Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) reaffirmed its position as a regional innovation powerhouse after successfully hosting the 2025 Inter-University Hackathon, a premier annual competition that brought together top student innovators from across Kenya and the wider East African region.
This year’s event, themed: “Strengthening the Innovation Ecosystem for Sustainable Development Using Ethical AI-Powered Solutions,” attracted 28 universities and over 150 student participants. Teams competed intensively, developing cutting-edge prototypes addressing real-world challenges in agriculture, healthcare, climate resilience, business, governance, cybersecurity among many others.
JKUAT, the host institution, delivered an impressive performance after emerging as runner-up in two highly competitive categories.
The JKUAT flagship team secured second place in the Automation category, while another JKUAT team was placed second in the Governance category with an innovative traffic-flow optimization platform powered by ethical machine learning models.
Speaking during the awards ceremony on Friday 14, November 2025, JKUAT Deputy Vice Chancellor in charge of Academics, Prof. Robert Kinyua praised participants for their creativity and resilience, noting that the hackathon continues to be a vital platform for nurturing technological talent.
“JKUAT is proud to host young innovators who are shaping Africa’s digital future. The solutions developed by the students demonstrate the transformative power of ethical AI in addressing society’s most pressing challenges,” he said.
While commending JKUAT for its strong showing and hosting a highly organized event, the, Head of Sales and Marketing from Adapt IT, the main event sponsors from South Africa, Mr. Zakhele Khathide said, JKUAT leadership and professionalism demonstrated during the event has set a new benchmark for university-industry collaboration, and her performance in securing runner-up positions in two categories reflects the institution’s commitment to excellence in STEM education and research.
“What we’ve witnessed is nothing short of exceptional. Students have demonstrated not only technical expertise but also a deep understanding of how ethical AI can drive sustainable development across Africa. As a company, we are proud to support a platform that empowers young innovators to turn bold ideas into impactful solutions,” said Mr. Zakhele.
“For us,” he added, this hackathon is more than a competition, it is a long-term investment in the region’s future workforce and innovation capacity. We believe that partnerships between industry and academia are essential in accelerating Africa’s digital transformation.”
Chairman for the Hackathon Organizing Committee who doubles up as a Dean in JKUAT’s School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences, Prof. Anthony Waititu lauded the participants, partners, and host institution for making the 2025 Inter-University Hackathon a resounding success.
He noted that this year’s edition stands as not only as a testament to their shared commitment to nurture a dynamic innovation ecosystem, and empowerment of young people to design ethical, impactful, and sustainable technology solutions.
“This year’s hackathon has showcased the incredible depth of talent, creativity, and dedication within our universities. The students have proven that with the right platform and mentorship, they can deliver world-class solutions that respond directly to the challenges faced in our communities,” said Prof. Waititu.
He further said, “The focus on ethical AI is timely and necessary. The ideas presented here reflect a new generation of innovators who are not only technologically skilled but are also conscious of the societal impact of their work, which is the true spirit of responsible innovation.”
The 2025 hackathon winners were Zetech University followed by Egerton University who produced the first and second runners up. The hackathon sponsors included; Kenya Airports Parking Services (KAPS) Limited, Adapt IT, Oracle, Microsoft, The Garage East Africa, Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) and JKUAT.
