Innovation among Kenyans in the manufacturing sector continues to elicit reactions as they strive to make a breakthrough in the industry.
One such effort was made by Maina whose conversion of a pickup truck into a tour van got netizens talking with most of them lauding his approach.
A user by the name of Kaushik Shah stated that “It requires an expert to convert a vehicle. Quite talented. Great innovation,”
On whether one needed authorisation to convert the body of a vehicle; Maina the man responsible for the innovation disagreed indicating that it was a personal choice.
Kenyans.co.ke spoke to Maina, the mechanic behind the innovation, who revealed the idea behind the innovation.
According to Maina, who prefers to be referred to as a technician, he decided to venture into the conversion business after realizing most of the business was being taken to Tanzania.
“I decided on this innovation after realizing that most clients went to Tanzania for the same services,” he disclosed.
Since there was no big competition locally, I decided to venture into it,” he added.
On how much it took him to finish the project, Maina revealed that he spent over Ksh1.5 million to complete it.
“From Ksh1.3 - Ksh1.5M all inclusive of the radio call, reclining seats, antenna, broad wheels, an inboard inverter that can charge your gadgets like laptop, camera, phone etc,” he revealed.
“Price also adjusts when installed with special specifications like for the disabled, and for taking clips in making movies,” the technician added.
According to Maina, the issue of insurance coverage would not be of concern as most vehicles are insured after they have gone through an inspection by the transport regulator.
Maina however decried the high cost of production stating that the high cost of electricity and prices of metals were high.
He implored on the government to reduce the levies charged on power and raw materials.
"Energy cost is everything, if(electricity) is expensive the cost of raw materials also becomes expensive. To encourage such innovations electricity must be affordable," he remarked.
Maina's innovativeness goes along with other Kenyans who are pushing the boundaries in manufacturing with the hope of one day running their own go-downs or manufacturing plants.
