This archive report was first published on 21 May 2020.
On May 21, 2020, Microsoft announced the winners of its 18th annual Imagine Cup Competition, a global student technology competition that aims to empower young innovators to create solutions that impact their communities.
Among the winners were two Kenyan innovators, Michael Mwaisakenyi and Kenneth Gichira, from Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology, who won $16,000 in the Microsoft Imagine Cup Championships.
The Kenyan team, known as The Knights, created an automated robot using artificial intelligence to identify and remove weeds from rows of crops, eliminating the need for environmentally harmful pesticides.
As part of winning the regional finals, the team won $8,000 each, along with Azure credits and a spot in the Imagine Cup World Championship event.
"We are also extremely proud of The Knights, who by making it to the championship event, have reaffirmed Kenya and Africa's immense potential to create solutions that directly address socio-economic needs within industries such as the agricultural sector," said Kendi Nderitu, Country Manager for Microsoft in Kenya.
Other winners of the competition included Team Hollo from the University of Hong Kong, who won the grand prize of $100,000 for their mental health companion web app, and Team RedWalls from Tunisia National Institute of Applied Science and Technology, who made it to the top six position with their I-Remember mobile application.
