Holiday camp enrolling now, ages 6 to 16 Term classes enrolling, ages 6 to 16
Your child is home until 4 January. Give their mornings a plan. Three evenings a week, your child builds on a screen instead of scrolling one.
Live coding and chess classes on Zoom, Monday to Friday from 9am to 12pm. Up to 15 children in a group, one teacher, and a game your child designs and builds. Live coding and chess classes on Zoom, three evenings a week, 1.5 hours a session. Up to 15 children in a group, with the same teacher all term.
Booking is free and takes about two minutes. I reply on WhatsApp, usually the same day. You pay nothing until you accept a place.
| Day | Coding | Chess |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | Make a character move | How every piece moves |
| Tue | Add a score | Forks |
| Wed | Build a game-over screen | Pins and skewers |
| Thu | Add a second level | Mate in two |
| Fri | Show the family your game | Mini tournament |
- A live teacher in every session, no recorded videos
- Never more than 15 children in a group
- Pay by M-Pesa, after the free session
- Classes aren’t recorded and children don’t message each other
I’m Sammy Subu, founder and programmes director.
I design the curriculum and oversee every group, from the placement session to the progress notes you receive. When you book, you talk to me on WhatsApp. No call centre and no sales team.
- BSc Data Science, KCA University
- MSc Artificial Intelligence, Open University of Kenya (ongoing)
Esubu Tech Academy is run by Esubu Media, a business registered in Kenya.
What your child brings home
You should see the work, so every child finishes with something to show you.
- A working game they designed and coded, to play with you at home
- A chess game written down in notation, which they replay for you move by move
- Written progress notes from the teacher, so you know what they’re working on
- A certificate when the camp or term ends
The three questions parents ask me first
“Isn’t this more screen time?”
Your child will spend time on screens whatever you plan. What changes their week is whether they watch or build. In class, they build. The rest of the day stays yours to manage, and I won’t ask you to take the phone away.
“AI writes code now. Is coding still worth learning?”
More than before. AI produces code fast, and it’s often wrong in ways a beginner won’t spot. Children who have built programs themselves notice the mistakes, ask sharper questions and decide what gets built. Those are the skills we teach.
“Is this a game club with a certificate?”
No. Your child finishes a project, records chess games in notation and gets written feedback from the teacher. If all they did was have fun, I’d count your money as wasted, and I’d rather say so now.
Fee structure
KES 12,000 a month. You pay by M-Pesa after the free placement session, once you accept a place.
Paying by M-Pesa: Buy Goods Till 680985. Your confirmation message shows the name Soko Huru, the company I co-founded, so you know the money reached me.
A second child joining? Ask me about sibling pricing on WhatsApp.
Starting partway through a month? The first month is pro-rated, so you don’t pay for classes already done.
If the fee is the one thing in the way, say so in the form. I’ll be straight with you about what’s possible.
| Item | Holiday camp | Term classes |
|---|---|---|
| When | Monday to Friday, 9am to 12pm | Three evenings a week, 1.5 hours each |
| Runs | Now until 1 January | From January, when schools reopenEvery school term |
| Group | Up to 15 children | Up to 15 children |
| Fee | KES 12,000per month | KES 12,000per month, about KES 1,000 a class |
Every place includes the same teacher throughout, written progress notes, one finished project and a certificate.
Pay to M-Pesa Buy Goods Till 680985. The name shows as Soko Huru.
Book a free placement session
Tell me about your child. I’ll reply on WhatsApp and set up a short Zoom session to find the right group.
- You fill this inAbout two minutes.
- I reply on WhatsAppUsually the same day. By email if you prefer.
- Free placement sessionA short session on Zoom with your child. You’re welcome to sit in. Nobody passes or fails.
- Your child startsYou accept the place and pay the month to M-Pesa Till 680985 (Soko Huru).
Groups are set by ability, not age alone, so nobody starts in a group where they get lost. Brothers and sisters often land in different groups.
