This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
July 15, 2020 - In a bid to boost bed capacity in public hospitals currently under pressure from COVID-19-related admissions, President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered the purchase of 500 hospital beds from two young innovators in Githunguri, Kiambu County.
Mungai Gathogo, 26, and Joseph Muhinja, 35, have been tasked with delivering the beds within a month and a half. The locally manufactured beds feature standard hospital design, including a reclining frame, height adjuster, and retractable serving extension.
The innovation, inspired by the COVID-19 pandemic, also features a portable gas cylinder and a drip stand, making it easy to dismantle for ease of transportation.
The purchase of the beds will be a vital boost to public hospitals reeling under the strain of COVID-related admissions. The President's Delivery Unit (PDU) was dispatched to Githunguri to assess the beds and confirm the viability of the order.
‘I have been sent by His Excellency the President to congratulate the young innovators and to confirm the Government’s commitment to support local innovations and products by providing a market for our own under the Buy-Kenya-Build-Kenya policy,” said PDU Secretary Andrew Wakahiu.
The Government will also rope in the Numeric Machining Complex to help the budding entrepreneurs with equipment and to hasten the production. The entrepreneurs have already sold one bed to a home-care client and employed seven people.
