Allan Chepkoy emerged as the grand winner of Busara Center for Behavioral Economics’ first annual data hackathon in Nairobi, after building what judges described as the strongest statistical model for predicting who may be suffering from depression. The competition was held on 20 November 2018.
Chepkoy said the victory left him “Sh 20,000 richer” after what he described as long hours of self-teaching in machine learning. He added that the win confirmed the effort he had put into learning the craft and “validates the adage that anyone can do anything.”
He had already collected three hackathon prizes that year, including BBC’s “Beyond Fake News” hackathon. The Busara event drew 70 participants, who worked in teams to develop models using data from households in rural Nyanza.
Busara Center, a local research company, said the competition was meant to raise awareness of the role data can play in health care, especially mental health. Daniel Mellow, Busara Center’s Data Specialist, said mental health resources are limited in Kenya and across Africa, and argued that machine learning could help direct treatment to the people who need it most.
He said the tech community should apply its skills to mental health challenges, adding that the hackathon could inspire future projects in health care and well-being. Alfred Ongere of AI Kenya also said the data gathered from such events is “invaluable” and could help bring more stakeholders into similar initiatives.
Participants used information from a 2015 Busara Center study in Siaya County, where more than 2,800 people from 1,440 households were surveyed on family composition, economic activity, financial position and health. They were also asked to use a psychological screening instrument for depression, a process described as sensitive and one that requires referral protocols for serious cases.
The competition offered a total cash prize of Sh50,000. The winning teams received Sh20,000 for first place, Sh10,000 for second place, Sh7,500 for third place, Sh5,000 for fourth place and Sh2,500 for fifth place.
The World Health Organization estimates that 1.3 million Kenyans are suffering from depression, and says Africa has the highest rate of untreated depression of any continent.
Nyakundi Report notes that the archive source also included promotional CMS text unrelated to the competition.
