7. Tosheka Rolling Springs

Tosheka Rolling Springs

This blog post takes us back to Kenya, and it might be interesting to question the benefits of this case for the story of Onjiko's widows talked about in blog post six. A friend - she is writing about the politics of safe water access in western Africa - suggested to watch an interesting video posted on the Global Citizen Instagram account, which talks about a new innovation applied in Kenya to make water collection easier especially for women and girls. The Tosheka Rolling Springs are made from recycled tires and local wood, and allow women and girls to roll cans of water instead of carrying them on their backs or heads. The 7:30 minutes video provided above, shows how an African-American inventor and businessman came with the idea of the rolling springs which seems to have positive benefits for Kenyan women. It is, however, important to question to what extent women themselves had been involved in the design and development of the roller and to what extent their needs are considered and heard. Also, the current price of a roller is $60, which is far beyond what the women of the target group can afford (Africa News, 2019). Thus, the Tosheka Rolling Springs invention has positive benefits for Kenyan women as showed in the video, however the extent of inclusiveness in terms of the design process and price of the product is questionable. With the story of Onjiko's widows in mind, would Kenyan women themselves also be able to invent a solution like the Tosheka Rolling Springs?