James Mworia

Kenyan inventor who created Africa's first affordable prosthetic limbs using recycled materials

James Mworia is a Kenyan biomedical engineer whose groundbreaking work has transformed prosthetic technology across Africa. Growing up in Nairobi's slums, he witnessed the devastating impact of landmine injuries and began experimenting with low-cost prosthetics at age 14. His breakthrough came in 2010 with the Recycle Limb Project, using discarded car parts and bicycle components to create prosthetics costing just $50 - 90% less than traditional models.

Mworia's innovative open-source design has been adopted in 23 African countries, providing over 15,000 prosthetics since 2015. His 2018 invention of the Adaptive Foot - a prosthetic knee joint using motorcycle brake components - won the Global Innovation Award at the World Health Summit. This design allows users to climb stairs and run, capabilities previously unavailable to low-income amputees.

In 2020, he launched the e-Limb Network, a mobile app connecting patients with local recyclers to source materials. This system has reduced production time from 6 weeks to 3 days. His partnership with UNICEF's Innovation Lab expanded services to conflict zones in South Sudan and Somalia.

Mworia's work has been featured in TIME Magazine's 2019 list of top innovators and his TED Talk "Engineering Hope from Trash" has over 3 million views. His 2022 book 《The Art of Recycling Hope》 details his journey and technical designs. The James Mworia Foundation now trains 100+ engineers annually through its Make & Walk program.