Kenya Affirms ICT Strength as 12 University Students Win Global Huawei Awards » Capital News

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jun 13 – Kenya has reaffirmed its position as a rising force in global technology after 12 public university students excelled at the Huawei ICT Competition Global Final 2024–2025, earning four prestigious international awards.

Competing against some of the world’s brightest tech students, the Kenyan teams demonstrated outstanding performance, underscoring the country’s growing strength in ICT education, innovation, and digital capacity building.

A joint team from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) and Machakos University clinched First Prize in the Computing Track, while a combined team from Machakos University, JKUAT, and the University of Nairobi took home the Second Prize in the Network Track.

Another collaborative team from JKUAT and Moi University bagged Second Prize in the Cloud Track, while Egerton University’s “Silicon Savannah” team won Third Prize in the Innovation Track for their Smart Air Quality Monitoring System—a solution enabling real-time environmental health data collection for smarter cities.

The students were recognised this week at a ceremony held at Parliament Buildings in Nairobi and led by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula. The global final took place in Shenzhen, China, between May 20–24.

Wetang’ula applauded the students for representing Kenya with distinction on the global stage.

“Continue striving for excellence in emerging fields such as Artificial Intelligence, Cloud Computing, Cyber Security and the Internet of Things. Use your skills to solve problems for Kenya, Africa and the world,” he urged.

Mark Omaiko, a second-year Cloud Computing and Information Security student at Machakos University, said the win was not just for the team but for the entire country.

“We’re proud to have placed Kenya on the global ICT map. We encourage fellow students to join similar programs and aim higher,” said Omaiko.

Huawei Kenya Deputy CEO Stephen Zhang highlighted a major milestone in the competition—gender inclusion. He revealed that Kenya fielded an all-girls team, which received the Women in Technology Award.

“Girls are increasingly embracing ICT careers. These finalists are future leaders of our digital economy,” Zhang said.

He noted that this year’s competition attracted over 12,000 Kenyan applicants, with 50 reaching the global finals. Many top performers have since joined the Huawei Management Trainee Program or secured roles with industry partners.

Zhang added that Kenya’s participation aligns with a broader national strategy to strengthen digital skills and bridge the gap between academia and industry, reinforcing its ambition to lead in Africa’s digital transformation.