Four Young Kenyan Women Win GirlCode Hackathon With AI-Powered Transport Payment Solution.
By Fride Amiani
NAIROBI, Kenya, October 6, 2026 -Four 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 payment systems in the public transport sector.
Mary Wangui, Linet Mugwanja, Aisha Barasa and Cynthia Chepkorir emerged top during the two-day competition held at Konza Technopolis, beating teams made up of 44 young women drawn from students, graduates, developers and aspiring entrepreneurs.
The winning team impressed judges with Naulisako, an AI-powered digital fare collection platform designed to streamline public transport payments, automate reconciliation for vehicle owners and generate reliable sales records.
The solution seeks to improve efficiency, transparency and financial tracking within the public transport sector, where cash-based transactions can make revenue monitoring and reconciliation difficult.
Speaking on behalf of the winning team, Linet Mugwanja said the achievement demonstrated the important 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,” Mugwanja said.
She said the team hoped their achievement would encourage more young women to embrace technology and innovation as tools for addressing challenges affecting society.
“We hope our journey encourages more young women to embrace technology and innovation as tools for solving real-world problems,” she added.
The Bots team emerged first runners-up with Biashara Bot, a solution designed to digitise and automate financial record-keeping for underserved and unbanked small businesses.
Korva secured third position with Korva Creatives Economy, a platform that consolidates creator revenues, engagement data and intellectual property monetisation across multiple channels, making it easier for digital creators to manage their income.
The top three teams received laptops, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, headsets and inspirational books.
GirlCode Chief Executive Officer Zandile Mkwanazi said the hackathon was providing young women with opportunities to acquire practical technology skills and develop solutions with potential to address real-world challenges.
“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,” she added.
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. Our partnership with GirlCode over the past three years demonstrates our commitment to creating pathways for more young women to participate, innovate, and lead in the digital economy,” Okundi said.
He said the initiative was also aligned with the bank's broader purpose of empowering young people to contribute to Kenya's economic and digital transformation.
“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 said.
The Technopolis Development Authority provided mentorship and technical support and hosted the hackathon at Konza Technopolis.
Josephine Ndambuki, Chief Manager, Business Development and Innovation at the Technopolis Development Authority, said hosting the event reflected the Authority's commitment to supporting young innovators.
“Hosting the GirlCode Kenya Hackathon reflects our commitment to creating opportunities for young women to develop their skills, test their ideas, and build solutions to real-world challenges,” Ndambuki said.
“We want to see more young women become innovators, entrepreneurs, and technology leaders shaping Africa's digital future,” she added.
Kenya was the sixth and final stop in this year's GirlCode Pan-African Hackathon Series, following events in South Africa, Tanzania, Ghana, Botswana and Uganda.
The series forms 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 are expected to be announced on October 12, 2026, with the winning team set to receive R100,000, approximately KSh790,655, while the winning SME will receive incubation support to help scale its solution.
The hackathon forms part of broader efforts by the organisers to equip young women with digital skills, mentorship and opportunities to participate in Africa's rapidly expanding technology and innovation ecosystem.
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