A team of Kenyan high school students has won a silver medal at the FIRST Global Robotics Challenge 2025 held in Panama City, Panama. The students competed against teams from over 190 countries, building robots based on the 'Eco-Equilibrium' theme focused on biodiversity protection. This marks Kenya's fourth consecutive award since participating in 2017.
The FIRST Global Robotics Challenge 2025 took place from October 27 to November 1, 2025, in Panama City, Panama. Kenya's team, consisting of high school students, participated as part of the For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST) program, which aims to equip young people with skills in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM).
According to an official statement from the event organizers, 'In a stunning display of teamwork, FGC Team Kenya has achieved a major victory on the world stage. The team, composed of brilliant and dedicated Kenyan high school students, secured a Silver medal in the Event Finals of the 2025 FIRST Global Challenge in Panama City, Panama.'
Each year's challenges are based on the 14 grand engineering challenges. This year, the theme was 'Eco-Equilibrium,' where teams had to engineer robots to restore balance in simulated ecosystems. 'The game was designed to model the real-world challenges of conservation. In the competition, robots, built and programmed by the students, had to work to restore balance to simulated ecosystems,' the statement read.
This involved navigating complex fields to remove 'barriers' (representing pollution or habitat loss) and add 'biodiversity units' (representing the reintroduction of native species), encouraging teams to think creatively about environmental stewardship.
Kenya has participated in the competition since 2017, with each team bringing home an award. Organizers say the event plays a fundamental role in enhancing Kenya’s education system, which is shifting toward providing learners with practical skills in science and technology to adapt to the fast-paced technology ecosystem.