By Pascal Mwandambo
Agriculture is the backbone of Kenya’s economy and any innovation that goes towards boosting the sector must be fully supported.
The honour was recently bestowed on Kasigau Girls Secondary School students who came up with a soil testing kit that has earned them a name both locally and internationally.
In fact were it not for the Covid-19 pandemic the students could have travelled to the US after bagging the University of Delaware Horn Entrepreneurship Challenge and a cash prize of Sh.150,000.
The students managed the feat through the support and guidance of the school Principal Mishi Mwaghogho and teacher Amos Arumba.
Three students Rozalia Chao, Hanifa Mutua and Hapiness Wanjiru had programmed a series of sensors using Arduino systems to run numerous soils and crop roots tests to boost crop health.
This propelled them to the national limelight by becoming the first Kenyan students to win the Diamond Challenge, the world’s top global entrepreneurship competition for high school students.
The Diamond Challenge for high entrepreneurs was held on February 22 at Sote Hub in Voi.
The global summit was conducted virtually through a video conference on April 18 and the finals streamed from multiple locations around the world.
The innovation called US Tech Farm System can assist farmers in Arid and Semi arid lands plant and harvest more crops with less water.
According to Mwaghogho, the team and their teachers were to travel to America on 14th April but the plans were cut short by the eruption of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“In spite of the temporary setback, we are still in very high spirits since for the first time in the history of our school we have made an achievement that has won us recognition locally and internationally,” said Mwaghogho.
The girls won in the Special Tropical Prize Award Social Track category, based on their concept of pulling various technologies to solve a predetermined problem with unique approach.
This year’s challenge began with 766 submissions bringing together more than 5,000 high school students.
The school ICT patron Arumba, who mentored the girls from the beginning, said the innovation was an initiative towards realizing the 21st century development goals.
