Four Kenyan women – Mary Wangui, Linet Mugwanja, Aisha Barasa and Cynthia Chepkorir – were declared overall winners of the third GirlCode Kenya Hackathon and will receive a cash prize of roughly KSh790,655.
Their entry, Naulisako, is an AI-driven digital platform that records public-transport fares, automatically reconciles payments and produces reliable sales logs for vehicle owners, with the aim of making transactions more efficient, transparent and accessible.
The competition took place over the weekend of 3–October 4, 2026 at Konza Technopolis, where 44 young women built and pitched solutions during a two-day sprint; the results were announced on October 6.
The event was organised by Absa Bank Kenya in partnership with GirlCode, while the Technopolis Development Authority supplied mentors and hosted the venue.
Linet Mugwanja said the victory confirms the important contribution young women can make to technology, adding that the team hopes their work will inspire others to embrace innovation. Zandile Mkwanazi, CEO of GirlCode, explained that the hackathon was designed to give women practical experience and confidence in developing tech solutions. Moses Okundi, Chief Information Officer of Absa Bank Kenya, noted that the programme reflects the bank’s focus on digital inclusion and youth empowerment. Josephine Ndambuki, Chief Manager of Business Development and Innovation at the Technopolis Development Authority, said the hackathon aligns with its goal of providing women opportunities to test ideas and build skills.
The Bots team earned second place with Biashara Bot, a tool that digitises financial records for unbanked small enterprises, while Korva secured third with Korva Creatives Economy, a platform that aggregates creators’ earnings and audience data across channels.
All three top teams were awarded laptops, tablets, Bluetooth speakers, headsets and books.
Kenya served as the sixth and final stop of the 2026 GirlCode Pan-African Hackathon Series; each national winner will advance to a Pan-African final with the overall champion to be announced on October 12, 2026. The Kenyan first-place team will also receive a prize of R100,000 – about KSh783,000 at the current exchange rate – and the winning small business will obtain six months of accelerator support.
