DNK International By Kennedy Epalat,Amagoro.
Kiwimbi Kenya co-founder Prof Olubayi Olubayi has said that mathematics must be placed at the centre of the country’s education and development agenda because it forms the foundation of most STEM disciplines.
The remarks come as Kiwimbi Kenya intensifies efforts to promote mathematics and talent development among Kenyan learners.
The Professor who spoke on the sidelines of the Kiwimbi Mathematics Contest August Edition at St Thomas Amagoro Girls High School hall in Teso North, Busia County at the weekend, emphasized that Africa can only industrialize by deliberately identifying and nurturing gifted children in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM).
He said Kiwimbi’s objective was to identify talented children, particularly those from vulnerable backgrounds, and give them opportunities to compete with learners from across the world.
“We have to identify the highly talented children and then give them the best education, encouragement, practice and exposure,” he said.
Prof Olubayi said learners should be encouraged to read extensively and practice mathematics regularly to develop the skills required in engineering, medicine, technology, artificial intelligence, finance, accounting and other fields.
He said Africa needed engineers, doctors, scientists and innovators capable of solving complex problems locally instead of relying on other countries.
“That is the only way we shall have engineers who can compete with China, India, America, Europe and Australia,” Prof Olubayi said.
He added that Kenya should develop medical specialists capable of performing sophisticated surgeries locally rather than sending patients abroad for treatment.
Prof Olubayi said industrialisation could not be achieved without people with strong mathematical and scientific skills.
“A continent or country can’t industrialize if it doesn’t have people who can do engineering, technology, artificial intelligence, invent new systems, understand advanced finance and accounting, do astronomy and build satellites,” he said.
He also linked mathematics to literacy, saying children who develop a strong reading culture gain curiosity, imagination, and comprehension skills that help them perform better across different subjects.
Prof Olubayi said he and his friends co-founded Kiwimbi Kenya, an NGO in 2012, noting that they now want to establish a national mathematics competition centred at Amagoro in Teso North Sub-County.
Kiwimbi Library will celebrate its 15th anniversary next year.
The first Kiwimbi Mathematics Contest was held in December 2025 and attracted about 400 learners. The April 2026 edition attracted more than 800 participants, while the August edition also drew about 800 learners.
He said Kiwimbi plans to invite learners from across Kenya to future competitions.
“This is just the beginning of something that is aimed at contributing to the future of mathematics, which is the foundation of STEM,” he said.
Prof Olubayi urged Kenyans to embrace a culture where everyone contributes to educating children, regardless of their level of formal education.
He said people who left school at Standard Seven or Grade Eight could still help children learn basic mathematics and reading.
“Everybody should teach everybody,” he said, urging secondary school learners to help primary school pupils, university students to support younger learners and retired people to volunteer their time.
He said the initiative should become a national ethos in which Kenyans give their time, knowledge, love, and, where possible, financial support to improve children’s education.
Prof Olubayi said Kiwimbi’s experience in the region showed that many learners still lacked a strong foundation in mathematics.
Prof Olubayi advocated for what he described as “teach at the right level”, where learners are taught according to their actual ability rather than simply their grade level.
He said a Grade Eight learner with weak mathematical foundations could be taken back to Grade Two-level mathematics and gradually helped to rebuild the missing skills.
“Our primary mathematics in the region is still wanting,” he said, adding that secondary school learners performed better partly because schools had selected their strongest primary school performers.
He said strengthening mathematics from an early age would give children a better foundation to pursue STEM careers and compete internationally.
Olubayi, a mathematics and sciences professor, said Kiwimbi’s long-term ambition was not merely to organize mathematics contests but to contribute to producing a generation of Kenyan and African innovators capable of driving industrialisation.
“Love of mathematics” and a strong reading culture, he said, could provide the foundation for children to excel in STEM and ultimately transform the continent’s economic and technological future.
[DNK-International@August 18,2026]
