Humanoid robot arrives at Kenyan university as Africa joins global AI training race

A humanoid robot now walks the corridors of a Kenyan university, marking what educators say is the first deployment of such technology for student training in the region.

The Walker E Educational Humanoid Robot, manufactured by Chinese firm UBTech Robotics, can recognise speech and images, walk on two legs and perform tasks typically done by humans. Students will program and train the machine as part of coursework in artificial intelligence, machine learning and data science.

The acquisition comes as humanoid robots move from research laboratories to factory floors worldwide. UBTech began mass production of its industrial Walker S2 model this month, with orders exceeding 800 million yuan (Sh14.5 billion) since January. Major automakers including BYD, Geely and Audi have deployed the robots on production lines.

Mount Kenya University this week unveiled the robot alongside a new robotics and AI laboratory at its Thika campus, positioning the institution to offer hands-on training in fields driving global technology investment.

"Using this robot, students will learn how to program a robot, how to train it to perform new tasks and also develop and test new algorithms," said John Kamau, Dean of the School of Computing and Informatics.

UBTech began mass production of its industrial Walker S2 model this month, with orders exceeding 800 million yuan (Sh14.5 billion) since January. Major automakers including BYD, Geely and Audi have deployed the robots on production lines.

For students in Kenya, the technology offers exposure to systems that industry analysts predict will number in the tens of millions globally within a decade.

"AI is the next big thing and let us make use of it," observed Simon Gicharu, chairman of the university's board of trustees.

The 172-centimetre robot features 21 degrees of freedom in its joints, can sprint at 10 kilometres per hour and operates for up to eight hours on hot-swappable batteries. Its computing system delivers 550 trillion operations per second, enabling navigation across complex terrain.

Gicharu said the university plans to establish an innovation grant to fund student projects that could advance from concept to prototype through its incubation hub. He challenged students to compete in hackathons to sharpen their problem-solving abilities.

The laboratory will support research into human-robot interaction and enable students to develop and test their own robotic products.

Beyond robotics, the university upgraded its dental training with a Phantom Head Skills Laboratory, where students practice procedures on simulated patients before treating real ones. The dental equipment uses AI-driven scanners to create custom dental prosthetics.

"When you look at the dental lab, the machines that we have put on the table are all AI driven, where you are able to take the scan of somebody's mouth and commission the making of a tooth for that particular patient," explained Jaganyi.

The School of Engineering also received new equipment for experiments in solar and wind energy technologies.

Jaganyi said the investments reflect a commitment to preparing students for a labour market increasingly shaped by automation.

"Students now have access to world-class facilities that foster creativity, practical skills and the ability to solve real-world challenges," he noted.