The Kenya Medical Research Institute (KEMRI) is handing over Ujiplus back to the Terik Community who hold the indigenous traditional knowledge of the product.

The product, a deworming porridge, was an initiative of the communities’ schools.

The community had requested partnership with KEMRI to support in scientific formulation and clinical trials of Ujiplus, a unique porridge with herbal deworming properties derived from the communities’ traditional herbal practices.

Prof Elijah Songok, the current Acting Director General of KEMRI had taken up the community’s request for partnership and together with his team of researchers at KEMRI carried out safety studies of the innovation including clinical trials leading to the approval and licensing of the product for use in Kenya as a supplement to national schools deworming programs.

Ujiplus is made of ordinary porridge flour fortified with herbal extracts. Clinical trials done in various schools in Kenya indicated to be not only highly nutritive, deworms and clears child skin infections.

The processing of the product was done at Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRDI).

Through TEPAD, the community received funding from the Canadian Government (Grand Challenges Canada) and Africa Academy of Science to confirm the safety, efficacy and market potential of Ujiplus.

The children from the communities’ schools of Kapsengere, Kapko, Kipchemwon, Soi, Chepkurgung and Gambogi were the first to volunteer for the clinical trials that confirmed the safety and efficacy of Ujiplus.

“We are here to hand back the product to the owners” Prof Songok said while providing sample bales of Ujiplus to Kapsengere Primary School ECD children.

“We in KEMRI work with communities and whatever belong to communities we hand them back” We urge communities in Kenya who have unique herbal products that we can partner with to come forward and work with us. We will not take away your innovation. We are a public institution and serve communities.”

While receiving the sample products, John Bor Chairman of Terik Council of Elders thanked KEMRI and KIRDI on behalf of the community.

He requested the two institutions to continue the partnership with the community through TEPAD.

Elisha Abwao, the TEPAD project coordinator intimated that the project had registered a start-up company Terik Foods Ltd to mass produce Ujiplus and other value-added products, and that community members will be invited to apply for shares in Terik Foods when it is up and running.

“The community need not get worried about the Intellectual property rights of the innovation for Terik Foods has already patented the product with Kenya Intellectual Property Institute (KIPI)”, said a jubilant Abwao.