AI Innovation Challenge for Climate Action
This Innovation Challenge seeks to empower local innovators to develop and implement innovative sustainable solutions using Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning technologies, that tackle the intertwined issues of climate change and environment degradation
Our Objective
🌍 AI for Climate Resilience
Develop data-driven, AI-powered tools that help communities anticipate, adapt to, and mitigate the impacts of climate change.
đź‘Ą Community Empowerment
Provide communities with knowledge, skills, and digital technology to lead effective climate adaptation and conservation efforts.
🤝 Strengthen Resilience Projects
Enhance the impact of existing Red Cross and Red Crescent resilience initiatives in Taita Taveta through innovation and AI integration.
🌱 Youth & Women Engagement
Raise awareness among youth and women, empowering them as key drivers of climate action and environmental protection.
đź’ˇ Creative Community Solutions
Foster innovative, community-led approaches to sustainable urban development and environmental resilience.
🚀 Piloting Innovations
Test winning solutions in real-world community settings to ensure scalability, sustainability, and long-term impact.
♀️ Gender Inclusion
Address disparities by equipping women with AI tools and training for better access to climate information.
🌾 Sustainable Agriculture
Promote AI-powered agricultural tools while advancing digital literacy and skills development, especially among women farmers.
Focus Areas
Disaster Alert & Response
Deploy AI-driven early warning systems that analyze weather and sensor data in real time to forecast floods, droughts, and other hazards—giving communities critical lead time to prepare and respond.
Agricultural Optimization
Utilize predictive models and remote‑sensing data to anticipate weather patterns, recommend optimal planting schedules, boost crop yields, and monitor soil and plant health for sustainable farming.
Water Resource Management
Implement AI‑powered platforms that forecast water availability, detect leaks or inefficiencies, and optimize distribution—ensuring equitable access and resilience against shortages
Innovation Challenge 2025 – Key Dates & Process
This Innovation Challenge aims to empower (15 local innovators in developing AI and Machine Learning solutions that address climate change and environmental degradation in Taita Taveta County. The initiative is led by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS), the International Center for Humanitarian Affairs (ICHA), and Taita Taveta University.
Over six weeks, selected teams will develop and refine their solutions, with successful innovations receiving support for further incubation and testing within real-world community settings.
Deadline: By 26th September 2025Applicants must submit a justification for their thematic area of interest.
Submissions can be in the form of:A 200-word written summary, ORA 1-minute video
Selection of 30 ApplicantsDate: 1st October 2025Panel review & selection of top entries.
Date: 15th October 2025 (Virtual)
3-minute pitch presentation
2-minute Q&A session
15 applicants will advance to the next stage.
Date: 27th – 31st October 2025
Physical mentorship bootcampVenue: Taita Taveta University Fab-Lab
Date: 1st – 28th November 2025Hybrid model (virtual + physical sessions)Teams refine and build their solutions.
Date: 5th December 2025Physical event in Taita Taveta CountyVenue: To be announced (TBD)
A 5-day mentorship program will provide hands-on training, field trips, and workshops on:
- Understanding climate and environmental challenges with input from experts.
- AI-driven ideation and problem-solving approaches.
- Prototyping techniques with access to datasets, AI development tools, and cloud computing.
- User-centered product development strategies.
- Intellectual property protection and commercialization.
- Pitching techniques and presentation skills.
đź“ŤJoin the Movement
Are you an innovator, developer, or environmental enthusiast? This is your chance to make a difference with technology. Together, we can build a more climate-resilient Kenya—powered by local talent and cutting-edge AI.
Why Artificial Intelligence (AI)?
AI refers to systems and tools that mimic human intelligence to perform tasks more efficiently, accurately, and at scale. It’s already transforming industries worldwide, from healthcare to finance, and can do the same for climate resilience in Kenya.
Machine Learning & Predictive Analytics: Uses data analysis, predictive models, and data visualization to forecast climate change patterns and their impacts on sectors.
Natural Language Processing (NLP): Extracts and analyzes information from documents, research papers, and other sources to support decision-making.
Computer Vision: Utilizes satellite and drone imagery to monitor land use trends, detect environmental changes, and classify objects to prompt timely interventions.
Reinforcement Learning: Optimizes resource management (e.g., energy, water) by adapting to changing environmental conditions.
AI for Internet of Things: Deploys AI-powered IoT devices to monitor real-time environmental conditions and develop early warning systems for extreme weather events.
