The Technologies

Since 1991 KickStart has developed and promoted new technologies that are being used by thousands of entrepreneurs in East Africa to establish profitable small-scale businesses.

All the new technologies are designed to be profitable to use, affordable to buy (under $1,000), durable, and easy to operate and maintain with minimum training. As electricity and fuel are generally expensive and labour is relatively plentiful, most are manually operated. They are also designed so that with the right tooling they can be locally mass-produced in Africa.

The technologies developed by KickStart to date include:

Micro-Irrigation Technologies:
Small-scale commercial farming can be a very profitable business in Africa, but it is difficult without irrigation. Since 1996 KickStart has been the leader in micro-irrigation technologies through the development and sales of its popularly known series of manually operated “MoneyMaker” pumps. KickStart is adding new pumps to the MoneyMaker line and continues to develop other money making micro-irrigation technologies.

Cooking Oil Technologies:
KickStart’s manually operated “Mafuta Mali” oilseed press has proved to be the most popular cooking oil press for sunflower and sesame seeds in the East and Central African region.

Building Technologies:
Affordable shelter will always be in demand and KickStart has developed new technologies for low cost construction businesses. KickStart’s high-pressure “Actionpac” Stabilized Soil Block Press, which makes strong building blocks from soil and cement, is the most popular in the region. KickStart has also designed a low-cost Micro Concrete Roofing Tile technology, simple moulds for making Hollow Concrete Blocks and a sash clamp that is stronger and better suited to the needs of local carpenters than imported alternatives. In addition we have expertise with Rammed Earth, Burnt Bricks and Ferro-Cement.

Sanitation Technologies:
KickStart’s Domed Concrete Pit Latrine Slabs have become the standard in refugee camps in East Africa where over 90,000 slabs have already been installed. But making and selling pit latrine slabs can also be a good business in peri-urban and rural areas of Kenya.

Hay Baling Technologies:
KickStart has designed a manually operated high-pressure hay baler. In Kenya there is a great demand for baled hay to feed milk cows in the dry season, but only the very rich can afford a tractor-pulled hay baler. KickStart’s new baler is mounted on wheels and can be used to make up to 80 bales of hay in a day – a very profitable small business.

Transport Technologies:
Transport services are a great business everywhere and Africa is no exception. In the rural areas non-motorized transport is often the only feasible and affordable way to transport people and goods. KickStart has developed original designs for low-cost, split-rim wheels for animal carts and is working with Xaccess to introduce a locally produced design of the Xtracycle cargo bicycle to East Africa.

Other New Technologies:
KickStart is always searching for new profitable small business models for Africa, and as we find them we will continue to develop and promote the required new technologies. Although only thorough market research will tell, we see the potential for many new small business models including everything from low-cost well drilling or improved milk transport services, to the generation and sale of electricity or the low-cost provision of communication and business services in small towns.

Meanwhile, for the technologies that are already developed, KickStart plans to continue to promote them in order to create as many more new enterprises and new jobs as possible.