By Kigotho Mwangi
Four young innovators from Ruiru, Kiambu County seemed destined for greatness after their ventilator prototype caught the eye of top government officials.
Coming at a time when ventilators are hailed as a key tool in the fight against the coronavirus disease, the innovators are in luck.
The four, Samuel Kairu Ndegwa, Dr. Joseph Munyiri Nderitu, Paul Kariuki Kamau and Peter Kabue Ndegwa assembled a ventilator from locally available materials.
This week they met with Industrialisation Cabinet Secretary Betty Maina who promised them facilitation to produce a prototype ventilator that meets international health standards.
CS Maina said that the four Kenyan will work under the guidance of Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI) to produce a standard prototype.
One of the innovators, Peter Kamau, told K24 that they decided to pool their resources together to make the ventilator after seeing the Kenyans suffering from Covid-19.
Now they will work under the supervision of KIRDI to make their dream a reality.
KIRDI is a national research agency established in 1975 that is mandated to undertake in research and development in industrial technologies.
