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Co-founder and Executive Director of the African Olympiad Academy, Arun Shanmuganathan (R), presents a certificate to one of the students during the closing ceremony of the 2026 African Olympiad Academy (AOA) Rising Stars Training Camp at Karen Campus, Nairobi
Acting Director of STEM Research and Innovation, Karanja Mutito (L), presents a certificate to one of the students at Karen Campus, Nairobi,
Co-founder and Executive Director of the African Olympiad Academy, Arun Shanmuganathan (L); Mitchelle Ombuna, successful student (2nd left); Caleb Tanui, successful student (2nd right); and National Trainer and Coordinator of the STEM Boot Camp at CEMASTEA, Mr. Martin Mungai (R), pose for a photo during the closing ceremony of the 2026 African Olympiad Academy (AOA) Rising Stars Training Camp at Karen Campus, Nairobi.

Three Kenyan students win full scholarships to Olympiad Academy

News / Tue, 04/21/2026 - 12:12
IAN CHEPKUTO-KNA

Three Kenyan secondary school student s have earned full three-year scholarships to study at the African Olympiad Academy in Kigali, Rwanda, after emerging as top performers at the 2026 Rising Stars Training Camp held at the Centre for Mathematics, Science and Technology Education in Africa (CEMASTEA), Karen Campus.

The students, Caleb Tanui, (15) of Alliance High School; Mitchelle Ombuna, (15) of Kenya High School; and Juni Pearl Mumo, (15) of Alliance Girls High School, earned the opportunity to join the academy, known for nurturing top African talent in mathematics and informatics.

Speaking during the closing ceremony, CEMASTEA Acting Chief Executive Officer Gladys Masai, in a speech delivered on her behalf by Acting Director for STEM Research and Innovation Karanja Mutito, commended participants for their dedication and resilience.

She congratulated all participants and urged those who received awards to accept them with humility, while at the same time encouraging them to remain determined in their learning.

The five-day residential camp, held from April 8 to 12, 2026, brought together 32 top-performing students selected from more than 15,000 candidates through the Kenya Mathematics Olympiad process.

At the academy, the selected students will undertake an intensive Olympiad-focused curriculum alongside Cambridge A-Level studies, which will fully prepare them for continental and global competitions, including the International Mathematical Olympiad (IMO) and the Pan African Mathematics Olympiad (PAMO). 

Masai emphasized that success in mathematics requires resilience and determination, urging those who didn’t get scholarships to keep trying in order to succeed.

The programme was designed to advance STEM education by integrating informatics alongside mathematics, therefore giving learners a chance to utilize analytical and problem-solving skills.

African Olympiad Academy Co-founder and Executive Director Arun Shanmuganathan said the initiative seeks to identify and nurture exceptional students capable of competing globally.

He said that students went through intensive training, tackling very challenging problems and sitting rigorous tests.

“We’ve given them intensive training in mathematics to prepare them for international competitions, as well as in informatics, which is essentially coding. The students have been competing against each other, tackling very challenging problems and sitting rigorous tests,” he said.

“At the end of that process, we were able to select three outstanding students who have received full scholarship awards to join us at the African Olympiad Academy in Kigali,” he added.

Shanmuganathan noted that the selected learners will undergo more intensive Olympiad training, with the aim of qualifying for their national teams and competing at the International Mathematical Olympiad and the Pan-African Mathematics Olympiad.