The Kenya Education Network Trust (KENET) was formed in 1999 as a membership organization to serve higher education and research institutions in Kenya. It is recognized by the Government of Kenya as the National Research and Education Network (NREN).

KENET is constituted and registered as a Trust under the Perpetual Succession Act. Its beneficiaries include; students, faculty and staff in the member institutions. It is governed by a Board of Trustees, assisted by a Management Board representing founder universities and research institutions in Kenya. The day-to-day operations are run by an Executive Director, with the assistance of a talented team of staff.

KENET currently provides Internet bandwidth to 230 member institutions and  over 500 campuses, including all large research institutions in Kenya. KENET also provides the following services:

1. Connectivity and Digital Enterprise Services.
2. Educational Technology and Research Services
3. Digital Campus Infrastructure Services
4. Membership Services

In January 2007, KENET launched a four year strategic plan as an interpretation of the leadership’s vision. The aim of the strategic plan was for KENET to become the National Research and Education Network (NREN) by providing efficient, affordable and reliable connectivity services to member institutions.

As the strategic plan came to an end in June 2011, KENET faced a number of challenges. The key ones included: dramatic changes in the broadband market in Kenya, inadequate e-readiness of member institutions, high cost of some ICT resources, low faculty research productivity, and little content of local relevance. KENET’s response to these challenges was the 2011-2015 Strategic Plan.

The 2016 - 2021 strategic plan focused on responding to these challenges and developing quality, affordable broadband infrastructure; improving e-readiness; facilitating research collaboration, and strengthening its governance systems. Through these efforts, KENET expected to position itself as a leader in the ICT-in-education sector in Kenya and Africa.

The new 2022-2027 strategic plan takes cognizance of the challenges experienced in implementing the previous plan including; management of collaborative arrangements with members, legal framework governing KENET’s operations and changes in the IT and related sectors. The new plan is premised on the need to address major issues of concern to the KENET Community such as; creation of a good and adaptable learning and research environment; access and inclusion in IT and digital transformation, changing regulatory developments, technological advances, cyber security as well as professional and technical competencies to drive the changes in the education and research agenda. Implementation of the 2022-2027 strategic plan will steer KENET to realize its vision while delivering outstanding value to a diverse membership community.