This archive report was first published on 13 July 2019.
Published on July 13, 2019, Safaricom's #MyLittleBigThing SDG's Innovation Challenge has crowned three winners from Kenyatta University and JKUAT universities.
JKUAT's Stephen Muchiri took the top spot with his innovative Auto-Alcoblow project, an alcohol detection and monitoring system that measures blood alcohol levels by analyzing a driver's breath and prevents ignition of a car engine by an intoxicated driver.
Auto-Alcoblow also switches off the vehicle in the event that a driver begins consuming alcohol while driving.
JKUAT's Ruth Wanjiru came in second with her Power in Plastics project, which aims to encourage the reuse and recycling of plastics and empower low-income communities.
Third place went to Kenyatta University's Nkanai Cynthia, whose Keep A Child Warm project uses local materials to make improvised blankets for distribution to street families, whom she also mentors.
The #MyLittleBigThing challenge invited undergraduate students from universities across the country to submit innovation ideas around the first five SDGs, including No Poverty, Zero Hunger, Good Health and Well-being, Quality Education, and Gender Equality.
Entrants were required to submit a 2-3 minute YouTube video and a 200-word essay describing scalable and commercially viable ideas related to these goals.
Since 2017, Safaricom has invested approximately KES 3 million in #MyLittleBigThing and contributed towards the setting up of SDG clubs in universities.
The winners will attend the Cambridge University Sustainability Practitioners Program in South Africa in August and receive a three-month incubation period for their projects upon their return.
