MKU students to pitch carbon-capture innovation in Michigan, USA

Wesley Njenga, Franklin Mwendwa, Elijah Maina and Ejike Chinyere from the School of Public Health have been selected as fainalists in the prestigious Wege Prize, organised by Ferris State University.

The students are pursuing Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Health. The team will travel to Michigan to present their innovation, Ecoscrubber, a hybrid emission control and carbon-capture system designed to remove toxic pollutants and greenhouse gases from incinerators while converting the captured residues into useful construction materials.

The project aligns with MKU’s bid to bring solutions to every day problems that people face and handholds faculty and students to actualise their ideas through its innovation hub and research grants.

The annual Wege Prize brings together some of the world’s brightest student innovators from five continents, all working to address environmental challenges through circular economy solutions.

This year, five finalist teams will compete at the live finals on May 15 for a share of the $65,000 (Sh8.45 million) prize pool. According to the Innovators, the idea behind Ecoscrubber was sparked by a real-life encounter.

While walking along a road in Thika, the students noticed a truck emitting thick black smoke. As people struggled to breathe and hurried past, the moment raised a defining question: what if those emissions could be captured and turned into something valuable? Back at the university’s Innovation Hub, the team began developing their concept.

Instead of allowing harmful emissions to disperse into the atmosphere, Ecoscrubber captures pollutants directly from incinerator chimneys and processes them into products such as bricks and construction blocks effectively turning waste into wealth.

The journey, however, was far from smooth. Early prototypes struggled to capture emissions effectively, forcing the team to revisit their approach. Through long hours of experimentation, refinement of chemical processes, and continuous iteration, they eventually developed a working solution.

Their progress was supported by the Innovation and Incubation Centre and faculty mentors from the School of Public Health. “We are proud of their progress. The university provided technical support, exposure during the annual Research and Innovation Week, and guidance that helped shape the idea into a viable innovation,” said Donatus Njoroge, head, Innovations, Intellectual Property and Community Engagement.

He added that the milestone also reflects Mount Kenya University’s growing strength in nurturing student-led innovations through structured mentorship, access to prototyping facilities, and platforms that connect ideas to real-world application and global opportunities.

“We are honoured to represent Mount Kenya University and Kenya on the global stage. Ecoscrubber is not just our project, it demonstrates that African students can develop solutions that compete with the best in the world,” said Wesley Njenga, the team lead.

Mount Kenya University has been deepening its foray in research and innovation, which Prof Deogratius Jaganyi said is aimed at propelling the institution into among the most recognised universities in Africa. Prof Deogratius Jaganyi, Vice Chancellor MKU said the institution continues to prioritise research as a pillar for advancing knowledge, fostering innovation, and delivering transformative solutions to foster socio economic development.

“Internationally, universities are recognised by the research that they produce. Any university that has risen to be an institution of repute globally has been because of the research that they do. And that's what we are doing at MKU, to make sure that at least our research takes us to the level of international recognition that we are all proud of," said Jaganyi.

He added that the university has been tried “to help innovators in the discovery and development of new knowledge and its subsequent exploitation for the socio-economic development of the Kenyan people and the region in line with the objectives of Kenya Vision 2030”.

The university has enhanced its internal funding for research through such initiatives as the Vice Chancellor’s Research and Innovation Grant as well as collaborating with other institutions both local and international to research and solve challenges that the region is grappling with.

MKU has recently commissioned an Innovation Hub at its main campus in Thika. The centre supports the life cycle of innovations, from inception to market diffusion and commercialisation.