Four Young Kenyan Women Win GirlCode Kenya Hackathon with AI Transport Payments Solution

By Faith Wanza

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, Kenya, October 6, 2026 — Four young Kenyan women have emerged as the overall winners of the third edition of the GirlCode Kenya Hackathon after developing an artificial intelligence-powered solution aimed at improving public transport payments and financial management.

The two-day hackathon, held at Konza Technopolis, 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.

The winning team comprised Mary Wangui, Linet Mugwanja, Aisha Barasa and Cynthia Chepkorir. Their solution uses artificial intelligence to provide digital fare collection, streamline public transport payments, automate reconciliation for vehicle owners and generate reliable sales records.

The platform is designed to improve efficiency, transparency and financial tracking within the transport sector.

Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Linet 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. Our journey 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,” she said.

Mugwanja said the team hoped their achievement would encourage more young women to embrace technology and innovation as tools for solving real-world problems.

The second-placed team, Bishasha Bot, developed a solution that digitises and automates financial record-keeping for underserved and unbanked small businesses. Korva finished third with a platform that consolidates creator revenues, engagement data and intellectual property monetisation across multiple channels.

The top three teams received laptops, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, headsets and inspirational books.

GirlCode CEO Zandile Mkwanazi said the hackathon was part of efforts to create opportunities for young women to acquire skills, develop innovative ideas and participate in the technology ecosystem.

“Kenya has one of the most exciting innovation ecosystems on the continent, and we are proud to continue our partnership with Absa Bank Kenya for a third year while also welcoming Konza Technopolis as a venue partner,” Mkwanazi said.

She added that the partnership was creating spaces where young women could learn, build and see themselves as part of Africa’s technological future.

Absa Bank Kenya Chief Information Officer Moses Okundi said the initiative reflected 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. Our partnership with GirlCode over the past three years demonstrates our commitment to creating pathways for more young women to participate, innovate, and lead in the digital economy,” Okundi said.

Konza Technopolis provided mentorship and technical support for the hackathon and hosted the event at Kenya’s flagship smart city.

Speaking during the awards ceremony, Konza Technopolis Chief Manager, Business Development and Innovation, Josephine Ndambuki, said hosting the hackathon demonstrated the organisation’s commitment to creating opportunities for young women.

“We want to see more young women become innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders shaping Africa’s digital future,” Ndambuki said.

Kenya was the sixth and final stop in this year’s GirlCode Pan-African Hackathon Series, which also travelled to 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 are expected to be announced on October 12, 2026, with the winning team set to receive R100,000 (approximately KSh790,655) and incubation support to help scale its solution.

Absa Bank Kenya said its participation is part of its broader efforts to equip more young people, particularly women, with skills needed to participate meaningfully in the digital economy and contribute to innovation and sustainable development.