Harrison Ettyang on his make-shift aircraft in which he was injured as he tried to fly it four years ago . Below, explaining how his aircraft manual works

For two years, Ettyang had drawn attention with his daring aircraft venture, which was short-lived as his plane demonstration failed, landing him in hospital then in court.

After several hours of fine-tuning the aircraft for his take-off attempt, with thousands of spectators waiting, his contraption ran along the ground but hit an embankment at Kenyatta Stadium in Kitale, injuring him badly. He was arrested and charged.

His picture in the press, spread-eagled next to his invention which looked more of a motorbike than an aircraft, was a sorry sight.

He says his experience taught him that Kenyan society does not support unknown inventors.

"After the accident that almost cost me my life, I decided to read extensively, do research and now I am back to the drawing board to finish what I started," he said.

Apart from the aircraft, Ettyang has set up a village electronic repair workshop.

He started an FM radio station, which he calls Agape Community Radio, in his rural village in Teso District, which also landed him in trouble with law enforcers who ordered him to switch it off because he had no licence from the Communications Commission of Kenya.

The youth has now made a mobile electric board which he calls an ‘electric vehicle’ operated by a car battery. He claims to have sold it recently to a Kitale-based Asian businessman at Sh20,000.

The ‘vehicle’, a flat board on four wheels propelled by a mortar, moves at a slow speed but can be used for short movements like in a factory compound, he says.

We found him working on a simple home-made generator that he says will be user friendly and can be used to power house hold appliances.

Former Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) Katakwa diocese, Bishop Eliud Okiring called on the Government to support and enable the young man explore his God-given talent.

Born in 1986, Ettyang did not attend Standard One and Two in primary school, but was instead placed straight in Standard Three for his demonstrated abilities. "I dropped out of primary school and enrolled at Malil Youth motor vehicle mechanics where I studied Mechanics Grade Two and Three," he says.

Ettyang later learnt heavy commercial mechanics and was employed as a mechanic in Bungoma.

"Most of the customers rejected my service arguing that I was too young and needed no money," he added.

Ettyang resumed his studies at Kocholia primary school in Standard Seven in 2001 and sat for his Kenya Certificate of Primary Education (KCPE) the following year.

He scored 350 marks and was admitted at St Joseph’s Kocholia Secondary School where he demonstrated his ability in a science congress.

He made a fire alarm then the following year, 2004, he made a miniature replica of a steam engine. He scored a mean grade of C+ in the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).But he says his efforts to secure admission in any Aviation college in the country have been unsuccessful as the minimum requirement is B+ in KCSE.

He spends his time in his house working on his inventions or at a local DSTV screen area to watch new scientific inventions.

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