Kenya wins two more gold medals as Kipruto sets new Olympics record

Kenya wins two more gold medals as Kipruto sets new Olympics record By Bismarck Mutahi in Rio Di Janeiro Updated Thu, August 18th 2016

Faith Chepng'etich Kipyegon who won a gold medal in the women's 1,500m final. (PHOTO: COURTESY) 

Kenya struck Olympics gold to top the athletics medal table at the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Yesterday, 22-year-old Faith Chepng’etich Kipyegon set the medal-winning mission in motion when she dramatically upstaged Ethiopia’s world 1,500m record holder Genzebe Dibaba. Then two-time world 3,000m steeplechase champion Conseslus Kipruto added to the day’s gold medal account as he upset two-time Olympics champion Ezekiel Kemboi at the Olympic Stadium. Kemboi’s defeat marked a turning point as he handed over the reins to Kipruto, who lost to him twice – at the World Championships in Moscow (2013) and in Beijing in 2015. Huge gap Kipruto, who comes from Kipchunu village in Nandi County, won Kenya’s fourth gold medal in Rio – coming after Jemimah Sumgong (marathon), David Rudisha (800m) and Chepng’etich (1,500m).

Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000212444/kenya-wins-two-more-gold-medals-as-kipruto-sets-new-olympics-record

Magical Kenya wins five destination awards

Magical Kenya wins five destination awards

Kenya has received a record five destination awards at the 23rd annual World Travel Awards (WTA), Africa & the Indian Ocean Islands Gala Ceremony held at the Diamond La Gemma Hotel in Zanzibar.

The awards included:

Africa’s Leading National Park which went to the Maasai Mara National Reserve

Africa’s Leading Beach Destination which saw Africa’s leading beach, Diani retain the top position

Africa’s Leading Meetings & Conference Destination, went to Nairobi

Africa’s leading Destination and Africa’s Cruise Port 2016 – Mombasa

Africa’s Leading Tourist Board for the 5th year running retained by the Kenya Tourism Board

Tourism Principal Secretary, Mrs. Fatuma Hirsi who received the awards on behalf of the sector applauded the industry players who have consistently showcased the country amidst challenging times.

Speaking at the event, she singled out Nairobi as indeed having become a city of choice for international conferencing and we are happy with the role that the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC) is playing.

“The increase in bed capacity through the entry of international brands like Radisson Blu and Kempinski and the recently opened Golden Tulip Hotel, enhanced security and improved infrastructure has seen Kenya meet the international standards for successful bidding to host global meetings,” said Mrs. Mohammed.

Kenya will be hosting UNCTAD and TICAD in July and August 2016 respectively.

“We have a world heritage to protect in our parks and we must continue to support conservation in order to remain the top authentic safari experience. Mombasa port has attracted various cruise ship in the recent past and the recognition of Mombasa as a leading destination in Africa is a big win for the coastal product that had suffered a lull,” she added.

The WTA celebrates excellence across the travel tourism and hospitality sector.

“We are happy with the endorsement that these awards bring to the destination as a whole and we encourage all stakeholders to pull together as we recover the sector.”

Last year, Kenya was voted as Leading Safari Destination during the 2015 World Travel Awards (WTA) held in El Jadida, Morocco, on December 12 beating seven other nominees including South Africa, Namibia, Botswana, Tanzania, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

Speaking at the event, Chris Frost, the Vice President of the Word Travel Awards applauded Kenya on her consistency in showcasing the quality tourism product that the country has.

“Kenya is a destination of choice for many and we are delighted that the industry continues to step up quality service to all the visitors to Kenya, the previous challenges that the country has had have not dampened their spirit to showcase their country and we all need to learn from Kenya in order to bring more benefits of tourism to Africa and the Indian ocean Islands.”

Other Kenyan winners in the sector included:

Kenya’s Leading Beach Resort – Leopard Beach Resort and Spa

Kenya’s Leading Business Hotel – Nairobi Serena

Kenya’s Leading travel Agency – Bonfire Ventures

Kenya’s Leading Travel Management Company – Abercrombie & Kent

Kenya’s Leading Safari Lodge – Sarova Shaba Game Lodge

Africa’s leading Airline – Kenya Airways

Africa Leading Airline – Business Class – Kenya Airways

Africa’s Leading All-Inclusive Beach Resort – Diamonds Dream of Africa , Kenya

Africa’s Leading Design Hotel – The Tribe

Africa’s Leading Family Resort – Leopard Beach Resort and Spa

Africa’s leading green Hotel – Nairobi Serena

Africa’s Leading Hotel Brand – Serena Hotels

The Ministry of Tourism will in the coming week meet tourism stakeholders in Nairobi and later meet the coastal stakeholders at Africa’s leading beach destination, Diani, with a view of strengthening working ties towards full recovery of the tourism sector.

