Kenyan innovators continue to sour high beating competitors from other countries.
Mount Kenya University, MKU lecturer Donatus Njoroge has won The Global Innovation prize 2019 by GIST Nework in Bahrain.
Njoroge was announced the winner in a colourful ceremony that was presided over by the US Ambassador to Bahrain, beating 18 other finalists drawn from countries spread across the globe.
His company, Vinis Ltd is an innovative startup that manufactures and distributes a bio pesticide created by essential oils from plants.
The pesticide helps reduce post-harvest losses of maize and other grains.
This creates jobs, lift people out of poverty, improve health, nutrition, and deliver investors double-digits returns.
He gets Sh.1.5M, ($15,000) in seed capital and Sh.5M in cash.
According to GIST website, the 24 finalists were selected based on their review by scientific and technical experts, and their performance during the GIST Tech-I public vote.
The exercise has run from January 30 through March 1, 2019, where 80 semifinalists embarked on a huge marketing campaign to advertise their projects and encourage people to vote in the GIST Tech-I competition.
Their promotions reached 1.7 million people on social media, highlighting how amazing ideas and hard work can not only benefit an individual, but also a community, a country, a region, and the world.
The Tech-I Finalists will now undergo online training prior to flying to Bahrain to participate in the 2019 Global Entrepreneurship Congress.
At GEC 2019, the finalists will receive two days of intensive entrepreneurial skills training, mentorship, and the opportunity to network with global leaders in their fields.
The GIST Tech-I Finals will culminate in a live pitch before a panel of expert judges, to decide who will return home with capital seed prizes to help grow their business and change the world.
In March Kenya went into frenzy after a humble teacher, Peter Tabichi became the best and won a global award.
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