• In 2018, Ng'eti developed a website for Gede Motors and got paid for it. Last year, he won a Sh95,000 sponsorship for innovation from KCB.
• His Health Bio app is meant to help people to share medical challenges, experiences and solutions.
Charbel Ng'eti is a 14-year-old learner at Loreto Convent Mombasa, who is rushing against time to develop a mobile phone medical application.
Ng'eti says an idea struck him during the forced Covid-19 stay-at-home duration. He realised that many people do not have much information about Covid-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus.
He discussed the concern with his mother, who encouraged him to come up with a mobile phone-based application on not only Covid-19, but cancer, TB and other diseases.
Already, the teenager has a name for his app. It is Health Bio.
Health Bio has been his pre-occupation as he and his Standard Eight colleagues return to school to prepare for the national examination in March next year.
Ng'eti is the whizz kid, who in 2018 developed a website for Gede Motors and got paid for it.
Last year, he participated in KCB Lion’s Den and received Sh95,000 sponsorship for innovation.
Health Bio app is meant to help people to share medical challenges, experiences and solutions.
It will help an individual to read other people's experiences in battling different diseases, communicate with those affected, and provide a list of relevant hospitals and doctors.
Ng'eti, who is a member of the Mombasa’s Tech Kidz Africa Technology Academy, will partner with several hospitals on a pilot basis.
“We’ve had discussions with two hospitals where we are going to try the platform before we go full scale. Later on, we will come up with a website for it,” he said.
Tech Kidz Africa Technology Academy cultivates and nurtures innovation among children aged between 7 and 19 years.
The Std 8 learner fears he might not have time to complete the project now that the government has ordered KCPE candidates to go back to class.
“I had anticipated that within three months my project will be ready, but I cannot promise that now because I’m a class eight candidate and I have to prepare for the national examination,” he said.
Tech Kidz Africa founder Paul Akwabi said Covid-19 was a blessing in disguise for children who love technology and innovation.
He said his organisation had in the seven months children were at home launched online technology training for youngsters.
They trained 312 children across the country on robotics, animation, artificial intelligence and software development.
“We were able to enrol 75 children from Nairobi, 53 from Mombasa and several others from Kwale, Kilifi and Eldoret. We only interacted with them online,” Akwabi said.
Ng'eti has designed a birthday card for President Uhuru Kenyatta, who celebrates his 58th birthday today (Monday).
Gianna Bichange, an 11-year-old class six girl at St Joseph Hermans Mtopanga, has developed an animation birthday song for the President.
“We are excited that the children can be able to interact with technology at the very tender age. Ng'eti can develop a website, mobile application and is also a graphic designer.
"At the same time, Bichange is able to create an animation at only 11 years,” Akwabi said excitedly.
- mwaniki fm