Kenya’s TVET Students Turn Homegrown Technology into Solutions for Local Problems

When he looks to the future, Elvis Kipkogei dreams of a Kenya where we solve the problems around us by using technology innovations we have developed ourselves.

“At some point we want the technology to come from our own country, to use our own technology that we develop. We want to develop our own solutions, to solve our own problems, using our own technology that we have developed,” he says.

One problem that lives in the reality around us is the theft of bodabodas, and Kipkogei is part of a team at the Lang’ata Technical and Vocational College that has developed a prototype that lets users track the motorcycles through geofencing.

The college in Lang’ata, Nairobi, has also produced a system that seeks to cure the challenges of drug traceability from the Kenya Medical Supplies Authority (KEMSA) to the recipients in hospitals.

These innovations are the product of a programme that enabled the introduction of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) and Computer Science as Technical and Vocational Education Training (TVET) courses. The two courses have been taught at universities for ages. Their introduction at TVETs, which traditionally teach trade courses, has excited students like Kipkogei and tutors like Jackline Meiriapi, who teaches at Lang’ata.

Under ICT, says Meiriapi, they train ICT technicians at all levels – 3, 4, 5, and 6.

They also have Computer Science at Level 6. Level 3 is proficiency, Level 4 is Artisan, Level 5 is Craft Certificate, and Level 6 is Diploma.

TVET refers to a system of learning focused on practical, industry-specific skills and trades. In keeping with this tradition, the ICT learners at Lang’ata TVC are equipped with technical skills.

“Those who are passionate about networking always do the networking setup for the Wi-Fi in the institution. Those who are into database security, data security, we teach them how to ensure that the firewalls are working and the normal tracing of the server,” said Meiriapi.

The proof of the pudding is in the eating. ICT students from Lang’ata TVC are already making waves in TVET competitions in the country with their innovations, with the bodaboda tracker and the drug-tracker already award-winners.

From her experience at Lang’ata, Joyce Osero believes that the technical ICT training and skills she is receiving at the TVET institution will be impactful.

Osero has her eye on the goal, saying: “Since my elementary and high school, I’ve been interested in how computers work. I am getting skills that are going to help me to build whatever I want in future, and I feel awesome for that.”

A modern, fully kitted ICT lab is a critical component to enable learners comfortably access practical digital skills. The upgrading of the ICT lab at Lang’ata TVC was done by the M-PESA Foundation and handed over in February 2026.

Every year on 15 July, World Youth Skills Day celebrates the importance of equipping young people with the skills they need for employment, decent work and entrepreneurship.

The theme for 2026 is “Skills for a shared future”, which is what Lang’ata TVC is ensuring its ICT and Computer Science students acquire.

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