Innovator from Kenya creates device to sanitize money and help fight Covid-19

Dansin Wanjohi lives in Mwea, Kenya, and works as an agent for M-Pesa, a mobile money transfer service, a job which requires him to handle cash everyday. During the Covid-19 pandemic, the Kenyan Ministry of Health urged the population to replace cash transactions with electronic payments, to help stop the spread of the virus. However, in much of the country, cash is still the preferred method of payments so Wanjohi decided to come with a solution that would make cash transactions safer.

"Money is one of the weakest links in curbing the spread of the virus because you have to use money and you never know where it is from. Getting Corona is free but catering for treatment is not free," stated Wanjohi.

He invented a simple device that sanitizes money and ID cards, that is made out of plastic and wood. The device is equipped with a motor and gears, that make the notes and IDs pass through it. While rolling through the device, the cash is cleaned with sanitizers, that flows from a containers placed on top of the equipment.

"We came up with the idea to create this machine so that we can protect people from this Coronavirus," the inventor.

Wanjohi is diligent in the process of sanitation, and all cash and IDs that are handed to him have to go through the device first, and the same happens before the costumers receive their change. These safety measures have cost him some costumers, as he explaines “There are some who come in a hurry and don't want to get their IDs and money sanitised and leave because they say I am slow. I urge them to move to another shop because I have to follow the rules of M-Pesa", but he is determined to continue and help in the fight against Covid-19.

Adapted from: http://www.gearbox.co.ke/covid-19innovations/2020/5/26/m-pesa-agent-inno...

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