April 10, 2016 Christine Muchira

Marius Kipserem of Kenya wins Rotterdam Marathon

ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) — Marius Kipserem of Kenya won the 36th Rotterdam Marathon is a personal best time of 2 hours, six minutes and 11 seconds Sunday, making the most of warm and almost wind-free conditions on the course around the Dutch port.

Kipserem ran alone down the finishing straight on Coolsingel street that runs through the heart of Rotterdam cheered on by thousands of spectators.

Solomon Deksisa of Ethiopia finished second in 2:06.22, just over a minute ahead of his countryman Geoffrey Kiriu, who completed the race in 2:07.23.

Leterbrhan Gebreslasea of Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2:26.15. Fellow Ethiopian Sutume Kebede was second in 2:28.04 and Rebecca Korir of Kenya was third in 2:29.16.

By The Associated Press

April 10, 2016 9:52 am

Breakthru Kenya:

Documenting and promoting the successes of Kenya and Kenyans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

Kenya wins big at the World Travel Awards

Kenya wins big at the World Travel Awards

Kenya’s tourism industry has received a shot in the arm after the country bagged more than ten awards at the World Travel Awards in Zanzibar.

The Kenya Tourism Board was voted Africa’s best tourism board, with Kenyan tourism players heaping praise on the board for its effort in marketing the country.

Also Read: Clinton secures win as husband pledges she will ‘never quit’

“We would like to thank the Kenya Tourism Board for the work they’re doing marketing the country as a destination of choice for tourists,” said Ms Rosemary Mugambi of the Serena Hotels.

The award’s gala that was held at the Diamonds La Gemma dell’Est resort in Zanzibar saw Mombasa, Kenya voted Africa’s leading destination for tourism while Diani Beach was voted Africa’s dream destination and Nairobi voted Africa’s leading business meeting and conference destination.

The biggest winner of the night was Maasai Mara, which was voted the best national park in Africa.

Kenya’s national carrier Kenya Airways (KQ) was also named Africa’s leading airline and the best for business class travellers.

This comes as KQ is in the process of restructuring its operations in a bid to cut down costs to save the ailing airline.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event, KQ marketing manager Chris Diaz said he was proud and honoured to have received the awards on behalf of the airline, adding that it came through the efforts of their staff that has maintained the excellent standards synonymous with the airline.

“Despite the challenges currently being experienced, we will maintain excellence in our services and ensure that our quality is not compromised,” he assured.

Other Kenyan companies that were feted included the Diamond’s dream of Africa which was named Africa’s leading all-inclusive hotel, Leopard beach resort and spa which won the award for Africa’s leading family resort, Tribe Hotel Kenya which was voted Africa’s leading design hotel and Serena Hotel which was voted Africa’s best green hotel.

By Lisa Kamau, Citizen Digital

10 April 2016

Breakthru Kenya:

Documenting and promoting the successes of Kenya and Kenyans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

