A man from Merere village in Mathioya, Murang’a county, has become the talk of the area after coming up with a makeshift network booster that has helped make communication much smoother. 

Twenty-year-old John Mwangi has earned himself the title ‘Engineer’ among his peers and local residents who are enjoying better connectivity thanks to his innovation. 

Mwangi, who completed his high school education last year, dreams of becoming a telecommunication engineer, a dream now seemingly taking shape with the booster he managed to build from scratch.

Though yet to join the university, the innovation gives him a head start for the career he intends to pursue. 

According to him, the area has been having a challenge with poor network connectivity, which would force people to move to higher points or even climb up the trees to get a better signal.

This prompted him to come up with the idea of making the mast using the knowledge he gained in school, coupled with research from the internet. 

The 14-feet high booster is made from locally available materials such as pipes, pieces of wood and wires, Mwangi reveals. 

“The booster covers a radius of 16 kilometres and this has ensured the people in this area are able to communicate without any hitches,” he adds. 

Improved features 

He has also made an application through which he is able to monitor the strength of the signal using his mobile phone and know when it’s down. 

The young innovator says this is a major breakthrough in his journey, noting that when he started the project a few months ago, some people thought he had lost his mind and laughed at him. 

“People saw me collecting pipes, and when I told them my intention they would laugh at me because they could not understand how I would put together such a thing,” he says, adding that he was however encouraged when he completed it and people started giving him positive feedback on better signals, looking for ways to improve it. 

He, however, says this would require support in getting better materials to make a more durable booster. Also, he would like to have his innovation patented so as to protect it. 

Mwangi has thrown a challenge to his peers, urging them to put the ideas they have into practice and showcase their innovations, saying this could be their stepping stone to success. 

Besides the network booster, Mwangi has also made a portable air conditioning system that can be controlled using a mobile phone.

He used electronic waste and plastics to build the air conditioning gadgets. 

The system, he says, is suitable in hot areas like the northern parts of the country, adding that he intends to make more units and take them to the market. 

Samuel Kariuki, Mwangi’s father, was at first also confused by what his son was doing, especially when he saw him start collecting pieces of wood.

Kariuki says that at first, he thought his son had started deviating from his studies, but now he can see the vision he had for making the booster. 

“I am proud of his achievement, and we are going to support him through this journey to help him accomplish his vision,” the father points out, encouraging other parents of such gifted children. 

“Parents should support their children in such innovations and help them go to the highest level they can in achieving their goals.” 

Samuel Kabochi, a resident, lauded Mwangi for the innovation, saying they no longer have to wander around looking for spots with better signal.

He notes that in the digital era, where communication is through mobile phones, one would miss an important communication or appointment if found to be offline.

A bad network could even mean one is out of reach the entire day 

“We are happy now that the area has better signal reception and we can’t miss any calls or communication like before,” he says. 

“This is a major achievement by this young man, and we are urging the government to support his vision because he has already showcased what he has, and with more training, he can do better.”