Coding her way to the future: How Linet is redefining tech for Kenyan girls

When 20-year-old Linet Githii wrote her first line of code print ("Hello World"), it wasn’t just a programming exercise; it was a declaration. A bold step into a world where young women like her are steadily claiming space in Kenya’s growing tech industry.

Today, Linet is a second-year information technology student at KCA University and a cybersecurity intern at Siemens. Her daily tasks involve real-world data and digital security, an impressive feat for someone who, just a few years ago, only knew the titles of tech careers but not the skills behind them.

Her journey began with the African Girls Can Code Initiative (AGCCI), a UN Women Kenya programme aimed at equipping young women with practical digital skills and opening career paths in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). “I had the passion for tech but lacked direction. AGCCI gave me the foundation I needed,” she says.

The programme introduced her to Python programming, cybersecurity, and data analysis. It also offered a rare opportunity, access to mentors, real-world tools, and a network of like-minded peers. “That’s where everything changed,” Linet recalls.

Currently interning at Siemens under their EmpowerHer initiative, Linet now works in the Purchase to Pay (P2P) department, helping ensure that software solutions comply with cybersecurity protocols. She’s been part of high-level projects like NEXTWork, where she gathers and analyzes data to assess compliance. “I started by shadowing a team member. Now, I collect and analyze data and report on it. It’s fulfilling to know that I’m helping keep people and systems safe.”

 “Siemens is such a huge company, there are so many moving parts and data flows. My job is to make sure everything is secure because when you protect systems, you’re protecting people,” she explains.

Confidence and curiosity are, she says, the most important takeaways from her journey so far. “My mentor at Siemens, Shaina Marie, always pushed us to speak up. At first, I hesitated. But when I started volunteering and sharing, I was noticed. Confidence makes all the difference.”

She’s also passionate about ensuring others benefit as she has. “I want to mentor more girls. If you don't speak up, no one knows what you can do. We must encourage each other to be bold, to ask questions, and to try everything.”

Linet hopes to work permanently at Siemens or another global tech firm and eventually expand her impact by empowering young women across Kenya and beyond. “My life changed because someone believed in me early. I want to be that person for others.”

Her story is proof that tech isn’t a man’s world, it’s anyone’s who is willing to learn, adapt, and speak up.

The opportunity that set Linet on her path is opening its doors once again. UN Women Kenya, through The African Girls Can Code Initiative is now recruiting girls for Cohort 3, continuing its mission to bridge the gender gap in tech, giving more girls across Kenya the chance to follow in Linet’s footsteps, to not only learn to code, but to find their voice, purpose, and power in a field that needs them.