Tears of joy as Mr World Kenya shines in global modelling contest By Steven

Tears of joy as Mr World Kenya shines in global modelling contest By Steven

Mr World Kenya tops Africa, taking the fourth place in the annual Mr World 2016 edition held in UK on July 19 2016 A Kenyan, who was among the 46 finalists in the Mr World 2016 pageant, emerged fourth during the competition held in UK. Kevin Oduor, 20, saw it coming. And when the judges at the Mr World 2016 finals made their verdict, he broke down as tears of joy freely flowed down his cheeks. It was a dream come true as he achieved a feat no other Kenyan male model has attained on a world stage. Technically, Kevin (above) is now Africa's most desirable man or in other words, Africa's most eligible bachelor (according to the Mr World titles) as he topped the African chapter. During the Mr World 2016 gala held in Southport, UK, on Tuesday night, the reigning Mr World Kenya scored a first. He made it to the top four, technically acquiring the title of the most desirable man in Africa. Kevin, a former Mr Catholic University, stood tall, carrying the Kenyan flag high in a competitive final that featured top models from all over the world, among them men who model for international fashion brands. READ MORE Kenyans are now in the golden age of titles... "I am still ecstatic. It is amazing. I can't believe this. It is an awesome feeling. I am lost for words and I thank God for all this," a jubilant Kevin told The Standard minutes after he was announced the fourth best at the Southport Theatre, Floral Hall, The Promenade, Southport. "Surprisingly, I have been expecting to score well here and I am grateful I made it through," Kevin said. It was a night of many firsts as 26-year-old Mr India Rohit Khandelwal was crowned the winner, becoming the first Indian to win the coveted title and walking away with $50,000 prize money. Puerto Rico was first runner-up while Mr Mexico came third. "The experience was phenomenal. Being on stage with 46 other desirable men is just a feeling I can't explain. And then, top up that with a top five finish... I did it for Kenya, my country that I am so proud of," Kevin said. Unlike the Miss World pageant, which is the most prestigious beauty pageant, Mr World has always been treated lowly locally. Male modelling is not popular in Kenya. That explains why Kevin's departure for UK went unnoticed.

Kisuli Muendo July 21st 2016

Read more at: http://www.standardmedia.co.ke/article/2000209347/tears-of-joy-as-mr-world-kenya-shines-in-global-modelling-contest

Breakthru Kenya:

Documenting and promoting the successes of Kenya and Kenyans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

Kenyan AWARD Fellow Wins AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Award

Kenyan AWARD Fellow Wins AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Award

Florence Habwe, a doctoral fellow at Maseno University, has received the prestigious Young Scientist National Award (Life Sciences) from the African Union (AU) and The World of Academic Sciences (TWAS) in recognition of her research on the preservation of African indigenous vegetables.

The awards are designed to recognize scientific excellence. In each participating country, two US$5,000 prizes are awarded each year in the categories of life and earth sciences, and basic sciences, technology, and innovation.

“AWARD introduced me to the world of publishing,” says Habwe. “I published my first paper after I completed the AWARD workshop on scientific writing, and later four more, which led to this achievement. I thank AWARD and my mentor, Professor Mary Abekutsa-Onyango, and my supervisors for how far I have come.”

Habwe says her science skills and confidence as a researcher have continued to develop in the two years since she graduated from the program. “I strengthened my scientific knowledge through collaboration with fellow women scientists and others,” she says. “I now know where to go to do what. When I won an AWARD Fellowship in 2009, I was very shy and could hardly speak to people. All that has changed,” she adds, laughing.

TWAS, the AU, and national ministries of science and technology partnered with national science academies, scientific research councils, and high-level research organizations in Africa to institute the AU-TWAS Young Scientist National Awards.

The award celebration was hosted by the Ministry of Higher Education Science and Technology in Nairobi, Kenya on December 11.

·       Ajabu! Weekly News for Africans Abroad

·       Date: Thu, Mar 17 2016

Breakthru Kenya:

Documenting and promoting the successes of Kenya and Kenyans.

Celebrating the heroes and heroines of our nation.

G Creative wins Best Nation Brand Award for ‘Make It Kenya’

G Creative wins Best Nation Brand Award for ‘Make It Kenya’

Hot on the heels of Grayling’s sweep at the African Excellence Awards, Graying META’s creative offer, G Creative, has won a Transform MENA Award in the Best Nation Brand category. G Creative won the award for the Make It Kenya Campaign, an international nation brand for the Kenya Ministry of Tourism, developed in 2015 and launched by Kenya’s President HE Uhuru Kenyatta at The Milan Expo 2015.

Carolina Salas, Head of G Creative, said of the win: “We’re delighted to have been recognized by Transform MENA with this award for the creation of the Make It Kenya brand. The G Creative and Grayling teams have put so much into the Make It Kenya campaign, so this win feels brilliant. Our biggest recognision has been to develop a brand that represents and identify Kenyans around the world and we are really proud of it.”

The full list of awards is as follows:

WINNER: Nation Brand – Make it kenya

Highly Commended:

Seha – Unwani campaign – Best photography style/illustration

Grayling – Brand refresh

Dettol-Proscalp – Brand experience

One of the Transform Award judges commented: “This was a really well-executed project. What stood out the most was not just the fact that it effectively met the challenge at hand or had a nice logo, but rather that the strategy was very comprehensive. The branding translated well across all channels and really does the job that the team intended. Well done.” 

