Beth Koigi grew up in the well-watered highlands of Limuru and she enjoyed bathing more than anything. In fact, Beth would even use up to two buckets of water in one go, a habit that riled her father up. He never failed to remind Beth of the privilege that access to clean water was.   

Back then, Beth was unaware of the unequal distribution of water and its scarcity. But her father’s reminders finally rang true for her when she joined Chuka University in 2011 and volunteered as a social worker in a children’s home in Tharaka – Chuka University environs. Tharaka is an Arid and Semi-Arid Land (ASAL), and water scarcity stared Beth in the face. People in the area had limited access to water and the sources available were unreliable. They were majorly dams, seasonal rivers that dried up during drought, and public boreholes whose water was unclean. 

Water Purification 

Witnessing this desperate need for water, Beth sought to change the situation. Growing up, Beth had learnt how to make activated carbon cloths. She applied this do-it-yourself filtration knowledge and made water filters from activated charcoal for the people of Tharaka to use. Beth graduated in 2014 and relocated to Nairobi, cutting her mission in Tharaka short. This geographical change, however, didn’t stop Beth as she continued making filters from activated charcoal and distributing them to local communities within Nairobi. 

Founding Majik Water 

On the whole, Tharaka wasn’t the only place plagued with water scarcity. Kenya is among the water-scarce countries in the world meaning in 2014, about 44% of the Kenyan population couldn’t access clean water. This reality mortified Beth, and she started researching alternative sources of water for Kenyans

Beth’s research yielded that the amount of water in the atmosphere was six times more than the volume of water in all rivers on earth including the Amazon, which led her to look into air-to-water technologies. 

While still researching, Beth enrolled in an executive masterclass at GSP Singularity College in 2017. This class greatly challenged her to figure out how she could impact the lives of 1 billion people facing a specific problem. Being interested in water scarcity and how to make communities more resilient to environmental and climatic changes, she made this her goal for the masterclass.  

She pitched the idea of a transformative air-to-water technology in Kenya to two experts at the masterclass, and they received it with open-mindedness and enthusiasm. This paved way for a partnership that’s been formidable since 2017. Together, they co-founded Majik Water, an air-to-water technology company. 

Implementing Air-to-Water Technology in Kenya 

To get Majik Water running, the trio delved deeply into research. They took on a literature review, conducted interviews, and expert research from companies already implementing the technology. Afterwards, they brought the research and development closer home by trying out humidity condensation. This is a technique where air is trapped and passed into a device that physically transforms its state into vapour. While at it, they sought technology partners they could work with. They needed to develop a product that was ideal for Kenya’s climatic conditions. 

Since they were looking for a product that was readily available, the team settled on a device within no time, and now they can harvest even up to 1000 litres of water per day. Even so, the amount of water harvested is heavily reliant on atmospheric humidity and temperature. 

Despite being based in Nairobi, Majik Water moved the technology to arid and semi-arid regions. Since its commissioning, it has installed water harvesting devices in the ASAL regions of Turkana, Marsabit, and Moyale. Additionally, it has installed devices in coastal regions like Lamu that experience poor access to fresh water. 

The Future 

Majik Water is living proof that if you want to go far, you go together. The business has come this far courtesy of partnerships with Non-Governmental Organisations (NGOs). Beth envisions a future where Majik Water’s business model incorporates technology that is affordable, versatile, and can be used even at the household level. 

She hopes to work with government institutions like the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI.) to increase her reach to even more Kenyan communities. For her zeal and intention to ensure that the Kenyan population enjoys their right to clean, safe, and affordable water, Beth Koigi is one of #OurGoalGetters.