From Covid-19 to code: Inside the programme training Kenyan girls in AI
Prof Julius Oyugi, director of the Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases at the University of Nairobi, during the interview on April 14, 2026.
What you need to know:
- Engage project equips Kenyan girls with AI skills to transform public health and bridge gender gaps.
- Initiative targets disadvantaged girls, building capacity in artificial intelligence and data science for real-world health challenge.
On March 13, 2020, Kenya confirmed its first case of Covid-19. The announcement sent shockwaves across the country, freezing hearts as citizens watched the devastation unfolding elsewhere in the world. In response, the government assembled teams of experts to fight the pandemic.
The tools deployed included artificial intelligence (AI) and data science—technologies that proved critical in tracking infections, predicting outbreaks, and guiding public health decisions. Yet one fact stood out: the field was overwhelmingly male. Globally, 88 per cent of AI and data science professionals were men, and Kenya reflected the same imbalance.
It was within this reality that Prof Julius Oyugi, a seasoned researcher with nearly four decades in public health, saw both a problem and an opportunity. As director of the Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases, Prof Oyugi had witnessed how male-dominated teams shaped the country’s Covid-19 response. He began to ask himself: what innovations were being missed because women were not at the table?
Engage project
Months of research and reflection led him to design Engage, an acronym for Enabling Girls in AI and Growing Expertise in Data Science for Public Health. The project was not just about teaching coding; it was about reframing the narrative of who gets to shape Kenya’s technological future.
In 2023, his proposal attracted funding from Takeda Pharmaceutical Company, whose global corporate social responsibility programme selected Engage as one of its flagship initiatives.
The five-year project officially launched in 2024, implemented through a collaboration with the Institute of Tropical and Infectious Diseases at the University of Nairobi, the Data Analytics & Scientific Computing Laboratory in the Department of Mathematics at the university, the University of California San Francisco, and six universities in Kenya.
These include Meru University of Science and Technology, Dedan Kimathi University of Technology, South Eastern Kenya University, Pwani University, Kabarak University, and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.
“Engage set out to train 1,000 girls from disadvantaged backgrounds over five years,” Prof Oyugi says. “The programme is structured into three tiers: high school students, TVET trainees, and university undergraduates.”
By the end of the funded period, the programme will have introduced 480 high school girls to AI and data science, creating awareness at an early stage. Diploma and undergraduate students receive more advanced training. By spreading the programme across six universities in different regions, Engage ensures that girls from rural areas can access training without travelling far.
Training for high school girls is delivered through fully funded, 10-day residential programmes hosted at partner institutions. These residencies offer classroom instruction as well as learning trips designed to broaden exposure to science and technology. For example, participants in Meru visited Meru Teaching and Referral Hospital as part of their learning experience.
Approved by the Ministry of Education, the programme targets Form Three students in public schools who demonstrate strong aptitude in mathematics. Applicants from underserved and marginalised communities—who might otherwise lack such opportunities—are encouraged to apply.
Experiences so far
“The first cohort enrolled in 2024, with 90 girls drawn from diploma and undergraduate programmes,” he says. “In 2025, the intake grew to 120, including 20 high school students.”
The curriculum is tiered: high school students learn basic computer skills and introductory coding, diploma students tackle intermediate modules, while undergraduates engage with full AI and data science curricula, including internships in health facilities. The experiences have been transformative. “Some girls arrived having never touched a computer,” he recalls.
He remembers watching them progress from typing with one finger to confidently using keyboards within days. Others came from homes without electricity or running water, experiencing university life for the first time.
In one striking case, which highlighted the determination of participants, a trainee concealed her pregnancy to attend sessions. However, due to the intensity of the programme, she was asked to return home and was later re-admitted into the next cohort after delivery.
Successes and achievements
Prof Oyugi lights up when he speaks about the programme’s impact, describing how the girls are already applying their skills to solve real public health challenges.
In Kisumu, a university trainee developed an AI tool to improve ambulance referrals by mapping available vehicles and monitoring fuel levels. Another trainee in the same county built a system to track pharmaceutical stocks, improving accountability and preventing shortages.
In Nakuru, a TVET trainee designed a platform to remind HIV patients when to prepare for their next drug refill, addressing the persistent challenge of treatment adherence.
Beyond these innovations, the project has sparked a cultural shift. Beneficiaries’ progress is monitored beyond training to track their career paths.
“Girls from rural areas, many of whom had never seen a university, now aspire to pursue higher education in Stem,” he says. “Some have gone on to master’s programmes in data science, locally and abroad. Others have secured jobs in health facilities where they were once interns, helping institutions make data-driven decisions.
“The joy on their faces told me we were changing something fundamental. We are not just teaching them to code; we are giving them a future.”
Challenges
Demand for Engage has far outstripped supply. In its first year, the project received over 700 applications for just 45 slots.
“Narrowing down applicants has been a persistent challenge,” Prof Oyugi says. “Early recruitment methods sometimes failed to identify truly needy students, prompting the introduction of face-to-face interviews to ensure fairness.”
Sustainability
Sustainability is now Prof Oyugi’s key focus. With Takeda’s funding set to end after five years, he is developing a curriculum to be embedded at the University of Nairobi. This next phase will be open to both girls and boys, with participants required to pay for training.
“We’ve already had boys asking why they were excluded. The demand is there, and the future of innovation depends on building capacity in AI for everyone,” he explains.
Prof Oyugi also hopes to attract philanthropists and corporate sponsors to expand the programme, given the overwhelming demand. His long-term vision is even more ambitious—integrating AI and data science into Kenya’s education system from primary school onwards.
“Innovation is the future of growth. Countries that are developed have invested in AI. Kenya must do the same if we want rapid economic progress,” he insists.