The Make It Kenya brand was completely developed and produced by G Creative.

 More information on Make It Kenya here. 

---

Grayling Team

19th May 2016

Breakthru Kenya - Documenting the successes of Kenya and Kenyans.

Brit born and trained in Kenya wins Tour de France

Brit born and trained in Kenya wins Tour de France

Brit born and trained in Kenya wins Tour de France

UK cyclist Chris Froome, who was born and trained in Africa and speaks Swahili, says he hopes that his victory this month in the 100th Tour de France will inspire other young Africans.

Froome, 28, was born in Kenya to parents of British descent. At the age of 14, he moved to South Africa to go to school and then university in Johannesburg.

He was introduced to cycling by David Kinjah, a professional Kenyan cyclist, and won a cycling medal for Kenya in the 2007 All Africa Games.

His performances in 2008 attracted the attention of British Cycling coach, Rod Ellingworth who believed Froome had potential.

“Although I was riding under the Kenyan flag I made it clear that I had always carried a British passport and felt British,” said Froome earlier this year. “It was then we talked about racing under the Union Flag, and we stayed in touch.”

However, Froome’s father Clive, who still lives in Kenya, said his son “feels at home” in Kenya and South Africa just as much as he does in the UK.

“He has shared affiliation and affection for all three,” he said.

Kinjah said seeing Froome win the Tour was “a wonderful, wonderful feeling”

Although competitive cycling is not hugely popular in Kenya, a large number of fans gathered to watch and celebrate Froome’s victory in a bar in the wealthy Westlands suburb of Nairobi.

Speaking to the BBC, Kinjah said he initially thought Froome was “another young kid” from a wealthy family, before realising that he was a “poor white boy”.

“And soon when we started to be friends, I never charged his mother any money because Chris was quickly becoming one of us and he loved to be in the village with us,” he said.

“He was like one of us, our brother. He was just funny and happy, a white boy who accepted our village and ate our food.”
\
After his victory, Froome said: “I’d like my performances here to help inspire a lot of youngsters, especially young Africans.”

“They have to believe they can get out of Africa to make it to European teams.”

By AGENCY REPORTER - Fri Jul 26,

Breakthru Kenya - Documenting the successes of Kenya and Kenyans.

Kenya wins men’s, women’s team races at Bolder Boulder

Kenya wins men’s, women’s team races at Bolder Boulder

Isaac Mukundi won the Bolder Boulder 10-kilmeter race Monday as he led Kenya to the international team crown.

The women also captured the team title to give the country its second sweep at one of the nation’s largest road races.

The Kenyans also won both team titles in 2001.

Mukundi began to pull away late in the race and finished in 29 minutes, 12.14 seconds, edging Terefe Debela of Ethiopia. Team USA’s Diego Estrada finished third as the Americans had four finishers in the top 10 to push the Kenyans.

Amane Gobena of Ethiopia cruised to the women’s crown, finishing in 33:39.87. Miyuki Uehara of Japan was second, while Alisha Williams was the top American finisher in eighth.

There were around 51,000 runners registered for the race.

Former University of Nebraska at Kearney runner Tanner Fruit finished fifth in the Citizen’s Race. Other results of local runners were not available at the Hub’s press time.

By Associated Press |

Breakthru Kenya - Documenting the successes of Kenya and Kenyans.

Seriki Davidwise's Quote 1

Seriki Davidwise's Quote 1

"The world is for great people, but great people aren’t for themselves, but for the world."

Quite importantly, our world is at the feet of her great people. Men and women, who are adored, revered and celebrated. They exist in their thousands across the globe.

The voice of one is the voice of countless thousands that echo their words and speeches and tell their acts on the internet, media, offices and private homes around the world..

Tiny gods, like shooting stars shot into the earth, these ones refused their lights from going out.

Great people they are. Great and mighty, wealthy, influential and powerful, they should all rise and never live for themselves alone but Rise up for the world!

By Seriki Davidwise.

