Kenyan Students Selected for Global Innovation Competition in US

A group of four students from Mount Kenya University will represent Kenya internationally after qualifying as finalists in a distinguished innovation contest held in the United States.
Wesley Njenga, Franklin Mwendwa, Elijah Maina, and Ejike Chinyere, all enrolled in the university’s School of Public Health, will journey to Michigan next month to showcase their creation at the Wege Prize competition.
The competition, organized by Ferris State University, is internationally acclaimed and attracts student innovators from across five continents.
Their submission, named Ecoscrubber, functions as a combined emission control and carbon-capture mechanism designed to remove harmful pollutants and greenhouse gases from incinerator smokestacks and convert the captured byproducts into construction materials like bricks and blocks, effectively transforming industrial waste into valuable resources.
The concept for the invention originated from a common occurrence on a road in Thika, when the students observed a truck emitting dense black smoke while nearby pedestrians experienced difficulty breathing.
This incident prompted a thought-provoking question: could those damaging emissions be collected and reused instead of being released into the atmosphere?
The students brought this idea to the university’s Innovation Hub, where they started developing the concept into a practical solution.
Development faced obstacles as initial prototypes proved inadequate, motivating the team to reconsider their design and perfect their chemical methods through extensive testing and multiple iterations until they achieved a working solution.
The project benefited from support provided by the university’s Innovation and Incubation Centre, with faculty advisors Vivian Mmbone and Donatus Njoroge offering continuous guidance.
We commend their advancement. The institution supplied technical assistance, showcased their work during the yearly Research and Innovation Week, and offered counsel that molded the concept into a feasible innovation,” the mentors stated.
Five finalist teams will participate in the live finals on May 15 to compete for a portion of the $65,000 (approximately Ksh 8.4 million) total prize money. Wesley Njenga, the team leader, expressed satisfaction with the project’s development.
We feel privileged to represent Mount Kenya University and Kenya on this international platform. Ecoscrubber represents more than just our work; it shows that African students can create solutions that rival the finest globally,” he stated.
This story was first published by Radio47.