Last Saturday was truly amazing at Zone01 Kisumu! Our apprentices took part in the Google I/O Extended - A Revitalised Kenya hackathon that was inspired by the recent youth uprising in Kenya. And what a success it was.

Over 100 participants all passionate about code, 6 teams, 6 mentors, and a prize pool of Kshs. 15,000 to the winners. The vibe was through the roof.

At the end of the hackathon, 6 ideas stood out.

1. Wanjiku Information Civil Servant - This solution breaks down government's proposed and reported expenditure on projects by comparing it with independent estimates from professional bodies or private sector. Additionally it contains the relevant Bills and Laws that govern the project implementation.

2. Jamii Plate - Proposes to address food insecurity by creating a platform that accepts food donations and distributes the donations to persons facing hunger.

3. KATiFunza - An effort to use AI to simplify the Kenyan constitution language full of legal jargon to easily digestible language making it more understandable for the population. It would also highlight the sections of the constitution that are related.

4. JuaGava - A one-stop shop for everything government. The solution incorporates various government platforms (Judiciary, Parliament and Executive) into one website.

5. NikoSafe - This solution provides real-time alerts, emergency services contacts, and safety tips for a location. It incorporates use of Google Maps and publicly availed data from security agencies.

6. Our Voice - A public participation tool that allows citizens to participate in parliamentary bill debates. This solution promoted citizen activism and ensures their feedback is captured for posterity.

Thank you to Google Developer Group Kisumu for trusting us to host the hackathon. Congratulations to all the teams for their fantastic efforts! We can't wait to see how these ideas will grow and to support citizen engagement in governance.

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