JKUAT Students Shine at Kilikawi Innovation Challenge
Innovators convened at Shamba Cafe to showcase their innovations focused on increasing the functionality of a farm tiller to better support small scale farmers. The competition which invited students to improve on solar-powered tools for the Kilikawi platform, was held over several rounds, concluding on Friday September 9, 2026 with the unveiling of the top…
Wamburu Ndirangu explains the functionality features of the tiller-thrasher prototype.
Innovators convened at Shamba Cafe to showcase their innovations focused on increasing the functionality of a farm tiller to better support small scale farmers. The competition which invited students to improve on solar-powered tools for the Kilikawi platform, was held over several rounds, concluding on Friday September 9, 2026 with the unveiling of the top two innovations. The participants had worked in teams to come up with a winning concept and prototype of their idea. The teams were drawn from the various universities with the two teams featuring a total of five participants from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT).
The winning team, Pentagon, whose student members were all from JKUAT had an IoT solution to assist with controlling the Kilikawi tiller. Their solution added a speed-locking mechanism to enable single-person operation of the Kilikawi attachments, including a foot pedal as a dead man’s switch for safe operation. The runners up improved the handling of a thrasher attached to a tiller, reducing labor and fatigue.
During the event, innovators got a chance to present their concepts and showcase the prototypes to stakeholders. The competition had required the innovators to come up with working prototypes and test them in the field. Technicians had a chance to give their feedback to the innovators as the audience encouraged the teams.
Speaking at the event. Mr. Kefa Onchiri, a technician involved in testing the prototypes, noted that the innovations can bring relief to farmers especially by reducing fatigue.
“These innovations have given us new methods of making the tiller dynamic and more farmer friendly. I recommend farmers to keep up with our new models that will enable them to work efficiently with less fatigue,” Mr. Onchiri said.
David Gitwiki from JKUAT gets ready to give a demonstration of the modified tiller prototype.
Giving an account of the experience Mr. Wamburu Ndirangu, a JKUAT Mechanical Engineering student, urged students to participate in the next Kilikawi challenge.
“The Kilikawi challenge has been a unique experience for me because it gave us a chance to build in the real world while getting farmer data. Our device has already been tested in six farms with a success rate of 80%. So I would recommend this competition to my fellow JKUAT students, they can take part in the next challenge in 2027 as it will give them a chance to apply their classroom knowledge,” Mr. Ndirangu said.
He thanked his lecturers for equipping him with the necessary training noting that the thirst for innovation begins in the classroom.
Expounding more about the competition powered by the Toyota Mobility Foundation (TMF) in partnership with Songa Mobility, Mr. Thibaut Mallet De Chauny, Director Songa Mobility appreciated the participating teams.
“Kilikawi is an initiative supported by Songa Mobility to help smallholder farmers till, mill, thrash and chaff. Our aim with this challenge is to improve existing technology while also identifying talent to help us grow. I am particularly impressed by how the participants handled team dynamics to the end, delivering working prototypes. Teamwork will be crucial to building stronger teams that can build successful ventures. We are looking forward to the next competition which might be broader and bolder,” Mr. Mallet said.
JKUAT Participants and Staff take a commemorative photo with Kilikawi Staff.