Mount Kenya University (MKU) has achieved three major milestones on the global stage, underscoring Kenya’s rising leadership in technology education and innovation.
In Shenzhen, China, a Kenyan team including an MKU student secured a historic victory at the Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals, beating over 220,000 participants worldwide. In a historic victory for East Africa, a Kenyan trio have won the grand prize at the Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals in Shenzhen, China.
Catherine Atieno of JKUAT, Salem Kim of Machakos University and Brian Ngugi of Mount Kenya University, guided by instructor Kevin Tuei beat more than 220,000 students worldwide to secure the highest honour. This is the first time a team from Kenya has clinched the grand prize after years of regional success and participation in the competition.
The Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals were held in Shenzhen, China. More than 220,000 contestants came from universities and colleges from across the world.
The event, organised annually in collaboration with universities worldwide and UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (UNESCO-IBE), is regarded as one of the most prestigious global platforms for emerging technology talents. The competition assesses participants’ knowledge and practical expertise in advanced ICT fields, including 5G, cloud technologies, networking and artificial intelligence.
Another team of four MKU students has once again put the institution on the spotlight after securing a finalist award at the prestigious Wege Prize 2026, held recently in Grand Rapids, Michigan. The team, represented by Mr. Wesley Njenga, walked away with $2,500 (Sh323, 650) for their groundbreaking innovation, EcoScrubber, a hybrid emission control and carbon-capture system that transforms toxic pollutants from incinerator chimneys into usable construction materials.
The Wege Prize, organized by Michigan-based Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD), challenges university students from around the world to collaboratively solve complex, systems-level problems by developing products, services, and business models based on the three core principles of the circular economy: eliminating waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in circulation, and regenerating natural systems.
This year’s competition attracted 87 teams from over 30 countries, representing nearly 200 academic disciplines. Through a rigorous, iterative process spanning multiple phases, teams received in-depth feedback from expert judges, refining their rough concepts into fully-fledged frameworks. From this competitive field, the MKU team comprising Mr. Wesley Njenga, Mr. Franklin Mwendwa, Mr. Elijah Maina, and Mr. Ejike Chinyere, all from the School of Public Health emerged as one of five teams invited to pitch in the United States.
The inspiration behind EcoScrubber came from an ordinary yet powerful moment on a road in Thika. The students witnessed a truck belching thick black smoke while passersby struggled to breathe. That encounter sparked a compelling question: could those harmful emissions be captured and repurposed rather than left to pollute the air? The team took that question back to the university’s Innovation and incubation centre , where they began turning the concept into reality.
Speaking during the award ceremony, team lead Wesley Njenga expressed pride in how the University has supported their journey to the global stage. “We were honoured to showcase home-grown solutions like Ecoscrubber, as well as compete with the best in the world,” he said.
The student was accompanied by the Institutions Head, Innovations, Intellectual Property and community Engagement, Mr. Donatus Njoroge who provided guidance throughout the pitch sessions. “We are proud of their progress so far and we will continue to offer technical support, and global exposure on their path to commercialization,” Mr. Donatus noted.
Meanwhile, in Nanjing, China, MKU signed a landmark Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Nanjing Vocational College of Information Technology (NJCIT)and Nanjing Zhongxing Xinyanda Information Technology Co. to deliver globally accredited programmes in emerging technologies. The strategic partnership will enable MKU to offer internationally recognized, Xinyanda-accredited courses.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, NJCIT Principal Prof. Kong Jieemphasized the partnership’s role in advancing China-Africa vocational education cooperation, noting that it will promote both technical excellence and cultural exchange.
MKU Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Research Affairs, Dr. Mercyline Kamande, highlighted the importance of the partnership in enhancing institutional capacity, particularly through AI Training of Trainers (ToT) programmes that will equip faculty with advanced skills and global exposure.
In recognition of MKU’s leadership in applied education, NJCIT conferred Visiting Professor titleson MKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi and Prof. Peter Wanderi, further cementing the institution’s growing global footprint.
On Huawei award, industry leaders and education stakeholders have hailed the achievement as a strong affirmation of Kenya’s growing capacity to compete globally in technology and innovation. The win also highlights the increasing role of young Africans—and women in particular—in shaping the future of digital transformation.
Together, the MKU partnership and the global competition triumph signal a transformative moment for technology education in Kenya. They demonstrate the country’s commitment to equipping learners with future-ready, industry-aligned skills while strengthening international collaboration.
As MKU continues to expand its global partnerships and Kenyan students excel on the world stage, the nation is positioning itself as a leading hub for ICT talent development, innovation, and digital transformation in Africa.
