Necessity is the mother of invention, goes the saying, and the famous line has been highlighted by a 19-year-old boy from Nandi, who has made mosquito repellent candles. Vitalis Maraswa, who finished Form Four last year and scored a C+, has taken advantage of the need and necessity in the family set up and homes by coming up with his bright idea.
Vitalis hails from Mateget village in Chesumei constituency and sat his KCSE exam at Namgoi Mixed Day secondary school. Speaking to West Media, he conceived the idea when still in school in 2016, when he was tasked with burning the school waste, “The school management had led a tree pruning exercise, and the norm was that students would collect the waste left behind around the compound and burn it. During this process, I noticed that bees became very unsettled and I asked myself why,” he said.
He noted the type of the leftover leaves that were being burnt and did more research in the computer lab concerning the plant, the Lantana camara, and in the process, he noted two other important trees which were vital in his final product. He made a concoction from the leaves of the three different trees and other stuff to make the main component of the mosquito repellent candles. The home-made candles double up as a source of light, the primary function of candles, and can also freshen the air.
Maraswa is still waiting to join University to pursue a Bio-Chemistry course which will give him the chance to do more research and further his invention ambitions and make mosquito repellent sprays and lotion. In a day, he makes more than fifty candles and he sells one at Kshs 50. His greatest challenges include financial constraints and the production process since he doesn’t have the machines to make his work easier, and he has urged the national and County government to chip in and offer assistance.
