Mount Kenya University (MKU) has recorded three significant global achievements, reinforcing Kenya’s growing influence in technology education and innovation.
In Shenzhen, China, a Kenyan team that included an MKU student claimed a historic win at the Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals, outperforming more than 220,000 participants worldwide.
Catherine Atieno of JKUAT, Salem Kim of Machakos University and Brian Ngugi of MKU, guided by instructor Kevin Tuei, took the top honour after defeating students from across the globe. It was the first time a Kenyan team had won the grand prize after years of regional participation and success in the competition.
The Huawei ICT Competition Global Finals were held in Shenzhen, China, drawing more than 220,000 contestants from universities and colleges around the world.
Organised annually with universities worldwide and UNESCO’s International Bureau of Education (UNESCO-IBE), the competition is considered one of the leading global platforms for emerging technology talent. It evaluates participants’ knowledge and practical skills in advanced ICT areas such as 5G, cloud technologies, networking and artificial intelligence.
A four-member MKU team also earned recognition at the prestigious Wege Prize 2026, held recently in Grand Rapids, Michigan. Represented by Mr. Wesley Njenga, the team won $2,500 (Sh323,650) for EcoScrubber, a hybrid emission-control and carbon-capture system that converts toxic pollutants from incinerator chimneys into usable construction materials.
The Wege Prize, organised by Michigan-based Ferris State University’s Kendall College of Art and Design (KCAD), challenges university students worldwide to work together on complex systems-level problems by developing products, services and business models rooted in circular economy principles: eliminating waste and pollution, keeping products and materials in use, and regenerating natural systems.
This year’s competition attracted 87 teams from more than 30 countries, covering nearly 200 academic disciplines. Through a rigorous, multi-phase process, teams received detailed feedback from expert judges and refined early concepts into complete frameworks. 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.
EcoScrubber was inspired by a moment on a road in Thika, where the students saw a truck releasing thick black smoke as pedestrians struggled to breathe. The incident raised a question: could the harmful emissions be captured and reused instead of polluting the air? The team took the idea to the university’s Innovation and Incubation Centre and began developing it into a practical solution.
At the award ceremony, team lead Wesley Njenga said the students were honoured to present home-grown solutions such as EcoScrubber and compete with some of the best innovators in the world.
The team was accompanied by the institution’s Head of Innovations, Intellectual Property and Community Engagement, Mr. Donatus Njoroge, who guided them through the pitch sessions. Mr. Donatus said the university was proud of their progress and would continue providing technical support and global exposure as they move toward commercialization.
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 recognised, Xinyanda-accredited courses.
Speaking during the signing ceremony, NJCIT Principal Prof. Kong Jie said the partnership would strengthen China-Africa vocational education cooperation while promoting technical excellence and cultural exchange.
MKU Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic and Research Affairs, Dr. Mercyline Kamande, said the collaboration would enhance institutional capacity, especially 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 titles on MKU Vice-Chancellor Prof. Deogratius Jaganyi and Prof. Peter Wanderi, further strengthening the institution’s global presence.
On the Huawei award, industry leaders and education stakeholders have praised the achievement as a strong sign of Kenya’s growing ability to compete globally in technology and innovation. The win also highlights the increasing role of young Africans, especially women, in shaping the future of digital transformation.
Together, the MKU partnership and the global competition triumph point to a transformative moment for technology education in Kenya. They reflect the country’s commitment to equipping learners with future-ready, industry-aligned skills while deepening international collaboration.
As MKU expands its global partnerships and Kenyan students continue to excel internationally, the nation is positioning itself as a leading hub for ICT talent development, innovation and digital transformation in Africa.
Shenzhen hosted the closing and awards ceremony of the 10th Huawei ICT Competition Global Final, ending a record-breaking edition of the talent showcase. 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 moving through national and regional rounds, 177 teams from 49 countries and regions advanced to the Global Final and received awards, reflecting 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 showed the value of learning through competition as a way 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 for students and teachers from colleges and universities. It provides 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 continued to gain 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 recognised as a key partner flagship programme by UNESCO’s Global Skills Academy.
Dr Shafika Isaacs, Director AI 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 said the future of AI requires collaboration among governments, international organisations, academia and industry.
UNESCO and Huawei have been working together through initiatives such as AI capacity-building programmes in Arab countries and ICT education partnership programmes in Central Asia and the Caucasus. These efforts aim to strengthen higher education and vocational training systems and develop future-ready talent.
Dr Isaacs said students in this year’s Huawei ICT Competition showed their ability to tackle real-world challenges across cultural boundaries by applying emerging technologies, demonstrating creativity and a responsible approach to technology that reflects the purpose of education.
This year marked the 10th edition of the Huawei ICT Competition. After the practice, innovation and programming competitions, 18 outstanding teams from eight countries received grand prizes. 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 team, Algerian team, 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, teams from the Dominican Republic and Algeria, while Shenzhen Polytechnic University won 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 named 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 and Türkiye. Six teams from Egypt, Brazil, Malaysia, Poland and Pakistan earned the ICT Competition Online Popularity Award.
The awards ceremony drew diplomatic representatives from 11 countries, including ambassadors, consuls general and counsellors, 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, 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.