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Proof of Concept: Kenyan Entrepreneur Shows How Waste Can Drive Profitable Circular Economy
Proof of Concept: Kenyan Entrepreneur Shows How Waste Can Drive Profitable Circular Economy
Sputnik Africa
In African households and office spaces, a broken laptop or a dead refrigerator usually gets abandoned rather than repaired. One entrepreneur built a national... 04.08.2026, Sputnik Africa
2026-08-04T17:03+0200
2026-08-04T17:03+0200
2026-08-04T17:03+0200
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Proof of Concept: Kenyan Entrepreneur Shows How Waste Can Drive Profitable Circular Economy
Sputnik Africa
In African households and office spaces, a broken laptop or a dead refrigerator usually gets abandoned rather than repaired. One entrepreneur built a national recycling movement out of that very habit, turning Kenya's waste disposal culture into a livelihood for himself and hundreds of others.
Kenya generates an estimated 3,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually, while formal recycling remains limited across Africa. For more than a decade, one Kenyan entrepreneur has turned discarded computers, printers, and other electronic devices into a thriving business while building solutions to a growing environmental challenge. After losing a government electronics supply business following the violence that erupted after Kenya’s disputed 2007 presidential election, he began collecting broken devices, refurbishing them and recovering valuable components for resale. That effort later developed into the Electronic Waste Initiative Kenya (E-WIK), an organization established in 2012 that promotes e-waste collection, recycling, and public awareness on safer disposal practices. His journey reflects a wider global shift towards circular economy models as businesses and communities seek ways to reduce electronic waste and recover value from discarded technology.In an interview with African Currents, Lawrence Thuo, founder and CEO of the Electronic Waste Initiative Kenya (E-WIK), discusses his journey from tackling end-of-life electronic products to building a circular economy enterprise. He outlines the need for stronger repair infrastructure, greater recognition of informal sector workers, and coordinated national efforts to create sustainable e-waste solutions across Africa.Listen to the full interview on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.► Stream the podcast on Telegram, Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Deezer, Pocket Casts, Afripods, Podcast Addict.► Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
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Proof of Concept: Kenyan Entrepreneur Shows How Waste Can Drive Profitable Circular Economy
In African households and office spaces, a broken laptop or a dead refrigerator usually gets abandoned rather than repaired. One entrepreneur built a national recycling movement out of that very habit, turning Kenya's waste disposal culture into a livelihood for himself and hundreds of others.
Kenya generates an estimated 3,000 tonnes of electronic waste annually, while formal recycling remains limited across Africa. For more than a decade, one Kenyan entrepreneur has turned discarded computers, printers, and other electronic devices into a thriving business while building solutions to a growing environmental challenge. After losing a government electronics supply business following the violence that erupted after Kenya’s disputed 2007 presidential election, he began collecting broken devices, refurbishing them and recovering valuable components for resale. That effort later developed into the Electronic Waste Initiative Kenya (E-WIK), an organization established in 2012 that promotes e-waste collection, recycling, and public awareness on safer disposal practices. His journey reflects a wider global shift towards circular economy models as businesses and communities seek ways to reduce electronic waste and recover value from discarded technology.
In an interview with African Currents, Lawrence Thuo, founder and CEO of the Electronic Waste Initiative Kenya (E-WIK), discusses his journey from tackling end-of-life electronic products to building a circular economy enterprise. He outlines the need for stronger repair infrastructure, greater recognition of informal sector workers, and coordinated national efforts to create sustainable e-waste solutions across Africa.
"Being an ICT guru and an expert in electronics repair and refurbishment. I decided it was worth making living out of discarded electronics, whether they are household appliances or ICT devices, which I realized that many people consider as waste. And so I jumped into the opportunity, started refurbishing all the computers, which was still in very high demand, and I realized I could make a good living [...]. the biggest gap that we noticed, and not only here in Kenya, that the fastest growing market for electronic products, there is no investment in repair infrastructure, access to spare parts and technical skills is not in line with our dynamic consumption and production [...]. Our economic sustainability and environmental responsibility rather comes from the use of circular economy [...]. Africa has one of the world's strongest repair cultures [...], so across the continent, we have technicians demonstrating remarkable creativity, adaptability and resourcefulness. Now, for us to be able to be very innovative and adapt to whatever the circular economy demands, we need to strengthen the existing culture and invest in better technical training where people can get better skills and maybe platforms that people can share their knowledge and skills," Thuo narrated.
Listen to the full interview on the African Currents podcast, presented by Sputnik Africa.
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Subscribe to and explore all the episodes of African Currents.
