KUNGAA

 In Uganda, limited security measures contribute to the loss of approximately 3,500 lives each year, and 1.9 million around sub-Saharan Africa, since majority can't protect their homes and communities, especially during times of vulnerability.

According to Business Insider, a staggering 95% of households in Africa cannot afford private security services leaving communities vulnerable to various threats such as burglary, robbery and alcohol-related crimes.

The absence of robust security measures makes homes easy targets for burglars, increasing the risk of property loss and personal safety threats.

Burglary is one of the most common crimes against property in Uganda accounting for 57% of homicides, this is due to limited access to law enforcement and emergency services exasperated by poor economic planning that is increasing the gap between the rich and the poor.

According to the United Nations, violent crimes has increased almost by 13% in the last decade, Offenses such as thievery and robbery account for 70% of reported crimes in Uganda and increased by 37% between 2010-2020.

Three-quarters of these crimes are committed in urban areas, with robbery and assault being more prevalent with rates of crime two to three times higher than those reported 10 years ago (UBOS, 2013).

About 61,950 cases (27.4%) reported in 2020 were due to theft as compared to 55,704 cases reported in 2019 giving a 21.6% increase. Theft cases are mainly motivated by economic gains and vindictiveness with 61% incidents occurring when residents are away from home (UPC,2020) crime report.

 In deprived areas, response times can be delayed, leaving residents unprotected and unable to seek timely assistance in case of emergencies.

This situation is worsened by the lack of infrastructure, including reliable communication networks, which hinders the ability to report incidents and receive help promptly.

Kungaa has developed a low-cost and portable crime prevention tool, the “Kungaa Device” repurposed from old electronic devices quipped with a local rescue digital network, designed to bridge the gap between neighbors and law enforcement agencies within a 20km radius and bundled with microinsurance.

With just a tap of a button on a Kungaa device, all connected neighbors and police are notified instantly and called for rescue  via the installed physical device, smartphone app, or SMS service.     

The device features an automatic, intelligent intrusion detection panic button, strobe light and customizable reporting features that, when activated, sends immediate alerts to connect neighbor to neighbor and neighbor to police in case of an attack or emergency.

Each portal device and the Kungaa community system are linked to a mobile application designed to extend community alerts using smartphone (USSD) and wireless protocols(cellular) enabling instant communication, managed by the connected neighbors.

Kungaa devices, use microcontrollers for processing sensor data, user interface (mini touchscreen) for system control and configuration, wireless module for transmitting alerts and a lithium battery for backup power supply.

The Kungaa crime prevention tools offer rapid response capabilities supported by microinsurance, ensuring swift assistance in emergencies for targeted community, instant communication in times of crisis, deter intruders, protect lives and assets in vulnerable community.

With these unique devices, we hope to improve community safety within Sub-Saharan Africa for underserved communities, reducing crimes and deaths that happen during thievery and beggary in security deprived communities, where individuals can rely on each other for support and protection.

Our target population are residents of vulnerable communities who are grappling with security concerns and in need of reliable means to swiftly address emergencies and community threats in deprived urban and rural settings of Uganda.

Our  team is optimistic that resident will effectively protect their lives, assets through enhanced community engagement and collaboration, enabling them to respond more effectively to incidents.

Kungaa will also cater to vulnerable groups such as the elderly  individuals living alone who may require immediate assistance during crises.

By empowering both residents and law enforcement, Kungaa will create safer and more resilient neighborhoods, ultimately improving livelihoods and security of the community.

Our team is a dynamic blend of passionate experts. Spearheaded by an Electrical engineer with technical knowledge in security system design and development, and will facilitate collaboration between neighbors and law enforcement, fostering community engagement.

We have got a software engineer, a maven in mobile application development, and a Hardware design engineer an expert in integration of sensors, developing, testing physical components and systems of the devices.

We have a Data Analyst, expert in monitoring  system performance, skilled in programming sensor networks and preprocessing raw data on IoT devices. Supply chain expert will be responsible for overseeing  supply chain for IoT device manufacturing, sourcing, procurement, logistics and inventory management.

Our project leadership embodies the community we aim to serve, drawing from diverse backgrounds and personal experiences among team members. The team leader has firsthand knowledge of security challenges, since she survived a death attempt and was a victim of beggary in 2020, sharing the same experience with other households leaving in security deprived communities.

During the incident, she screamed loudly and none of the neighbors responded for the rescue, and that explains the origin of the name “Kungaa” meaning “assembling people" in her local language.

Our Software engineer who is prioritizing in building device’s software and mobile application to resonate with community needs, worked for a local bank where she developed incident response plans and tools that detected and mitigated security incidents such as cyber-attacks.  Our Hardware design engineer, responsible for sensor integration in Kungaa devices to mirror safety challenges faced by community members, he worked for robotic incubation hub as a mechatronic specialist.

Built and completed a functional MVP of the Kungaa portal device that is able to alert and connect neighbors to neighbors and to local police when a threat occurs, instantly via phones or installed device.

