Zetech University Innovation Entrepreneurship and Technology Hub (iZET)

The overall objective of the Ruiru MSME Survey was to improve the knowledge base on the structure and performance of the Micro Small and Medium Enterprise sector in the urban and rural areas of Ruiru sub-county. The enterprises surveyed comprised of micro, small and medium enterprises domiciled in the 4 administrative wards of the sub-county i.e., Gitothua, Biashara, Gatongora and Kahawa Sukari wards. 930 respondents were interviewed against a targeted sample of 1000 respondents. The study concluded that the MSME sector plays a key role in the Ruiru Sub- County, and in the Kenyan economy at large. The sector was noted to have generated (and proved employment) to over 9000 individuals directly. It was also availing of essential goods and services to the residents, a majority of whom were employees/employers within Kiambu and Nairobi City Counties. Refer to the full report (provide the pdf format)

The Center was involved in the development of the Training Manual as well as coordinating the basic training and capacity building of farmers engaged in growing organic Hass Avocados from certified seedlings. Members of the Consortium include: Mofarm Fruits Exporters Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, KEPHIS, Delphy Kenya, Equity Bank, Equity Foundation, Equity Insurance, Kakuzi, HCD, Farm Africa, Dynamics Marketing, Crop Nut, The Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry Kiambu County and Elite Professionals Consortium and Zetech University.

The main objective of the Consortium is to empower small scale avocado farmers in Kenya through various value adding interventions provided by the Consortia members in their areas of expertise and specialization. This covers all aspects in the Avocado value chain from the farm to the market place and finally the consumer. Over 500 farmers were reached within the Kiambu County and part of Muranga.

Conducted workshops and entrepreneurship forums for student empowerment in on business start-ups and growth. The overall objective was to train for mind-set change among students so as to become champions of job creation and self-employment. Over 75 students were trained.

The Center successfully held several forums via zoom with the following organizations/institutions involved in the innovation and use of technology: Equity Group, Safaricom Ltd., Strathmore University, Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology and Kenyatta University. These were benchmarking strategies to learn from the leading innovative leaders corporate and academic sectors in the Kenya and the East African Region.

In 2018- we had had a student by the name Kennedy Muthaura who emerged as the best student’s country wide in the 2018-2019 Huawei Competitions. He was recognized at a colorful ceremony that saw ICT and Innovation Principal Secretary Jerome Ochieng highlight the critical role IT and research plays in advancing the big four agenda.
The competition is aimed at providing a platform for global ICT talents to: compete and grow their skills, promote high-quality ICT talent development and drive the growth of a sustainable ICT talent ecosystem.

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Anthony Muthungu, our alumni in Computer engineering invented AlexCane an AI-smart cane for the blind. It detects static and moving objects and alerts the user via earphones or a vibrating grip. It also sends caregivers real-time information about the user via a cloud-connected camera and Google Maps. This increases freedom of movement and lowers dependency on caregivers for the blind.

The Intelligent Smart Cane, as he has called it, vibrates on the user’s hand to notify them of obstacles ahead of them. The cane uses five voltage power to run the control unit which is connected to sensors that detect obstacles from a distance. The cane detects both static and moving objects and facilitates easier communications in case of emergency. The information is also relayed to the user through earphones - describing the object and the distance between the user and the object - to enable them to navigate the streets efficiently. The innovation is powered by solar technology.

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Izet hub was a finalist of the ATU Africa Innovation Challenge 2021.The hub was recognized for having a unique practice that creates an enabling environment for youth ICT innovations to thrive.

The ATU Africa Innovation Challenge 2021(in partnership with ITU) was open to ALL ecosystem stakeholders such as; regulatory authorities, entrepreneurial support organizations, incubators, accelerators, or any institution (schools, colleges or universities) from AFRICA, with programmes and policies that focus on creating an enabling environment for youth ICT innovations to thrive.