Google Brings Gemini Workshop to Kenyan Creators and Students

Google brought its Gemini tools to Kenyan creators and university students this week, hosting a practical workshop at its Nairobi office that took participants from the first stages of an idea through research, writing and editing before moving into image and video creation. Held under the Tutunge na Gemini programme, the session brought together Gen Z creators, media professionals and students, who worked through examples showing how Gemini could sit across different parts of a content workflow rather than being used only as a place to ask questions.

The exercises began with the work that usually happens before anything is published: developing an idea, researching it and figuring out how to turn it into something worth reading or watching. From there, participants moved into writing and editing before being introduced to tools for producing the visual material around their work. Nano Banana 2, Gemini Omni, Gemini Live and Gems were among the products demonstrated during the session.

From ideas to images and video

Nano Banana 2, which Google identifies as Gemini 3.1 Flash Image, focuses on image generation and editing. A user can describe an image in a prompt, generate a result and then keep working on it through follow-up instructions, making changes without having to start from a blank canvas each time. That can cover relatively simple creator tasks such as producing a visual concept or marketing mockup, as well as turning information into a diagram and refining the result as the underlying idea changes.

Video works differently. Gemini Omni is Google's model family for multimodal generation, with its first release focused on video, and the demonstrations showed how users can generate clips from reference material and request changes through conversation. Instead of treating each version as a separate piece of work, the user can continue the exchange and describe what should change in the next iteration.

The workshop also covered Gemini Live, which allows users to speak with the assistant while developing ideas, and Gems, which are designed for instructions that need to be reused. Someone producing content for a publication, for example, could create a Gem containing the publication's preferred tone and audience, then return to it whenever they begin another piece rather than typing the same instructions into every conversation.

That gives each tool a different job within the same process. Gemini Live can sit at the idea stage, Gems can preserve the context needed for recurring work, and the image and video tools can take over once the creator has something concrete to produce.

Kenyan students get 12 months of AI Plus

Alongside the demonstrations, students were introduced to Google's AI Plus student offer, a separate programme that was announced on August 20. Eligible college and university students in 27 African countries can receive 12 months of Google AI Plus at no cost, and Kenya is included in the programme.

The subscription comes with Gemini Omni, twice the standard usage limits in Gemini and 400GB of storage shared across Google Drive, Gmail and Google Photos. Students can check their eligibility and claim the offer here, although the benefits are tied to the student promotion and attending Tutunge na Gemini does not automatically activate the offer.

Students have to complete Google's separate registration process and verify their eligibility through SheerID, Google's student verification partner. A personal Google Account and a qualifying payment method are also required.

The free period eventually ends. Google says the subscription normally switches to a regular paid plan after the promotional period, with advance notification and an exception where local law requires consent. The company has not stated the Kenyan renewal price in the material accompanying the workshop, so anyone claiming the offer should check the price and renewal date shown during registration before completing the sign-up.

The promotion also differs from Google's previous student offer in Africa. In October 2025, eligible students were offered 12 months of Google AI Pro; the programme now being promoted in Kenya is for the separate AI Plus tier.