Sedes Sapientiae Academiae in Kiruhura has won the 11th Stanbic National Schools Championship with a multi-purpose machine designed to help poultry farmers process feed at a lower cost.
The students developed the machine after identifying a challenge faced by poultry farmers who have access to raw materials but often struggle to meet the cost of processing them.
Steven Turyamwesiimire, one of the students behind the innovation, said the machine allows farmers to process their own feed at home instead of paying for processed feed.
“Farmers have the poultry feeds but lack ways of processing them, which becomes costly. So, we decided to make a machine that can help farmers process their feeds at home without buying processed feed,” he said.
According to Turyamwesiimire, the innovation could help farmers reduce feeding costs by up to 60% and improve their monthly profits. The claim is based on the students’ assessment of the machine and was not independently verified in the information provided.
The student-led agritech project can chop and grind different types of animal feed, providing farmers with an alternative to using commercial feed-processing services.
The students said they wanted to make the machine affordable and accessible to farmers, while also helping them process different types of feed using one machine.
Turyamwesiimire credited the Stanbic National Schools Championship with helping students develop the confidence and skills to turn challenges in their communities into practical solutions.
“Stanbic Bank has gone a long way in training young people to be job creators instead of job seekers,” he said.
At the championship’s grand finale, the Minister of Science, Technology and Innovation, Eng Dr Jonard Asiimwe, praised the participating students for using innovation and problem-solving skills to address challenges in their communities.
“It is a great privilege to join you as we celebrate the creativity, innovation and problem-solving abilities of Uganda’s young people in addressing community challenges,” Asiimwe said.
He said the competition was particularly relevant as Uganda continues to implement the Competence-Based Curriculum, which places greater emphasis on practical skills and the application of knowledge.
Asiimwe also commended Stanbic Bank and its partners for investing in young people through the championship.
Juliet Muzoora Atuhire, the Commissioner for Secondary Schools at the Ministry of Education and Sports, also praised the initiative, saying investment in students can benefit their schools and wider communities.
She particularly welcomed the championship’s alumni programme, saying continuity was important if innovations developed through the competition are to survive beyond the annual contest.
Stanbic Bank Uganda chief executive Mumba Kalifungwa congratulated the students who took part in the competition and praised them for their creativity, teamwork, determination and perseverance.
He said the championship had changed significantly since it began as a quiz competition 11 years ago and had developed into a programme focused on practical skills needed in the changing world of work.
The competition attracted applications from more than 1,000 schools this year. Stanbic increased the number of schools taking part in the boot camp from 150 in 2024 to 200 in 2026.
The bank said it has invested more than Shs7 billion in the programme over the past decade, reaching more than 500,000 learners, teachers and community members as well as supporting youth empowerment initiatives.
The championship has two main categories. The Student Spark Challenge supports schools with innovative ideas, while the Business Fellowship helps alumni students and teachers from previous editions refine and expand their businesses.
The 2026 competition offered a prize pool of more than Shs100 million, with support directed at students, schools and their entrepreneurial projects.
Kalifungwa said the bank’s investment in young people is part of its wider purpose and development agenda in Uganda.
Iganga Secondary School was the first runner-up, St Kizito High School Namugongo finished second runner-up and Aga Khan High School took up third runner-up.
The winning poultry feed machine places agriculture at the centre of a competition that seeks to encourage students to use practical skills to solve problems in their communities.
