The Kenya Community Development Foundation (KCDF) has awarded KSh31.5 million to seven youth-led enterprises and community organisations developing innovative solutions to Kenya’s environmental challenges, as it unveiled an expanded partnership with the I&M Foundation.
The funding marks the culmination of the third edition of the Young Environmentalist Innovation Challenge (YEIC), a flagship programme launched by KCDF in 2023 to identify, nurture and scale environmental innovations led by young people.
The seven winners were selected from more than 700 applications submitted nationwide after a rigorous evaluation process that assessed innovation, impact potential, sustainability and scalability.
Over the past three years, the initiative has supported 24 youth-led projects focusing on environmental conservation, climate resilience, sustainable resource management and circular economy solutions.
Speaking during the awards ceremony in Nairobi, KCDF Executive Director Grace Maingi said addressing Kenya’s environmental challenges requires partnerships that bring together resources, expertise and shared commitment.
“The solutions we need for waste, clean energy, degraded forests and sustainable agriculture will only come from people willing to sit at the same table, share resources, share risk and share credit. Today we celebrate Kenya’s young innovators whose ideas have grown into enterprises tackling waste, energy, agriculture and conservation across the country,” she said.
The seven winning innovations are Twende Green Ecocycle of Mombasa County, which converts marine plastic waste into durable school furniture; Fibertext Green Paper Ltd of Bungoma County, which produces biodegradable paper packaging from discarded banana stems and fibres; Queening Afrika of Nairobi County, which transforms synthetic hair waste into handbags and home décor products; Bio Regen of Murang’a County, which manufactures organic probiotic fertiliser for sustainable farming; Ecobora of Kajiado County, which develops solar cooking technologies; Ecobuild of Siaya County, which converts hazardous mining waste into eco-bricks for affordable housing; and Majik Water Technologies of Murang’a County, which harvests atmospheric moisture to produce clean drinking water.
Collectively, the projects address key challenges including waste management, sustainable agriculture, water scarcity, access to clean energy, affordable housing and the transition to a circular economy.
During the event, KCDF and the I&M Foundation also unveiled the next phase of the initiative under a new name, the Young Innovators Challenge (YIC), signalling an expansion beyond environmental conservation to support youth-led innovations addressing wider social, economic and development challenges.
The revamped programme aims to strengthen Kenya’s innovation ecosystem by connecting young innovators with funding, mentorship, technical expertise and market opportunities to help scale their ventures.
I&M Bank Interim Chief Executive Officer Kihara Maina said the bank’s role extends beyond providing financial services to supporting long-term community development.
“By combining financial grants with capacity building and access to expertise and markets, we want to help promising innovations become stronger, more measurable and sustainable,” he said.
KCDF Board Vice Chair Gordon Odundo said the partnership with the I&M Foundation had significantly increased resources available to young innovators through a matching grant arrangement.
“When a financial institution and a community foundation combine resources, technical expertise and shared values, the impact is multiplied. The I&M Foundation is matching KCDF’s contribution, significantly expanding support for young innovators,” he said.
Applications for the newly launched Young Innovators Challenge are now open through the KCDF website.
