Nine Year-old Wins Presidential Prize for Building a Wood Washing Car

Stephen Wamukota from Bungoma County in western Kenya was the youngest of 68 people to accept the award from President Uhuru Kenyatte.

Wamukota has worked a semiautomatic machine to help curb COVID-19 in Kenya, the African country that has so far reported over 2,000 cases of coronarys.

Wamukota's father, James, told CNN that his son had the idea of working the car after learning how to stay safe from COVIDD-19 through a local television channel.

The first “when the president announced the infection in the country, is said to have each washed hands regularly to prevent the spread of the virus. My son told me he prepared a facility to help wash his hands”, he said.

Wamukota used wood and a small water reservoir to make the washing machine.

James, who works as an electrician, has shown that his son built a car with a few pieces of wood he planned to build a window with.

I saw that what he built was not sustainable, so I helped him with some repairs. I didn't want the car to be destroyed”

The simple handwashing machine has two pedals - one to release liquid soap and the other to water.

It enables users to press pedals without touching the surface by hand, reducing the likelihood of infection. James says that the idea has also been influenced by school lessons in Kenya. Students in this country learn how to build things.

He was promised a scholarship for elementary and high school. Wamukota wants to be an engineer.