Developed a working and optimized the Kungaa mobile application and feature phone and device interface configured with community alerts and rapid response coordination.

Carried out people centered feasibility studies and testing the Kungaa device with selected participants, monitoring the device’s effectiveness to safety communities based on performance evaluations and feedback

Kungaa has conducted 25 trials initial trials of Kungaa device in 5 target communities, installation of devices and setup of network infrastructure  to 250 households. Each device was sold at the factory price of UGX 600,000 making a profit of  UGX 150,000 ( 42 dollars) per device and a total of USD 642,residents are sure of  swift and effective responses to emergencies,  enhanced safety and added benefit of microinsurance.

 We have conducted community engagement of 1000 participants and trained 500 local residents.

I envision participating in this program as an opportunity to make new friendships, engaging with like-minded entrepreneurs, professional connections and entrepreneurial skills that will accelerate the growth and Impact of KUNGAA. It is also an opportunity to build deep relationships with peers and business and community leaders within the MIT solve network.

I need more coaching to advance my leadership skills, especially personnel management, I seek to familiarize myself with the world’s most innovative thinkers and organizations and business specialties, such as marketing, finance and sales and improving my fundraising and financial management skills. Accessing to mentorship, funding opportunities, and a supportive community would accelerate our ability to develop and scale our solution.

Kungaa portal devices are cheaper, community centered  and locally built from available materials giving us a cutting edge to be cheaper. Kungaa portal devices are repurposed from discarded electric devices and plastic waste,  it connects neighbor to neighbor within a 20km radius and bundled with microinsurance. The device  intrusion detection panic button, strobe light and customizable reporting features leveraging a digital mobile application, and via the installed physical device and automated SMS service,  users are notified instantly and can be rescued. Kungaa promotes social coherency and resilience, and we believe these are essential for building safer and  sustainable communities.

 This provides enough light to children living in off grid families enabling them to study safely compared to using unsafe local lighting lamps, they are also not cost effective due to high prices of fuel in the rural setting. Our bags will be accessible to children at lower cost through their schools after an initial deposit where parents would finance using a flexible financing system to fully own the bag.

Our revolutionary bag provides emission free energy that solves a challenge of using unsafe local energy sources such as local lighting lamps that are responsible for respiratory and neurological disorders due unfriendly emitted smokes in the process. 2 hours in the sun would provide 12 hours of light at night.

Kunga portal devices are uniquely  developed form discarded material integrated with technological applications that ensures. 

Millions of  Ugandans have limited security measures that contribute to significant loss of lives and property due to burglary and other crimes. Most households cannot afford private security services, leaving communities vulnerable to various threats, and response times from law enforcement are often delayed, exacerbating the risks.

Develop a low-cost, portable crime prevention tool (Kungaa Device) equipped with a local rescue digital network. Kangaa engage in community outreach and awareness campaigns to introduce the solution and build trust among residents. Increased access to affordable security solutions for vulnerable communities, Improved communication and collaboration between neighbors and law enforcement agencies, reduced response times to emergencies and incidents due to the rapid alert system provided by the Kungaa Device, and enhanced sense of safety and security among residents, leading to increased community resilience.

Kungaa is on the journey to serve 100,000 residents by 2030, registering  reduction in crime rates, particularly burglary and theft, as a result of improved security measures and swift response capabilities, decreased loss of lives and property due to enhanced protection and emergency response mechanisms, strengthened social cohesion and trust among neighbors, fostering a supportive and connected community environment, empowered residents to take proactive measures in ensuring their safety and the security of their neighborhoods.

Our theory of change is informed by research on crime rates, security challenges, and community dynamics in Uganda, as well as insights gathered from interviews and engagement with target populations. Kungaa drew on successful models of community-based security solutions implemented in similar contexts globally, indicating the potential effectiveness of our approach. Through continuous monitoring, evaluation, and feedback loops, we will validate and refine our theory of change to ensure that our activities lead to the desired outcomes for the communities we serve

We interviewed 30 households in vulnerable communities in wakiso and entebbe, we learnt that households need to safe homes and affordable security options, and their preferred a system that can alert adjacent neighbors for help and a system compatible with their phones and a few with no upfront suggested a credit financing model. When then reached 3 local authorities and law enforcement entities to linkup households.

We have partnered with several organizations and companies to execute this project. Women groups in plastic collection will provide waste collection services(discarded electronics devices) in exchange to medical services in our WasteInsure program through Rocket health. We have created relationships with non-financial support like technical assistance, information and resources; Innoventure and Ada analytics  will support our operations with technical expertise.

Reduce crime rates, decrease the number of reported crimes, specifically burglary and robbery by 20% .

Improve emergency response times: Achieve an average response time of less than 5 minutes for emergency calls made through the Kungaa system.

Enhance community cohesion: Increase the percentage of residents who feel safer in their neighborhoods by 30% .

Create over 100 direct and over 10,000 indirect jobs on the plastic value chain, from waste collectors, packer’s scientists and marketers in 3 years and 5 years respectively.

