“We can all do our part to unleash our world’s enormous untapped talent – starting with filling classrooms, laboratories, and boardrooms with women scientists.” - UN Sec. Gen. António Guterres, International Day of Women and Girls in Science, 2023.
The beginning of the year is typically reflective for most people, with many of us taking stock and adjusting our sails to propel us towards our desired future. On 11th February, the world celebrated the International Day of Women and Girls in Science. This month on the 4th of March we observed World Engineering Day and a few days ago on the 8th of March, the world celebrated International Women’s Day. It feels unreal to type this out, but it’s been a decade since I graduated from university with my engineering degree and started applying my training in the service of my country and beyond. Further, it has been 7 years since Marian and I published our first issue of Queengineers; themed representation. Marking these international days in 2023 with three issues published and over 7,800 online views led to reflecting on my own career and my broader work around advocating for greater representation of African women in the Engineering profession.
Almost 20 years ago, while I was a teenager in high school, I was required to select subjects that would ultimately lead me to a career. I remember thinking the only things I was certain I wanted to keep learning because I enjoyed them so much were Music, English, Math and Physics. However, we were required to pick 8 subjects; 7 of which would be evaluated during the final secondary exam called KCSE in Kenya, and the results would determine which program you’d be called to do at university by the admissions board. In retrospect, choosing subjects was the first actual step I took towards this career. The choice for me was guided by conversations with my parents and siblings and deciding to lean into what came naturally which was an aptitude for the Sciences. But unlike the stereotypical Science student, I kept singing, dancing and being great at literature because I never felt like it had to be an either or choice. I’m eternally grateful for the ecosystem that made that possible and I discuss this in my editor’s note in the Careers issue of Queengineers.
In 2008, when I started my engineering course, Kenya had only 3 public institutions accredited to provide Engineering training. This meant that the competition to get into the programs was quite stiff and that the number of graduate engineers being released into the market was very low. Given that female students at the time represented less than a quarter of the class, it was compounding the problem of few female engineers in Kenya even at graduate level. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that today there are 51 accredited Engineering programs offered across 13 institutions as per the Engineers Board Accreditation Checker. The number of Engineers has indeed increased from 2020 when we last checked (the numbers are shared here) but sadly the proportion of female engineers is still extremely low. Women only make up 13% of the graduate population, 8% of the professional engineering class and 3% of consulting engineers as illustrated below (Source: Engineers Board Register).
Almost 20 years ago, while I was a teenager in high school, I was required to select subjects that would ultimately lead me to a career. I remember thinking the only things I was certain I wanted to keep learning because I enjoyed them so much were Music, English, Math and Physics. However, we were required to pick 8 subjects; 7 of which would be evaluated during the final secondary exam called KCSE in Kenya, and the results would determine which program you’d be called to do at university by the admissions board. In retrospect, choosing subjects was the first actual step I took towards this career. The choice for me was guided by conversations with my parents and siblings and deciding to lean into what came naturally which was an aptitude for the Sciences. But unlike the stereotypical Science student, I kept singing, dancing and being great at literature because I never felt like it had to be an either or choice. I’m eternally grateful for the ecosystem that made that possible and I discuss this in my editor’s note in the Careers issue of Queengineers.
In 2008, when I started my engineering course, Kenya had only 3 public institutions accredited to provide Engineering training. This meant that the competition to get into the programs was quite stiff and that the number of graduate engineers being released into the market was very low. Given that female students at the time represented less than a quarter of the class, it was compounding the problem of few female engineers in Kenya even at graduate level. I was pleasantly surprised to learn that today there are 51 accredited Engineering programs offered across 13 institutions as per the Engineers Board Accreditation Checker. The number of Engineers has indeed increased from 2020 when we last checked (the numbers are shared here) but sadly the proportion of female engineers is still extremely low. Women only make up 13% of the graduate population, 8% of the professional engineering class and 3% of consulting engineers as illustrated below (Source: Engineers Board Register).
2020 was a year when the world shifted in more ways than we could ever predict as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In Kenya for instance, schools were closed for a protracted period because there was no certainty that children would be safe in schools. With little knowledge on the virus and how to prevent further transmission, Nairobi the capital, was locked down for months leading to severe job losses and an increase in extreme poverty. Women and girls were impacted in even more specific ways during this period with reported surges in teenage pregnancies and cases of gender based violence. These circumstances compelled us to rethink our approach to advocacy and the dissemination of Queengineers.
