Anne Nderitu - Kenya

Anne Nderitu comes from Sagana town in Kenya, where she lives with her sibling and parents. Being the first-born child, she believes that it is her responsibility to work hard at everything she does. This determination has helped her to give the best in whatever she does.

Anne discovered her love for math and science while in high school, which led her to pursue Aeronautical engineering at the Technical University of Kenya. While at university, she explored different technical skills from hardware to software engineering. Her final year project was on design optimization of fixed-wing drones for a longer flying distance.

For the past year, she has been working with Kenya Flying Labs, an organization that uses drones for social good. She has been working on mapping, precision agriculture and surveying project. One of the challenges experienced while working on the project has been the lack of drone aviation regulations in the country. However, the government is working to enact the regulations which will allow drone technology to flourish in the country.

“My interest in ADDA stems from my passion for drone technology. Solving some of the challenges that Africa faces require adapting and adopting new technology. Coming from a country where innovation and production of aircrafts and drones are new, I am venturing on this path of aeronautical engineering in order to become an expert in design and production of drones for the African continent. Hopefully, my designs can one day be used to change a few things in Kenya and Africa,” says Anne.

In addition to learning how to design drones, Anne and team have also learned drones’ operations to ensure that they fly drones responsibly, data analysis and entrepreneurship.

Anne plans to use her newly acquired drone technology skills for social good. With extreme weather conditions like frequent floods becoming common in Kenya, water-borne diseases have also become common in both urban and peri-urban areas. In 2019 alone, more than 5,000 cholera cases and 39 deaths were reported in the country. While Cholera is transmitted through poor water, sanitation and hygiene conditions, it is important to understand the source and the spread of the disease. “Through the aerial imageries from the drones, I want to map and track the spread of the disease and assist in creating effective mitigation measures against Cholera,” Anne says. 

Anne believes that Africa is the next frontier for drone technology, given its unique infrastructure challenges. The ADDA programme will equip her with the right skills to contribute to solving some of the problems in Kenya and Africa.