Photo Caption: Absa Bank Kenya Chief Information Officer Moses Okundi, GirlCode CEO Zandile Mkwanazi, Technopolis Development Authority Chief Manager Business Development & Innovation Josephine Ndambuki (Right) with Mary Wangui, Mugwanja Linet, Aisha Barasa and Cynthia Chepkorir, winners of the best overall in Kenya during the GirlCode Women-in-Tech Hackathon for their solution dubbed “Nauli SaKo.”
NAIROBI, October 6, 2026 — Four young Kenyan women have emerged overall winners of the third GirlCode Kenya Hackathon with an Artificial Intelligence (AI)-powered platform designed to improve payment systems and financial tracking in the public transport sector.
The winning team, comprising Mary Wangui, Linet Mugwanja, Aisha Barasa and Cynthia Chepkorir, developed Naulisako, a digital fare collection platform that streamlines public transport payments, automates reconciliation for vehicle owners and generates reliable sales records.
The two-day hackathon, held at Konza Technopolis last weekend, brought together 44 young women, including students, graduates, developers and aspiring entrepreneurs, to develop technology-driven solutions to real-world challenges with support from industry mentors.
Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Mugwanja said the victory demonstrated the important role young women can play in shaping the future of technology.
“Winning the GirlCode Kenya Hackathon affirms that young women have an important role to play in shaping the future of technology,” she said.
She said the team drew inspiration from challenges experienced in the public transport sector and hoped the platform would improve efficiency and transparency.
“Naulisako was inspired by everyday challenges in the public transport sector, and we are proud to have developed a solution that can make payments more efficient, transparent, and accessible,” Mugwanja said.
The Bots team emerged first runners-up with Biashara Bot, a solution that digitises and automates financial record-keeping for underserved and unbanked small businesses, while Korva secured third place with Korva Creatives Economy, which consolidates creators’ revenues, engagement data and intellectual property monetisation across multiple channels.
The top three teams received laptops, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, headsets and inspirational books.
GirlCode Chief Executive Officer Zandile Mkwanazi said the competition was helping create opportunities for young women to develop practical technology solutions.
“Kenya has one of the most exciting innovation ecosystems on the continent,” she said, noting that GirlCode was proud to continue its partnership with Absa Bank Kenya for a third year.
Mkwanazi said the involvement of Konza Technopolis as a venue partner had further strengthened the initiative by providing a platform where participants could learn, build and innovate.
“Together, we are creating spaces where young women can learn, build, and see themselves as part of Africa’s technology future,” she said.
Absa Bank Kenya Chief Information Officer Moses Okundi said the initiative was aligned with the bank’s commitment to digital inclusion and youth empowerment.
“At Absa Bank Kenya, we believe digital skills and access to technology are powerful enablers of economic opportunity,” he said.
Okundi said the partnership with GirlCode was helping create pathways for young women to participate meaningfully in the digital economy.
“Through programmes such as GirlCode, we are equipping young people with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to realise their potential and contribute meaningfully to Kenya’s growth and digital transformation,” he said.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, Technopolis Development Authority Chief Manager, Business Development and Innovation, Josephine Ndambuki, said hosting the hackathon reflected Konza Technopolis’ commitment to nurturing young innovators.
“Hosting the GirlCode Kenya Hackathon reflects our commitment to creating opportunities for young women to develop their skills, test their ideas, and build solutions to real-world challenges,” she said.
Ndambuki said the Authority would continue supporting initiatives that encouraged young women to pursue technology and entrepreneurship.
“We want to see more young women become innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders shaping Africa’s digital future,” she said.
Kenya was the sixth and final stop of this year’s GirlCode Pan-African Hackathon Series, following events in South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Botswana and Uganda.
The series forms part of GirlCode’s ambition to reach 10 million girls and women across Africa by 2030 through coding programmes, mentorship, hackathons and digital skills development.
The Pan-African winners will be announced on Oct. 12, with the winning team set to receive R100,000, approximately Sh790,655, while the winning Small and Medium Enterprise will receive incubation support to scale its solution.
