McTaba's Full-Stack Software & AI Engineering course is a self-paced online programme with 16 weeks of material, priced at KES 120,000. It covers HTML/CSS/JavaScript fundamentals through React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, REST APIs, M-Pesa integration, WhatsApp automation, AI/LLM integration, and deployment. It is designed for learners who want the full McTaba curriculum but cannot commit to the 6-month live bootcamp.
The Full-Stack Software & AI Engineering course is the self-paced version of the McTaba marathon curriculum. It covers the same technical ground, packaged as video lessons, written guides, and project assignments you complete on your own timeline.
The scope runs from "I have never written a line of code" to "I can build and deploy an AI-powered web application with M-Pesa payments." That is a wide range, and 16 weeks of material reflects it. Here is what each phase covers.
Phase 1: Web fundamentals
HTML, CSS, and JavaScript from scratch. You learn how the web works, how to structure pages, how to style them, and how to make them interactive. By the end of this phase, you can build and deploy a complete static website. This is the foundation everything else sits on, and rushing through it is the single most common mistake self-taught developers make.
Phase 2: Frontend development with React
Component-based thinking, state management, routing, and building real user interfaces. React is the frontend framework most Kenyan tech companies use, and it is what you will see in the majority of job postings. You build several progressively complex applications during this phase.
Phase 3: Backend, databases, and APIs
Node.js, Express, PostgreSQL, and REST API design. You learn to build servers, design database schemas, handle authentication, and connect your frontend to your backend. This is where you go from "I can build pages" to "I can build products."
Phase 4: The African Stack
M-Pesa Daraja API integration (STK Push, C2B, B2C), WhatsApp Business API automation, and mobile-first design for low-bandwidth environments. This phase is what separates the McTaba curriculum from generic online courses. You build payment flows that actually process transactions and messaging systems that send real notifications. If you plan to work in the Kenyan or East African tech market, these skills give you an immediate advantage over candidates who only learned from Silicon Valley tutorials.
Phase 5: AI and LLM engineering
Integrating large language models into web applications. Prompt engineering, API-based AI features, retrieval-augmented generation (RAG), and building chatbots and document analysis tools. You also learn to use AI coding assistants like Cursor and Claude to accelerate your own development workflow. AI is not a separate career track here. It is a layer you add on top of your full-stack skills.
Phase 6: Deployment and going live
Getting your applications off localhost and onto the internet. Vercel for frontend deployments, Railway or VPS hosting for backends, custom domains, SSL, and basic CI/CD. Every project you build during the course should end up with a live URL you can share.
Here is a more detailed look at what you will build and learn across the 16 weeks of material. These are not rigid weekly deadlines since the course is self-paced. Think of them as content milestones.
Weeks 1 to 3: Foundations
Weeks 4 to 6: JavaScript deep dive and React
Weeks 7 to 9: Backend development
Weeks 10 to 12: The African Stack
Weeks 13 to 15: AI/LLM engineering
Week 16: Deployment, polish, and portfolio
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This course exists because the 6-month live marathon does not work for everyone. Some people have full-time jobs. Some live outside Nairobi or outside Kenya. Some prefer studying at 11 PM after the kids are asleep. The self-paced format solves the scheduling problem while keeping the same curriculum.
This course is a good fit if you:
This course is probably not the right choice if you:
A common path we see: someone starts with the self-paced course, gets through the first few phases, realises they want the structure and intensity of the live cohort, and switches to the next marathon intake. We are happy to help with that transition if it happens.
We offer both formats because they serve different people. Here is an honest comparison so you can pick the one that fits your situation.
| Self-Paced Course | Live Bootcamp (Marathon) | |
|---|---|---|
| Price | KES 120,000 | KES 120,000 |
| Duration | 16 weeks of material, lifetime access | 4-6 months, fixed schedule |
| Format | Video lessons + project assignments | Live instruction, daily building, cohort-based |
| Schedule | Completely flexible | Full-time Hybrid (Mon-Thu 10 AM-2 PM) or Part-time Fully Remote (Mon-Thu 7 PM-9 PM) |
| Mentorship | Self-directed, with course community | Daily mentor access, live code reviews |
| Accountability | You set your own pace | Cohort pressure, deadlines, attendance |
| Curriculum | Same technical content | Same technical content + deeper project iteration |
| Projects | 6+ guided projects | 8+ projects with live mentor feedback |
| Career support | Portfolio-ready projects | Mock interviews, CV reviews, employer network |
| Best for | Working professionals, remote learners, self-starters | Full-time learners who want maximum structure |
The technical curriculum is the same. Both formats teach React, Node.js, PostgreSQL, M-Pesa, WhatsApp, and AI engineering. The difference is in delivery and support.
Both the bootcamp and the self-paced course cost KES 120,000. The bootcamp gives you live instruction, mentorship, and cohort accountability. The self-paced course gives you flexibility and lifetime access to revisit material.
The bootcamp gives you more weeks of structured learning because those weeks include extended project iteration, career preparation, and capstone work that benefits from live feedback. The self-paced course compresses the core technical content into 16 weeks of material. You may spend more or less calendar time on it depending on your schedule.
If you are genuinely torn: ask yourself how you performed in past self-study attempts. If you have a track record of finishing online courses, the self-paced format will work. If your Udemy library is full of courses stuck at 15% completion, the bootcamp's external accountability is worth more than the flexibility you think you want.
The course starts from zero. No prior coding experience is required. That said, you do need a few things to get the most out of it:
If you are unsure whether you are ready, start with Tech Foundations: Before You Code. It costs KES 2,999, takes a weekend, and gives you a realistic preview of what learning to code actually feels like. Better to spend that small amount testing your interest than to commit KES 120,000 and discover it is not for you.
Enrolment is straightforward. No application process, no interviews, no waiting for a cohort start date.
You receive lifetime access to the course content, including any future updates as we revise the curriculum. When we update a module (for example, when a new version of React or a new AI model changes best practices), the updated content becomes available to all existing students automatically.
If you have questions before enrolling, reach out via WhatsApp or through the contact form on mctaba.com. We are happy to help you figure out whether the self-paced course, the bootcamp, or one of the smaller Academy courses is the right starting point for your situation.
KES 120,000
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