Shenzhen played host to the closing and awards ceremony of the 10th Huawei ICT Competition Global Final, bringing a record-breaking edition of the talent showcase to an end. This year’s ICT Competition attracted more than 220,000 university students and faculty members from over 2,000 tertiary institutions across more than 100 countries and regions, making it the largest edition in the competition’s history.
After progressing through national and regional rounds, 177 teams from 49 countries and regions advanced to the Global Final and received awards, underscoring the growing global consensus on the importance of ICT talent development.
At the closing and awards ceremony, Mr Ritchie (Honghua) Peng, President of Huawei ICT Strategy and Business Development Department, said the competition reflects the company’s long-standing commitment to using technology for good and for sustainable social and environmental development.
Peng said the Innovation Competition demonstrated the value of learning through competition as a tool to address real-world challenges, adding that participants in the Practice and Programming Competitions stood out for their dedication, curiosity and deep technical focus.
He also announced the introduction of a new Ascend AI Operator Development Track in the Chinese mainland for the next edition. The track is designed to help young developers engage more directly with cutting-edge industry technologies through task-based challenges.
The Huawei ICT Competition is an annual global event designed for students and teachers from colleges and universities. It offers an international platform for competition and exchange, enabling participants to strengthen their ICT knowledge, improve practical skills, and foster innovation using the latest technologies and platforms.
Since its launch in 2015, the competition has been gaining significant momentum, with more countries and students joining each year. In China, it has been listed as a national competition for university students, while globally, it has been recognized as a key partner flagship program by UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy.
Dr Shafika Isaacs, Director AI (Artificial Intelligence) of UNESCO Institute for Information Technologies in Education and Chief of Section for Technology and AI in Education, praised the partnership between UNESCO and Huawei and commended the participants for their performance. She highlighted that the future of AI requires collaboration among governments, international organizations, academia and industry.
UNESCO and Huawei have been working together through initiatives such as AI capacity building programs in Arab countries and ICT education partnership programs in Central Asia and the Caucasus. These efforts aim to strengthen higher education and vocational training systems and develop future-ready talent.
‘‘Students in this year’s Huawei ICT Competition demonstrated their ability to tackle real-world challenges across cultural boundaries by applying emerging technologies – showing not only creativity but also a responsible approach to technology that embodies the purpose of education,’’ Dr Isaacs said.
This year marked the 10th edition of the Huawei ICT competition. After the practice, innovation, and programming competitions, 18 outstanding teams from eight countries were awarded the grand prize. In the Practice Competition, the Network Track Grand Prize went to the Algerian team, Brazilian team, Nigerian team, and Shenzhen Polytechnic University.
The Cloud Track Grand Prize went to the Egyptian, Algeria, Central South University of Forestry and Technology and the Kenyan team. Egypt also won the Computing Track Grand Prize together with the Henan Institute of Economics and Trade, the Dominican Republic and Algerian teams while Shenzhen Polytechnic University took home the Ascend AI Track Grand Prize.
Wuhan University of Technology of China, Ahmadu Bello University of Nigeria, National University of Singapore and Fujian Normal University were voted the most innovative colleges. The Programming Competition Grand Prize was won by Wuhan Vocational College of Software and Engineering.
Special awards were also presented during the ceremony. The women in tech award went to seven all-female teams from Azerbaijan, Nigeria, Kenya, China, and Bahrain; while the Green Development Award was won by two teams from Ghana and China.
Ten students from China received fast passes to the Huawei Future Business Leader Track. The most valuable instructor award was conferred on 16 exceptional instructors from nine countries and regions, including Pakistan, China, Nigeria, Egypt, UAE, Brazil, Hong Kong SAR (China), Thailand, Türkiye. Six teams from Egypt, Brazil, Malaysia, Poland, and Pakistan earned the ICT Competition Online Popularity Award.
The awards ceremony attracted diplomatic representatives from 11 countries, including ambassadors, consuls general, and counselors, who attended in person to present awards to students from their home countries.
During the Global Final, Huawei also hosted the AI Accelerating Education Transformation Summit, bringing together educators and industry experts to discuss the role of AI in driving educational transformation and innovation and to share leading practices in industry-academia collaboration.
At the summit, Huawei unveiled its ICT Academy AI Course Solution, which is designed to provide universities with a comprehensive AI learning pathway and support the development of AI talent at scale. It also released the ICT Skills Development Insight Report with Recommendations for Nine Countries of Central Asia & the Caucasus, offering policymakers actionable insights to guide talent and industry development policies.
