myMlango

What myMlango is

myMlango is an e-learning platform for Kenyan primary and secondary school children, built and run by sQuid Kenya from an office on Lenana Road in Nairobi. The homepage describes it as a platform "that provides KICD-aligned learning content, revision tools and much more to help your children improve their grades." It is sold two ways: parents buy a home subscription for each child, and schools subscribe for classroom use after a demo. The About page calls it "a digital education service" that gives each learner a personalized experience in which they "learn and progress at their own pace." myMlango comes from the team behind iMlango, which the homepage calls Kenya's pioneering e-learning program, and the company says every subscription helps support that program.

The learning content

The content library is organized into six strands on the homepage. Competency Based Curriculum (CBC) content offers "Curriculum-aligned activities and games to develop and improve listening, reading and writing skills," for use in class and at home. A Children's Encyclopedia lets students explore beyond the syllabus. Literacy and comprehension activities pair stories with exercises that test understanding and, the site says, "encourage further discussions on the material read." Math revision videos walk through past examination papers and show how to answer questions for maximum marks in key math exams. African Storybooks offer "Enthralling African-focused stories" to build reading skills. A Life Skills Toolkit covers the skills a child needs to thrive at school.

The schools page fills in the detail. The encyclopedia is DKfindout!, which myMlango describes as "a safe, fun and informative online library of highly visual content especially designed for children," with topics such as Computer Coding, Braille and Space. Educational videos were "specially developed for Kenyan students" on subjects such as the UN's Sustainable Development Goals, wildlife and other issues that affect Kenya. Online competitions are meant to build reading and writing alongside general digital skills. The help page adds that a subscription includes past papers and tests to help children prepare for exams.

Personalized learning and exam revision

The platform is built for self-paced study. On the schools page, myMlango says learners of different abilities can study topics at their own pace and track their own progress, and that the personalized experience "intelligently identifies learners' weaknesses" and serves KICD-aligned content and revision tools for the KCPE and KCSE exams. The homepage adds that it "provides instant feedback on test performance to students, to help pinpoint areas for improvement." For a parent whose child is heading toward one of those national exams, that combination of past papers, math revision videos and scored practice tests is the main reason to subscribe.

Reporting for parents and teachers

Reporting is one of the three headline features. The site says its in-depth reporting "enables teachers and parents to track time spent on specific educational content, and view learners' performance against KCPE- and KCSE-aligned revision tests," giving a picture of each learner's strengths and weaknesses. For parents, the homepage promises in-depth reports to monitor and track a child's progress, and dedicated support from the customer service team.

For schools

Schools get the same content for in-class learning and for setting assignments, plus the ability to monitor student progress. The schools page adds a Good School Toolkit for educators, with material for developing both the school staff and the learners. The reading materials come with accompanying course materials so a teacher can drive a class discussion after a story. Schools start by arranging a demo through a contact form, and school pricing is handled through that conversation.

Access and devices

The About page says myMlango is "easily accessible via desktop PCs and laptops," and the homepage goes further, saying it "works across all devices, giving students the ability to learn anywhere and everywhere." The pitch is that digital learning gives students control over time, place and pace: learning at any hour, from home or school, at the speed that suits them.

Subscriptions and payment

Parents choose between three subscription lengths: Term, Half Year and Annual, which the help page defines as "lasting 12 months, 6 months or 4 months respectively from the date of purchase" for the annual, half-yearly and termly options. Each child needs their own subscription because each gets a unique login, and a parent can subscribe even if the child's school has not. The site describes home subscriptions as available "at affordable rates," and the site lists no prices.

Payment is through M-Pesa. The help page walks through it: open M-PESA on the phone, choose Lipa na M-PESA and then Pay Bill, enter business number 338150, enter the sQuidPay Kenya purse reference number and the exact amount in KES, and confirm with the M-Pesa PIN. The top-up should reach the sQuid account within a few seconds, after which the subscription can be bought. Renewal is done from the payment account under View Purchases with a Renew Subscription button.

Refunds are pro rata. A parent who cancels early emails the team and gets a refund for the remaining period; the help page's example is that canceling a 1 year subscription after 6 months returns 50% of the subscription cost. Support is by email at mymlango@squidkenya.com, by phone on +254 730 187000, or through a customer contact form.

The company and the iMlango connection

sQuid Kenya says it develops "digital solutions that enable access to education tools," for the education sector and for humanitarian and development programs, and that it keeps the UN's Sustainable Development Goal 4 on quality education "at the very heart of what we do." Through iMlango it leads on-the-ground work in Kenya. The figures vary slightly by page: the homepage says iMlango "supports 180,000 children in 245 public schools," the About page mentions 245 rural schools across four counties, and the schools page gives 265 public schools. The counties named are Makueni, Kajiado, Uasin Gishu and Kilifi. Each myMlango subscription, the company says, helps support iMlango's aim of improving enrollment, retention and learning outcomes for 180,000 children marginalized by poverty.

The partners page names the content and technology behind the platform: Arimus Media, a Nairobi production company working in digital and multimedia content; DKfindout!, the kidSafe certified children's encyclopedia; and sQuid, an international technology company that the page says has operational bases in Nairobi and Abuja outside the UK.

Who it suits

myMlango suits Kenyan parents who want curriculum-aligned practice at home for a primary or secondary school child, especially one preparing for KCPE or KCSE, and who want reports showing how the child is doing. The term-length subscription lets a family try it for a single term, the pro rata refund lowers the risk, and M-Pesa payment fits how most Kenyan households pay. Schools looking for KICD-aligned digital content they can assign in class and monitor will find a direct route through a demo.

It suits less well families outside the Kenyan system, since the content and the exams it prepares for are Kenyan. Parents who want live lessons with a teacher will find self-paced content, games, stories and tests rather than tutoring.