Lincoln Wamae, of Lincell Technology, Nairobi, was invited to open the PMG 2022 conference to give his presentation, "Sustainable wheelchairs in Kenya". Sadly, Lincoln wasn't able to travel at the last minute, with Professor Tim Adlam stepping into the breach to give his own inspiring presentation "Disability innovation for a fairer World". PMG members are able to view Tim's presentation here, plus many more from the 2022 conference and going back to 2008!  If you are not yet a member, you can join for free here.

We are very happy to be publishing Lincoln's PMG 2022 abstract, which describes how Lincell Technology came to be.

Sustainable wheelchairs in Kenya

In 2014, I was boarding a matatu (van for public transport) in Nairobi when something caught my attention.

There were several people with disabilities who wanted to board matatus, but the touts wouldn’t let them as they felt they would be wasting time getting settled in. This really challenged me and I wondered what I could do to help. I decided to try to use my skills to come up with an ideal electric wheelchair to ease the mobility of wheelchair users, both indoors and outdoors.

It took me several months trying to re-use some of the e-waste I had in my store to build a battery powerful enough to power the wheelchair I had designed. I also had to use all my savings to purchase more batteries, and some of the other parts that I did not have, to create a complete workable electric wheelchair.

After a couple of design and technical iterations, and safety tests, I succeeded in launching the Linccell wheelchair prototype! The learning from my first prototype enabled me to produce a multi-purpose vehicle within a year.

Most of our clients prefer their wheelchairs customised so that they are able to work using the wheelchair, for example customising a cart to use for selling goods. We need to install our wheelchairs with a big battery that will last long enough for a whole day’s activity.

Due to the tough terrains in Africa, the off-road wheelchairs are in high demand. With an estimate of 2.2% (0.9 million) people in Kenya living with some form of disability, approximately 1.18% of these are in need of a wheelchair. Linccell Technology aims to reach as many people as possible to reduce the need for people living with disabilities relying on well-wishers and caretakers for survival.

Our wheelchairs are built and tested to withstand the toughest off-road conditions while delivering great range and speed for our users. The wheelchairs can work to an average speed of 25km/hr and cover a maximum distance of 30km on a single charge. Our goal is to provide wheelchair users in Africa with freedom of mobility and independence. We also aim to create many jobs for young people, while helping with environmental sustainability through recycling e-waste such as lithium ion batteries, and other wheelchair parts.  Images above are of Lincoln in the Lincell Technology workshop.

Linccell Technology’s growth is an organic/natural type of growth. However, our target is to reach the entire continent of Africa in years to come. But most importantly, our target is to grow massively in Kenya.

See examples of Lincoln's work on the Lincell Technology Facebook page, and other social media platforms.

Email: lincolnwamae17@gmail.com