Innovation Challenge 2025: Phase 2 Judging Details
Phase 1 Results
Applicants who qualified in Phase 1 were notified via email on 10th October. Please check your email inbox (and spam folder) for communication from innovation@redcross.or.ke. If you did not receive a congratulatory email, you did not proceed to the next stage.
Phase 2 Judging Update
The second phase of judging has been rescheduled to 21st October and will be conducted virtually with the 30 selected applicants. This phase marks the next step in evaluating innovative ideas and identifying the most impactful projects..
Need Clarification?
For any feedback, inquiries, or clarification, kindly reach out to the team via đź“© innovation@redcross.or.keWe appreciate your participation and look forward to connecting with you.
Top 16 Solution Profile.
1. Thematic Area: Disaster Alert and Response.
1. Jali-Watch
JaliWatch is an AI-driven early warning and disaster response platform empowering communities in Taita Taveta and beyond to anticipate, prepare for and respond to floods, droughts and landslides. By fusing satellite data, IoT sensors and real-time social media reports, JaliWatch delivers localized alerts in Kiswahili and English through SMS, WhatsApp, USSD, mobile app and voice calls. The platform’s AI Fusion Engine integrates predictive modelling with citizen reports to assess risks and assign confidence scores to generate accurate, timely alerts and connect families to verified safe shelters validated by Red Cross volunteers through the JaliWatch Dashboard. With an open public API and interoperable data formats, JaliWatch enables collaboration among governments, NGOs and researchers making resilience data accessible, transparent and actionable.
2. Mine-Smart Flood Sentinel
An Intelligent Early Warning for Safer Artisanal Mining communities in Taita Taveta County. Mine-Smart Flood Sentinel is an AI-driven early warning and response system designed to safeguard artisanal miners and nearby communities in Taita Taveta County from sudden flash floods and tunnel inundations. The platform seamlessly integrates weather forecasts, satellite rainfall data, terrain models, and IoT sensor networks to deliver localized, real-time alerts specific to each mine portal and surrounding flood-prone villages. By providing timely and actionable information, Mine-Smart Flood Sentinel enhances community preparedness and strengthens coordination among the Kenya Red Cross, the County Government of Taita Taveta, and State Department for Mining, enabling faster, more effective early warning and emergency response to protect lives, livelihoods, and local mining operations.
3. PeDeCe Solution.
PeDeCe is an AI powered climate service that predicts weather patterns and pushes timely and actionable alerts to community members via sms and whatsapp.It gathers information from different social media platforms to send near real time updates and also receives feedback from community members making it more accurate.
4. Mwamko AI.
A life-saving route optimization engine for flood emergencies in Taita Taveta County, Kenya! This AI-powered system transforms disaster chaos into clear action by solving complex priority-constrained routing problems in real-time. By processing geotagged emergencies classified by severity and avoiding flood zones, it creates optimal rescue paths that prioritize critical cases first. Turning logistical nightmares into efficient navigation plans, Mwamko slashes response times, maximizes limited resources, and creates clearer paths to salvation when every second counts. Because in disasters, the fastest route shouldn’t be left to chance.
5. Wild Guard Plus AI.
Wild Guard Plus is an AI-powered integrated early warning system combining wildlife conflict prevention and wildfire detection. It detects wildlife movements and fire risks in real time and sends instant alerts to authorities and communities for rapid response. Attached below is my profile is attached below.
6. HIFADHI Link
Hifadhi Link is an AI-powered disaster and wildlife alert platform that delivers real-time, localized warnings for floods, droughts, and wildlife incursions. By combining satellite data, weather forecasts, and community reports, it predicts high-risk zones and sends SMS or voice alerts to farmers, responders, and wildlife agencies. HIFADHI Link connects climate intelligence with on-ground action reducing destruction, protecting livelihoods, and promoting coexistence between people and wildlife.
2. Thematic Area: Agriculture Optimization
1. Dennis Kenyatta.
Clima-Farm AI is an AI-powered, open-source platform that helps Taita Taveta smallholder farmers optimise planting, irrigation, and fertiliser use. By combining satellite data (Sentinel-2), weather forecasts (CHIRPS), and GIS soil mapping, it delivers personalised SMS alerts on crop health, water stress, and climate risks. Farmers receive actionable recommendations like “Irrigate Plot 3 tomorrow” or “Apply 40kg DAP/acre based on your soil type.” The solution features a two-way feedback loop where farmers report field conditions to continuously improve AI accuracy.
