Kenya’s Tech Revolution Will Fail Without Women and Youth at the Forefront
Kenya’s technology industry is booming from mobile money innovations like M-Pesa to the vibrant start-up hubs in Nairobi, Kisumu, Mombasa, Eldoret, and Nakuru. The sector is projected to contribute 9.24% to GDP by 2025 and is growing at an impressive 10.8% annually. Global giants like Google, Microsoft, Amazon, and Visa have set up regional offices here, creating jobs, skills, and technology transfer opportunities.
But here’s the uncomfortable truth: this growth will plateau if women and youth are not at the centre – not just as users of technology, but as creators, decision-makers, and founders.
Why inclusion can’t wait
Globally, women make up just 25% of the tech workforce. In Kenya, it’s slightly better at 30%, yet the leadership gap is stark: only 11.2% of start-up CEOs are women, and just 16.6% have female co-founders. Among youth, only 19% work in tech with rural youth participation even lower.
This is more than a social justice issue; it’s an economic imperative. When diverse voices shape technology, solutions become more relevant, inclusive, and sustainable. A sector dominated by a narrow demographic risk building tools that fail to address the realities of the people they serve.
Momentum is building but needs scaling
Across Kenya, a wave of initiatives is proving that with the right support, women and youth can lead transformative change in tech.
In Kisumu, LakeHub nurtures start-ups like Femitech Developers, giving young founders the skills and networks to scale. In Eldoret, EldoHub is training rural youth in coding and digital entrepreneurship, connecting them to opportunities beyond their hometowns.
National programmes like Ajira Digital are showing young people how to earn a living online, while the Women Enterprise Fund and Youth Enterprise Development Fund are financing start-ups that would otherwise be locked out of capital markets.
Private sector and development partners are also stepping up: Safaricom’s Women in Tech programme is opening STEM pathways for girls, Standard Chartered in partnership with @iBizAfrica accelerates women-led start-ups, and SNV’s Enhancing Opportunities for Women’s Enterprises (EOWE) has equipped over 5,000 rural women with financial literacy, unlocking access to credit.
Even in underserved areas, innovation is reaching the margins. The Youth for Technology Foundation and UNESCO’s DigiKen are setting up training hubs in informal settlements and arid regions, proving that geography shouldn’t limit potential.
These efforts are not scattered acts of goodwill — they are pieces of a growing movement to democratise Kenya’s tech future. But movements need momentum, and momentum needs investment, visibility, and political will.
Proof of what’s possible
When Elizabeth Wambita graduated into a tough job market, her prospects seemed uncertain. That changed when she joined a six-month internship at LakeHub in Kisumu. There, she learned how to build websites, design marketing campaigns, and create logos. Armed with these skills, she co-founded Femitech Developers, a start-up offering web development, SEO (search engine optimization), graphic design, and social media marketing services. In a rural village where menstruation often meant missed school days for girls, Lucy Kapkirwok recognised a silent crisis. She responded by creating Sanpad an affordable, disposable “panty-cum-pad” that removes the need for separate underwear and washing. Designed for resource-poor settings, it offers a dignified solution that keeps girls in class and supports women on the move.
And in another corner of Kenya, John Paul Kipruto Tarus saw a way to address two challenges at once: plastic pollution and the shortage of school furniture. By recycling discarded plastics into colourful tables and chairs for kindergartens, he is not only reducing waste but also creating safe, durable learning spaces for young children.
These are not isolated “success stories.” They are proof points that when women and youth innovate, they tackle systemic challenges with fresh, practical solutions.
The gaps we must confront
For all the progress made, Kenya’s technology sector is still shaped by invisible walls. Funding remains skewed toward male-led ventures, with women often forced to prove their credibility twice over before investors will listen. Cultural norms still whisper and sometimes shout that technology is a man’s field, discouraging girls from even considering careers in STEM. In rural areas, entire communities are left offline, their innovators locked out of digital markets simply because the infrastructure has not reached them. And for those who do take the leap into entrepreneurship, the path is often lonely; mentorship is scarce, leaving many first-time founders without the guidance they need to survive their first years. Unless we dismantle these barriers, countless ideas will remain only dreams, never given the chance to grow into solutions that could transform lives.
A call to action
Changing this reality will take more than goodwill, it will demand deliberate, coordinated action. Investors must begin to see women- and youth-led ventures not as charity cases, but as engines of growth that deserve substantial backing. The government, too, has a role to play in making connectivity universal, ensuring that a young coder in Turkana has the same opportunities as one in Nairobi. And communities from schools to local leadership must champion their young innovators, celebrating their progress and surrounding them with mentors who can open doors to the world beyond their immediate reach. Because when you give a young woman the tools, training, and belief to build her idea, you don’t just change her life; you ignite a spark that can light up an entire industry. Somewhere right now, a schoolgirl is sketching an app on the back of her notebook. A young man in a rural workshop is tinkering with a prototype made from scrap parts. They are the future of Kenya’s tech revolution — but only if we make sure their voices are heard, their skills are sharpened, and their ideas are given room to thrive.