How Curiosity Sparked Victor Kihanda’s Passion for Cybersecurity

By Christine Gitonga

Many people interact with technology every day without giving much thought to the systems and processes that make it work. Smartphones, online banking platforms, mobile applications and websites have become part of everyday life, often operating seamlessly in the background.

For Victor Kihanda, however, technology has always been more than a tool for convenience. It has been something to understand, explore and eventually build.

From dismantling household electronics as a curious child to designing software solutions as a final-year Computer Science student, his journey reflects determination, resilience and an unwavering belief in the power of continuous learning.

Today, Victor is in his final year pursuing a Bachelor of Science degree in Computer Science at Mount Kenya University, where he is specialising in software development and cybersecurity.

Yet his story extends far beyond writing code or understanding computer systems. It is a story about curiosity, difficult decisions, overcoming self-doubt and discovering that perseverance often matters more than perfection in building a successful career in technology.

Growing up in Ihakahuno

Victor was raised alongside his brother and sister in Ihakahuno village in Nyeri County in a family that placed great importance on education and hard work.

Although life in the village was relatively simple, his parents constantly reminded their children that education would provide opportunities that previous generations could only dream about.

They encouraged discipline, academic excellence and persistence, values that would later influence many of the decisions Victor would make about his future.

“My parents constantly pushed us to study and work hard, and that foundation became one of the biggest influences in shaping the person I am today,” he recalls.

Long before he wrote his first line of code, those lessons about commitment and perseverance had already become deeply embedded in his character.

While many successful developers speak about dramatic moments that inspired their careers, Victor’s journey began much more quietly, through an endless curiosity about how technology worked.

The boy who always wanted to know how things worked

Victor enjoyed playing computer games just like many other children his age. The difference, however, was that he often found himself thinking beyond what was visible on the screen and asking questions that most users rarely consider.

“How is this actually happening behind the screen?” he remembers asking himself repeatedly.

He wanted to understand what happened after a button was pressed, how instructions travelled through a computer and how software transformed commands into actions that users could see and interact with.

Rather than simply enjoying the experience, he became fascinated by the invisible processes taking place behind the scenes.

His family quickly recognised his growing interest in technology and often turned to him whenever a gadget malfunctioned or required troubleshooting. Whether or not he immediately knew the answer, Victor was always willing to research, experiment and learn until he found a solution.

Those early experiences of solving problems and exploring technology independently sparked a fascination that would remain with him for years.

Discovering the joy of creating solutions

As Victor learned more about technology, he gradually discovered that software development offered something that few other professions could provide. It gave him the opportunity not only to consume technology but also to create it.

He realised that with little more than a laptop, an internet connection and the right skills, it was possible to build products and applications capable of reaching users anywhere in the world. Watching lines of code evolve into functioning software gave him a sense of purpose and achievement that he had not experienced elsewhere.

“It made me realise that this was exactly what I wanted to do,” he says.

For Victor, software development was no longer simply about computers. It became about solving problems, improving lives and building tools that could make a meaningful difference in society.

The career path that almost never happened

Ironically, Victor’s journey into technology almost took a very different direction.

After completing high school, he was placed by the Kenya Universities and Colleges Central Placement Service to pursue a Bachelor of Construction Management degree at the University of Nairobi. For many students, admission into a respected programme at one of Kenya’s leading universities would have been enough to determine the rest of their careers.

Victor chose to pause and think carefully about what he truly wanted.

Rather than immediately accepting the placement, he spent time researching opportunities within the technology industry, speaking to professionals and studying the growing role of digital skills in the modern economy. The more he learned about software development and cybersecurity, the clearer his decision became.

Construction was not where his passion lay.

His future was in technology.

Choosing to change direction required courage because it meant walking away from an established path and embracing uncertainty. Looking back today, however, he describes that decision as one of the defining moments of his life and says he has never regretted following his passion.

Learning beyond the classroom

At Mount Kenya University, Victor immersed himself in programming, networking, databases, artificial intelligence and systems development. Although the university provided him with a strong theoretical foundation, he quickly realised that success in technology demanded much more than classroom instruction and examinations.

The technology industry evolves at an extraordinary pace, and professionals are required to continuously update their skills to remain relevant. Recognising this reality, Victor began dedicating additional hours to self-learning through online tutorials, coding challenges, technical documentation, YouTube lectures and personal projects that allowed him to apply classroom concepts in practical situations.

Like many aspiring software engineers around the world, he discovered that his laptop had become one of his most valuable classrooms. Every project became an opportunity to learn something new, and every challenge became an opportunity to improve.

An important part of his development also came through his industrial attachment at Newsline Media and Training Agency, where he gained practical exposure to the technology needs of a modern media and communications organisation.

The attachment allowed him to witness firsthand how digital publishing systems, content management platforms and communication technologies support today’s media industry while also highlighting the growing importance of cybersecurity in protecting digital infrastructure and information systems.

The experience helped him bridge the gap between theory and practice while strengthening his understanding of how software and cybersecurity solutions are applied in real business environments.

The difficult reality of learning to code

Despite his passion for technology, Victor soon discovered that learning to code was far more difficult than he had initially imagined.

Python, his first programming language, introduced him to concepts such as variables, loops, functions and debugging, all of which initially felt confusing and overwhelming. Without access to a mentor or a clear roadmap, every error message felt discouraging and every obstacle seemed larger than it actually was.

Like many beginners entering software development, Victor struggled with imposter syndrome, the persistent feeling that everyone else understood programming better than he did and that perhaps he did not belong in the field.

The enormous amount of learning material available online often made matters worse because deciding what to study became almost as challenging as learning the concepts themselves.

The moment he almost quit

Eventually, frustration reached a point where Victor seriously considered giving up programming altogether.

After spending several hours unsuccessfully trying to solve an error in his code one evening, he closed his laptop and convinced himself that software development simply was not for him. It is an experience that many developers quietly go through but rarely discuss publicly.

Instead of walking away permanently, however, he chose to take a step back and reflect on his experience. During that period of reflection, he came to a simple but powerful realisation: every experienced software engineer had once been a beginner and nobody had started by writing perfect code.

Armed with that understanding, he returned to programming with a different approach, focusing on breaking difficult concepts into smaller and more manageable sections while relying on beginner-friendly learning materials.

That change transformed his learning experience and gradually replaced frustration with confidence.

Looking towards the future

As he approaches graduation, Victor continues to deepen his expertise in software development while expanding his knowledge of cybersecurity, a field that is becoming increasingly important as organisations continue to digitise their operations and invest heavily in technology infrastructure.

He understands that graduation will not mark the end of his education but rather the beginning of a lifelong process of learning and adaptation. New programming languages, development frameworks and cybersecurity threats emerge constantly, requiring professionals to continuously update their knowledge and skills.

Rather than finding that reality intimidating, Victor views it as one of the most exciting aspects of working in technology. For him, every challenge represents another opportunity to learn, grow and improve.

His story may not be one of overnight success or extraordinary genius, but it is one that reflects the experiences of many young developers across Kenya who are working tirelessly to build careers in the digital economy.

From an inquisitive child in Ihakahuno village wondering how computers worked to a future software engineer preparing to enter the technology industry, Victor Kihanda’s journey demonstrates how curiosity, persistence and passion can transform simple questions into meaningful careers.