Kenya has more innovations up its sleeve
M-Pesa was just the beginning of what Kenya has to offer
East Africa’s economic powerhouse Kenya is synonymous with locally developed, globally recognised technological breakthroughs and innovations. It reached a pinnacle with the creation of M-Pesa (M is for mobile; pesa is Swahili for money), a mobile phone-based money transfer, financing and microfinancing service, launched in 2007.
The service was originally launched by Vodafone for Vodacom and Safaricom, Kenya’s largest mobile network operator. The innovation, however, has since been adopted by several countries i ncluding Tanzania, Afghanistan, South Africa, India, Romania, and, most recently, Albania.
M-Pesa allows users to deposit, withdraw and transfer money, and pay for goods and services ( Lipa na M-Pesa) easily with a mobile device. The mobile money service also allows users to deposit money into an account stored on their cellphones, to send balances using PIN-secured SMS text messages to other users (including sellers of goods and services), and to redeem deposits for cash.
Users are charged a small fee for sending and withdrawing money through the service. The branchless banking service allows customers to deposit and withdraw money from a network of banking agents, including airtime vendors and retail outlets.
But M-Pesa was only the beginning; its success sparked fresh inspi- ration in the minds of many creative and entrepreneurial minds. Nendo — a strategy and storytelling consultancy for digital Africa — is one such example.
Teenager Leroy Mwasaru has merged modern technology with indigenous resources to come up with a cutting-edge solution to poverty and power shortages. He has managed to turn human waste and cow dung into electricity, lighting homes, schools and simplifying cooking for the benefit of rural communities.
The world has looked on in amazement, and many are wondering what the next Kenyan technology breakthrough will be.
International House Limited executive chairman Dr Chris Kirubi has the answer. It comes in the form of a health innovation built on biometric technology set to change the face of health services delivery throughout the continent.
“What many people are asking is, what will happen after M-Pesa? I’m coming with a new health innovation. Most hospitals in Kenya are now using a biometric technology system which I founded,” said Kirubi.
He added: “I will be bringing the new health technology to South Africa to improve the health system.”
In this new innovation, a photo of a patient identifies them on the platform. It retrieves their correct medical record and displays the patient photo for two-factor authentication.
“Instead of losing medical information of patients and prescribing wrong dosages, this technology innovation will ensure patients in both private and public hospitals are well monitored,” said Kirubi.
A similar innovation was implemented this year at a Georgia-based university health care system in the US. Known as the RightPatient Biometric Patient Identification System, this new technology prevents the duplication of medical records, fraud and patient identification errors. It has helped to improve patient safety, data integrity, and financial efficiency. Thousands of patients are now enrolled on this system.
These technologies and others were among the topics discussed at Cape Town’s Kenya-South Africa Trade and Investment Summit in September 2016. Experts from South Africa hailed Kenya for its leading role in pioneering innovation.
“Instead of only consuming products and services coming from Europe and America, we must also embrace the innovation being implemented by our brothers and sisters from Kenya,” said Elijah Maseko of Dimension Data.
The Kenyan government looked westward to the start-up inspirations peppering the Silicon Valley, and found inspiration to build their own valley. Dubbed Konza Technology City, the project will span 5 000 acres of land at Malili Ranch, 60km southeast of Nairobi. As part of Kenya Vision 2030, this flagship project will be a sustainable, world-class technology hub and a major economic driver for Kenya. — CAJ News