When Kenyan technology entrepreneur Paul Akwabi visited a juvenile prison on the outskirts of Mombasa, he didn’t see young offenders, he saw himself.
Growing up in one of the poorest areas of Nairobi, like Kibera, one of the world’s largest slums, brought back childhood memories of delivering drugs, guns, and other illegal goods to older boys.
“I thought, ‘This could be me,'” Akwabi told CNN.
Instead, Akwabi taught himself basic electronics as a teenager through books and repairing radios. After graduating from secondary school, he worked as a street vendor to support himself and studied computer science at the Mombasa University of Technology.
“Technology became more than just an interest, it became a path to possibilities for me,” Akwabi said.
Born out of that realization and belief in second chances was his decision to bring his organization TechKidz Africa, a Mombasa-based technology academy he founded to empower young Kenyan innovators, to the Simo La Tewa Borstal Institute and Youth Education Center.
Offering programs across robotics, software engineering, computer literacy, coding, animation, online safety and more, Akwabi’s academies are aimed at ages 4 to 19 and typically work in conjunction with schools.
In 2024, TechKidz partnered with Close the Gap Kenya, a non-profit that renovates and donates IT equipment, to set up computer labs in prisons and develop a three-month digital literacy course to teach young offenders information and communication technology (ICT) skills with a particular focus on employability and online safety.
Of the course’s initial 25 participants, 21 had never been exposed to this technology before.
At TechKidz, we use the term “Learners” to refer to the inmates of our courses. CNN sent questions to them through TechKidz staff, who forwarded the responses. CNN is not using their names.
A 19-year-old learner from Nyeri District had never touched a computer before and said in response to a question from CNN, “It was difficult to operate the computer at first.” “It was my first time using a computer and I enjoyed the typing activity,” the 18-year-old boy from Meru County wrote, adding that he would like to use his new graphic design skills to promote his plumbing business once he unlocks them.
Kenya’s innovation sector continues to grow, but gaps remain in access to technology, affordability and ICT skills. According to a 2024 government survey, just over 50% of Kenyans use a mobile phone, while only 11.6% of the population uses a computer.
The International Center for Governance Innovation noted that digital literacy and internet access are much higher in urban areas than in rural areas and marginalized communities.
Jostina Wawasi Mwangombe, senior director of the Simo La Tewa Institute, told CNN that the majority of inmates in Kenya’s juvenile prisons are from low-income, rural areas, with varying levels of education and literacy. For many people, if they’ve ever accessed a computer, it’s mostly to watch movies at a cybercafe.
“We had to start from a much lower place, just understanding what a computer is and even its purpose before we can teach you how to use a computer,” Akwabi said.
Overcrowding in Kenya’s adult prisons is “unacceptable”, the country’s top judge has said, but in recent years the judiciary has implemented “decongestion” initiatives and shifted its approach to focus on the “rehabilitation and reintegration” of prisoners.
The Simo La Tewa Borstal facility incarcerates, rehabilitates, and reintegrates juveniles between the ages of 15 and 18 at the time of committing serious crimes. The provision requires juveniles to enroll in either formal education, vocational training, or agricultural programs during the standard three-year sentence, but gives them the opportunity to receive probation in the community for the final two years.
Mwanguombe said the institute is currently training all boys in basic “digital hygiene” so that they can use technology in a safe manner and develop positive habits in the future. This three-month course is offered to 25 boys selected on the basis of completing a vocational training exam and is designed to strengthen their skills.
TechKidz’ curriculum moves from digital ethics and data protection, hardware repair, and email etiquette to Microsoft Excel and Word skills, then coding, web design, and finally covers robotics, video production, and graphic design.
“Most (learners) have practical skills such as carpentry, barbers, salonists, agriculture, masonry… (but) when they go into society, they don’t know how to (market) themselves,” Akwabi said.
One learner said he planned to create a poster to promote his skills as a barber, while another said he wanted to become an ICT teacher upon release and help other young people receive technical training.
“I am confident that I will make more sales for my tailoring business through the website I am building,” wrote a 20-year-old learner from Kilifi County who loves the creativity of web development.
In September 2025, TechKidz and Close the Gap Kenya helped learners repurpose garden sheds and install technology equipment to create “digital booths” in their gardens. This allows inmates to use computers to call their families and attend counseling sessions.
A TechKidz report shared with CNN found that prison staff were more motivated in all programs in the prison, not just in the computer lab, because inmates wanted to qualify for TechKidz courses.
Mr Mwangombe said that beyond motivation, the program was key to boosting self-esteem, which is a valuable resource in rehabilitation.
“Just the euphoria of having access to something they thought was reserved for the elites fostered their self-esteem,” Mwangombe said. “They feel confident going home because they feel like they didn’t miss out on what happened outside.”
It added that the three boys, who were semi-literate upon arrival, were unable to continue their formal education and were therefore trained to do agricultural work. Through this course, they designed a 3D model of a greenhouse with an automated robotic irrigation system.
“This embodies the curiosity that young people have and the skills that they lack, which they were able to develop and even explain,” Mwangombe said. The boys announced this model at the project’s graduation ceremony and planned to find funding to make it a reality after release.
Now, TechKidz Africa and Close the Gap, with support from the Kenya Prisons Service, plan to expand the program to 14 more prisons across the country, including more juvenile and women’s facilities.
They plan to hold training days with correctional officers to further develop digital literacy educators who will implement the TechKidz curriculum and donated computers into each prison.
“Digital literacy is a level battlefield, no matter where you come from,” Akwabi says.
Just as he once did, he believes these skills can open doors and provide new opportunities for young offenders, regardless of their upbringing.
“I am committed to empowering children like me, who come from backgrounds filled with crime and hardship, to dream bigger, innovate faster, and build futures that once seemed impossible,” Akwabi said.
