A student at the University of Rwanda, Rukara College of Education, has stunned peers and lecturers alike by developing mobile applications for both Android and iPhone platforms, beginning from a scientific calculator he built from scratch after his phone version had a glitch.
Driven by curiosity and a problem-solving spirit, Umuhire Arthemon turned a personal inconvenience into a groundbreaking opportunity. After his phone’s scientific calculator malfunctioned, he did not search for a replacement; he built a new one himself. What began as a personal fix quickly evolved into a passion for mobile app development, leading him to create applications for both Android and iPhone platforms, a rare feat for someone outside the computer science faculty. His initiative highlights the growing spirit of self-taught technological innovation among students in Rwanda’s education sector.
Arthemon, who is currently in the second year pursuing a degree in Education, had no formal training in software engineering. Apart from attending computer skills lectures, which are part and parcel of the modules to undertake, he supplements that with online documentation and experimenting with open-source tools. What started as a trial-and-error journey slowly turned into a structured and goal-driven process.
“I just wanted a calculator that worked the way I needed it to,” he said with a smile. “But once I finished building it, I realized I could do even more.”
Encouraged by the successful creation of the calculator app, Arthemon moved on to develop other tools, such as an e-commerce app for a businessperson who appreciated the interface of his calculator and decided to give him a gig to help him take his business to another level by going online.
“His applications are not only functional but also designed with simplicity and the local user in mind. learning,” adds Daniel Mugisha, the businessperson who took a step forward and became his first client.
His scientific calculator app, which supports advanced functions like trigonometry and logarithms, has already been tested by hundreds of students in his college, teachers from nearby secondary schools, and a number of businesspeople who require calculators in their daily business activities. It works offline, a deliberate choice by John, considering internet access limitations, especially in some rural areas in the country.
Arthemon says his dream is not only to teach Mathematics in secondary school, as it is what he is learning at Rukara College of Education, but also, due to proposals from peers, establish a local tech hub for students from non-technical faculties, where they can learn coding skills to complement their education. He believes digital skills are no longer just for computer science students but are essential tools for problem-solving across all disciplines.
His lectures at Rukara College of Education applauded his creativity and drive. Dr. Innocent Twagilimana, the Acting Dean of the school of education, said, “Arthemon’s achievement challenges our assumptions about what education students can do. He has shown that passion and persistence are more powerful than formal boundaries.”
His colleagues at Rukara College of Education view Arthemon as a trend setter. One of them, Uwizeyimana Valentine, said, “We are not only learning with him but also from him. What he did shows that we can also achieve more than degrees from here. We use his app, we call it Arthemon Calculator”
Currently, Arthemon is working on improving the user interface of his apps and hopes to get them published both on the Google Play Store and the Apple App Store soon, having already released trial versions for testing. He is also building an e-commerce app for his first client.
As he balances his academic work with coding, Arthemon remains humble. “I never imagined I’d be building apps. But once you solve one problem, it gives you the confidence to tackle the next,” he said.
In an age where digital skills are increasingly vital, his journey serves as an inspiration to fellow students across Rwanda and beyond, proving that with curiosity and effort, anyone can innovate. As the number of mobile apps developed locally is still low, with examples such as ESoko and AI-powered Legal App, the Advanced Calculator App is both a milestone and a highlight for the new developer.
