This archive report was first published on 28 July 2019.
Kenyan Government Accused of Stealing Innovation Concept ¶
On July 27, 2019, a 19-year-old girl from Kenya spoke to Citizen TV, accusing the government of stealing her innovation concept, which was showcased during the Young Scientists Kenya exhibition in 2018.
According to Mercy Kimani, she and her friend Lorraine Ouma came up with the idea of a social security card, dubbed Mwananchi Card, while they were students at Naivasha Girls High School in Nakuru county. The card was designed to be swiped through a magnetic card reader connected to a computer, displaying information on the card's owner.
After months of hard work, the girls presented their project during the Young Scientists Kenya exhibition in July 2018, with the hope of getting support from the government. However, about eight months later, the government rolled out Huduma Namba, a technology that bore a striking similarity to the Mwananchi Card.
"The moment I saw Huduma Namba on TV, at first it didn't capture my attention, but when I went to the NIIMS site and looked through their PDF, apparently Huduma Namba had so many similarities which I wouldn't consider coincidental," Mercy said.
Naivasha Girls High School funded their project to the tune of about KSh 20,000, providing them with the materials they needed, including a magnetic ink card reader and cards. The girls were among finalists who were picked to present science projects during the YSK 2018 exhibitions at Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).
However, despite their efforts, the girls never received any support or recognition from the government, including President Uhuru Kenyatta, who they had hoped to meet during the exhibition.
ICT Cabinet Secretary Joseph Mucheru showed up and even mentioned the young girls in his speech on that day, but efforts to reach him were futile.
On his part, Mucheru advised schools to manage students' expectations when coming up with new ideas and innovations.
It was not immediately clear whether or not Mercy's concept had been patented.