Asante. Your free session request is in.
Here’s what happens next:
- I message you on WhatsApp, usually today.
- We pick a time for the free placement session.
- I tell you which group fits your child and offer a place.
- You pay the month to M-Pesa Buy Goods Till 680985. The name shows as Soko Huru.
Rather talk first? WhatsApp me or call +254 720 811 346.
What the lessons cover
Coding: Scratch first, then Python
Younger children start by snapping code blocks together in Scratch, inside the browser. Within a few weeks they’re running a game of their own design, with rules they wrote. Older children who are ready to type move on to Python.
- Sequences, variables, conditions and coordinates
- Debugging: guess why it broke, test the guess, fix it
- One finished project, theirs to keep and share
- Python for older children once they’re ready
Chess: notation, tactics and reviewing every loss
Children learn to write their games down and go back over what went wrong. Nobody gets left alone to push pieces around.
- Algebraic notation, to record and replay their own games
- Openings with the reasons behind them, not memorised lines
- Tactics like forks and pins, built up by repetition
- Tournaments inside the group, with a review after each game
A puzzle from the first week
The white knight on c7 attacks the king and the rook at the same time. This pattern is called a fork. Black has to save the king, and the rook falls. Children spot this pattern in their own games within days, then start setting it up on purpose.
Will chess raise exam marks?
You’ll see programmes promise it. The strongest reviews of the research don’t support it: chess makes children better at chess, and the effect on grades is small. I won’t claim it.
What I stand behind is narrower. Longer focus, the habit of reviewing a lost game, and a child who reads a game back to you in notation.
Questions from parents
Is the placement session free?
Yes. It’s a short session on Zoom with your child, with no payment and no obligation. You’re welcome to sit in.
Is six too young?
Six is where most groups start. At six it’s mostly Scratch, plus chess through small games, paced for short attention spans.
Does my child need any experience?
None. Many children join having never coded or played a full game of chess. Others already play. The placement session sorts out which group fits.
Will my child keep up?
Groups are set by ability, not age alone. A fast seven-year-old and a careful twelve-year-old sit in different groups, so nobody starts somewhere they’re lost.
What do we need at home, and how much data does it use?
A laptop, tablet or desktop with a camera, plus a steady connection. Nothing to install, Scratch runs in the browser. Headphones help. With video on at Zoom’s standard quality, a class uses up to about 700 MB an hour: around 1 GB for a term class and 2 GB for a holiday morning. Home Wi-Fi works out cheaper than a phone bundle.
Is it safe? Do you record the classes?
Groups are capped at 15 and led by one teacher you know by name. Children join from home with a parent present at the start. Sessions aren’t recorded, nothing gets published, and children don’t message each other.
My child is shy. Will they cope?
Shy children often take to chess fastest, because the board doesn’t ask them to speak up in front of everyone. Coding works the same way. The feedback comes from the program, not from someone judging them.
Is this holiday tuition?
No. We don’t teach the school syllabus or exam work. These are coding and chess classes, run by a private academy, live online.
Will it help at school?
Indirectly, and I won’t overstate it. Kenya approved a coding curriculum for schools in 2022, so these skills line up with where school is heading. The work also builds patience with hard problems and the habit of checking your own reasoning, which maths rewards.
What if my child loses interest?
Usually the group level is wrong. Tell me in the first two or three weeks and I’ll move them to a group at the right level.
We’re not in Nairobi.
Classes run live on Zoom, so children join from anywhere in Kenya. Where you live only affects which timetable suits you.
How do I pay?
By M-Pesa Buy Goods, Till 680985, after the free placement session and once you accept a place. Your confirmation shows the name Soko Huru. It’s my till, from Soko Huru, the company I co-founded. If anything about a payment looks wrong, WhatsApp me before you send.
The holiday runs to 1 January. Plan the mornings now. January groups form after the placement sessions.
Book the free session and I’ll reply on WhatsApp, usually the same day.