This archive report was first published on 15 July 2020.
On July 15, 2020, the government placed an order for 500 hospital beds made by Mungai Gathogo and Joseph Muhinja, two young innovators from Githunguri, Kiambu County.
The beds, made from locally available materials, will be supplied to public hospitals currently under pressure due to increased Covid-19 admissions.
President Uhuru Kenyatta's intervention led to the President's Delivery Unit (PDU) assessing the beds and confirming the viability of the order.
The beds, which cost Sh65,000 each, are cheaper than the cheapest available import, priced at Sh85,000.
Already, the innovators have sold one bed to a home-care client and employed seven people.
According to PDU Secretary Andrew Wakahiu, the beds will be subjected to Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) protocols on their suitability for hospital use.
The government will also partner with the Numeric Machining Complex to help the budding entrepreneurs with equipment and hasten the production.
Wakahiu congratulated the young innovators and confirmed the government's commitment to supporting local innovations and products under the Buy-Kenya-Build-Kenya policy.
"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," Wakahiu said.
