With the Centre for Disease Control in Kenya estimating 3.5 million cases of malaria each year, a new solar-powered system called "MTego" will enable the East African country to more effectively combat the mosquitoes attracted by the drought.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), malaria causes 627,000 deaths each year worldwide, 96% of which are in Africa. Faced with this situation, which is exacerbated by the global warming affecting Kenya, the Dutch start-up PreMal, based in Nairobi, is developing “MTego”, a mosquito trap that runs on solar energy.
The device, which is already gaining popularity on the streets of the capital, is being implemented in partnership with Engie Energy Access, the Kenyan subsidiary of the French energy group Engie, which specialises in off-grid solutions. “MTego uses an electric fan that consumes very little energy, but does not use insecticides. It is a mosquito trap that works very well with a solar home system because it works on the principle of counter-current air that diffuses characteristic human odours outside homes,” says Premal.
According to Fredrick Noballa, Country Manager of Engie Energy Access Kenya, this solution leverages clean energy and improves the living conditions of rural communities in East Africa where they often have to deal with climate change-related diseases and low electricity access.
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But in Kenya, where President Uhuru Kenyatta is completing his term as head of state, the electricity mix, which includes 86% renewables, covers the energy needs of about 75% of the national population, according to the World Bank. The solar photovoltaic plant (40 MWp) under construction in Kisumu County supports the vision of 100% green energy that the Kenyan government has set for 2025.
Benoit-Ivan Wansi
