By Allan Kai

As Kenya seeks to dip its foot in the Blue Economy waters, a group of young innovators have come up with an eco-friendly invention. The invention could save farmers and fishermen losses associated with the perishability of their catch.

Dennis Onkangi and Purity Gakuo, started Kuza Cooler Limited, which manufactures the Kuza Freezer. This innovation gives small scale farmers and fishermen an affordable solution to their cooling needs.

Kuza Freezer is a solar powered freezer box. It helps store perishable farm produce, and preserve it for transport or before being sold in the market.

According to the founders, the company has delved in to a niche that seems to be virtually non-existent. Capitalizing on the high cost of electricity, and poor connectivity in rural areas. This leaves small-holder farmers and  fishermen to make due with losses of up to 45% of their average produce.

The freezer retails at a cost of Sh.35000. However, the company offers a flexible payment plan. With options being, a deposit of 20% of the retail price, and monthly installments of Sh.15000 for 3 months (Sh.500 daily for 3 months).

Kuza Freezer users have praised the product and have embraced the initiative by the company to come up with the product.

“This freezer has helped me a lot. I have been able to store my catch for up to 3 days and it keeps it fresh just as a normal freezer would.” Jassin Mohammed, a fisherman in Old Town, Mombasa.

However, a common critique by customers is the size of the freezer box, which Mohammed and other users hope that the company would make larger models in the future, to help them store larger quantities of produce.

With the rise of Mombasa as a prominent start up hub in Africa, Kuza Cooler Limited has solidified its place as one of the most promising start ups in Kenya. Through their innovation, they seek to solve a problem that saves farmers across the larger agricultural landscape from losses associated with poor cooling storage options.

Watch here https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hocT8S2briA

farming solutionsInnovationKuza Freezermombasayouth and business