Nairobi Pupils Shine in International Robotics Championship

Students from Nairobi’s Riara Springs Girls High School made headlines this week after their team, Nanobytes , emerged victorious at the Inspire Robotics Challenge (Nairobi Edition), held in the city and drawing 19 schools from across the region. Their award-winning project—an app connecting farmers with agricultural experts—captured the judges’ attention and secured Riara Springs the top prize. With this win, the pupils have also earned the right to advance to the regional level, representing Kenya in an upcoming international robotics showdown.
The competition is part of a growing movement in Nairobi schools to incorporate robotics and programming into the STEM curriculum, using hands-on challenges to motivate students and encourage innovation. The girls at Riara Springs credited their success to dedicated coaching from their teachers and long hours in the robotics lab preparing the project. Judges praised the team not only for their technical solution but also for teamwork and core values—elements increasingly emphasised in such contests. We looked at how the students worked as a unit, how inclusive their process was, and how real‑world their problem‑solving was, said one of the judge.
The reaction from the Nairobi education community has been enthusiastic. Students are reportedly inspired by the win, and several schools are now announcing new robotics clubs or expanding existing ones to capitalise on the momentum. Teachers believe such successes help shift perceptions of STEM from abstract concepts to practical, engaging tools for change. Meanwhile, STEM advocates are calling for greater investment in resources—particularly in under‑resourced Nairobi schools—to ensure that all talented students can access similar opportunities rather than only those in better‑equipped institutions.
Looking ahead, the Riara Springs team is preparing for the regional stage, and educators are hopeful that their example will ignite a broader wave of robotics participation across Nairobi. If the local push to embed robotics in classrooms, labs and clubs gains traction, the capital could become a national hub of student innovation—a place where pupils don’t just consume technology, but build it.