What "vibe coding" means
Coined by Andrej Karpathy (ex-OpenAI, ex-Tesla) in early 2025: "There's a new kind of coding I call 'vibe coding', where you fully give in to the vibes, embrace exponentials, and forget that the code even exists."
In plain English: you describe what you want in natural language. The AI writes the code. You run it, see the result, tell the AI what to change. Repeat. You never actually read the code (much). You just watch it work.
This used to be impossible. In 2026 it's routine, and it means anyone can build small web apps, not just "programmers."
The tool stack for this module (all free)
- Claude (free tier), the AI that writes your code
- Your browser: to preview the result
- GitHub Pages or Netlify Drop: free hosting so your page is live on the internet
- Notepad / TextEdit (or VS Code if you want), to save the code
On a phone? You can still do this module. The action kit at the end has a phone build path (a Google Sheet or a Google Form instead of a web page).
Step 1: Pick something small but real
Don't aim for a mobile app. Aim for one web page that does one useful thing. Good first projects:
- A BMI calculator, enter weight + height, get BMI and category
- A Kenyan tax calculator, enter gross salary, get PAYE + net
- A school-fee splitter, enter total + number of terms, get per-term amount
- A "random English practice sentence" generator for your kids
- A landing page for your small business with a WhatsApp button
For this walkthrough, let's build a Kenyan Tax / Net Salary Calculator.
Step 2: Prompt Claude
Paste this into Claude:
Input: gross monthly salary in KSH.
Output: PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, Housing Levy and net take-home, with each step shown.
Use these rates (I have checked them on the official sites today):
- PAYE bands: 10% up to KSH 24,000; 25% from 24,001 to 32,333; 30% from 32,334 to 500,000; 32.5% from 500,001 to 800,000; 35% above 800,000.
- Personal relief: KSH 2,400 a month.
- NSSF: 6% of pensionable pay, up to this year's upper earnings limit: [look it up at nssf.or.ke and write it here].
- SHIF: [current rate and minimum from sha.go.ke].
- Housing Levy: [current rate from kra.go.ke].
Make it work on a phone screen. No external libraries. Output just the HTML file. I'll save it as calculator.html."
Important: tax and contribution rates change. Before you type the prompt, look each rate up on the official site (kra.go.ke, nssf.or.ke, sha.go.ke) and fill the brackets. Do not rely on a figure printed in a course, ours included.
Step 3: Save the file
Claude outputs a block of HTML. Click the copy button. Open Notepad. Paste. Save as calculator.html (exactly, don't let Notepad save as .txt).
Double-click the file. It opens in your browser. You've built a web page.
Step 4: Iterate by talking to Claude
It won't be perfect on the first try. That's fine. Tell Claude:
- "The SHIF line looks wrong for a low salary. Check it against sha.go.ke and fix it."
- "Make the mobile view wider, right now the buttons overflow."
- "Add a button to print the result as a payslip."
- "Change the green to a deeper shade that matches Kenya's flag."
Each fix: paste Claude's new version, replace your file's content, refresh the browser. You're vibe coding. You never read the actual JavaScript. You just describe outcomes.
Step 5: Put it on the internet
Go to app.netlify.com/drop. Drag your calculator.html file onto the page. Netlify gives you a public URL instantly, something like https://jade-dolphin-42ab.netlify.app.
Share that URL. On WhatsApp. On your CV. On LinkedIn. You built and shipped a real web tool. That is the end of this module's build.
Stuck? Here's the reference version we built
If your prompt isn't landing a working calculator, look at the finished reference we built for this module. Open it in a new tab, play with it, then view the page source (Right-click → View Page Source) to see the full HTML + JavaScript behind it.
cbcedukenya.com/assets/ai-course/kenya-tax-calculator.html →
What it does: Enter a gross Kenyan salary → see PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, Housing Levy and net take-home. It is an example for learning only. Rates change, so check every rate on the official sites before you rely on the result.
How to use it: (a) Study it to see a working example. (b) Save a copy and modify it, change the bands, add a monthly breakdown, add a "download payslip" button. Each change is a fresh conversation with Claude.
The key mindset shift
You are not "writing code." You are specifying outcomes in plain language and letting the AI translate that into code. Your skill is not Python, it's precision of specification. Good software products now get built by people who can describe what they want, clearly. Which is... prompting. Which is Module 4-5.
This is why vibe coding matters: it makes shipping software a skill ANYONE with clear thinking can develop, not just computer science graduates.
Module 8 action kit: build on a phone or a laptop
About 10 minutes. Works on a phone. Tick the boxes as you go; they are saved on this device only.
1. Prompt to keep
Make me a one-page tool for [task]. It must work on a phone screen. Output one file I can save. Explain how to open it. Use made-up example data only. If you are not sure how something works, say so.
Build me a single-file HTML page that estimates Kenyan PAYE and net monthly pay. Input: gross monthly salary in KSH. Output: PAYE, NSSF, SHIF, Housing Levy and net pay, with each step shown. Use the rates and bands I paste below. I will check them first on kra.go.ke, nssf.or.ke and sha.go.ke. [Paste the current rates here] Make it work on a phone. Output just the HTML file.
2. Worked example: a fee balance page for a school clerk
Prompt: "Make me a one-page tool for a school clerk. The clerk types the term fee and the amount paid (use made-up numbers only) and the page shows the balance and a polite reminder message with [Parent] and [Learner] placeholders. It must work on a phone screen. Output one file."
Test it with 3 made-up cases. Never type real learner names into a page you have not tested.
3. Checklist: pick your build path
4. Your 5-minute exercise
Ask an AI for the Google Sheet version of a calculator you use (for example fee balance or profit per item). Paste the formulas it gives, then test with 3 numbers you can check by hand.