A great star hailed from the the district of Lira in northern Uganda to MUST. Mr. Samuel Okoci joined Mbarara University of Science and Technology (MUST) in 2021 to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Electrical and Electronics Engineering.
A 4th born to Mr. Robert George Ojok and Mrs. Margaret Ojok is passionate about promoting technology and agriculture for optimum out. , His journey began in his childhood, as he used to help the mother in poultry farming, Samuel saw his mother, Margaret Ojok, face the daily challenges of poultry. He witnessed the heartache when she lost about 200 chicks in a single night due to an overheated charcoal heater. This motivated Samuel to think of a better solution to avoid such local ways of farming notwithstanding causing looses.
While at MUST Samuel’s passion and dedication shone bright. He joined forces with a group of talented colleagues who shared his vision – Etyang Aaron, Nayebare Maureen, Beinamani Peter, and Magezi Frank. Together, they embarked on an extraordinary journey to bridge the gap between technology and poultry farming.
The fruit of their labor was the Smart Kuku Brooder, a revolutionary innovation that would change the landscape of chick brooding in poultry farming forever. This cutting-edge system was designed to automatically regulate and maintain the optimal room temperature for chick brooding. Samuel and his team used sensors and real-time data to monitor and adjust temperature levels, ensuring the chicks were always in a comfortable and healthy environment. This groundbreaking automation significantly reduced the need for constant manual monitoring, allowing farmers to focus on other essential aspects of their farms.
Samuel was unstoppable, he saw the potential of their innovation to impact countless lives, not just in his family’s poultry farm but across Uganda. With determination and a vision for progress, he applied for an innovation award on behalf of his dedicated team. Just two months after they announced their project, the news arrived – they had won the award!
The award came from Heifer International Uganda, an agricultural-based NGO that supports smallholder farmers in north and eastern Uganda. It was a moment of immense pride and recognition for Samuel and his team. Their innovation was being celebrated as a game-changer in the world of poultry farming, promising reduced chick mortality rates and improved farm productivity.
As Samuel stood on the stage, holding the award, he looked back at his journey. From his humble beginnings in a rural family of poultry farmers to becoming a student at MUST, and finally, the leader of an award-winning team, his story was a testament to the power of passion, dedication, and the desire to make a difference.
With the Smart Kuku Brooder, Samuel and his team had not only created a technological marvel but had also sown the seeds of hope for countless farmers. His dream of transforming the agricultural landscape of rural Uganda was becoming a reality, one innovative step at a time. Samuel Okoci had arrived on the stage of change, and his story was just beginning.