Kenyan students get creative with science

The Kenya Science and Engineering Fair offers school students across the country an opportunity to become enthused by science and to explore scientific research; and it encourages innovative thinking for practical solutions in everyday life. We have been involved with this event through the Pan Africa Chemistry Network (PACN) at the University of Nairobi since 2008. This year we sponsored the participants’ T-shirts and prizes at the 52nd instalment of the science fair at Machakos High School.

Students across Kenya presented their science projects at regional heats and the 26 best projects were selected for the final event. The prize for the best chemistry project went to Eutychus Academy for their work on innovative uses of waste products. Through their project, the students investigated mixing sugar cane waste (bagasse) with cow dung, fermenting the mixture for a few days, and moulding the resultant mixture into different objects, including buckets, feeding trays and toilet slabs. They then sun-dried the products, baked them in a kiln and sold them to generate income.

Professor Shem Wandiga from the University of Nairobi and PACN representative said: “We are pleased to be able to support events such as this. Sparking an interest in chemistry in the next generation is crucial to Africa’s future science base. It is great to see so many innovative scientific ideas being presented by such talented and enthusiastic students.”

At the event, the Kenyan Ministry of Education also recognised the contribution the PACN has made to science in the country by awarding us a certificate.