Lead image for From varsity computer lab to global impact prize: How Dr Chao Mbogho rose to the top.
In the early 2000s, a teenage girl walked into a university computer lab for the first time, unaware it would shape the rest of her life.
Years later, Dr Chao Mbogho has just been named one of the nine women globally to win the 2026 Impact Prize, awarded by the Schlumberger Foundation to support women in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics.
She is the only Kenyan on this year’s list, recognition that comes after a decade spent building KamiLimu, a non-profit organisation she founded to mentor technology students.
It was a gap she experienced as an undergraduate studying Mathematics and Computer Science at the Kenya Methodist University.
“KamiLimu is a structured eight-month curriculum that complements a student’s classroom work. It is built around six pillars – personal development, professional development, scholarship, responsible innovation, industry-relevant ICT skills and community engagement,” Dr Mbogho says.
Since 2016, some 344 students from 32 universities have gone through the programme under Dr Mbogho and her team, who maintain a 50:50 gender balance during selection.
The curriculum combines one to two full-day in-person Saturday sessions a month, industry visits and a virtual session every Thursday evening.
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