Anthony Karimi Muthungu, 28

CEO

Toto Science Holdings

They say necessity is the mother of invention. The same can be said of Anthony who was pushed into becoming the first Kenyan to make a USB cable by a problem he encountered in 2020.

Facing difficulties in transferring his documents from an old laptop to a computer at his new workstation after all his seven USB cables malfunctioned, Anthony got curious to identify the problem.

He decided to purchase 7,000 USB cables from friends on Facebook before studying them and documenting the mistakes he found in them.

“I came across a certain mistake that was repeating itself in almost every cable. I saw it was a deliberate mistake done by manufacturers so that you can go back to buy their products.”

"“We want to build a whole enterprise for manufacturing of phones and all its associated accessories. For now, we have USB cables and chargers. We have finished research and design of earphones.""

The journey to solving the problem at handset the last born in a family of four on the path to being a renowned innovator in the county and beyond.

Within four months, he began producing his own USB cables weaning himself from relying on the cables that had failed him before.

He identified the mistake in the cables and was able to fix the same. This is how TotoSci Holdings was born.

Registered as a private limited company in March this year, the firm currently has seven direct employees and more than 20 individuals engaged indirectly.

TotoSci is currently involved in the manufacturing of USB cables but Anthony has already set his sight on joining the earphones as well as mobile phones market.

“We want to build a whole enterprise for manufacturing of phones and all its associated accessories. For now, we have USB cables and chargers. We have finished research and design of earphones.”

Growing up, Anthony wanted to be a police officer until the bug to be an innovator bit him in 2013. This made him forego a career in teaching to pursue this new passion.

His achievements in the technological field now read like an encyclopedia with more than 10 innovations under his belt.

“I have been building innovations in between the years but I did not turn them into business as with the cables. Being able to set up the company and have it running with or without me is my biggest achievement.”

Although he has bagged numerous accolades along the way, Anthony recognises that he is where he is as a result of opportunities life has offered him and not necessarily because he is the best in the trade.

-Collins Omulo