In December 2020, Queengineers received our first monetary contribution of approximately 3,600 USD from Chibole Wakoli, my sister and supporter of my work. My editor’s note in our Leadership Issue highlights how her leadership style has and continues to influence my own. That donation enabled us to print 600 copies of Queengineers, 200 of each issue, for distribution across schools and libraries in Kenya. We leveraged existing relationships to get the magazines in the hands of young women who were uncertain about their future because it felt that much more significant to provide hope and inspiration given the harrowing times we were all living through globally.
Since then, we have distributed 170 copies across 6 community libraries in Kaloleni, Makadara, Butere, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Dandora (pictured below) and the oldest public library in Nairobi, the MacMillan. Libraries were considered safe chaperoned spaces that young people could use during the pandemic to stay out of mischief as well as enhance their literacy. As an avid reader myself, I am grateful that these establishments agreed to stock a few copies of Queengineers for their readers.
In December 2020, Queengineers received our first monetary contribution of approximately 3,600 USD from Chibole Wakoli, my sister and supporter of my work. My editor’s note in our Leadership Issue highlights how her leadership style has and continues to influence my own. That donation enabled us to print 600 copies of Queengineers, 200 of each issue, for distribution across schools and libraries in Kenya. We leveraged existing relationships to get the magazines in the hands of young women who were uncertain about their future because it felt that much more significant to provide hope and inspiration given the harrowing times we were all living through globally.
Since then, we have distributed 170 copies across 6 community libraries in Kaloleni, Makadara, Butere, Mukuru kwa Reuben, Dandora (pictured below) and the oldest public library in Nairobi, the MacMillan. Libraries were considered safe chaperoned spaces that young people could use during the pandemic to stay out of mischief as well as enhance their literacy. As an avid reader myself, I am grateful that these establishments agreed to stock a few copies of Queengineers for their readers.
Between 2015 and 2019, I served as a volunteer with programs that were offering fellowships, design challenges and other hands-on vocational skills to students. In 2021, we distributed over 150 copies to these programs: WomEng Kenya, Akili Dada, AkiraChix, Global Minimum and AshGold Africa to complement their own efforts to increase the participation of women in STEM. Then, as schools reopened, we distributed over 200 copies of Queengineers to 14 secondary school libraries across 8 counties in Kenya including Kyeni Girls in Kitui County pictured below.
To celebrate some of the impact of our work over the last few years, I’d like to highlight the stories of two young Queengineers who we met while they were still students deciding on a career path. I met Claris in 2015 while she was a student at Precious Blood and a participant in the Akili Dada mentorship program. I was immediately struck by her curiosity and sense of duty towards her community. Claris went on to become the first Kenyan to join the African Science Academy. Since we featured her story in our 3rd Issue, she graduated (pictured) with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from Ashesi University in 2022. Today, she is working as a design engineer and is a renowned leader in her community as the founder of Badili Zone, a registered CBO in Mukuru kwa Reuben informal settlement. I am really glad that we stayed in contact, and I get to celebrate her amazing progress with her. Claris’ story is a reminder of how impactful it is to support African girls at the beginning of their career journey and how that is paid forward in multiple ways through their own agency and initiative.
Dorcas is a vivacious young lady that I met in 2017 while she was a student at Kenya High and I was speaking at a WomEng event in Nairobi. She’s currently in her fifth and final year studying Electrical and Electronics Engineering. I remember our first meeting distinctly because she wrote to Queengineers thereafter to request to speak to one of the featured ladies whose story inspired her. Coincidentally, Marian and I were the first female engineers she had ever seen and that influenced her decision to become one herself. Today, Dorcas serves as a mentor for the Technovation challenge. As an alumnus of the program, she wanted to give back and inspire more girls in Kenya to become engineers, so she decided to mentor Team Almasi in 2022 (pictured). This feedback from Dorcas serves as much needed affirmation that we continue to make strides towards our vision “to build a vocal, visible, strong, collaborative community of female engineers in Kenya and beyond”.
Looking broadly at the profession in Kenya, it is worth noting the slow but steady increase in female engineers in leadership roles. To name a few, Carol Koech is the current Country President of Schneider Electric, a multinational that specializes in digital automation and energy management. Martha Cheruto presently serves as the County Executive Commissioner for Trade, Industrialization, Tourism, Cooperatives and Enterprise Development in Uasin Gishu County. Norah Magero who is featured in our 2nd issue is the CEO of Drop Access and the brain behind the award-winning cold storage innovation VacciBox. Eng. Rosemary Oduor served as the acting CEO of Kenya Power, the national utility, between Aug 2021 and May 2022 and is presently the General Manager in charge of Commercial Services. The author of our feature story in Issue 2, Eng. Margaret Ogai is the current Registrar and CEO of the Engineers Board of Kenya, the first woman to ever hold the position. In academia, Prof. Faith Karanja, the first Kenyan woman to obtain a PhD in Geoinformatics, currently chairs the Department of Geospatial and Space Technology at the University of Nairobi, Faculty of Engineering.
