This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
July 15, 2020 - In a move to support local innovation, President Uhuru Kenyatta has ordered 500 hospital beds from two young entrepreneurs in Kiambu, Kenya. The beds, manufactured by Mungai Gathogo and Joseph Muhinja, will be delivered within a month and a half.
The President's intervention came after the innovation, which has been trending on social media, was brought to his attention. The beds feature a standard hospital design, including a reclining frame, height adjuster, and retractable serving extension. They also have a portable gas cylinder and a drip stand, making them easy to transport.
The Government will subject the beds to Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) protocols to ensure their suitability for hospital use. The Numeric Machining Complex will also be involved in incubating engineering innovations to help the budding entrepreneurs with equipment and hasten production.
The locally manufactured beds will be a vital boost to public hospitals reeling under the strain of COVID-related admissions. The purchase order will also boost the production capacity of the entrepreneurs, who have already sold one bed to a home-care client and employed seven people.
Already, many public hospitals have run out of beds after the pandemic patients took up majority of those available. The entrepreneurs, who previously tried their business luck with local production of sanitizers and masks, said they were forced to go back to the drawing board after competitors flooded the market.
President Kenyatta's move is in line with the manufacturing pillar of the Big Four Agenda, which aims to promote local innovators and manufacturers.
