In Siaya County, Paul Awambo runs a modest workshop where mining waste is being turned into interlocking bricks. Sixty kilometres away in Kisumu, Ivan Otieno repurposes agricultural refuse into briquettes for household energy use. Further north, in Laikipia, Timothy Wanjohi operates solar-powered cold storage to help smallholder farmers preserve their harvests.
These entrepreneurs are among many across Kenya finding practical ways to turn environmental challenges into community solutions. Through the Presidential Innovation Challenge and Award (PIA), facilitated by the Kenya National Innovation Agency (KeNIA), they have received targeted support to move their ideas forward. Support includes modest grants, training, and connections to technical partners.
The 2024–2025 programme focuses on five sectors with broad public impact: food security and agriculture, digital transformation, healthcare, entertainment and gaming, and climate action. Its goal is to enable youth-led startups to address local problems through practical, scalable innovations.
Turning Mining Waste into Building Blocks
Paul Awambo’s startup, Eco Build, processes mining waste into building materials, offering both an affordable alternative for construction and a safer solution for waste disposal.
“Despite ongoing mining, there hadn’t been a sustainable method for handling the leftover waste,” Awambo says. “We saw an opportunity to do something useful with it.”
Eco Build produces 200 interlocking bricks per day, each sold at 50–60 shillings. The process, which includes detoxifying the waste, is labour-intensive and employs six daily workers. With support from KeNIA, the team added a permanent production site to complement its mobile operations.
Clean Energy from Agricultural Byproducts
In Kisumu, Collarosta uses farm waste to produce fuel briquettes that burn longer than charcoal, helping reduce reliance on forest wood and providing a more consistent cooking option for homes and small businesses.
Founder Ivan Otieno points to the value of the technical guidance received alongside financial support.
“The learning aspect was just as helpful as the funding,” he says. “It helped us shape the business based on what people actually need.”
Collarosta now produces four 50kg bags of briquettes daily, serving 10 households and several hotels. The company has five full-time staff and six contract workers, and is exploring partnerships to scale up its raw material supply.
Reducing Post-Harvest Losses Through Cold Storage
Timothy Wanjohi’s Market Farm Ltd is helping reduce the losses that smallholder farmers face after harvest. By combining solar-powered cold rooms with a mobile platform that links farmers to markets, the startup supports better pricing and longer shelf life for produce.
Operating in Laikipia, Nyandarua, and Kiambu, the company has worked with over 100 farmers and maintained a customer retention rate above 70 per cent.
“The storage alone has made a difference. But now we’re focused on improving how farmers can digitally track, book, and sell their produce,” Wanjohi explains.
Market Farm generated one million shillings during its pilot phase and is planning to expand into Meru and Nakuru counties.
Building for the Long Term
While each of these initiatives is still growing, early indicators point to positive outcomes: jobs created, incomes supported, waste reduced, and communities engaged in problem-solving.
KeNIA’s approach with the Presidential Innovation Challenge focuses on supporting youth-led teams with working products, local knowledge, and the potential to scale.
