NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 10 — Students from Northern Kenya have taken the top two positions at the ninth Young Scientists Kenya National Science and Technology Exhibition, showcasing innovative solutions to 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 designed for climate-vulnerable communities in North Eastern Kenya.
The system uses sensors to collect data on soil moisture, temperature, humidity and rainfall. An artificial intelligence model then analyses the data to generate a drought-risk score, indicate the confidence level of the prediction and estimate the number of days before drought conditions are likely to develop.
The technology is designed to provide farmers and communities with an early warning, giving them time to prepare irrigation systems, manage scarce water resources and protect crops and livestock before drought conditions worsen.
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 protect crops, conserve water and improve environmental cleanliness.
Developed in response to Marsabit’s arid climate and food-production challenges, the project combines a protected greenhouse structure with automated irrigation and temperature control.
A soil-moisture sensor activates a water pump when the soil becomes dry and switches it off once the required moisture level is reached. A temperature sensor also triggers an automated roof to open when temperatures inside the garden rise beyond a set level.
The project demonstrates how affordable automation can help conserve water, protect crops and support climate-resilient food production in arid regions.
The exhibition was held at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi under the theme “Shaping Kenya’s AI Future Using STEM.”
It brought together 308 finalists from 125 schools, selected from more than 1,500 project submissions received from across the country.
The 2026 exhibition also recorded increased participation by girls, who made up the majority of participants and featured prominently among the winners.
More than 20 students from refugee camps also participated with support from UNICEF, with several securing awards in different categories.
Chief Guest Mahboob Bajwa, Deputy Representative for Programmes at UNICEF Kenya, said the projects demonstrated the importance of putting young people at the centre of Kenya’s technological development.
“Kenya’s AI future will not be built by algorithms alone. It will be built by young people,” Bajwa said.
She said artificial intelligence was transforming how societies learn, work and address complex challenges, noting that the students had demonstrated how AI and STEM knowledge can be applied to agriculture, education, health and climate resilience.
As the 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 receive an all-expenses-paid trip to represent Kenya at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in Dublin, Ireland.
Evelyn Maris, Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya, reaffirmed Ireland’s longstanding partnership with Young Scientists Kenya.
Ireland was among the initiative’s founding partners in 2017.
“The programme aligns with our ambitions around innovation, science and education,” Maris said.
She noted that Young Scientists Kenya draws on the experience of Ireland’s Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which has operated since the 1960s and contributed to the growth of Ireland’s STEM ecosystem and economy.
All category winners will also participate in the Young Scientists Kenya STEM Boot Camp, where industry partners will support them in refining their prototypes, understanding intellectual property protection and developing their ideas beyond the exhibition.
Students also interacted with technology professionals and industry partners during the event.
At the Oracle booth, participants explored how businesses use artificial intelligence and cloud technologies for data analysis, automation, research and decision-making, connecting their classroom projects with real-world applications and emerging STEM careers.
Young Scientists Kenya National Director Dr Victor Mwongera said the diversity of participants and winners was among the strongest indicators of the exhibition’s success.
“It is not a lack of resources that hampers innovation, but rather a lack of opportunity,” Mwongera said.
He noted that students from refugee communities competed strongly and won awards, while female participation increased both in project submissions and among winning teams.
As Young Scientists Kenya prepares for its 10th exhibition, the organisation plans to increase the number of finalists from 308 to more than 500.
It also intends to attract more members of the public and deepen collaboration with industry and development partners.
The organisation further plans to create opportunities for former participants who have completed higher education, entered employment or started businesses to return as mentors for younger innovators.
Since its establishment nine years ago, Young Scientists Kenya has reached more than 280,000 students nationwide, contributing to the development of a growing pool of scientific and technological talent for Kenya’s innovation economy.