Eldoret, Kenya – Three outstanding youth-led teams from the Siaya Hackathon challenge received major national recognition.
They were officially celebrated at the influential Kenya Software & AI Summit ceremony, held on 12 November 2025 at Moi University Annex campus in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County.
This high-profile recognition reaffirms Kenya’s strong commitment to its growing digital economy, highlighting the success of community-based innovation.
The hackathon itself ran for an intense 72 hours, from 13 to 15 October at the Siaya Community Digital Hub.
The event established a strong grassroots foundation for digital innovation in the country, built on a unified, strategic partnership model.
Who are the sponsors of the Siaya Hackathon?
Konza Technopolis provided critical leadership, leveraging the national Jitume Programme. Through this programme, the Siaya Digital Hub was positioned as a central incubator for creativity.
The Ministry of ICT and the Digital Economy offered essential national policy direction, ensuring that all emerging projects aligned with Kenya’s broader digital agenda.
Huawei Kenya supported participants with expert mentorship, providing its powerful AppCube low-code platform.
The platform enabled participants to rapidly develop functional product prototypes.
The event brought together thirty-five talented young innovators from Siaya’s local communities, including students from Bondo Technical Training Institute (TTI).
Students from Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology also took part.
What the Siaya Hackathon dealt with
The youths focused on developing practical digital solutions that specifically targeted crucial challenges faced by local MSMEs and SMEs.
Problems addressed included limited access to digital payment systems and unreliable inventory management tools.
A key focus was improving market access efficiency.
The hackathon showcased Jitume digital hubs as dynamic innovation incubators, which successfully transform digital skills into products that support local economic growth.
The first-place champions were the DigitalNest Team, comprising Hesbon Otieno, David Tonje Wanambisi, and Grace Oginga.
Their winning project, AGRILINK BONDO, is a digital agricultural management and marketplace system.
It connects farmers, buyers, and financial institutions to streamline transactions, aiming to enhance market access, transparency, and financial inclusion for rural farmers.
The second place was taken by the Sentry Team, whose members were Blessed Kamungu, Michael Sule, and Faith Adhiambo.
They developed Dhibiti Stock, a platform that helps MSMEs efficiently manage their inventory, sales, and daily operations.
This improved visibility makes it easier for businesses to access funding opportunities.
In third place was the Solutech Team, comprising Dave Ochieng, Lewis Kinoti, and Rebeca Achieng. Their solution, Kazi-hub, is a platform that connects informal sector job seekers with nearby employment opportunities. It also simplifies the recruitment process for local businesses.
This success demonstrates that Kenya’s digital future will be shaped by this collaborative model. Konza Technopolis CEO John Paul Okwiri praised the young creators.
“Our national digital skilling programmes are about preparing the youth to become creators of global digital value,” Okwiri added that the Jitume Digital Hubs are crucial decentralised nodes of the Silicon Savannah.
Michael Kamau, ICT Academy Manager for Huawei Kenya, described the three winning teams as “the newest stars in our national innovation constellation.” Their achievement is a powerful testament to Kenya’s nationwide digital enablement strategy.
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