Dorcas Owinoh
Dorcas Owinoh is a Kenyan tech entrepreneur and social innovator who has spent the past decade widening digital opportunity beyond Nairobi. In 2014 she co-founded LakeHub in Kisumu, creating western Kenya’s first community space for coders, creatives, and start-ups. As Director of Programs she has overseen training for more than 12,000 young people, 54 percent of them women, through bootcamps in software engineering, UX design, and social-enterprise finance.
Her flagship initiative, AriTech Girls, mentors girls aged 13 to 19 in 23 secondary schools across four counties, guiding teams that have twice reached the global finals of the Technovation Challenge and generated 18 market-ready education and health apps. In 2023 she launched LakeHub’s Hardware Lab, equipping makers with 3-D printers and IoT kits, and in 2025 introduced a remote micro-internship program linking rural developers to international projects.
Owinoh’s impact has earned her spots on Forbes Africa 30 Under 30 (Technology, 2020) and Business Daily Top 40 Under 40 Women (2022). She is a Women Techmakers Ambassador, a member of the Kenya ICT Authority digital-skills task force, and an advisor to the African Union’s Innovation in Education cluster. Away from keyboards she mentors girls in chess, believing strategic thinking and technology together unlock futures previously unimaginable.