Hyapak was founded by Joseph Nguthiru in his last year as a civil and environmental engineering student at Egerton University. The idea came to him after a simple class field trip to Lake Navaisha became an extended ordeal after their boat was tangled in the dense plant for five hours.
Specifically, HyaPak’s bioplastic is made from dried water hyacinth combined with binders and additives, which is then mixed and shaped. Currently, a key market for HyaPak is seedling bags to help Kenta’s reforestation efforts. According to Global Forest Watch, Kenya lost 14% of its tree cover between 2001 and 2023, as reported by CNN.
The business model also gives fisherman whose livelihoods are impacted by water hyacinth an additional revenue stream.