JKUAT alumni and innovator turns water hyacinth into biofuel

Erick displays the prize award he bagged at the Climate Launchpad National Finals at Strathmore.

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology alumni, and Innovator, Erick Gathirwa Kariuki, has developed a biofuel innovation by harnessing the water hyacinth (Eichhornia crassipes) into a bioethanol product that can be used as cooking fuel in households.

Erick Kariuki, who graduated in from JKUAT with a Bachelor of Science in Industrial Biotechnology, developed an interest in renewable energy and biofuels while on a visit to the Lake Victoria region, when he was a student.