Dr. Victor Mwongera, National Director of Young Scientists Kenya (centre), celebrates with overall winners Hafsa Ibrahim Adan (left) and Asha Harun Yarow (right) of Senior Chief Adano Girls Day Secondary School in Wajir County during the ninth Young Scientists Kenya exhibition at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi .
NAIROBI, August 10,2026 – Students from Kenya’s Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) have won the top two national awards at the ninth Young Scientists Kenya (YSK) National Science and Technology Exhibition, showcasing how locally developed technology can tackle drought, water scarcity and food insecurity.
Hafsa Ibrahim Adan and Asha Harun Yarow from Senior Chief Adano Girls Day Secondary School in Wajir County emerged First Place Overall with an Artificial Intelligence-based Environmental Monitoring and Drought Risk Prediction System for Climate-Vulnerable Communities in North Eastern Kenya.
Speaking during the exhibition held at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi, UNICEF Kenya Deputy Representative for Programmes Mahboob Bajwa said the innovations demonstrated the potential of young people to drive Kenya’s technological future.
“Kenya’s AI future will not be built by algorithms alone. It will be built by young people,” Bajwa said.
She said the students had demonstrated that AI and STEM could be applied to address challenges in agriculture, education, health and climate resilience, adding that young innovators should be given opportunities to turn their ideas into practical solutions.
“The projects show that when young people are given the opportunity, they can develop solutions to some of the most pressing challenges facing their communities,” she said.
The Wajir students’ system uses sensors to monitor soil moisture, temperature, humidity and rainfall, while an AI model analyses the data to generate a drought-risk score and estimate the number of days before drought conditions are likely to develop.
The early-warning information can help communities prepare irrigation systems, manage water and protect crops and livestock.Second Place Overall went to Halima Aila Mohamed, Sake Hussein Tadicha and Manal Mohamed from Zad Muslim School in Marsabit County for Eco-Guard, an automated smart garden designed to conserve water, protect crops and improve food production.
The system combines a greenhouse structure with automated irrigation and temperature control. A soil-moisture sensor activates a water pump when the soil becomes dry, while a temperature sensor opens the roof when temperatures rise beyond a set level.
Ireland’s Deputy Head of Mission in Kenya Evelyn Maris said the exhibition reflected the strong partnership between Ireland and Young Scientists Kenya, noting that Ireland was among the initiative’s founding partners in 2017.
“The programme aligns with our ambitions around innovation, science and education,” Maris said.
She said Ireland’s Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which has operated since the 1960s, had helped nurture the country’s STEM ecosystem and contributed to its economic development.
“We are pleased to see the partnership continue to create opportunities for Kenyan students and strengthen their interest in science and technology,” she said.
The exhibition, held under the theme “Shaping Kenya’s AI Future Using STEM,” brought together 308 finalists from 125 schools, selected from more than 1,500 project submissions received nationally.
Girls formed the majority of participants and featured prominently among the winners, while more than 20 students from refugee camps participated with support from UNICEF, with several securing awards in different categories.
As overall winners, Hafsa and Asha each received Sh50,000, a fully funded STEM course scholarship at Strathmore University and a smartphone courtesy of Safaricom.
They will also represent Kenya at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in Dublin, Ireland, on an all-expenses-paid trip.
All category winners will join the YSK STEM Boot Camp, where industry partners will support them in refining prototypes, understanding intellectual property protection and developing their innovations beyond the exhibition.
YSK National Director Dr. Victor Mwongera said the diversity of participants demonstrated the success of the programme.
“It is not a lack of resources that hampers innovation, but rather a lack of opportunity,” Mwongera said.
He said YSK plans to increase finalists from 308 to more than 500 for its tenth exhibition and create opportunities for former participants to return as mentors.
Since its establishment nine years ago, YSK has reached more than 280,000 students nationwide, contributing to Kenya’s growing pool of scientific and technological talent.
