MURANG’A, Kenya – John Magiro was drawn to technology and engineering from an early age, like moths to flames.
According to his teachers, he consistently demonstrated his skill with technology.
Today, Magiro’s hydropower startup, which tinkers with dynamos, provides clean electricity to thousands of rural Kenyans and a factory.
This is all thanks to his grant from the World-Wide Fund for Nature Kenya (WWF-Kenya) and the National Environment Trust Fund (NETFUND).
Magiro, the founder of Magiro Hydro Power and Director of HydroBox, says he was in class three when he tried to devise a solution for getting power in his home.
“I came up with a wooden turbine being rotated by the water, and then the dynamo was rotated. The dynamo was generating about 0.5 watts, so it could not be used in my home, the home of my brother, or the community,” he explained.
How a young John Magiro raised funds for his innovation
Between class four and class five, he started rearing rabbits.
“So, I sold all my rabbits to get the finance for one car alternator. So, I got one car alternator, but it didn’t work because it needed some static magnet to generate power,” Magiro added.
Fortunately, when he fixed the permanent magnet inside the alternator, it generated more than 24 volts, so he had to put the permanent one in.
“By the time I was sitting for my Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) examinations, I had connected more than 15 customers,” he further revealed.
Meanwhile, Jane Murira, Principal of Gatunduini Secondary School, recalls that Magiro was a slower learner in school.
“The boy was a special boy with a reading and writing challenge. But when he was in form one, he told me that he had a talent, which is the generation of hydroelectric power,” said Murira, adding that she is so proud of Magiro.
Why NETFUND and WWF-Kenya awarded John Magiro
According to Samson Toniok, Netfund’s CEO, in 2014, the organisation ran an award, and Magiro’s innovation emerged victorious in the energy category, which WWF sponsored.
“We got an individual generating power from bicycle parts at a river with a small waterfall. With WWF’s support, we could give him a grant that enabled him to refine and improve on the project,” disclosed Toniok.
Magiro says that when he joined the NETFUND, he was generating about 4 to 8 kilowatts, but following the funding, he started generating more than 35 kilowatts.
“We have connected more than 3,000 customers and end users. We have been able to connect more than 16 schools. The anchor customer is the Ngere Tea Factory, which uses more than 160 kilowatts per hour,” Magero said.
Yussuf Wato, Manager—Biodiversity, Research and Innovation at WWF, Kenya, explains that when WWF and NETFUND partnered about eight years ago, Magiro’s concept was powerful and different.
“We were so surprised that it creates an opportunity for more than 3,000 households now powered by this hydroelectric power. Magiro’s story is very inspirational, and youth in a remote place like this can innovate a solution that can provide energy for communities in this place,” said Wato.
How John Magiro’s innovation was scaled up
Thomas Porlmans, Co-founder and CEO of HydroBox, discloses that when he first met Magiro, he saw somebody who could realise something very significant. Still, he was struggling to scale it up.
“We decided let’s deploy this concept of containerised hydropower stations together in Kenya and scale up and build further on the realisation of Magiro. I thought about the support he needed to be successful, and it was access to finance. It was getting the business model right; it was a good marketing strategy and scalability,” Thomas explained.
Y News understands that Kenya generates some 87 pc of its electricity from renewable sources, particularly geothermal, hydropower, solar, and wind energy, according to the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority (EPRA).
Lack of access to clean energy sources is a significant impediment to development in most counties across Kenya.
For years, most households have been forced to rely on primitive energy sources associated with health complications.
However, Solomon Mwangi from Murang’a said Magiro’s reliable power supply had translated into economic opportunities in the region.
“Being one of the beneficiaries of this innovation, I can confidently say that the project has provided an alternative low-cost source of electricity and minimised disruption caused by power outages,” said Mwangi.
What John Magiro’s project has to offer Kenya and the world
Meanwhile, Wato says that such a solution provides clean, quality energy and affordable energy, contributing to the reduction of greenhouse emissions and, therefore, reducing the impact of climate change, which is commendable.
For his part, Toniok observed that these are some of the innovations that need to be showcased to amplify President William Ruto’s rallying call that Africa has many opportunities.
“It is beyond no doubt that with these inventions, Kenya can solve the climate change issues that we face as a country, as a continent, and as a globe,” Toniok said.
Without hiding her joy, Magiro’s mum said: “I am very proud of my son for what he has been able to achieve. All I can say is that God is good.”
Y News has established that Kenya boasts vast energy resources in sub-Saharan Africa due to its strategic position on the equator.