We continue to be inspired by the work of women-led and women-centric organizations working to enhance African women’s scholarship, technology and leadership skills. The Steming Africa Initiative founded by Valentina Ndolo is an organization that helps African women to apply for scholarships for graduate studies in STEM. They also run a Female Ambassadors in STEM (FAS) mentorship program to mentor high school girls. Brenda Rombo is a mechanical engineer who started Be The Engineer - a non-profit that champions for inclusion and diversity in the engineering profession. They hold career talks with high school and university students as well as convene seminars for female engineering professionals. Michelle Boit is one of Kenya’s first female petroleum engineers. She runs a Foundation which offers scholarships to young girls as well as hosts mentorship and community outreach programs.
To amplify the stories of African women in STEM, Dr Cynthia Waliaula is a medical doctor who hosts the Steming from Africa podcast interviewing women on their work as well as their interests outside of work. The Mawazo Institute, co-founded by Dr. Rose Mutiso, is a women-led African organization supporting early-career women researchers and thought leaders to strengthen their research, policy influence and public engagement. They run multiple programs including fellowships, science quiz nights, host a podcast as well as run a blog highlighting the scholarly outputs of African women. Finally, Words that Count is an organization that is building an Africa where young girls and women thrive in STEM through shared experiences by featuring stories of African female professionals.
Now more than ever, there is a greater need to push forward with highlighting the centrality of diversity and inclusion in the Engineering profession. The 2nd UNESCO Engineering Report shows how equal opportunities for all is key to ensuring an inclusive and gender balanced profession that can better respond to the shortage of engineers for implementing the 17 SDGs. If you’ve made it this far into the article and you’d like to contribute towards making Engineering more diverse, here are a few suggestions:
We continue to be inspired by the work of women-led and women-centric organizations working to enhance African women’s scholarship, technology and leadership skills. The Steming Africa Initiative founded by Valentina Ndolo is an organization that helps African women to apply for scholarships for graduate studies in STEM. They also run a Female Ambassadors in STEM (FAS) mentorship program to mentor high school girls. Brenda Rombo is a mechanical engineer who started Be The Engineer - a non-profit that champions for inclusion and diversity in the engineering profession. They hold career talks with high school and university students as well as convene seminars for female engineering professionals. Michelle Boit is one of Kenya’s first female petroleum engineers. She runs a Foundation which offers scholarships to young girls as well as hosts mentorship and community outreach programs.
To amplify the stories of African women in STEM, Dr Cynthia Waliaula is a medical doctor who hosts the Steming from Africa podcast interviewing women on their work as well as their interests outside of work. The Mawazo Institute, co-founded by Dr. Rose Mutiso, is a women-led African organization supporting early-career women researchers and thought leaders to strengthen their research, policy influence and public engagement. They run multiple programs including fellowships, science quiz nights, host a podcast as well as run a blog highlighting the scholarly outputs of African women. Finally, Words that Count is an organization that is building an Africa where young girls and women thrive in STEM through shared experiences by featuring stories of African female professionals.
Now more than ever, there is a greater need to push forward with highlighting the centrality of diversity and inclusion in the Engineering profession. The 2nd UNESCO Engineering Report shows how equal opportunities for all is key to ensuring an inclusive and gender balanced profession that can better respond to the shortage of engineers for implementing the 17 SDGs. If you’ve made it this far into the article and you’d like to contribute towards making Engineering more diverse, here are a few suggestions:
- Make schools safer for young girls – be more engaged at a community level to ensure girls are safe from predators.
- Sponsor a girl from an underprivileged background through school by paying their fees and upkeep.
- Fund the provision of hygienic sanitation facilities and sanitary products in schools.
- Equip school and community libraries with diverse literature. You could even print a few copies of Queengineers and donate to a school near you!
- Equip laboratories in girls’ schools to support their practical learning of the Sciences.
- Spread the word: Share this article and the work of the women and organizations linked herein. Help amplify the work that is already happening and inspire others to take initiative and join the movement.
This blog was written by Martha Wakoli, the editor of Queengineers. If you would like to collaborate with Queengineers, reach out on [email protected]