NAIROBI, Kenya, July 1 – Growing up in rural Nyandarua, Engineer Maureen Wangui knew firsthand the challenges poor roads could create.
Accessing her village was often an all-day affair, a reality that planted the seeds for a career dedicated to solving one of Kenya’s most persistent infrastructure challenges.
Today, Wangui serves as the Regional Director for Kenya National Highways Authority’s (KeNHA) Central Region, overseeing road maintenance and development projects across eight counties and managing more than 30 road contracts.
Her journey from a young girl navigating difficult roads to one of the country’s senior highway engineers reflects the growing role of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).
“I have always wanted to solve problems,” she said, describing the motivation that led her to pursue civil engineering at the University of Nairobi.
At the time, engineering remained heavily male-dominated. Wangui recalls that female students were often required to work harder to prove themselves in a discipline built around complex mathematics, physics and demanding technical coursework.
Despite the challenges, she persevered. In her class of 70 students, only 12 were women, a significant improvement from previous years when female engineering students could be counted on one hand.
Today, Wangui leads multidisciplinary teams comprising engineers, surveyors, inspectors and administrators responsible for maintaining and improving hundreds of kilometres of roads across Central Kenya.
Her responsibilities range from overseeing maintenance works and road safety interventions to supervising major infrastructure projects that support economic development.
Among the career milestones she is most proud of is her role in supervising the construction of the Dongokundu Bypass in Mombasa.
The transformative project eliminated long waiting times at the Likoni Ferry crossing, reducing journeys between Mombasa Island and the South Coast from up to four hours to approximately 15 minutes.
For Wangui, the project represented the very essence of engineering: identifying a problem and delivering a practical solution that improves people’s lives.
That same philosophy continues to guide her work today as she oversees projects designed to enhance connectivity, boost economic growth and improve access to essential services across Central Kenya.
As more young women consider careers in STEM, Wangui has a simple message: believe in your abilities, ask questions, seek mentors and never stop learning.
“The world needs your ideas and your input so that we can build safer cities and resilient roads,” she said.
Her story stands as a reminder that infrastructure development is not only about roads and bridges. It is also about the people behind them, engineers whose determination and innovation help connect communities and transform lives.
