NAIROBI, Kenya, Feb 7 — KCA University and the Chandaria Foundation have signed a Memorandum of Agreement to establish the Chandaria Business Incubation and Innovation Centre (CBIIC), a Sh20 million facility aimed at transforming students and young innovators into job creators and entrepreneurs.
The centre will be housed on the sixth floor of KCA University’s Sh8 billion state-of-the-art Multi-Level Academic Building and is designed to serve as a dynamic hub where innovative ideas are developed and commercialised into viable businesses.
It will offer comprehensive support to students and aspiring entrepreneurs, including mentorship, training, seed funding and access to industry partnerships.
Speaking on the partnership, Chandaria Foundation Trustee Dr Chandaria said the investment reflects a broader vision of building national self-reliance through youth empowerment.
“Innovation and entrepreneurship are the cornerstones of sustainable development and economic transformation. At the Chandaria Foundation, we believe that investing in young innovators and providing them with the tools, mentorship and resources they need to succeed is not just about creating businesses but also about building a self-reliant nation,” Dr Chandaria said.
“The Chandaria Business Incubation and Innovation Centre embodies our commitment to fostering a culture where Kenyan youth can transform groundbreaking ideas into solutions that address real-world challenges, create employment and contribute meaningfully to our country’s prosperity. We are proud to partner with KCA University, an institution that shares our vision of empowering the next generation to become not just job seekers, but job creators and changemakers,” he added.
The partnership comes at a critical time for Kenya, where youth unemployment continues to challenge the economy, with many graduates struggling to secure formal employment.
The CBIIC seeks to address this gap by shifting the paradigm from job-seeking to job-creation, aligning with the country’s Vision 2030 development blueprint.
The centre’s objectives include promoting innovation awareness, sponsoring technology start-ups, facilitating global linkages for international collaboration and safeguarding intellectual property rights.
By positioning itself as an international incubation hub, the CBIIC aims to participate in global accelerators and attract venture capital to support promising Kenyan innovations.
KCA University Vice Chancellor and CEO Prof Isaiah Wakindiki said the partnership reinforces the institution’s ambition to lead in research, innovation and incubation.
“This partnership with the Chandaria Foundation is a testament to our unwavering commitment to building a research, innovation and incubation-driven institution that nurtures job creators and entrepreneurs,” Prof Wakindiki said.
“The Chandaria Business Incubation and Innovation Centre will be an ecosystem where creativity meets opportunity, where academic excellence converges with practical entrepreneurship and where our students are equipped not only with theoretical knowledge but also with the skills and support to translate their ideas into thriving enterprises,” he added.
Prof Wakindiki further noted that KCA University is committed to fostering a culture of innovation that advances knowledge, drives impactful discoveries and contributes to Kenya’s socio-economic development while promoting integrity, diversity and teamwork.
KCA University is currently implementing phase one of its Sh8 billion masterplan, valued at Sh1.7 billion, in line with its 2024–2028 strategic plan and its commitment to providing world-class education within a holistic, student-centric environment of research, innovation and excellence.
