JavaConnect KE 2026 was the second edition of this conference. It is run by Kenya JUG in the good hands of Ian Dancan and his group of ortanizers. The conference featured a nice mix of local and international speakers where superstar-speaker Venkat Subramaniam and myself represented the international. Jakarta EE were able to help out with the event by sponsoring the food. This is an excellent way to help the local organizers to foster their community.

I did a brand new talk that I have titled Augmenting AI with the Power of Jakarta EE. Being a new talk, the slides were obviously finalized only minutes before entering the stage. This is a very fun talk to give, with lots of demoes to amplify the message. It was very well received by the attendees as well, so it wasn’t only me having fun. I anticipate doing this talk regularly in the coming months. It is already accepted to two upcoming conferences, and I will do it in Javaforum Malmö (Malmö JUG) next week as well.

It was a fantastic energy in the room during the entire event. Each talk was followed by engaged Q&A. I had so many great conversations during the coffee breaks, lunch, and after the event. In addition to my talk, I was also invited to participate in a panel at the closing of the conference. Ian, as the moderator, had prepared relevant questions for all the panelists. Of course, many of them revolving around AI in one form or the other. After the panel, there was a contest where all attendees could participate through Slido. The questions were all linked to what the various presenters had talked about in their presentations. A great way to end the conference!