Siaya youth teams feted at Kenya software and AI summit

Three outstanding youth-led teams from the Siaya Hackathon challenge claimed national recognition at the Kenya Software and AI Summit, hosted at Moi University Annex Campus in Eldoret.

Konza Technopolis CEO John Paul Okwiri said this recognition confirms Kenya’s dedication to bolstering its digital economy through community-based innovation.

He said the hackathon, which ran between October 13^th and 15th at the Siaya Community Digital Hub, successfully established a strong, grassroots foundation for digital innovation within the country.

He said the hackathon’s success stems from a unified strategic partnership between Konza Technopolis, the ICT Ministry and Huawei Kenya.

Mr Okwiri said while Konza Technopolis provided critical leadership, leveraging the Jitume Program to position the Siaya Digital Hub as a central incubator for innovation, the Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy offered essential national policy direction, ensuring the projects aligned with Kenya’s broader digital agenda.

Huawei Kenya, he said, supported the process with expert mentorship and the powerful AppCube low-code platform, which allowed participants to rapidly develop functional prototypes.

According to him, the success of these innovators provides tangible proof that Kenya’s digital future will be shaped by this model of collaboration, youth-driven creativity, and strong institutional partnerships.

"Our national digital skilling programs are not just about employment; they are about preparing the youth to become creators of global digital value,” said Mr Okwiri.

He said this is the practical outcome of smart policy and strong partnerships under the Jitume Digital Hubs which are crucial decentralised nodes of the Silicon Savannah.

Okwiri’s sentiments were echoed by Huawei’s ICT Academy Manager Michael Kamau who said as the country concludes the Kenya Software and AI Summit, the achievement of the Siaya Hackathon teams stands as a powerful testament to the effectiveness of this nationwide digital enablement strategy.

“The Siaya Hackathon focused on ensuring that the digital prosperity is not confined to one city but is distributed nationwide. These three winning teams are the newest stars in our national innovation constellation,” said Mr Kamau.

The intensive 72-hour hackathon event brought together thirty-five talented young innovators from Siaya’s local communities, including students from Bondo Technical Training Institute (TTI) and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology.

The youths developed practical digital solutions specifically targeting challenges faced by MSMEs and SMEs, including limited access to digital payment systems, unreliable inventory management tools, and inefficiencies in market access.

This directly demonstrated the growing value of digital hubs as dynamic innovation incubators, transforming digital skills into products that actively support local economic growth and empowering young entrepreneurs.

Technical teams from Konza Technopolis and experts from Huawei Kenya guided the participants through software development, design thinking, and sustainable business modeling, ensuring the resulting five prototypes were highly localized, functional, viable, and aligned with actual market demands.

The DigitalNest Team, comprising Hesbon Otieno, David Tonje Wanambisi, Stephen Omondi, Derrick Omwanza, Lorrent Odhiambo, and Grace Oginga, who curated AGRILINK BONDO.

This digital agricultural management and marketplace system connects farmers, buyers, and financial institutions, aiming to enhance market access, transparency, and financial inclusion for rural farmers by streamlining agricultural transactions and record management while supporting both online and offline operations.

The Sentry Team, comprising Blessed Kamungu, Michael Sule, Wycliff Opella, Faith Adhiambo, Dennis Chacha, Esther Lorah Adhiambo, and Jevan Otieno, developed Dhibiti Stock.

This digital platform helps MSMEs efficiently manage their inventory, sales, and daily operations, empowering business owners to make informed, data-driven decisions through smart analytics and performance tracking, which also enhances financial management and visibility, enabling businesses to access funding opportunities with greater ease.

In third place was the Solutech Team, comprising Dave Ochieng, Lewis Kinoti, Mathew Otieno, Winfresha Sarah, Rebeca Achieng, Oliver Ohana, and Dennis Naktare, who developed Kazi-hub.

This platform connects job seekers in the informal sector with nearby employment opportunities, simplifying recruitment for local businesses while making job hunting easier and more accessible for youth and promoting skill development through integrated training programs.