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 during GirlCode Women-in-Tech Hackathon/HANDOUTFour 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 transforming public transport payments.
The two-day hackathon, held last weekend at Konza Technopolis, brought together 44 young women, including university students, graduates, developers and aspiring entrepreneurs, who competed to develop technology-driven solutions to real-world challenges.
The event was organised by Absa Bank Kenya in partnership with GirlCode and the Technopolis Development Authority (Konza Technopolis), with participants receiving mentorship and technical support from industry experts.
The winning team comprising Mary Wangui, Linet Mugwanja, Aisha Barasa and Cynthia Chepkorir impressed judges with Naulisako, an AI-powered digital fare collection platform designed to streamline public transport payments while improving financial accountability.
The platform automates reconciliation for vehicle owners and generates reliable sales records, helping improve efficiency, transparency and financial tracking in the public transport sector.
Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Mugwanja said the award demonstrated the role young women can play in developing technology solutions to everyday challenges.
“Winning the GirlCode Kenya Hackathon affirms that young women have an important role to play in shaping the future of technology. Naulisako 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.
“We hope our journey encourages more young women to embrace technology and innovation as tools for solving real-world problems,” Mugwanja added.
The Bots team finished as the first runners-up with Biashara Bot, a platform designed to digitise and automate financial record-keeping for underserved and unbanked small businesses.
The solution seeks to help small enterprises manage their finances more efficiently by providing digital tools for keeping and tracking financial records.
Korva secured third place with Korva Creatives Economy, a platform that brings together creator revenues, engagement data and intellectual property monetisation across multiple channels.
The platform is designed to simplify income management for digital creators by providing a centralised way of tracking earnings and other commercial activities.
The top three teams received a range of prizes, including laptops, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, headsets and inspirational books.
GirlCode CEO Zandile Mkwanazi said the competition demonstrated the potential of Kenya's young women to contribute to Africa's growing 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.
“Together, we are creating spaces where young women can learn, build, and see themselves as part of Africa's technology 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,” Okundi said.
He said the bank's partnership with GirlCode over the past three years was helping create opportunities for more young women to participate, innovate and lead in the digital economy.
“This initiative aligns with our purpose of 'Empowering Africa's tomorrow, together... one story at a time.' Through programmes such as GirlCode, we are equipping young people with the skills, confidence, and opportunities they need to realise their potential and contribute meaningfully to Kenya's growth and digital transformation,” he added.
The Technopolis Development Authority provided mentorship and technical support while hosting the hackathon at Konza Technopolis, Kenya's flagship smart city.
Josephine Ndambuki, Chief Manager, Business Development and Innovation at the authority, said hosting the event reflected its commitment to creating opportunities for young women to develop technology skills and test innovative ideas.
Kenya was the sixth and final stop in this year's GirlCode Pan-African Hackathon Series, following competitions in South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Botswana and Uganda.
The series is 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 will be announced on October 12, 2026. The winning team will receive R100,000, approximately Sh790,655, while the winning SME will receive incubation support to help scale its solution.
