Two Ugandans extend fruit shelf life with natural sachet, win sh103m

Two young Ugandan: Sandra Namboozo, 26 and Samuel Muyita, 28, have created a natural sachet that keeps fresh fruits longer.

As a result of this innovation, the duo has won both the People’s Choice and the Community Healers prizes at the European Patent Office’s (EPO) 2025 Young Inventors Prize.

Their ground-breaking invention, Karpolax a plant-based, biodegradable sachet that prolongs fruit freshness without refrigeration earned them euros 25,000 (about shillings 103 million).

In addition to being among 10 global winners dubbed the “Tomorrow Shapers” each receiving euros 5,000 (about shillings 21 million) , Namboozo and Muyita also secured the highest number of votes in the online public poll, earning an additional euros 5,000.

The pair were also selected by an independent jury to receive one of the competition’s three special prizes.

Their most notable recognition came with the Community Healers prize, awarded by an independent jury, which honours exceptional contributions to social equity and includes a further euros 15,000. The winners were announced during a ceremony in Iceland on June 18, 2025, at the EPO’s 2025 Young Inventors Prize.

The duo was honoured alongside other innovators, including Marie Amélie Perrin (France/USA), who won the World Builders prize and Neeka and Leila Mashouf (US), recipients of the Nature Guardians prize.

In a statement, Namboozo and Muyita says: “Winning a special prize is a powerful validation, not just of our work, but of the farmers we serve every day. It shines a global spotlight on a simple truth, innovation rooted in empathy can change the world. This recognition fuels our mission to ensure that no harvest goes to waste and that every farmer, no matter how small, has a fair shot at prosperity.”

The Young Inventors Prize recognises exceptional innovators under 30 years old whose work supports the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

According to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), over one billion tonnes of food was wasted worldwide in 2022, even as 783 million people faced hunger. In sub-Saharan Africa, where access to cold storage is limited, smallholder farmers are particularly vulnerable to post-harvest losses.

“In Uganda, if farmers are not using Karpolax, they are not using anything – they do not have an alternative. Without refrigeration, products will go to waste. We have seen a reduction in wastage of over 40%,” said Muyit.