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Engineer reaps big making blocks from soil

Citybiz

Mark Omwok, an engineer, lost his job in 2020 at the height of the Covid-19 crisis, which saw many companies close their doors while others had to reduce their workforce and scale down operations to stay afloat.

At first, the man from Siaya thought of going back to his village to restrategise on his future. However, after deep thought, he decided against the idea. Instead, he thought of how to exploit his engineering knowledge from college and experience gained athis former place of work, Makiga Engineering, to make ends meet.

That is when he resolved into making interlocking block making machines. To ensure they different from those of his former employer, Omwok strived to be innovative by designing and producing automatic ones, which can produce more output compared to manual ones.

Using his engineering skills and experience, he designed a diesel-powered engine and figured out how to incorporate it into the manual interlocking machines. He gets most of the hardware from local steel manufacturers.

This innovation made the machines more efficient and cost-effective since they run faster, require less manpower to operate, and produce more blocks. "Automatic interlocking machines are more efficient than manual ones because they produce more output and require less manpower to operate, thus lower costs," Omwok told City Biz.

He added that the use of interlocking machines is an innovation that should be embraced because it makes building cost-effective and more straightforward, noting that despite its benefits, the concept is yet to be appreciated by many Kenyans, a fact he attributed to a lack of awareness on the existence of the machines and where to get them. "If the government can support innovators like us by sensitising Kenyans and seeking a market for our products, then this can motivate and empower us to continue being innovative," he said.

Interlocking machines make blocks using natural soil and one does not need sand or ballast. However, you will need some little cement. To produce 100 blocks, you will need one bag of cement, which translates to 10 bags of cement for 1,000 blocks.

To make a standard two-bedroom house, Omwok said you would need approximately 3,000 blocks which will need 30 bags of cement.

He says constructing the house using these blocks is easy and one may not need a mason or professional for that. However, you will need a professional for the roofing part. Omwok makes a customised machine and sells it at Sh98,000.

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