2. Sarah Shali
Mazno MapÂ
AI-powered agricultural intelligence platform that provides localized, data-driven insights to support climate-smart farming in Taita Taveta County. Drawing on my background in Data Science, Economics, and Statistics, I am designing and training machine learning models that analyse satellite, climate, and soil data to forecast rainfall patterns, crop suitability, and drought risks. The platform delivers real-time, location-specific recommendations and early warning alerts through dashboards and SMS, ensuring accessibility even for farmers in remote areas. My goal is to bridge the gap between data and smallholder farmers by transforming complex environmental information into practical guidance that enhances productivity, conserves resources, and builds resilience against climate change. Through Mavuno Map, I strive to make technology more human-centered, empowering communities to achieve sustainable agricultural growth across Kenya
3. Royford Mutuma
Solution: SmartKilimo Hub harnesses the power of artificial intelligence to empower smallholder farmers, orchard champions, and vegetable vendors in Taita Taveta County. Through AI-driven digital advisory tools, farmers receive real-time guidance on crop care, pest management, and harvest planning enabling smarter decisions and improving productivity. By integrating indigenous agricultural knowledge with modern AI insights, SmartKilimo Hub bridges the gap between tradition and technology to strengthen climate resilience and food security. The AI system also powers a digital marketplace that connects producers directly with buyers, promoting fair trade, transparency, and improved livelihoods. SmartKilimo Hub demonstrates how locally grounded, AI-enabled solutions can drive climate-smart agriculture, enhance community empowerment, and build a more sustainable and inclusive future for Kenya’s farmers.
4. Alex Aswan
 DROUGHT PREDICTION TOOL
AI powered Agricultural drought prediction tool that predicts drought 2-3 months prior and notifies farmers via sms for those without smartphones while those with smartphones will use the mobile app.
5. Noah Nickson.
Intelligent Crop Disease Detection.
Intelligent crop disease detection model which Is an AI driven platform that helps detect crop diseases and also offers education on best farming practices for farmers in Taita Taveta County.
3. Thematic: Water and Resource Management.
1. Florah Daisy
AI Water Guardian is a digital solution designed to promote fair, inclusive, and sustainable water distribution in rural communities. It uses artificial intelligence, smart sensors, and real-time data analytics to monitor community water tanks, predict shortages, and pollution risks early.
The system also integrates a community dashboard for water committees and sends SMS alerts to residents ensuring even those without smartphones, such as elderly or low-income users, stay informed about water access and rationing schedules.
By combining local knowledge with advanced technology, AI Water Guardian strengthens water security, data transparency, and climate resilience, empowering communities in Taita Taveta to manage every drop wisely.
2. Antony Koech - KRCS Kericho County Branch Volunteer
AQUA-LINK is an AI-driven water intelligence platform that integrates GIS mapping, IoT sensors, Contamination sensors and proprietary networks to enable smart, sustainable water management and across Taita Taveta County.
3. Ezra Mucha
Maji Smart Sense, leverages AI and IoT technology to help communities predict and manage water shortages before they occur. Through data-driven alerts and youth-led maintenance models, Maji Smart Sense empowers residents of Taita Taveta County to take charge of their water resources and build long-term climate resilience.
4. Jarius Mulongo.
The Taita Taveta AI-Powered Water Resource Optimization System uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) to strengthen drought preparedness and sustainable water use across Taita Taveta County. By integrating climate data, and community inputs, the system predicts water availability, monitors water sources in real time, and delivers actionable SMS alerts to farmers and households. These alerts guide communities on irrigation planning, water storage, and drought risk management, helping reduce crop losses and water-related conflicts. This innovation empowers local communities to make data-driven water decisions, enhance climate resilience, and promote sustainable ecosystem management.
5. Samwel Okongo
AI-Powered Water Stress Mapping uses Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Geospatial Information Systems (GIS) to identify, map, and predict water scarcity across Taita Taveta County. By analysing rainfall, land cover, and groundwater data, the system generates a Water Stress Index Map that highlights communities most affected by drought and limited access to clean water. This helps the County Government, Red Cross, and other partners make informed decisions on where to drill boreholes, build water pans, or deploy emergency supplies. Our goal is to strengthen climate resilience, promote sustainable water management, and ensure equitable access to safe water for all.