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It all kicked off with a Discord notification that lit up my screen one ordinary afternoon at Zone01 Kisumu. As I scanned the message from our Managing Director, Miss Dorcas Owinoh, my heart raced. The Llama 3.1 Impact Sub-Saharan African Hackathon wasn’t just another coding competition, it was my ticket to be part of Africa's AI revolution in Kigali, Rwanda.
The timing couldn’t have been better. I had been working on Kintsugi Hub alongside Cheryl and Sheila, a platform designed to support survivors of gender-based violence. My days were spent wrestling with Blockchain, Natural Language Processing and figuring out how to make AI more sensitive to the challenges faced by women. I didn’t know it at the time, but all this work had prepared me for this moment. The prize was enticing, $100,000 in regional funding and a shot at $500,000 globally, but it was the chance to work with Meta's cutting-edge Llama technology that really fired me up.
When the acceptance email arrived, I knew everything was about to change. The real challenge? Building a dream team. I was the only participant from Zone01 Kisumu, but fate had other plans. In Kigali, I met brilliant minds who would become my partners in this journey. Under the thoughtful leadership of Tonia Kubai, we formed an unexpected but perfect team.
Our first day in Kigali was a whirlwind. The morning buzzed with excitement as we jumped into keynote speeches and panel discussions. By afternoon, we were deep in project discussions, and as night fell, we kicked off what would be the first of many breakthrough brainstorming sessions.
The second day had its own rhythm. Our development sprints became more focused, and we naturally found our communication style. What started as late-night debugging turned into productive workshops. It was during one of these sessions that our project, Rootika, began to take shape.
Rootika was born from our shared experiences and vision. We wanted to bridge the digital divide for artisans in the Jua Kali sector, especially women. We weren’t just creating another marketplace, we aimed to build a lifeline for talented craftswomen who had been overlooked in the digital revolution.
We were lucky to have mentors guiding us through this journey:
Away from coding, a special panel discussion changed our perspective. Surrounded by fellow innovators, we heard stories of overcoming African-specific challenges. These stories resonated with our mission and inspired us to think differently about Rootika, transforming resource constraints into innovative solutions that respect our cultural context.
The last 24 hours were intense. Our team huddled around our laptops, optimizing code, refining our demo, and preparing for our presentation. The pressure was real, but so was our determination. Everything I learned at Zone01 Kisumu, from rapid prototyping to user-centered design, came into play.
When we finally presented Rootika, we demonstrated a solution that could:
Our success at the hackathon wasn’t just a personal win, it was proof of the power of African innovation. Now, as we move into Phase 2 with access to the Llama Impact Grant Program and entry into the AfriLabs Accelerator, we know we have a responsibility to show what African innovation can achieve.
Looking back, the journey from that first Discord notification to our success in Kigali proves that with the right opportunity and preparation, African developers can create solutions that matter. Innovation isn’t just about technology, it’s about understanding the human stories behind the code.
Our vision for Rootika continues to grow. We’re not just building a platform; we’re creating opportunities for talented artisans to thrive in the digital age. It is just the beginning of our story.
The little Discord notification might have seemed insignificant, but it sparked a journey that connected talents across Kenya and beyond. It’s a reminder that when African innovators come together, we can turn dreams into reality.