UoK Wins Venture4change Idea Competition in Eldoret Through Squitokill Innovation

On Monday 6th November, 2023, a team of 15 students and three lecturers of University of Kabianga travelled to Moi University, College of Health Sciences prepared and armed with three innovative, low cost, low tech, scalable and groundbreaking ideas for the boot camp and idea competition on 7th November, 2023 organized by “Making More Health Venture4Change”, Boehringer Ingelheim (Germany) and Core Health and Wealth International .

The Making More Health (MMH) Venture4Change is a program for University students to develop and implement innovative ideas to foster hygiene, food safety, waste management and health in Kenya. The program has been running since 2021 where University of Eldoret, Moi University and Kibabii University were the only Universities participating in the program until Dr. James Mbugua (School of Business and economics) who acted as a jury in 2022 idea competition introduced University of Kabianga to the organizers and University of Kabianga was admitted to be part of the program in 2023.

The theme of this year competition was “Improve the well-being of people living in low-income urban settlements” with special focus in Langas low income peri-urban area in Eldoret, Uasin Gishu County. Fifteen students were competitively selected and engaged in the program and participated in a workshop series of 6 modules that address a wide variety of social entrepreneurship concerts geared towards helping students assess problems, identify market opportunities, and transform ideas into compelling solutions. University of Kabianga identified three problems in health and energy sectors and innovated on low cost produced briquettes, squitokill and eco magnetic generator. The ideas competed with other 9 ideas fronted by students from Kibabii University, University of Eldoret and Moi University. University of Kabianga emerged the winner through the idea of SquitoKill by Team Exhibitors and has been funded to a tune of 3,000 Euros as seed capital to implement the project in Langas, Uasin Gishu County by Boehringer Ingelheim.   Thanks to Dr. James Mbugua, Dr. Lydia Chepkoech Langat and Dr. Shadrack Mule who mentored the students throughout the period of the program and will take charge in implementation phase of the project in commercialization of the prototype and have a startup established.

University of Kabianga Management was represented by Deputy Vice Chancellor Administration and Finance, Prof. Isaac Naibei and Director of Corporate Affairs Dr. Pius Chumba during the idea competition and witnessed the award of the prize to Team Modifiers led by Tom Obote.

May University of Kabianga live by its motto: “Innovations and Excellence”