Kabarak University students are scaling new heights in innovation, showcasing their ingenuity and entrepreneurial spirit at the ACCESS Student Clubs Business Innovation Challenge 2025 Bootcamp, held in partnership with the African Center for Career Enhancement and Skills Support (ACCESS) project.
We are proud to announce our students' outstanding performance, which saw one of their key innovations, Respiramate, clinch first place overall at the national competition. The week-long ACCESS Student Clubs Business Innovation Challenge 2025 officially opened on October 20, 2025, and closed on October 24, 2025, at the Marvel Hotel, Embu. The prestigious event brought together 30 top student innovators from seven universities across Kenya under the impactful theme: “Innovate for Impact: Scaling Kenyan MSMEs through SDG 9 (Industry, Innovation, and Infrastructure).”
Our five participating Kabarak students immersed themselves in hands-on workshops, gaining crucial skills in design thinking, entrepreneurship, innovation management, and co-creation with Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs). The program was eye-opening, featuring mentorship sessions and practical training focused on building sustainable business solutions.
The highlight of the bootcamp was the presentation of student innovations aimed at solving challenges facing Kenyan MSMEs. Out of the competitive field, Margaret Njonjo from Kabarak University emerged as the Overall Winner for her project, Respiramate.
Respiramate is an innovative smart inhaler solution designed to revolutionize care for asthmatic patients through real-time health monitoring and data-driven care. This crucial innovation showcases our students' dedication to using technology for social good.
Another noteworthy innovation presented by our students was Echo Defender, an AI-Powered Eco-friendly Ultrasonic Animal Deterrent, further demonstrating the breadth of innovation emerging from Kabarak.
As part of her prestigious reward, Margaret and her project will receive:
- Continued incubation support through Kabarak University’s Innovation Hub.
- Mentorship from leading industry support hubs, including ASSEK, I Choose Life Africa, KEPSA forums, and MSEA.
- Exposure and participation opportunities in upcoming ACCESS–AGEA programs, preparing her for the 2026 African German Entrepreneurship Academy (AGEA) Competition.
The success in Embu was followed by more opportunities for our promising innovators. The top students, including Margaret, were fully sponsored by DAAD under the ACCESS project to participate in the high-level Konza-Korea youth workshop, where they met with key figures from the Korean academy.
Furthermore, our commitment to the ACCESS 2.0 project continues to yield results at the postgraduate level. We are delighted to announce that two of our postgraduate students, Evans Kiprotich KIMUTAI and Jotham MWANGI, have been nominated to attend a prestigious event at KNUST, Kumasi-Ghana, from November 1st to 9th, 2025.
We are incredibly proud of all our students' strides and look forward to more impactful activities as the project gains momentum from 2026 to 2029.
Photos courtesy of the ACCESS 2.0 Project.
