Meet Taifa: The locally assembled laptops by a Kenyan Univerity

June 15, 2015

Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) has launched over 4,000 units of its locally designed and assembled but China manufactured Taifa Laptop which it announced last year December.

The TAIFA laptop has a Core i3 4th Generation Processor, 500 GB Hard Disk, 4GB RAM, 14″ TFT Screen, WiFi, HDMI Port, SD Card Slot, Mic, 3 USB Ports, 6 Cell Lithium Battery and has a Web Cam. It will be available at partner retailer from next week at around Kshs 50,000 (around $500)

Speaking during the rollout, JKUAT Vice Chancellor Prof. Mabel Imbuga said, Taifa Laptop attests to the versatility of the Kenyan innovations, and it affirms the country’s capacity to harness the vast knowledge in ICT and manufacturing to develop highly competitive products in the global market.

“Taifa Laptop is a product of collaborative research output by progressive stakeholders including the Government of Kenya, who have a shared vision of making the country, not only a robust economy in the region and Africa, but also home to technological innovation,” Prof. Imbuga said.

The Vice chancellor further said that JKUAT envisions a Kenya in which the citizens are confident of their future because we have built strong foundations through research, collaborations and public private partnerships aimed at equipping the young people with relevant knowledge that will improve their lives and help create sustainable wealth for our country,” she added.

Prof. Imbuga added, the laptop was actualized in partnership with Inspur, an international firm based in China, where the currently retailing devices were assembled.

Following the success, a multipurpose assembly line to be commissioned in September 2015, is currently being installed at the Juja-based Nairobi Industrial and Technology Park.