Kenya: 9-year-old gets presidential award for making hand washing machine

A nine-year-old boy from Kenya's Bungoma county is being lauded for his amazing innovation to help battle the rise of the coronavirus cases in his country. According to reports, the boy named Stephen Wamukota made a machine to make hand washing easier amid the pandemic. Wamukota made a wooden machine with limited resources that dispense hand sanitizer and water for an effective hand wash. Wamukota's father who is an electrician by profession reportedly helped the boy in arranging woods and tightening screws.

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The boy was awarded a presidential award on May 15 for his impressive innovation. According to reports, Bungoma governor Wycliffe Wangamati and senator Cleophas Malalah have offered to sponsor the nine-year-old for primary and secondary education. The governor and the senator have also committed to scout for a special school that will help nurture the talent of the young kid. 

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COVID-19 outbreak

According to figures by Johns Hopkins University, Kenya has recorded 2,600 confirmed coronavirus cases so far, of which over 80 people have lost their lives. The infection and mortality rate in the East African country is comparatively lower than other nations on the continent such as South Africa, Algeria, Egypt, Ghana, and Cameroon. Kenya has been gravely affected by the coronavirus lockdown with over 3,00,000 people reporting job loss amid the pandemic. 

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Meanwhile, the world has recorded over 6.9 million COVID-19 cases and more than 4,00,000 deaths to date. The United States remains the worst-hit country by the pandemic, followed by the United Kingdom, Brazil, and Italy in terms of deaths. 

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