Mr Shallom Maweu Sila, A Physics and Chemistry teacher from Machakos County. He has earned global recognition after being named among the Top 50 finalists for the 2026 Global Teacher Prize. Photo Courtesy. 
By Virginia Siebella
A Physics and Chemistry teacher from Machakos County, Mr Shallom Maweu Sila, has earned global recognition after being named among the Top 50 finalists for the 2026 Global Teacher Prize, placing Kenya firmly on the world education map.
The prestigious award ceremony is set to take place in Dubai in February 2026. Mr Sila, who teaches at St Francis Misyani Girls High School in Kangundo, is the only Kenyan educator to make the shortlist from thousands of nominations submitted worldwide.
Often referred to as the “Nobel Prize for Teaching,” the Global Teacher Prize recognises educators whose work has had a transformative impact on learners and communities. The overall winner will walk away with a cash prize of KSh 130 million.
This latest accolade caps a remarkable year for the Machakos-based teacher. Earlier in 2025, Mr Sila was named First Runners-Up for the African Union Continental Best Teacher Award. In October, he was also honoured by the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) during World Teachers’ Day celebrations for exemplary national service.
According to the Global Teacher Prize citation, Mr Sila has revolutionised STEM education for girls in rural Machakos through innovative, learner-centred and technology-driven teaching approaches.
“To change girls’ attitudes towards STEM subjects, I innovated and introduced technological teaching and learning pedagogies,” he said.
Since joining St Francis Misyani Girls High School in 2014, Mr Sila has spearheaded initiatives that have significantly boosted interest in Physics, with enrolment rising from just 9 per cent in 2019 to over 40 per cent in 2025 — the highest increase recorded in Machakos County.
He is a strong advocate of virtual laboratories, including LabXchange developed by Harvard University, using simulations and videos to make science learning engaging and accessible. His teaching integrates problem-based and inquiry-based learning, hands-on experiments, robotics, coding, and Artificial Intelligence, bridging the gap between classroom theory and real-world application.
Mr Sila’s influence extended nationwide during the COVID-19 pandemic when schools were closed indefinitely. Acting on his own initiative, he began offering online lessons through Zoom and Microsoft Teams, initially with just two learners.
“After 17 weeks, we had over 10,000 learners attending weekly lessons. It was mind-blowing,” he recalled.
The success of the programme prompted the government, through the TSC, to adopt it as a formal remote learning model, appointing Mr Sila as a national champion and master trainer in remote learning technologies. Since then, he has trained hundreds of teachers across the country on ICT integration and digital pedagogy.
Beyond academics, Mr Sila has co-founded a school-based education fund that supports more than 150 needy girls annually with partial scholarships, sanitary towels and stationery, enabling them to stay in school despite the socio-economic challenges common in the semi-arid Ukambani region.
He has also championed environmental education, leading student-led projects in biogas, solar energy, organic farming and tree planting — initiatives that have reduced the school’s energy costs by 30 per cent.
Today, more than 50 former students from St Francis Misyani Girls High School are pursuing STEM-related courses in universities and technical colleges. Many have returned to mentor younger girls, helping to dismantle long-held perceptions that science subjects are “masculine.”
Speaking after the announcement, Mr Sila said the honour represents the dedication of teachers across the country.
“This recognition is for every teacher working under difficult conditions but refusing to give up on learners,” he said.
Should he clinch the Global Teacher Prize, Mr Sila plans to invest the KSh 130 million award in establishing a state-of-the-art makerspace and a Community ICT and Innovation Hub in Machakos to expand digital access and nurture young innovators.
The winner of the 2026 Global Teacher Prize will be announced in Dubai in early February 2026.
