Meet Kibet, whizkid who makes bikes from wood
Enock Kibet, a Grade Four pupil at Mogonjet Primary School, is truly putting the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) skills into use.
Kibet, knows no boundaries when it comes to innovation. He has designed a movable home-made motorbike; which has sent tongues wagging in the sleepy Mogonjet village in Konoin constituency, Bomet county.
As they say, necessity is the mother of invention, Kibet has gone out of his way to put up a ‘super bike’ using dry cypress wood and old motorbike tyres. Interestingly, it works just like the modern steel machine.
When People Daily visited his rural home, Kibet was busy assembling a bike for other children oblivious of the fact his innovation has been the talk of the neighbourhood and beyond. He won’t stop the engineering act any time soon.
The youngster said his innovation and mechanical ingenuity was informed by his love for toys at a tender age though his parents did not have an idea their offspring would indeed come up with an idea that would excite residents.
“I had a penchant of playing with toys and my most favourable were bicycles. Then an idea struck and I asked myself: Why can’t I construct my own using the readily available material?” said the lad in a matter-of-factly tone.
Looking at the spectacle, one cannot help but accept the fact the boy knows his stuff; he accurately positions the tyres, pedals and breaks using a band of rubber. Unbeknown to many, the Grade Four pupil is capable of placing the engine in the frame between the wheels and everything attachable to the bike.
Mentorship and knowledge
In his own words, Kibet says that should he get the right materials, slight knowledge and mentorship, he can make a motor-devised bike. “I have this feeling that I can up my game in this innovation and the end product can be more eye-catching,” he offers.
The 14-year-old pupil, who represents his school in many activities including sketching, opted to do his bike construction along the roadside ostensibly to sell his innovative ideas to pedestrians, motorists and most importantly, cyclists.
So adventurous is the boy that children of his age mill around the construction site in a bid to catch a glimpse of the spectacular engine that has sent villagers in a state of disbelief of sorts.
Competence Based Curriculum (CBC), which was incepted in the Kenyan Education system in the year 2017, has imparted knowledge and skills of students not least Kibet whose excellent workmanship on the wooden bike belies his age. The CBC rationale was to help each learner to unlock their full potential and guide the learners on their academic potentiality.
His father Philip Kosgei and mother Janeth Kosgei were in unison that it is talent at its best.“Kibet has been increasingly been a go-getter in academic spheres and the family was taken aback when he ventured into tasks only fit for older boys. If this is not a miracle, what is it ? asked Kosgei.
