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9-year-old from Kenya designs hand-washing machine from scratch, gets Presidential Award
With just some nails, wood and a water tank, nine-year-old Stephen successfully built the machine that one could use for washing hands as well as dispense hand sanitizer.
Amid the difficult times, most of us are doing our part to help with the betterment of our surroundings and society. But, this nine-year-old boy from Kenya with his indigenous hand-washing device might have just raised the bar for qualifying as a Good Samaritan. Stephen Wamukota’s device has earned him tons of praise as well as the Presidential Award.
Hailing from the Bungoma County in western Kenya, Stephen happens to be the youngest recipient of the award. While building the machine, Stephen was helped by his father James. “I saw that what he built wasn’t stable so I helped him make some adjustments. I didn’t want it to fall apart,” James told CNN.
With just some nails, wood and a water tank, nine-year-old Stephen successfully built the machine that one could use for washing hands as well as dispense hand sanitizer.
Stephen is among 68 Kenyans who were given the Presidential Order of Service, Uzalendo (Patriotic) Award reports BBC.
He was also promised a scholarship by the governor of Bungoma County, Wycliffe Wangamat. Pictures posted on Twitter by Bungoma Digital show Stephen giving a demonstration of his machine and receiving the prestigious award.
Netizens poured in good wishes and praise for the budding engineer with a knack for helping the community. Here’s how they reacted.
“Keep it up young engineer,” comments a Twitter user. “Well done. Keep it up. One day you will manufacture an airplane,” writes another. “Congratulation you little gem,” praises a third.
What do you think of Stephen’s creation?
