Free WordPress hosting for Kenyan non-profits
Ten hosting spaces for registered Kenyan non-profit organizations, each free for five years.
10 of 10 spaces available
Ideas need somewhere to live.
Gaby was given ten WordPress hosting spaces on Pressable for taking part in a WordPress community event. We're giving them to ten registered Kenyan non-profits.
Hosting is free for five years. Maintenance and development are separate paid services, and never a condition of hosting.
The program at a glance
- Spaces
- 10, one per organization
- Website
- one WordPress website
- Storage
- 5 GB, a firm cap
- Visits
- 15,000 monthly visits, a firm cap
- Cost
- free for five years, counted from the day your website goes live
- Ownership
- your domain, website, content and data stay yours
- Maintenance
- separate and paid, never a condition
Who can apply
Registered non-profit organizations in Kenya can apply for the free hosting program. Any form of non-profit registration in Kenya is accepted: PBOs and NGOs, community-based organizations, societies, trusts, companies limited by guarantee and other registered non-profit forms. Churches and other religious organizations and schools qualify, provided they are registered non-profits.
Political organizations — parties, campaigns, and groups affiliated with them — are out of scope for the program. This is a scope decision, not a judgment on any organization.
The website must be permitted under Pressable's terms of service and acceptable use policy.
You don't need a website yet. You can build it yourselves, bring your own developer or volunteer, or ask us to build it as a separately quoted paid project. Paid development is an option, never a condition of hosting.
What's included
- WordPress hosting
- One website
- 5 GB storage
- 15,000 monthly visits
- SSL
- WordPress admin access
- Site-specific SFTP/database access
- Basic hosting/access help
- Migration of an existing WordPress site
- Advice on an email provider and a check that migration doesn't break existing email
- A message from us when your website needs a security update
What's not included
- Email mailboxes (your responsibility)
- Storage or visits above the allocation
- Ongoing maintenance, including applying updates
- Content edits
- Development, redesigns, new features
- Custom development
- Hosting after the five years
Email is not part of the hosting program and remains your organization's responsibility. Before migration, we check where your email lives so nothing stops working, and we can advise on which provider fits your needs.
Hosting is free. Maintenance and development are separate paid services.
Your allocation
Each participating organization receives free hosting for one WordPress website with up to 5 GB of storage and 15,000 monthly visits. The 5 GB and 15,000-visit figures are firm caps on what is free. They are not technical shutdown limits.
Visits are measured according to Pressable's hosting metrics. A visitor is counted once per day, so a visit is not the same as a page view.
Going above the allocation
Your website stays online and we contact you. If your usage above the allocation causes additional hosting charges, those are billed to your organization at cost, with no markup. If you stay within your allocation, you are never billed.
Five years free, then your choice
Hosting is free for five years, counted from the day your website goes live.
Before the five years end, we tell you at least six months ahead. Then your website moves to a paid hosting plan with us, at a price we quote you before the five years end, or you move it to another host with a full backup and our help.
If anything about the program has to change before then, you'll get at least six months' notice and our help moving your website.
Your website is yours
Harakati Fikra provides the infrastructure, but your organization owns its website and content. You can manage it yourself and leave the program whenever you choose.
The organization owns its domain, its WordPress website, its content and its website data. You are free to move your website to another host at any time, and we give you a full backup and help with the move.
Migration
An organization can apply to migrate its existing WordPress website. Before any DNS change, we check where your email is currently hosted and who controls the domain registration and DNS, so that an existing mailbox is not broken by the move.
How it works
01
Apply.
Tell us about your organization.
02
Meet.
Have a short conversation with one of us.
03
Get hosted.
We set up or migrate your WordPress website.
04
Stay in control.
Manage the website yourself, bring your own developer, or use our paid maintenance and development services.
The conversation and the registration check are there because there are only ten spaces.
Once approved, your website should be live within six months.
Questions
Who can apply?
Any registered non-profit organization in Kenya, whatever its registration type, including religious organizations and schools. Political organizations are outside the program's scope.
Do we need an existing website?
No. You can build it yourself, bring your own developer, or ask us for a development quote.
Is WordPress development included?
No. Development is available separately as a paid project.
Is WordPress maintenance included?
No. Maintenance is a separate paid service: updates every two months plus up to 24 hours of website work per year, at an affordable yearly price.
Do we have to pay for maintenance to get free hosting?
No. Maintenance is never a condition of free hosting, and free hosting is never a condition of paid work.
Will you tell us if our website needs a security update?
Yes. If your website needs a security update, you hear it from us. Applying it is part of paid maintenance; without maintenance, you or your developer apply it.
Is email included?
No. Email stays your organization's responsibility. Before migrating we check where your email lives so nothing breaks, and we can advise on a provider that fits your needs.
How much hosting do we receive?
One WordPress website with up to 5 GB of storage and 15,000 monthly visits.
What happens if we exceed the allocation?
Your website stays online and we contact you. If your extra usage causes additional hosting charges, they are billed to your organization at cost, with no markup. If you stay within your allocation, you are never billed.
How long is hosting free?
Five years, counted from the day your website goes live.
What happens after five years?
We tell you at least six months before the five years end. Then your website moves to a paid hosting plan with us, at a price we quote you before the five years end, or you move it to another host with a full backup and our help. If anything about the program has to change before then, you'll get at least six months' notice and our help moving your website.
Once approved, how long do we have to launch?
Six months. If your website isn't live by then, the space goes back to the pool and you can re-apply when you're ready.
Do we own our website?
Yes. Your organization owns its domain, its website, its content and its data.
Can we leave?
Yes. Organizations can leave at any time and take their website with them, with a full backup and our help moving.
How many organizations will be supported?
The program has 10 spaces, so it supports 10 organizations at a time.
Is there a fee for hosting?
No. Hosting is free for five years within the program terms.
How do we pay for paid services?
Paid services are invoiced, and you can pay by M-Pesa or bank transfer. Every payment gets an invoice and a receipt.
How to apply
Submit the short application form. Applications are reviewed manually and in the order received, subject to eligibility and available capacity.
10 of 10 spaces available
Applications close when all available spaces are allocated.
Need a website built, or looked after? That's paid work, separate from the program.