Kenyan students win award in International Science and Engineering Fair in US

Kenyan students win award in International Science and Engineering Fair in US

The 2016 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair featured more than 1,700 young scientists selected from 419 affiliate fairs in 77 countries, regions and territories, including four from Kenya.
Kenyan students Vishal Vekaria and Mansi Apte, students at Shree Cutchi Leva Patel Samaj School (SCLPS) in Nairobi West, became the first Kenyan winners at the prestigious and competitive Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF) in Phoenix, USA.
The two 15-year-olds brought home an award in the category of Environmental Engineering, sub-category Water Resource Management after emerging third in the category.
Their project was titled Acacia xanthlophloea characterisation and preservation techniques of sapwood (plant xylem) as a low-cost membrane for arid and semi-arid areas in Kenya. The project is focused on water resource management, seeking ways to deal with the lack of safe drinking water in rural and semi-arid areas. They used locally available resources to build a water purifier that is affordable.
The project is focused on water resource management, seeking ways to deal with the lack of safe drinking water in rural and semi-arid areas. They used locally available resources to build a water purifier that is affordable.
The duo also won the First Award of $1000 from the Qatar Foundation, Research and Development and got an honorable mention from the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID).
Kenya had two projects that were showcased at ISEF by another set of students from SCLPS School. The second was by Ramya Yanamandra and Rupal Rabadiya, who presented a project that helps with the detection of Salmonella enterica DT104 and Vibrio cholera O139 using polyclonal antibodies immobilized on polyaniline non-wires.
Simply put, they designed a biosensor that detects bacteria in food. With this, the students were looking for a way to detect the bacteria that causes food borne diseases in order to reduce food borne diseases. This project was inspired after watching the news and seeing the cholera outbreak in Kenya.
Han Jie (Austin) Wang, 18, of Vancouver, Canada, took first-place and the Gordon E. Moore Award taking home US$75,000 for developing microbial fuel cells (MFCs) that more efficiently convert organic waste into electricity.
“Intel congratulates this year’s winners and hopes that their work will inspire other young innovators to apply their curiosity and ingenuity to today’s global challenges,” said Rosalind Hudnell, vice president in Human Resources, director of Corporate Affairs at Intel Corporation, and president of the Intel Foundation.

7th Grade 13 year old Kenyan American boy who won Cool Science Award in Lowell

7th Grade 13 year old Kenyan American boy who won Cool Science Award in Lowell

Sam Mwea Ngare, a 13 year old Kenyan American boy in Lowell Massachusetts

was among 4 students who won the 2013 Cool Science Award for his amazing drawing depicting the effects of science on our future life. The 7th grade student at the Wang Middle school will be awarded the prize Friday April 5 at the Umass Lowell on 61 Wilder, and his drawing will run as a promotional advertisement on all Lowell transit buses for the entire month of April 2013.

The cool science award is a collaborative effort between the University of Massachusetts

Lowell’s Graduate School of Education and the University of Massachusetts Boston's

Department of Environmental, Earth, and Ocean Sciences. The Cool Science team brings an

inter-disciplinary approach to the challenge of improving public understanding of climate change

science.

Cool Science aims to engage students, teachers, parents, and the general public with the

science of climate change.

The award is presented on a monthly basis to top winners, runner ups, and honorable mentions

for various art projects presented by 10th grade students from all over the state of Massachusetts.

"I felt surprised that I won. I really did not think my drawing was that good to win," said Sam

while speaking to AjabuAfrica.com during an interview at his home on Mill street apartments in

Lowell.

According to the young Kenyan, when her teacher, Ms. Magnus, came into the classroom one

day and announced that a competition on climate change was going on, he immediately got curious and decided to take part.

"I thought about how our activities are changing the weather patterns these days."It's like we

Are supposed to be in spring now and we just had a big snow storm several days ago. Ice is

melting in the Artic and disrupting life for everything including penguins. Last year, Halloween

was postponed to a Sunday because there was a storm," he said.

The young man said that if human beings can start using electric cars more often, use solar panel to generate electricity for our houses instead generating it from coal gas or water, then we

can make a big strides towards restoring and conserving the regular weather patterns.

"We can also use windmills more," he quipped.

Sam was then able to translate his exact thoughts into a beautiful drawing that won the April

contest. It was fittingly titled " We can change".

An entry titled "Be a Hero - Plant a Tree" by Reybekah, an eighth grader in Ms. Piekos' class a the Bartlett Community Partnership School in Lowell, Mass. took the runners up position.

