Spotlighting the Nairobi Chapter in the ACM-W Professional Chapter’s Corner
Written By Asegul Hulus
Avid readers, welcome to the vibrant city of Nairobi, Kenya! Join ACM-W’s global journey to East Africa this month, where we feature a chapter demonstrating remarkable resilience, vision, and dedication to advancing women in computing across the continent.
With Audrey Mbogho at the helm, the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter is achieving great success in opening up computing opportunities for women across Africa. As Audrey beautifully puts it: “Since the computing industry baked a male-dominated cake, women, if lucky, only get the crumbs. So, we decided to bake our own—one where everyone gets a slice, including the men who support and celebrate women in computing—because at ACM-W, everyone is welcome.”
Chapter Origins and Evolution
We’ll start our tour at the chapter’s origins, exploring its inspiring beginnings. The founding of the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter is intrinsically linked to the overarching goal of celebrating women in the field of computing across Africa. Audrey explained during the interview that the chapter’s origins lay in an initiative to organize ACM Celebrations of Women in Computing in Africa.
AfricaCWIC 2022, the first ACM Celebration of Women in Computing in Africa, launched in 2022 at the Federal University of Agriculture in Nigeria. Audrey joined the organizing committee, collaborating with the steering committee, which included at the time ACM-W Europe representatives: Chair Ruth Lennon, Vice-Chair Rukiye Altin, and Regional Activities Chair Reyyan Ayfer. After the successful 2022 event, Ruth asked Audrey if she would host the next celebration.
“Around that time,” Audrey recalled, “we were encouraged to structure the event into chapters as planned.” Dorota Filipczuk, now serving as the chair of ACM Women Europe, alongside Rukiye, now the ACM-W Global Co-Chair, met regularly with Audrey to support the formation of the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter. Finally, in 2024, AfricaCWIC took place in November at the United States International University-Africa (USIU-Africa), overcoming postponements and scheduling challenges to become a successful event that brought together participants from across Kenya and Nigeria.
The recent AfricaCWIC 2024 celebration included several noteworthy speakers-, such as a former prominent Kenyan government official. “We had a highly influential woman who was once a key figure in the Kenyan government. Though now retired, she played a pivotal role in rolling out ICT programs across the country, and people were thrilled to hear from her,” Audrey explained. “In addition, we hosted a speaker from South Africa who planned her trip to Kenya around the celebration, highlighting the strong regional appeal of our celebration.”
The event boasted impressive attendance, with 50 participants joining virtually and another 30 in person. A significant challenge arose when, unexpectedly, the country declared a holiday on the same day. “That meant there were no students on campus,” Audrey explained. Despite this obstacle, the event was well-received.
Now that we’ve outlined the chapter’s beginnings, let’s delve deeper into Audrey’s leadership and vision for the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter.
Leadership and Vision
Audrey’s extensive international experience is a valuable asset in her position as chair of the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter. A machine learning associate professor at USIU-Africa in Nairobi, she’s lived in the United States, South Africa, and Kenya, experiencing diverse cultures firsthand. These experiences have inspired her commitment to initiatives that address the challenges faced by women in computing education and professional settings.
With her leadership, the chapter aims to establish the Celebrations of Women in Computing in Africa as a regular, significant event. The event remains the central focus of the chapter, with plans to continue hosting it every two years.The 2026 celebration is on the horizon, with preparations commencing soon.
In our interview, Audrey highlighted the importance of effective time management and delegation for chapter leaders. Juggling academics and chapter leadership responsibilities proved difficult, leading her to propose a task redistribution within the committee to strengthen the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter. The honest reflection highlights the critical importance of teamwork for project success.
With the above honest reflection, let’s further reflect on their journey, focusing on the highlights, planned activities, and how they overcame challenges, showcasing their resilience.
Recent Events and Activities
The Nairobi team is developing plans for smaller, more regular events like hackathons.For example, Audrey mentioned an outreach event planned for the International Day of Women and Girls in Science on February 11th 2025. Despite the tight deadline, the enthusiastic response reinforces the chapter’s plans to offer more regular events in addition to the biennial celebrations.
The chapter aims to deliver impactful and accessible events featuring excellent programming, inspiring women to excel in computing.
Addressing Challenges in Computing Education
With their plans and activities, the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter tackles many challenges in encouraging women’s involvement in computing:
Gender Disparities in Computing
Audrey called attention to the continuing underrepresentation of women in the field of computing in Kenya. “You see fewer girls enrolling in computing classes, and as a result, fewer women pursuing careers in computing,” Audrey explained. “This lack of representation makes it even more challenging for young girls to envision themselves in the field.”
