Solar pack helps fish mongers of Kilifi see the light

KMFRI in Mombasa has come up with an eco-friendly, solar powered lamp for fish traders. PHOTO | NATION

What you need to know:

  • It is against this backdrop that the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in Mombasa came up with an eco-friendly, solar powered lamp for fish traders.
  • In the research, he thought of a way of assisting the women,  and that is when he came up with a way of improving the display shelf unit. He then went about redesigning the display shelf by introducing an eco-friendly lamp (solar lantern) to replace the paraffin-lit koroboi.

We all know them; we visit their kiosks or business stands almost every evening or night to purchase groceries. We fondly call them Mama Mboga and Mama Samaki.

But even as we exchange pleasantries and purchase groceries, more often than not we feel irritated by the whiff of paraffin smoke emitted by their lamps (korobois) and hate the teary effect it has on our eyes.

Mama Mboga, on the other hand, seems oblivious to all this. Many of them don’t know that they are slowly damaging their lungs and eyesight with the smoke, besides driving away would-be customers.

It is against this backdrop that the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute (KMFRI) in Mombasa came up with an eco-friendly, solar powered lamp for fish traders.

SOLAR LANTERNS

They have also improved the current methods of preserving fish used by traders.

The lamp is a flexible, bulblike light that can be attached to wooden fish trays to provide adequate lighting.

On the wooden tray is an aluminum foil for ease in cleaning, unlike the old newspapers that Mama Samaki spreads on her trays to act as paper towels.

According to KMFRI business development manager Peter Oduor-Odote, they were driven to come up with the innovative lamp and tray by the challenges facing most small scale fish sellers at the Coast, most of whom lack cooling facilities for their fish stock. Also, the price of freezers is out of reach for many of them.

 “Mama Karanga normally displays fish on shelves or trays by the roadside, or in some designated place of the market with a koroboi for customers to see the fish,” says Oduor-Odote at his KMFRI offices.

“The fish industry is quite important in this region. It supports a wide population of women traders. About 60 per cent of the fish trade is handled by Mama Karangas,” he adds.

Oduor-Odote, who is also a research scientist at KMFRI, notes that since korobois use paraffin, they emit a lot of carbon dioxide, which is unhealthy when inhaled and sometimes spills onto the fish, contaminating it and spoiling the stock.

In the research, he thought of a way of assisting the women,  and that is when he came up with a way of improving the display shelf unit. He then went about redesigning the display shelf by introducing an eco-friendly lamp (solar lantern) to replace the paraffin-lit koroboi.

The lantern is charged by solar during daytime and can be placed at any strategic point.

“There is worldwide interest in reducing carbon emissions because they are known to be responsible for climate change. The women, numbering over 100, use about a quarter litre to half a litre of kerosene per day because they come to the market at about 6pm in the evening and some leave at about midnight, burning kerosene and emitting smoke,” he said.

ECO-FRIENDLY

He adds: “One litre of kerosene — from literature calculations — releases about 2.53kg equivalent of carbon dioxide when burnt. Therefore, a quarter litre of kerosene releases 0.6325kg of carbon dioxide.”

“The eco-friendly lamp in the new design brings this carbon dioxide emission to zero,” he points out. He adds that they will roll out the lamps, all free of charge, to fish fryers in Kilifi in a month before issuing them to the entire Coast region.

He says they are in the process of registering for exclusive rights of the eco-friendly lamp with the Kenya Industrial Property Institute (KIPI).

Kilifi Beach Management Unit chairperson Halima Mbaruk praised KMFRI for the innovation. She added that the solar lamps were also convenient during rainy and windy nights, unlike kerosene lamps. 

  • KMFRI has also come up with an innovation that assists women in drying fish in an affordable, efficient manner and in large quantities. It uses racks for smaller fish (sardines) and solar dryers for bigger fish.

  • There, too, is an improved smoking oven, commonly used to preserve fish in Tana Delta region. It reduces fuel consumption by up to 60 per cent.

  • The improved oven has up to five trays where fish are arranged for smoking. This saves on the amount of fuel used, while many fish can be smoked at a go.