From a dusty road in Machakos to programming a robot in Python

An opportunity he had been waiting for

Ian is a student at Kambiti Comprehensive School in Machakos County with a clear ambition: he wants to become a software engineer.

When TechSparque introduced Python programming, Ian took to it quickly.

But there was a challenge: he did not have his own laptop.

That did not stop him from learning. Ian continued practising at the Kenya Connect Technology Hub whenever he had access to a computer.

So when he heard that TechSparque was running a Python bootcamp in his area, the decision was easy.

“I didn’t even think twice. I signed up immediately. It felt like it was an opportunity that I’d been waiting for.”

Ian was so excited about the opportunity that he encouraged his friends to sign up too.

Learning to build with Python

During the bootcamp, Ian learned the foundations of Python programming.

One of his favourite concepts was learning how to create functions — pieces of code that can be written once and called again elsewhere in a program.

But his learning did not end when the bootcamp ended.

Through Kenya Connect, Ian later joined a team participating in the World Robot Olympiad.

Their challenge was to develop a robotics solution around generating electricity on Mars. Their robot needed to successfully unfold a rover so that it could receive sunlight.

This gave Ian an opportunity to move from learning programming concepts to applying them to a real challenge.

And he used Python to do it.

From learning Python to coding a robot

Ian’s interest in technology had already been noticed through his regular visits to the Kenya Connect learning resource centre and EdTech Hub.

When TechSparque brought its Python bootcamp to the area, Ian was the first student to sign up.

His interest grew even further when he was introduced to robotics because he could now see how the code he was learning could control something in the physical world.

Using the skills he had developed during the Python bootcamp, Ian programmed the robot using Python.

Among the teams participating in the robotics competition, Ian stood out because he was the only participant using Python to program his robot.

What began as an opportunity to learn programming had become an opportunity to apply those skills to a real robotics challenge.