Meeting with Kakute

On Thursday, May 2^nd we had the opportunity to meet Mr. Manyanga, the managing director of Kakute.This social entrepreneurship company focuses on technology transfer for sustainable development. Kakute bridges the gap between local government authorities, the private sector, and NGOs and small-scale entrepreneurs through distributing appropriate technologies to local communities. Current projects include solar, biogas, improved cook stove, and briquetting technologies.

After presenting our work thus far on our briquetting project, Mr. Manyanga gave us some helpful feedback based on his years of experience disseminating alternative energy technologies. Foremost, he asked whether our organization was more interested in developing the technology or distributing the product. In our case, DHE will develop the technical aspects of briquetting, while EARDCI will contribute its understanding of the needs and cultural practices of local communities. Furthermore, Mr. Manyanga stressed the importance of pilot projects. Through first distributing a briquette press to a single VICOBA, DHE can receive valuable feedback on the press design, briquette mixture, and briquette burning techniques.Only after the design has matured may the technology be manufactured and distributed on a larger scale.

A few years ago, Kakute experimented with producing briquettes from paper waste and charcoal fines. However, briquette sales were not large enough to support a small business. Locals had difficulty accepting briquettes since they do not burn the same as wood. Although briquettes generate the same amount of heat as wood, they do not produce the characteristic orange flame. Additionally, briquettes do not burn very efficiently in three stone and charcoal stones, so locals needed to slightly adjust their traditional cooking styles. For these reasons, Mr. Manyanga suggested that DHE develop an insert for efficiently burning briquettes in existing three stone or charcoal stoves.

Mr. Manyanga emphasized that all of Kakute’s business decisions are motivated by its mission to positively impact the environment and the communities in which it works. For example, he does not support burning jatropha cake in briquettes since it has a number of other alternative uses as a fertilizer or raw material for biogas systems. One of Kakaute’s current initiatives is creating a 100% sustainable home, using biogas technology for cooking and solar technology for powering lights and cell phones. 

In moving forward with both our briquetting and stove projects, Mr. Manyanga advised us to be careful in deciding which organizations to partner with and not to limit ourselves to partnering with NGOs. We should consider partnering with businesses that have a social agenda, such as Kakute.  Mr. Manyanga encouraged us to keep him updated on our projects and to consult him once we have fully developed both technologies and are determining an appropriate distribution model. We were extremely grateful to have met Mr. Manyanga and learned more about Kakute!