"When Chinese language was introduced in schools, we realized there was a need," Wachira said. "So we started reaching out to teachers across the country, and then we moved the program online."

"With Mandarin now included in the Competency-Based Education, the demand for qualified and confident Mandarin teachers has never been greater," said Samson Ondigi, executive dean of the School of Education and Lifelong Learning at Kenyatta University.

Zhou Xiaodong, Chinese director of the Confucius Institute at the university, said the institute plans to launch a postgraduate program to train teachers teaching Chinese in the next few years.

Liu Haowen contributed to this story.

wangxiaodong@chinadaily.com.cn