Areas like Polyview, Manyatta, Nyamasaria, and Kondele are prime real estate for Poa’s entry. We will also likely see them target estates such as Migosi, Lolwe, Mamboleo, and potentially Ogango.
Conversely, don’t expect to see Poa marketing heavily in Milimani or Tom Mboya Estate. These affluent areas are already well-served and saturated by Safaricom Fiber and Zuku, making them a tough and arguably unnecessary battleground for a value-focused ISP.
Expanding beyond the capital
Until now, Poa Internet’s presence has been strictly limited to sections of Nairobi, Kiambu, Mombasa, Nakuru, and Eldoret counties. However, this aggressive push into the Western region shouldn’t come as a total surprise.
In August 2025, Poa Internet secured substantial funding aimed specifically at expanding its affordable internet network across the country. We are now seeing the direct fruits of that capital injection.
The move is also a strategic play to capture a larger slice of the national market. According to recent data from the Communications Authority, Safaricom currently leads the fixed internet market, followed by Jamii Telecoms (Faiba) and Wananchi Group (Zuku). Poa Internet sits comfortably in fourth place with an 11.6% market share. By tapping into an underserved but highly populated market like Kisumu, Poa is positioning itself to aggressively close the gap on the top three.
For the average Kisumu resident, the entry of another major player is excellent news. Increased competition forces providers to improve their service quality, minimize downtimes, and, most importantly, rethink their pricing strategies.
Poa Internet has built its brand on being the ISP for the masses. If they can replicate their Nairobi success in Kisumu, residents in Manyatta and students in Polyview might finally get the affordable, reliable, and unlimited home internet they’ve been waiting for.
We will keep an ear to the ground and update you as soon as Poa announces the official rollout dates and packages for Kisumu.
