NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 10 — Students from Northern Kenya have taken the top two positions at the ninth Young Scientists Kenya National Science and Technology Exhibition, showcasing innovative solutions to drought, water scarcity and food insecurity.

📻 Breaking It Down

Hafsa Ibrahim Adan and Asha Harun Yarow from Senior Chief Adano Girls Day Secondary School in Wajir County emerged First Place Overall with an artificial intelligence-based environmental monitoring and drought risk prediction system designed for climate-vulnerable communities in North Eastern Kenya.

The system uses sensors to collect data on soil moisture, temperature, humidity and rainfall. An artificial intelligence model then analyses the data to generate a drought-risk score, indicate the confidence level of the prediction and estimate the number of days before drought conditions are likely to develop.

The technology is designed to provide farmers and communities with an early warning, giving them time to prepare irrigation systems, manage scarce water resources and protect crops and livestock before drought conditions worsen.

📌 What You Need to Know

Second Place Overall went to Halima Aila Mohamed, Sake Hussein Tadicha and Manal Mohamed from Zad Muslim School in Marsabit County for Eco-Guard, an automated smart garden designed to protect crops, conserve water and improve environmental cleanliness.

Developed in response to Marsabit’s arid climate and food-production challenges, the project combines a protected greenhouse structure with automated irrigation and temperature control.

A soil-moisture sensor activates a water pump when the soil becomes dry and switches it off once the required moisture level is reached. A temperature sensor also triggers an automated roof to open when temperatures inside the garden rise beyond a set level.

The project demonstrates how affordable automation can help conserve water, protect crops and support climate-resilient food production in arid regions.

The exhibition was held at Moi Girls High School in Nairobi under the theme “Shaping Kenya’s AI Future Using STEM.”

It brought together 308 finalists from 125 schools, selected from more than 1,500 project submissions received from across the country.

📰 Source: Capital FM Kenya