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Manu Chandaria’s foundation is funding a Sh20 million ($150,000) KCA University innovation hub meant to mentor young founders and speed ideas into businesses.
The centre, to be known as the Chandaria Business Incubation and Innovation Centre, will sit on the sixth floor of KCA University’s multi level academic complex, a project the university values at Sh8 billion. University officials say the hub is designed to move ideas from classrooms into the market through mentorship, entrepreneurship training, links to industry and access to early stage funding opportunities.
Manu Chandaria, a trustee of the Chandaria Foundation and one of Kenya’s best known industrialists, said the investment is rooted in the foundation’s focus on youth empowerment. He said entrepreneurship and innovation are central to long term development, and that backing young people with tools and guidance can turn new ideas into businesses that solve everyday problems.
The partnership lands at a time when many graduates face a tough job market. KCA and the foundation say the incubator will encourage students to think beyond traditional employment and instead build enterprises, a goal they link to Kenya’s Vision 2030 development agenda. The centre also plans to support intellectual property protection so innovators can retain value from what they create.
University Vice Chancellor Prof. Isaiah I. C. Wakindiki said the deal strengthens KCA’s ambition to become a leading institution in research, innovation and incubation. He said the centre will offer an environment where academic work is matched by practical skills in building sustainable ventures. KCA says it is implementing phase one of its broader masterplan, pegged at Sh1.7 billion, under its 2024 to 2028 strategic plan.
Chandaria’s role in the partnership draws attention because his name is closely tied to both industry and philanthropy in East Africa. He is a senior leader of the Comcraft Group, a privately held manufacturing conglomerate with operations across multiple countries. The group has built its reputation on large scale production and distribution, with core interests that include steel and aluminum products, plastics and related industrial manufacturing.
Over the years, Chandaria has also served on boards and advisory roles in the region’s business community, while the Chandaria Foundation has funded education, health and community programs. The foundation’s work has often focused on practical interventions, from school infrastructure to training initiatives that aim to widen economic opportunity.
KCA and the foundation say they want the incubation centre to grow beyond a campus program. Plans include building international collaborations, taking part in accelerator programs and attracting venture capital for promising projects, positioning the hub as a pipeline for Kenyan innovation that can compete globally.
The university and the foundation say the measure of success will be what leaves the building: viable startups, stronger student founders and new jobs that outlast graduation ceremonies.
