Kenyan youth win Sh500,000 for building tool to track political campaign money

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NAIROBI, Kenya – Young innovators in Kenya have won Sh500,000 for developing tech solutions that track political campaign spending, visualise budgets, and spot misuse of public resources.

The Campaign Finance Watch Tool Hackathon 2026, hosted by iLabAfrica and Transparency International Kenya, brought together students, developers, and civic tech enthusiasts to tackle opaque political financing ahead of the 2027 elections.

Winners and their innovations: 

• Technicians – Sh500,000: Built FedhaWatch Kenya, a platform combining citizen reports with dashboards to flag suspicious spending
• Kweli Networks – Sh300,000: Developed Reality Check Engine, using social media to estimate campaign spending and highlight discrepancies
• Kovela – Sh100,000: Created a data pipeline to structure political finance data from PDFs, gazettes, and court documents for easier analysis

Head of Programs, Transparency International Kenya – Gibson Mwaita said: “These innovations move us from policy to implementable solutions, giving citizens, journalists, and watchdogs the tools to follow the money.”

Executive Director, Transparency International Kenya – Sheila Masinde added: “Transparent political financing is a cornerstone of democracy. This hackathon shows how young innovators can empower citizens to hold leaders accountable.”

Director, iLabAfrica – Dr. Joseph Sevilla said: “The hackathon highlights the potential of tech and youth in strengthening democratic governance. Partnerships like ours ensure these ideas turn into real-world impact.”

Anti-Corruption Advisor, British High Commission Nairobi – Linda Eunice Oloo noted: “Scaling these solutions can help close the gap between declared and actual campaign spending.”

Organisers stressed the hackathon is just the start. Winning teams will enter mentorship and incubation phases to refine and scale their tools for practical use.

The initiative is part of the Kenya Institutional Strengthening Program (KISP), aimed at improving transparency in political financing and curbing illicit electoral funding.