More than 2,000 students from Grades 4 to 12 have converged in Kisumu for a two-day technology symposium aimed at sharpening their engineering and innovation skills.
Dubbed the Tech Challenge, the event is a flagship program that uses the engineering design process to empower learners to solve real-world problems. The symposium is taking place at Golden Elites Junior School in Kisumu and brings together students from both public and private schools across the county’s eight sub-counties.
Shital Patel, Director of the Kenya Tech Challenge Expansion into Africa, said the initiative promotes design thinking in schools by encouraging students to innovate through collaboration. “The Tech Challenge is a design thinking problem to bring innovation into schools in Kenya,” she said.
Patel added that participating teachers had already undergone intensive training on design thinking methodologies to better guide their students.
“We want to take away the fear of failure and ensure students are encouraged to work as a team, collaborate, and think critically,” she noted.
One of the main highlights of the symposium is the “Drop and Dash” challenge, where students were required to design a device capable of surviving an air-drop and delivering supplies to a specific target—without using batteries. The challenge not only tested students’ creativity but also introduced them to practical engineering principles.
The program also integrates the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI), preparing both students and teachers for emerging technologies. Patel noted that the pilot phase is ongoing in Kisumu and Nakuru counties, with over 20,000 teachers already benefiting from the hands-on, curriculum-based training.
Charles Ochome, Director of Golden Elites School, said the initiative aligns with Kenya’s Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC), which places strong emphasis on science and practical learning. “Tech is coming in handy. You remember CBC has 60 percent science and 40 percent social sciences,” he remarked.
Students expressed excitement over the experience, saying it sparked their interest in engineering and gave them valuable exposure to teamwork and innovation.
