Twenty answers, in plain words.
Is the AI Foundations course really free?
Yes. All 10 modules and their quizzes are free, with no sign-up and no card. Only the optional certificate is paid: KSh 1,000 by M-Pesa, or $7.50 by PayPal or card, and you pay only after a person has approved your final project.
How long does the course take?
About 7 hours for the lessons and quizzes (425 minutes across the 10 modules, 30 to 60 minutes each). Each action kit in Modules 1 to 9 adds about 10 minutes. There is no deadline, so you can finish in a weekend or spread it over a month.
Do I need any technical background or coding skills?
No. The course is for complete beginners. If you can use WhatsApp or browse the internet, you have the skills you need. Module 8 teaches vibe coding, which means describing what you want in plain English and letting an AI tool build it.
Do I need to pay for ChatGPT, Claude or Gemini?
No. You can do the exercises with the free version of a major AI assistant. Free limits and prices change over time, so check each tool's own page. Module 6 compares free and paid options and shows which tasks need which tool.
Can I do the course on my phone?
Yes. The lessons, quizzes and action kits work in a phone browser. Module 8 has a phone build path using a Google Sheet or Form. One optional exercise in Module 2 uses Teachable Machine, which needs a webcam and works best on a laptop.
Do I need to sign up or log in?
No. You can open Module 1 straight away. You may leave your name and email if you want course updates. The boxes you tick in the action kits are saved on the device you use.
What do I do in each module?
You read a lesson, take a 5-question quiz and, in Modules 1 to 9, do an action kit. Module 10 replaces the kit with your final project.
What is an action kit?
It is a short, practical page at the end of each of Modules 1 to 9, about 10 minutes long. It gives you a prompt to keep, a worked example, a checklist and a 5-minute exercise that you do on your own task, so you finish each module with something you can use.
What is the Module 10 final project?
It is a project, not an exam. You pick your industry, read the brief, build one useful thing with AI (for example a planning kit, a reply guide, a stock sheet or a standard operating procedure) and check it against a 20-point rubric before you send it.
Which industries can I choose for the final project?
There are nine: teacher, school administrator, farmer or agribusiness, small shop or retail, clinic or health worker, church, NGO or community group, small business owner, student, and other, where you name your own field.
How is the project marked?
A person reads it against a published 20-point rubric: fits the industry, prompt quality, checked for facts, privacy and usable, 4 points each. The pass mark is 14 out of 20, and you cannot score zero on Privacy.
How do I get the certificate, and how long does it take?
Finish your project, then use the Request my certificate form with your name, email, industry, project title and a link to your project. A person replies by email within 2 working days. If it is approved you pay, and the certificate is emailed after we confirm your payment. It is not instant because a person checks every one.
What if my project is not approved?
You get short, kind feedback on what to fix and can send the project again once. You pay nothing unless your project is approved.
Is the certificate accredited or recognised by employers?
It is not accredited by a government body or an examination board. It is a completion certificate that records you learned the fundamentals and built a project. Many people share it on LinkedIn, but we cannot promise how an employer will treat it. For formal accreditation, look at providers such as Google, Microsoft or deeplearning.ai.
How can someone check my certificate is genuine?
Every certificate has a unique ID and a QR code. Anyone can open cbcedukenya.com/verify, enter the ID, or scan the QR code to confirm it.
What is the AI Business Assessment button in some industry briefs?
For the school administrator, small shop and small business briefs there is an optional link to a free AI Business Assessment from AI Consultancy Kenya, a separate business with its own website. You tick a box to confirm you understand that, you choose what to share, and your project and certificate do not depend on it.
Can teachers use the course with their students?
Yes. Each module can be taught as a stand-alone lesson. Email cbcedukenya@gmail.com if you would like classroom guidance.
Is there an AI course for children?
Yes. There is a separate 10-lesson AI course for Kenyan children aged 8 to 14, with a certificate co-signed by a parent. Its certificate costs KSh 500.
What can I learn after this course?
You can read the AI Education hub on cbcedukenya.com for news and guides, or take AI Sovereign, a separate paid advanced course on building AI agents with Claude Code (22 modules, KSh 2,000). You do not need it for the AI Foundations certificate.
Does the course teach me to use AI safely in Kenya?
Yes. Module 9 covers AI bias, hallucinations, deepfakes, copyright and your rights under the Kenya Data Protection Act 2019, and its action kit shows what is safe, what needs names removed and what you should never paste into an AI tool.
