From a general service officer by day to an innovator by night, Ronald Ngari is participating in environmental conservation in a special way – by using environmentally friendly vehicles.
He has built two innovations, from scratch with no formal education in the area but by the passion and curiosity he cultivated as a child.
This is his journey as told by WoK:
Special project
When Ngari began working on his special project, it was a painstaking one of welding different parts together before laying out the final touches.
He currently works as a GSU officer attached to State House Kenya.
When speaking to NTV, he described his thought process when creating his inventions as natural, an art he says he has cultivated since he was a young child.
“In my childhood, I made a lot of cars. Sme I made to carry manure, some operated on gravity. Therefore, by the time I was in my old age, I had already gained confidence,” he said.
With the tap of a button, his inventions come alive.
He has produced a motorcycle and a motor vehicle, both of which are environmentally friendly.
The vehicle is solar powered while the motorcycle is electric, complete with a charging port.
He started manufacturing the vehicle two years ago. Initially, it would only operate using the two back wheels. However, he saw it was not strong and made it operate a four wheel drive.
The solar powered vehicle operates using recycled laptop batteries. It contains all functions of a normal vehicle, including a gear, brake, and accelerator pedal.
“On one side of the dashboard, you have left and right indicators. You also have a horn, and a button you can press to shift to four wheel drive. You can also select reverse and front or back wheels,” he said.
And whenever he hits the road, a playlist keeps him company.
The electric bike has a display which tells the user exactly how much charge they have. This electric bike is very effective.
Initially, he had a small battery that would service him for 80 kilometers, but he now uses a battery with a service of at least 160 kilometers.
He says juggling between his job of being a GSU officer and an innovator is easy because he has a passion for both, especially because his innovation helps in conserving the environment.
“I have the morale. Whenever I am not at work, you will always find me tinkering with my innovations,” Ronald Ngari said.
His efforts caught the attention of president William Ruto at the Talanta Hela initiative.
“I was happy because the president is also passionate about conserving the environment. He promised he would help innovators like me,” he said.
The president has been on the forefront of advocating the shift to electric vehicles as a tool for climate change.
For instance, earlier this year, he ditched his usual convoy of fuel guzzlers and drove to the Africa climate summit in a tiny, three-door sh 1.7M electric car.
He said electric vehicles are more economically friendly as they save over 40% in fuel consumption.
His other inventions include among others, creating a turbine water pump and installing solar power in his homestead.
Ronald Ngari says many of his inventions will be produced en masse and made available to the local market.
