- St. Stephen Laikong Girls has qualified to represent West Pokot at the 2026 Mtoto News Digital Wellbeing and Online Safety Special Award Finals.
- The school has advanced to the national finals after finishing among the top three schools in the second round of competition.
- KUPPET West Pokot has congratulated the students and teachers, calling the qualification a proud moment for the county.
St. Stephen Laikong Girls has qualified to represent West Pokot County at the 2026 Mtoto News Digital Wellbeing and Online Safety Special Award Finals, earning a place among the country’s top young innovators in the Technology Category.
The school secured its spot after finishing among the top three institutions during the second round of the competition, a performance that has propelled it into the national finals set for August at Moi Girls Nairobi during the Young Scientist Kenya National Science and Technology Exhibition. There, St. Stephen Laikong Girls will compete against 150 finalists drawn from across the country, each showcasing creativity, scientific thinking and solutions to challenges facing society.
The Digital Wellbeing and Online Safety Special Award places particular emphasis on the responsible and safe use of technology, a theme that has grown increasingly urgent as digital platforms become central to how young people learn and communicate. The award challenges learners to understand not just the opportunities but also the risks that come with the digital environment, positioning the competition as a timely fit for Kenya’s broader push to embed technology in education.
News of the qualification has spread quickly through West Pokot’s education fraternity, drawing celebration from stakeholders who see the achievement as proof that learners in the region can compete nationally when given the right mentorship and support. The Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) West Pokot County Branch was among those who welcomed the news, congratulating both the students and their teachers for the creativity and dedication behind the qualification and describing it as a proud moment for the county.
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Behind the team’s success lies the work of teachers who have mentored the students and created space for them to experiment with ideas and develop practical solutions. That guidance, education stakeholders say, is often the difference between a promising idea and a competition-ready innovation, and it underscores the broader role educators play in nurturing talent at the grassroots level.
The qualification also lands at a significant moment for Kenya’s education sector, which is increasingly leaning into competency-based learning that pushes students beyond rote knowledge toward practical skills, creativity, critical thinking and problem-solving. Competitions such as this one are becoming an important proving ground for those skills, giving learners a national platform to apply what they have developed in the classroom.
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Education stakeholders in West Pokot see the achievement as evidence that talent is not confined to any particular part of the country, and that learners from marginalised regions can hold their own — and even excel — nationally and internationally when given the necessary opportunities and support. There is hope that the qualification will encourage other schools across the county to invest more heavily in science, technology and innovation programmes.
As the finals approach, expectations are high. St. Stephen Laikong Girls will carry not only the pride of their school but also the aspirations of an entire county eager to see its young innovators succeed. Their journey from county‑level contests to the national stage is already a victory worth celebrating — but the next chapter will be about turning qualification into an unforgettable performance.
By Hillary Muhalya
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