In a modest apartment workshop in Rongai, on the outskirts of Nairobi, Eugene Awimbo is quietly working on a vision that stretches far beyond his immediate surroundings.
The self-taught Kenyan innovator has spent more than a decade building rocket models from scratch, driven not by formal training but by sustained curiosity and personal commitment to space science.
“I have been doing this for over 10 years now. I did not study this in school; it is all passion,” Awimbo says.
Awimbo’s journey into rocketry is unconventional. Without a background in aerospace engineering, he has relied on online research, trial and error, and continuous experimentation to develop his designs. His work is largely shaped by hours spent studying global advancements in space technology, including those led by figures such as Elon Musk, whose work helped spark his interest in the field.
Using locally available materials such as steel and aluminium, Eugene Awimbo constructs and tests rocket models within the limited space of his apartment. The setting is modest, but the process is deliberate, with each prototype reflecting incremental improvements informed by repeated testing and observation.
While his rockets are not yet designed for orbital launch, their purpose is clearly defined. Awimbo is using them as tools to promote space science education in Kenya, particularly among young learners.
“I target schools mostly,” he explains. “In collaboration, I go to schools and teach students about space science and exploration, to help them become future scientists and astronauts.”
His outreach efforts have turned the project into more than a personal pursuit. By taking his work into classrooms, Awimbo is introducing students to concepts that remain largely inaccessible within standard curricula, helping to bridge a gap between curiosity and practical exposure.
Beyond education, he is also exploring institutional collaboration. Awimbo says he has been engaging with the Kenya Space Agency, seeking guidance and potential areas of support that could help scale his work.
“I’m working closely with the Kenya Space Agency to find areas of collaboration and guidance,” he says. “We are in constant contact, and we hope that soon we will be able to advance my innovation. I want to help advance Kenya’s space exploration.”
According to Eugene Awimbo, his long-term goal is to establish a dedicated space education and recreational centre, where students and enthusiasts can learn about rocketry, build their own models, and safely participate in launch activities. The idea reflects a broader ambition to create structured access to space science at a local level.
The work itself remains grounded in persistence. Each day involves testing designs, refining structures, and learning through failure as much as success. It is a process shaped less by resources and more by consistency.
What Eugene Awimbo is building is not just a series of rocket models. It is an entry point into a field that has often felt distant in many African contexts. His work places that possibility closer to home, showing how individual initiative can begin to open pathways into areas that are still largely underdeveloped.