Our Plan is for coming 1 year to withdraw over 1 million tons of plastic from the environment and use them to manufacture plastic lumber and save an estimated

Plastic recycling also saves 2.5 kg CO2/kg plastic hence we will prevent 4,500,000 kg of CO2 emissions which would have been released by burning plastics in open air, further mitigating climate change in 1 year, and 10,000,000 kgs of CO2 in 5 years.

To expand sales and marketing efforts countrywide. We are confident that we can sell 85% of all that we produce in Uganda with the remaining 15% catering for the regional markets in Kenya, Rwanda and Nigeria.

Crime Rate Reduction, track the number of reported crimes in target communities before and after the implementation of Kungaa devices. Utilize data from local law enforcement agencies and community surveys to measure changes in crime rates.

Emergency Response Times, Monitor the time taken for law enforcement agencies to respond to emergency calls made through the Kungaa system. Analyze response time data collected from device activations and compare it to baseline response times.

Community Cohesion, conduct pre- and post-implementation surveys to assess residents' perceptions of safety and community cohesion. Measure changes in residents' reported feelings of safety and trust in neighbors using quantitative and qualitative indicators.

The core technology behind Kungaa is a combination of hardware and software innovations aimed at enhancing community safety and resilience. At its heart, Kungaa utilizes a portable device equipped with intelligent sensors, including intrusion detection, panic buttons, and strobe lights, powered by microcontrollers. This hardware is seamlessly integrated with a mobile application and a local rescue digital network, enabling instant communication between neighbors and law enforcement agencies within a 20km radius.

On the software side, Kungaa features a user-friendly interface for easy control and configuration of the device, as well as customizable reporting features for efficient emergency response. The mobile application provides additional functionalities such as community alerts and rapid response coordination, accessible via smartphones or feature phones.

This innovative blend of hardware and software technologies leverages the power of connectivity and data processing to empower communities in addressing security challenges. By harnessing modern technology, Kungaa aims to bridge the gap between traditional policing methods and the digital age, ultimately fostering safer and more connected neighborhoods

We are 12 team members, eight full time and 4 part time employees.  

My team and I, we have been working on Kungaa now for three years since its inception 

At kungaa we believe in  working with people of different people regardless their  backgrounds. In our entire set-up value chain we currently have 2 different gender, men and women who take the elephant share on the team and everyone is welcome. We believe great teams do great work based on experience and expertise, in our recruitment approach we don’t evaluate anyone based on their gender,color or pysical appreance but their passion,expertise and commitment  to exucuting needed tasks. This has become our norm and  has oppened  doors to diversity, equity, inclusivity and gender sensitivity for our team in the entire value chain and provided solutions are  people centered.

We work with a network of 250 connected homes, residents purchase our product directly and on a pay as you basis. Our early adopter to bring Kungaa to their community, will  get access to a 10% discount on the two products to ensure safety of families and the community.

 Kungaa works with marginalized youths and women to collect and sort electronic waste and plastics that we use make our community security  devices that linked to our digital system through experienced engineers and experts. Kungaa's inclusion of microinsurance will provide an additional layer of protection for community members.

Kungaa generates revenue through selling and installing of kungaa portal devices  homes, NGOs and companies at affordable  costs.

About 30+ million households in Uganda cannot afford private security services leaving communities vulnerable to various threats such as burglary, limited security measures contribute to the loss of approximately 3,500 lives each year.

We value our customers, Kungaa system is attained at a reasonable cost, installed physical device, mobile application, and  SMS service enable instant communication, connecting neighbor to neighbor and neighbor to police in case of an attack.

 Our portal devices are linked to wireless module for transmitting alerts and a lithium battery for backup power supply. Residents are aasured of 100% security backed with microinsurance. Kungaa offers subscription-based access to its mobile application, which provides additional features and services such as extended community alerts and personalized safety recommendations. Subscribers pay a monthly or annual fee for access to these premium features.

we aim to raise awareness about our product and its benefits, ultimately reaching residents in vulnerable communities who are in need of reliable security solutions.

 We received US$ 15,000 grant from the Tony Elumelu Foundation, Total energies, SEED Initiative, and The Green Innovation Fund, which we used to carry out a very intensive and detailed feasibility of the idea. We also used the funds to set up a mini-manufacturing facility for pilot manufacturing and sales operations. Kungaa has use grants and are now 100% dependent on sales of kungaa devices for our financing. We used the gran to empoer women through our wasteInsure program developed our platform and Kungaa application.

Kungaa has also  identified three major funding alternatives in this order; revenues, grants,

equity and debt. Draper Klapn Foundation and EarthTech Ventures and Miller Center Accelerator has promised investment of up $2000,000 to enable us expand to other African countries by the year 2027.

 Kungaa portal devices are cheaper, community centered  and locally built from available materials making us economically sustainable. Kungaa’s Month on month gross profit is 45%, while month on month net profitability is 10 - 15%, we have generated 10000USD in the last 12 months regardless of being new in the market. We beileve this will make us more sustainable thus exponantial growth.