Kenya’s Biggest App-Developer Challenge: Hack-A-Milli Campaign

The Innovation Engine: Hack-A-Milli
​The Hack-A-Milli campaign is Kenya’s biggest app-development challenge, an intensive sprint to build the next generation of digital solutions for the country. Powered by KeNIC (Kenya Network Information Centre) and MetaCap AI, this initiative called upon the nation’s brightest developers, coders, and innovators to create a cutting-edge .KE mobile application. The core mission was to enhance the accessibility and utility of the .KE domain space, making domain browsing and registration seamless and intuitive for every Kenyan.

​Registration and Submissions

The official challenge period for registration and development ran from July 14th and officially concluded with the submission deadline on August 31st.
​The response from Kenya’s vibrant tech community was overwhelming, underscoring the passion for local digital innovation. Over the course of the challenge period, the campaign saw a total of 461 registrations from individuals and teams across the country. This intense development phase culminated in 50 innovative project submissions by the 31st August, all competing for the massive KES 1,500,000 total prize pool.

​The Rigorous Judging Phase
​Following the submission deadline, a rigorous judging process—which included expert panel and AI evaluations—was carried out. The final evaluations concluded on September 12th. Submitted projects were meticulously assessed based on core criteria, including Innovation, Technical Excellence, User Experience, and Market Potential, ensuring that only the most viable and well-executed applications advanced.

Watch the Judging Process here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2HCTQX7eSPY

University and College Represented

The Hack-A-Milli drew a rich mix of universities and academies from across Kenya. See the list below:

• Kisii University
• Karatina University
• Dedan Kimathi University of Technology
• Jomo Kenyatta University – JKUAT
• Baringo National Polytechnic
• KCA University
• Kabarak University
• Machakos university
• Zone01 Kisumu Hub
• Technical University of Kenya
• Strathmore University
• Zetech University
• University of Nairobi
• Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology
• Kibabii University
• Multimedia University of Kenya
• Mount Kenya University
• Kirinyanga University
• Daystar University
• Embu University
• Kenyatta University
• Moi University
• University of Eldoret
• Kiriri Women’s of Science and Technology
• St. Paul’s University
• Baraton University
• Muranga University
• Chuka University
• Technical University of Kenya
• Kenya Highlands University Friends
• United States International University
• The Open University
• Baringo Polytechnic
• Garissa University
• Africa Nazarene University

​Grand Finale: The Award Ceremony
​The ultimate climax of the campaign was the spectacular inaugural Hack-A-Milli Award Ceremony, held on Thursday, September 25th, at Pan Pacific Serviced Suites Nairobi. The event was a powerful celebration of Kenya’s digital future, recognizing the talent that is poised to drive the country’s domain and tech space forward.
​We are incredibly proud to celebrate the remarkable achievement of our Grand Winner and runners-up:

Grand Winner – Daniel France Makala (Kabianga University)

1st Runners-up – Elijah Kibuchi (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology)

2nd Runners-up – Seth Makori (Technical University of Mombasa)

3rd Runners-up – Asman Caleb (Kenyatta University) and Sam Arita (Moringa School)

4th Runners-up – Emilio Cliff (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology)

5th Runners-up – Victoria Gikonyo (Kirinyanga University), Rosemary Njeri (Strathmore University), Ian Okumu (Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology) and Gloria Ngure (Kenyatta University)