Sam said he will receive a $200 gift card from Amazon that he plans to put towards purchasing a laptop. Born in Lowell on October 4, 1999, the young Kenyan said math is his favorite subject and he "We can Change", by Sam Ngare

Jalen Scott, the Student won international science award

Jalen Scott, an eight-grader whose research into elevated lead levels in the soil at some Baton Rouge schools secured him an invitation to compete in Africa, has returned from the Golden Climate International Environmental Project Olympiad in Nairobi, Kenya with the top prize for his grade level.

Scott, a student at Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School in Baton Rouge and the only one from the United States selected to compete, was the junior division winner of the Wangari Maathai Grand Award, which is named for the Kenyan environmentalist who in 2004 became the first African woman to win a Nobel Peace Prize.

“When they called my name as the winner, I got real nervous,” Scott said in a press release sent by the school on Thursday. “My legs started shaking, and I was afraid I couldn’t walk.”

But Scott, who was accompanied to Kenya by his father and science teacher, managed to make it to the stage to accept the grand award.”

“Jalen Scott’s accomplishments are nothing short of amazing and show the world that we are developing some of the best minds in science fields right here in Baton Rouge,” said Mayor-President Melvin L. “Kip” Holden in the press release. “I couldn’t be more proud that his innovative ideas not only benefit current students, but will also help him achieve his own dreams.”

Scott’s 2013 science fair project, which also got him published in an academic journal and allowed him to meet national educational and political leaders, was one of 135 entrants from 31 countries. Kenilworth science teacher Elkhan Akhundov entered Scott’s project, which competed against 24 other entrants from junior-high students.

As a seventh-grader, Scott and Desirae Gardner, then a sixth-grader at Kenilworth, produced similar projects studying soil at 11 local schools, using a hand-held X-ray spectrometer provided by LSU associate professor David Weindorf, a soils specialist with the LSU AgCenter. Scott found lead levels above U.S. Environmental Protection Agency screening limits at four of the schools. Gardner found elevated levels of arsenic at seven schools.

Kenya's Kipruto wins Rome marathon

Kenya's Kipruto wins Rome marathon

Amos Kipruto wins the 2016 Rome Marathon on April 10, 2016. PHOTO | IAAF

In Summary

Kipruto weathered a seven-man assault when he broke away at 35km to triumph in more than a minute and effectively ended Ethiopia’s three-year dominance in the race in his first attempt at marathon.

Kipruto, who arrived in Rome in great form, having paced the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon through 30km in 1:27:30, edged out Ethiopia’s Birhanu Addisie to second in 2:09:27.

Kenya’s Dominic Ruto sealed the podium place in 2:09:28 as Rahma Tusa of Ethiopia won the women’s race in 2:28:49.

Kenya’s Amos Kipruto cruised to victory in Rome, clocking 2:08:12 on Sunday.

Kipruto weathered a seven-man assault when he broke away at 35km to triumph in more than a minute to end Ethiopia’s three-year dominance in the race in his first attempt in marathon.

Luka Kanda was the last Kenyan to have won in 2012 before Kipruto reclaimed the pride.

Kipruto, who arrived in Rome in great form, having paced the Standard Chartered Dubai Marathon through 30km in 1:27:30, edged out Ethiopia’s Birhanu Addisie to second in 2:09:27.

Kenya’s Dominic Ruto sealed the podium place in 2:09:28 in a race where Rahma Tusa, of Ethiopia, won the women’s race in 2:28:49. Mulu Diro Melka, also from Ethiopia, was second clocking 2:29:59.

The Ethiopian women maintained their dominance over Kenya for the third year running in the race. Helena Kiprop is the last Kenyan women to have won the race in 2013.

Kenyan Team Wins 2nd Place, $10,000 in Wege Prize 2016 Michigan, USA

Kenyan Team Wins 2nd Place, $10,000 in Wege Prize 2016 Michigan, USA

Five Kenyan women currently studying abroad at different colleges and universities around the world are working together to improve living conditions in the impoverished urban areas of their home country, and their efforts recently earned them 2nd place and $10,000 in Wege Prize 2016, a global student design competition focused on the circular economy.

Organized by Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University’s (KCAD’s) Wege Center for Sustainable Design in Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA, Wege Prize challenges teams of undergraduate students from around the world to work across institutional and disciplinary boundaries, converging their knowledge and perspectives to design a product, service, or business model that can function within and facilitate a paradigm shift toward a circular economy, an economic model in which resources and capital are regenerative.

