Two students from Senior Chief Adano Girls Day Secondary School in Wajir County have won the overall title at the ninth Young Scientists Kenya (YSK) National Science and Technology Exhibition with an artificial intelligence-based system designed to predict drought risks.
Hafsa Ibrahim Adan and Asha Harun Yarow emerged first overall with their AI-Based Environmental Monitoring and Drought Risk Prediction System for Climate-Vulnerable Communities in North Eastern Kenya, beating more than 300 finalists drawn from 125 schools across the country.
Their project collects data from sensors monitoring soil moisture, temperature, humidity and rainfall, which is analysed by an artificial intelligence model to generate a drought-risk score and indicate the likelihood and confidence of a drought prediction.
The system also estimates the number of days remaining before drought conditions are likely to develop, providing farmers and communities with early information to prepare irrigation systems, manage scarce water resources and protect crops and livestock.
The Wajir students were among the young innovators from Northern Kenya who secured the top two national positions at the exhibition held at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi under the theme “Shaping Kenya’s AI Future Using STEM”.
Second place 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 conserve water, protect crops and improve food production in arid areas.
The system combines a protected greenhouse with automated irrigation and temperature control. A soil-moisture sensor activates a water pump when the soil becomes dry and stops it 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 projects demonstrated how students in Arid and Semi-Arid Lands (ASALs) are applying STEM and emerging technologies to challenges associated with drought, food insecurity and water scarcity.
The 2026 exhibition attracted 308 finalists selected from more than 1,500 project submissions received from across the country.
Girls formed the majority of participants and featured prominently among the winners, while more than 20 students from refugee camps participated with support from UNICEF, with several receiving awards in different categories.
Chief Guest and UNICEF Kenya Deputy Representative for Programmes Mahboob Bajwa said the projects demonstrated the importance of involving young people in 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 changing how societies learn, work and address complex challenges, noting that the students had demonstrated their ability to apply AI and STEM knowledge to issues affecting agriculture, education, health and climate resilience.
As 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 represent Kenya at the BT Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in Dublin, Ireland, through an all-expenses-paid trip.
Deputy Head of Mission at the Embassy of Ireland in Kenya Evelyn Maris reaffirmed Ireland’s partnership with Young Scientists Kenya, noting that the country was among the initiative’s founding partners in 2017.
“The programme aligns with our ambitions around innovation, science and education,” Maris said.
She said YSK draws from the experience of Ireland’s Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition, which has operated since the 1960s and contributed to the development of Ireland’s STEM ecosystem and economy.
All category winners will participate in the YSK STEM Boot Camp, where industry partners will support them in improving their prototypes, understanding intellectual property protection and developing their innovations beyond the exhibition.
The students also interacted with technology professionals and industry partners during the exhibition, including at the Oracle booth, where they were introduced to applications of AI and cloud technologies in data analysis, automation, research and decision-making.
YSK National Director Dr. Victor Mwongera said the diversity of participants and winners was among the key indicators of the exhibition’s success.
“It is not a lack of resources that hampers innovation, but rather a lack of opportunity,” Dr. Mwongera said.
He said students from refugee communities had competed strongly and won awards, while participation by girls had increased in both project submissions and winning teams.
As the organisation prepares for its tenth exhibition, YSK plans to increase the number of finalists from 308 to more than 500, attract greater public participation and strengthen collaboration with industry and development partners.
The organisation also plans to create opportunities for former participants who have completed higher education, joined the workforce or started businesses to return as mentors for younger innovators.
Since its establishment nine years ago, YSK has reached more than 280,000 students across Kenya, contributing to the development of scientific and technological talent for the country’s innovation economy.
