Laikipia is among counties in Rift Valley that are usually marred with perennial cases of banditry and cattle rustling.
In the last three months, over 14 people have been killed and over 400 displaced from their homes in Ol-Moran and Githiga wards.
Driven by the urge to curb these ever-rising cases of insecurity, Elijah Wanguruwe, a 40-year-old father of four has come up with an invention that is likely to curb high cases of petty crimes.
The petty crimes include housebreaking, especially in his Runda Village and the neighboring Kisima at the border of Laikipia and Nyandarua Counties.
The Remote Power Control Unit is a gadget that enables a person to remotely switch on and off their security lights while away from home.
“At around 3 am, I could not sleep. I woke up to pray then an idea came to my mind on how to develop a device that could enable me to remotely switch on my security lights at night.
I am an automobile technician and I have specialized in the motor vehicle wiring and installations of speed governors and car alarms. It’s from this background that I got my motivation,” said Wanguruwe.
In December 2019, many cases of insecurity were experienced in his neighboring community – Kisima Village.
“It was approaching festive season and as usual, we have to travel to the countryside. I was worried about the security of my home,” he notes.
Wanguruwe points out that it took him about two working days to fix the gadget after a lot of paperwork.
“My idea was to create an impression to house breakers that someone was at home by switching on my security lights while away from home. This would scare them away,” he says.
Wanguruwe’s invention is made of readily available materials – a few wires, an SMS command unit, and a mobile network.
One must have a phone to send an SMS that immediately responds by either switching on or off the lights at a home that is connected to a consumer unit.
“I tested this gadget for one year. It was working perfectly until a family friend approached me and suggested that I should commercialize the invention. So far, I have connected at least three homesteads. I am hoping to connect more homes in the near future,” notes an optimistic Wanguruwe.
He explains that the reason he initially did not take seriously the idea of commercializing the Remote Power Control Unit was because of the high cost of producing the gadget.
“It would cost me Ksh7,000 to set up just one gadget. I thought of selling it at Ksh10,000 but then I had few clients who could afford that cost. I need more customers in order to produce more devices, as this will lower the cost of production,” says Wanguruwe.
He is now urging the Government to provide financial support to Kenyans with unique inventions that are likely to help in curbing insecurity cases as well as create employment opportunities for hundreds of Kenyan Youth.
At the moment, Wanguruwe is working on a different invention that is targeted at helping poultry farmers.
He says he will make it public after conducting a number of trials.
“I intend to come up with a gadget that a farmer can remotely use to feed their poultry while away from home,” notes Wanguruwe with his signature smile.
