Engie Energy Partners With PreMal to Launch Solar-powered Mosquito Trapping System in Kenya

In a first for the biggest economy in East Africa, Kenya, the global energy and services company Engie Energy Access and the Dutch social enterprise PreMal have teamed up to introduce a solar-powered mosquito capturing system.

The ground-breaking outdoor mosquito trap, known as MTego, is intended to capture malaria vectors without the use of insecticides before they enter the home, advancing the fight against malaria.

According to Fredrick Noballa, country director for Engie Energy Access Kenya, this revolutionary vector control device is accessible, uses clean energy, and completely transforms rural life.

According to Noballa, malaria “causes a massive drain on African economies, with countries paying enormous sums of resources for the control of malaria – resources that could have been committed to other productive areas.”

Worldwide, an estimated 241 million cases of malaria are reported each year, and 627,000 of those cases end in fatalities, according to the World Health Organisation. 95 percent of malaria cases and 96 percent of malaria deaths occur in Africa, while children under the age of five account for nearly 80 percent of all malaria deaths in the region. 10,700 deaths and 3.5 million new clinical cases are estimated to occur annually in Kenya, according to the Center for Disease Control.

“We must enable homes to obtain long-term sustainable solutions in order to eradicate malaria in the nation. In addition to allowing Kenyans concentrate on activities that will generate cash and improve their welfare, MTego is a crucially important inventive enabler with a sizable effectiveness radius that will keep the insects away and, in effect, abolish malaria.

In order to draw mosquitoes, the scent baited trap imitates human traits. An electric fan is used in the technology’s counter-airflow principle to generate suction and emit an odorous plume.

This method attracts malaria mosquitoes that are looking for hosts, preventing them from flying indoors, by simulating human odor. Upon approaching the source, the mosquitoes are drawn into a catch-pot and die of dehydration, according to PreMal co-founder Lorenzo Fiori.

The 12V-powered MTego offers an appealing range of 100m2 when properly positioned.

A synthetic odor based on elements found in human perspiration serves as the bio-inspired environmental remedy. It is highly appealing to all mosquitoes that bite humans yet is undetectable to people.

He adds, “Cutting down mosquito population and fewer mosquito bites reduces the risk of transmission of malaria.”