Four start-ups will pilot their innovations at the Konza Technopolis in a bid to provide solutions for the residents and investors setting up at the smart city.
Speaking during the awards ceremony, Cabinet Secretary for ICT, Innovation and Youth Affairs Joe Mucheru lauded the efforts by the innovators, adding that piloting of the innovations at Konza Technopolis was a great milestone for the country as it will not only serve Konza but can be implemented in the rest of the country.
“This is exciting and historic moment in the sector as we are accelerating
development by having homegrown solutions to deal with our challenges. As a
government, we are glad that today’s innovations will be piloted here at the
Technopolis,” said CS Mucheru.
While urging the innovators to keep leveraging on the tech space, CS Mucheru
reiterated the government’s commitment towards creating an enabling innovation
environment for startups to grow and thrive.
The start-ups, which emerged winners at the just concluded Konza Innovation
Challenge 2021 will be seeking to provide various smart solutions for about
30,000 residents expected in the city.
Personal Watchguard, Ekraal Hub and H-Pass businesses from Kenya are expected
to pilot their innovations on intelligent asset management, smart parking
management and access management respectively. The fourth startup from Israel,
Step-Hear-Assistive Accessibility Technology will be offering its services on
traffic management.
The Innovation Challenge was jointly hosted by the Konza Technopolis
Development Authority (KoTDA) and Embassy of Israel in Kenya. The challenge,
which attracted 99 nominations from Kenya and four from Israel sought to provide
an opportunity for innovators in Kenya and Israel to solve the immediate and
long-term needs of Konza Technopolis.
“As a country, Israel is honored to be part of Kenya’s innovation journey, and
we are happy to compare notes and share ideas. We are happy to be part of the
Konza Innovation Challenge,” said Amb. Oded, adding that Kenya has made
considerable steps in establishing a more innovation-driven economy.
“Kenya’s start-up ecosystem is vibrant, and quite established in the
continent. As the government of Israel, I would like to state that we are proud
to be part of this journey and we pledge to continue working with you to build
your ICT & Innovation ecosystem for posterity,” he added.
Konza has been at the forefront of supporting innovation programs as part of
its efforts towards becoming a leading innovation hub in the world.
In 2020, the Technopolis in collaboration with the Association of Countrywide
hubs and partners held The Great COVID 19 Innovation challenge which was
instrumental in helping to develop solutions in the fight against the global
pandemic.
In April 2021, Kenya and Korean Governments signed a contract worth Kshs 9.4
billion towards the establishment of the Kenya Advanced Institute of Science
and Technology (KAIST) that will be constructed at Konza Technopolis.