Named Kenyan Youths for a Circular Economy, or KYCE, the team of Stephanie Ageng’o, studying Law at Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom; Lavender Micalo, studying Biochemistry at Roanoke College in the United States; Lydiah Mpyisi, studying Environmental Science and Biology at Roanoke College; Kathleen Murarya, studying Mathematics and Science at Westchester Community College in the United States; and Phenny Omondi, studying Agronomy and Environmental Science at EARTH University in Costa Rica, unveiled an ambitious plan to improve the poor economic and sanitary conditions of Kibera, Kenya’s largest urban slum, where each of the women were born and have spent a majority of their lives.

In Kibera, overpopulation, poverty, and a lack of proper sanitation facilities has resulted in a number of growing environmental and personal health problems including disease, pollution, and lack of access to clean water.

“Our team originally met at the Millennium Campus Conference in New York City at the United Nations headquarters, and during the conference we began talking about how we could come together as Kenyan youths to help our country achieve the sustainability goals that were adopted by the UN in 2015. A few months later we heard about Wege Prize and wanted to get involved,” said Micalo.

Mpyisi, who presented her team’s solution in the final stage of the competition, added, ““We wanted to integrate existing community-based organizations and work together with the government and the locals to come up with solutions that can disrupt the existing wicked problems in Kenya’s urban slums.”

By orchestrating a collaboration between Peepoople, a nonprofit that manufactures and distributes portable toilets that transform human waste into valuable fertilizer; The Community Cooker Foundation, a nonprofit that works to provide communities with bio-digesters that can transform environmental waste into energy; and the Kenyan government, KYCE plans to pave the way for a circular system in which Kibera’s most formidable problems can become assets for growth and development.

Using the Community Cooker Foundation’s bio-digesters, Kibera’s environmental waste would be upcycled into inexpensive and clean heat energy that would provide residents with a means of cooking food and boiling water for safe consumption. Using Peepoople’s Pepoo product, a biodegradable and self-sanitizing human waste receptacle that inactivates harmful pathogens, would give Kibera’s residents an affordable and sanitary means of relieving themselves and allow human waste that is currently polluting the environment to be upcycled as fertilizer for large community gardens that would take the place of existing urban landfills.

 “We really appreciated that team KYCE chose to work on a problem in a context that they had personal connection to,” said judge Gretchen Hooker, who works as a Biomimicry Specialist for the Biomimicry Institute. “Their system redesign leverages existing resources in the community in new ways and meets an acute need affecting many people.”

KYCE has already begun connecting with Peepoople, The Community Cooker, and local Kenyan governments to put their plan into action. They hope to use the funds awarded in Wege Prize 2016 to help officially solidify the necessary partnerships and resources to move their idea forward.

“We’re now going to start finalizing all of our partnerships on paper, and we also want to take steps to ensure that our project is sustainable, and that the change we want to see happen in Kibera actually does happen,” said Mpyisi. “Being named a finalist in a global competition like Wege Prize really gave us a voice to approach these organizations and prove to them that our idea is worth listening to.”

Other winning solutions in Wege Prize 2016 included a solution that focuses on creating an on-site waste treatment system for hospitals that minimizes environmental impact while maximizing the ability of the system to recover resources, and a solution that would help Technology for Tomorrow Ltd.,  an existing company in Uganda that manufactures sanitary pads out of papyrus, adopt a circular model for meeting the heating and electricity needs of its production facilities through biomass gasification of papyrus and paper waste materials.

Thanks to the generous support of The Wege Foundation, which recently awarded $444,000 in grant funding to KCAD’s Wege Center for Sustainable Design to continue running the competition for the next four years, Wege Prize 2017 will be open to any undergraduate student in the world, and will again be focused on the circular economy.

Team registration will open in August 2016, but those interested in participating are encouraged to begin building their teams and brainstorming ideas now. Educators and other professionals who are interested in contributing their expertise are encouraged to contact wicked@wegeprize.org for more information.

Wege Prize - 17 Fountain St. NW, Grand Rapids, MI 49503 - wicked@wegeprize.org

Wege Prize is a West Michigan-born concept developed by
Kendall College of Art and Design of Ferris State University (KCAD) with the support of The Wege Foundation.

May 25, 2016
by Kyle Austin