The COVID- 19 pandemic has taken a heavy toll on informal sector businesses. Despite the challenges and in order to remain afloat Mr. Odhiambo and four of his colleagues developed an innovative table bench that can seat six persons. The table bench has been trending on most social media platforms and has attracted the attention of several politicians including the Deputy President, Dr William Ruto and Machakos Governor, Dr Alfred Mutua.
Odhiambo and his colleague, Dennis Otieno, discussed and demonstrated their innovation to Dr Ruto who proceeded to make an order for five benches. A video of the visit went viral on social media and as a result they have continued to get more orders and support from the general public. For the duo, they were looking to change their lives and to create awareness on their skills. They stress that their innovation promotes the ‘Buy Kenya Build Kenya’ strategy that seeks to grow local industries. The bench was hailed as ’embodiment of perfectionism.’ Due to the increased demand with orders of over Kshs. 2 million in value, Odhiambo has employed more people.
Read the full blog by Dr. Lilac Onsanjo at our Research and Innovation Blog: https://uonresearch.org/
