Nairobi: The Kenya National Innovation Agency (KNIA) CEO, Dr. Tonny Omwansa, has urged universities across the country to enhance their competitive edge in innovation. This comes as the Network of Entrepreneurial Institution Leaders launches a nationwide student innovation challenge aimed at discovering and nurturing promising young innovators.
According to Kenya News Agency, Dr. Omwansa, speaking during the Innovation Week at Maasai Mara University, emphasized that the challenge is designed to foster healthy competition among universities and encourage them to align their strengths with real-world problem-solving. He highlighted Maasai Mara University's (MMU) focus areas, such as tourism and environmental resource management, as strong points for leveraging the challenge.
Dr. Omwansa defined a niche as an institution's distinctive capability that is consistently recognized, resourced, and applied to address societal challenges. He encouraged MMU to deepen its expertise by investing in specialized infrastructure, strengthening academic programs, and adopting a more intentional approach to capacity building. Students participating in the challenge are receiving training through a start-up school program, prioritizing skill development.
Moreover, Dr. Omwansa urged the institution to evaluate its ecosystem positioning, particularly in areas tied to its core strengths. He noted that innovations like precision agriculture using census and satellite data, along with drought-resistant and indigenous crops, present opportunities to boost productivity while conserving ecosystems. These innovations, he said, would not only improve yields but also restore soil health and biodiversity.
Maasai Mara University Vice Chancellor, Prof. Peninah Oloo, described the innovation week as a pivotal moment for the institution. She emphasized that it provides a platform to nurture creativity, advance knowledge, and develop solutions with global impact. The event allows students to showcase their ideas, researchers to present groundbreaking work, and partners to witness the transformative power of collaboration.
Prof. Oloo highlighted the university's partnership with the Kenya National Innovation Agency, which has enabled extensive training and benchmarking opportunities in countries such as India, Denmark, and South Africa. Building on these experiences, the university has developed an entrepreneurial commercialization master plan anchored on five strategic pillars, including innovative leadership, stronger academia-industry collaboration, financial support for start-ups, the establishment of an innovation hub, and entrepreneurial education focused on mentorship and capacity building.
She reiterated the university's commitment to producing job creators rather than job seekers, noting that this milestone signals a deliberate effort to embed innovation into the institution's culture. The week-long event is expected to generate fresh ideas and reinforce Maasai Mara University's role as a key player in driving sustainable innovation in Kenya and beyond.