Although there may not be overt statements discouraging women from pursuing computing, Audrey pointed out a subtle bias: “When men and women apply for computing jobs, there’s often a preference for men. It’s a perception—maybe even subconscious—that boys are naturally better at computers than girls.”
Embracing a Collaborative Approach
The Nairobi ACM-W chapter understands that tackling these challenges requires collaboration across multiple initiatives. “We are playing a role, but we’re not the only ones,” Audrey acknowledged. “There are many initiatives working toward the same goal.”
They focus on helping women and girls attend computing conferences, where they can gain inspiration, hear from successful women in the field, and build valuable networks.This often includes support through ACM-W scholarships, which help cover travel and participation costs. “Female students truly appreciate these opportunities—to connect, learn, and see what’s possible for them,” Audrey explained.
Nearing the end of our Nairobi ACM-W Chapter tour, let’s visit the chapter’s future vision.
Looking Ahead: Future Vision
The Nairobi ACM-W Chapter is at a pivotal and exhilarating point in its journey. Following the successful AfricaCWIC 2024 conference, their focus now shifts to:
- Expand their Team’s Capacity: By distributing responsibilities, they hope to attract more volunteers and keep the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter moving forward.
- Develop More Regular Initiatives: While dedicated to the biennial celebrations, they also aim to foster consistent community engagement through smaller, regular events like hackathons for high school and university students.
- Strengthen Partnerships: Collaborating with other initiatives that support women in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics (STEM) could strengthen their impact across Kenya and beyond “A lot of the women on our team are already engaged in various initiatives,” Audrey noted. “Maybe we could form partnerships, combining our efforts with what they’re already doing to create an even greater impact.”
- Prepare for AfricaCWIC 2026: Planning for the next celebration will soon begin. Building on the success of past events, the team remains dedicated to hosting these biennial celebrations as their signature contribution.
Audrey’s advice for women in computing highlights her practical perspective: “Be prepared. Whenever I haven’t prepared myself, things haven’t gone well. That’s what girls need to understand—they shouldn’t just walk into situations unprepared. They have to be doubly ready because there’s already an imbalance, a bias that favors male applicants. So they need to do more.”
This perspective shapes the chapter’s dedication to empowering women with the skills, networks, and confidence needed to thrive in computing fields.
Call to Action
The Nairobi ACM-W Chapter demonstrates that concentrating on key events significantly benefits women in computing. Their experience shows how a single goal, like the AfricaCWIC Celebrations, can evolve into a broader range of activities as resources grow.
Their experience highlights the value of teamwork and organisation in overcoming time management and leadership challenges—lessons relevant to others facing similar challenges.
To advance their mission of promoting women in computing across Africa, the Nairobi chapter invites your participation—be it through sharing your skills, volunteering your time, or simply attending events.
This chapter and ACM-W encourage those silently struggling to find support; remember, you don’t have to face these challenges alone. Achieving this is possible through:
- Connecting with chapter leaders to join the activities they are organizing.
- Joining an ACM-W Professional Chapter in your area or building your own, if there isn’t one; I am available to support you in the process.
- Sharing with us your stories and experiences.
- Finding ways to collaborate with ACM-W, for example, through our Professional Chapters Committee (where I am involved).
Everyone can be a source of encouragement and an agent of change in their computing community!
To conclude the tour, here’s a souvenir: an infographic highlighting key moments of the Nairobi ACM-W Chapter, plus contact details for Audrey (Nairobi ACM-W Chapter) and myself.
Contact Information
Nairobi ACM-W Chapter Chair:
- Dr. Audrey Mbogho
Associate Professor of Machine Learning, United States International University-Africa
- Email: ambogho@usiu.ac.ke
Contact Information for Ace and ACM-W Chapters Buddy Program:
- Ace (asegulhulus@outlook.com)
- Ace’s LinkedIn: (www.linkedin.com/in/asegulhulus)
- ACM-W Chapters Buddy Program (https://women.acm.org/chapters/buddy-chapters/)
Finally, feel free to check out our ACM-W pages on Instagram, Facebook, LinkedIn, and our YouTube Playlist, for an inside look at our ACM-W Chapters around the globe.
I’ll see you all at the next Professional Chapter tour! This is Ace, your friendly guide, signing off!