When the government in March made a rallying call for people to stay at home to curb the spread of Covid-19, Alexander Mburugu obeyed.
He closed his electronics repair shop at Kionyo market and went home hoping the virus would soon go away. But that was not to be.
Mburugu, a resident of Kionyo, Meru county, soon realised that he still needed to put food on the table.
He had to quickly look for something else to do to keep his family going. Mburugu racked his brains and came up with the idea of making items for sale from plastic waste and other locally available materials.
“I started collecting plastic waste and people quickly started thinking that I had run mad. It was not until July this year that I managed to produce different items from recycled materials that I proved them wrong,” he said.
The items he makes range from flower pots, animals to beautiful birds, which he sells for between Sh300 and Sh1,000 each. He has named his innovation 'Great Brain Technology'.
Mburugu said he shared pictures of the items on social media, and has received orders from across the country. Mburugu hopes to open a stall where he can display his items.
“With the help of my wife, we have been designing different items that serve aesthetic and educational needs of families," the 54-year-old man explains.
He said the items they make, mostly birds and animals, help those who buy them to get a better image of how they look in real life.
“Some people have only heard of a peacock but haven’t seen one. The items we make help people get a good mental image of how it actually look like,” Mburugu said.
He said he believes the Competency Based Curriculum will prepare students to be innovative and not wait to be employed.
“I have been a farmer, operated an electronics repair shop and now I'm trying to make items from waste materials to fend for my family. We should not be over-reliant on the government, parents, or organisations,” Mburugu said.
Mburugu said besides making money from the items, his venture is also serving as a way of eradicating pollutants from the environment.
“I'm a farmer and plastic waste is a big problem.”
Mburugu grows tomatoes, avocados and tea.
Edited by A.N
