Kenyan students awarded $1 million in global innovation contest
A group of four students from St. Paul’s University are the newest millionaires in town after clinching the top position at the 2022 Hult Prize for their business innovation. The four, Lennox Omondi, Keylie Muthoni, Dullah Shiltone and Brian Ndung’u, beat five other teams to emerge winners and were awarded $1 million which translates to roughly Ksh 120 million. The four were announced winners in an event that was held last night during the Clinton Global Initiative Annual Meeting in New York City.
The group won the award for their innovation making biodegradable sanitary towels to stop plastic manufacturing and end period poverty under their company Eco-bana Ltd.
The students entered the finals after emerging winners in the regional summit that was held in Johannesburg in May and second in the Global Accelerator that was held in Boston, Massachusetts in August.
While the towels are already in distribution, the students were looking for funding to increase their production and expand their reach to the East-African region.
President William Ruto was among those that congratulated the group on their win.
Congratulations to Eco-Bana, a Kenyan social venture started by four university students, that has just won the prestigious Hult Prize and a cash award of 1 million dollars. The prize is awarded to entrepreneurs who strive to tackle pressing global issues through innovation. pic.twitter.com/x60fkciVwY
— William Samoei Ruto, PhD (@WilliamsRuto) September 21, 2022
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Featured Image: Hult Prize on Twitter
